by I’d pick these over those ugly AirPods stems any day…
Yes, this is still a design and technology website. No, those are not average earrings. Sure, they look like pearl-studded jewelry, but the NOVA H1 is a new category of audio wearables designed to go high-tech into fashion accessories. Designed to be worn just like a pair of earbuds, the NOVA H1 are TWS earbuds that connect to your phone and play music, podcasts and other audio directly into your ear. The ‘audio headphones’ use NOVA’s patented Direction Sound technology to send sound directly into your ear without obstructing your hearing. The open ear design means you can hear sound from the NOVA H1 and the world around you, giving you natural transparency and situational awareness of your surroundings. That said, they also make a great pair of earrings!
Designer: NOVA
Available in real gold and silver versions, and studded with real freshwater pearls, the NOVA H1 is just the perfect, truly quintessential pair of pearl earrings. They have a classic appeal and can be worn over your ears or placed inside any other ear piercing. Don’t have piercings? The earrings also come in clip-on versions, allowing almost anyone to wear them. However, as aesthetically pleasing as the NOVA H1 looks, its real magic lies beneath the surface.
Cleverly hidden behind its jewelry avatar is a pair of audio drivers, designed to turn the earrings into audible objects (hearing + wearables). Powered by Bluetooth 5.2, the NOVA H1 connects to your phone like any TWS earphone, and delivers sound directly into your ear canal using NOVA’s proprietary audio beamforming technology. The sound waves are sent directly into your ear without leaking out, creating a private listening experience for the wearer. Sure, it doesn’t compare to an actual TWS earbud that sits sealed inside your ear, but the makers claim to have reduced the sound leakage as much as possible.
The NOVA H1 works just like your pair of TWS earbuds, allowing you to listen to music and podcasts, answer or reject calls, or summon your phone’s voice assistant. A touch panel on the back of the ear registers touch inputs, allowing you to control your listening experience or interact with your phone’s AI voice.
Since earbuds are often worn for longer periods of time than TWS Earbuds, the NOVA H1 earbuds weigh only 7 grams each, allowing you to wear them for hours without feeling their weight on your ears. The earbuds have a battery capacity of 3.5 to 4.5 hours, which can be extended to 18 hours when used with the flashy looking charging case that comes with your earbuds. Depending on whether you go for the silver or gold versions, the NOVA H1 costs between €595 ($633) and €695 ($740).
