Axent Wear

Music, redesigned

[axentwear]

Hi Axent Wear Backers! I have some great photos to share! 

This is Wenqing Yan (a.k.a Yuumei), the co-founder and designer of the cat ear headphones. This week I was able to visit Brookstone in New Hampshire to personally test out the latest headphones prototype and to give feedback on how to improve for the next prototype. 

We heard everyone's feedback on the last post and we completely agree with the changes that need to be made, such as color, brighter lights, and a less bulky frame. Please understand that the prototypes are not what the final product will look like, and we will be actively improving each prototype we make. In this second version of the prototype, we've already improved many details, such as the colors and added the detachable gaming boom mic. With each iteration, it will look better and better!

So far, the over-the-ear cushions are very comfortable, and all the joints are adjustable and fold-able. The buttons on the underside of the headphones are easily used to switch between private listening and external sharing, and there is song selection on the detachable cord. The sound quality of the headphones is great, with a clean and crisp sound. The cat ear speakers are loud enough to fill up an entire room, but you can also adjust the speaker volume for sharing with friends sitting right next to you. 

There are still lots of improvements to be made, and we look forward to sharing with everyone the even better version within the next week or two. Thank you all again for the constant feedback and support!

If you have any questions about the headphones or need an address change, please e-mail our new customer service at [email protected] or call 866-595-5906.

[axentwear]

Hi Axent Wear backers!

We are excited to show you the first fully functional prototype that our partner, Brookstone, has been developing. This prototype is a sneak peak of all the cool features the headphones will have, such as functional external speakers, LED lights, a switch to change between sharing or private listening, and much more!

This is the first of the many prototypes to come before we begin manufacturing. With each new prototype, we will make extensive improvements to the light, sound, and shape. Thank you all again for the patience and support as we perfect the headphones to the highest quality possible.  

As mentioned in our last update, Brookstone will also be helping us with all customer service from now on. You can e-mail your questions and requests such as address change to [email protected] or you can phone Brookstone's customer service center at 866-595-5906. We've also noticed a number of backers not receiving replies for their questions. We've investigated the issue and confirmed that Brookstone has received the e-mails and replied to them. It's likely that the missing replies have been accidentally put into the spam folder. Brookstone's customer service always reply within 3 business days. If you have not received a reply for your question within 3 business days, please check your spam folder.  

We're excited to show you more photos and videos of the next new and improved prototype in the following weeks. Stay tuned!

Best, Axent Wear

[axentwear]

New Customer Service Contact

Hi Axent Wear backers!

As mentioned in our last post, we've partnered up with Brookstone to manufacture the headphones! Not only that, Brookstone will also be answering any questions regarding the Cat Ear Headphones. Whether it's address change, order confirmation, or any other questions, please contact Brookstone's customer service at [email protected]

We will keep you all updated on the production of the headphones as Brookstone begins manufacturing. Axent Wear co-founder and headphones designer, Wenqing Yan (a.k.a Yuumei), will be flying out to test and approve the headphone prototypes in the following months. We will be sharing new photos and videos of the headphones production process with everyone soon.

Thank you all again for your constant support!

[axentwear]

Axent Wear Update

Hi Axent Wear backers!

We're very excited to announce that we are in the process of finalizing an agreement with Brookstone as the manufacturer for the cat ear headphones. Brookstone will be able to provide the high quality assurance you deserve, and a speedy production plus delivery. We hope to begin shipping the headphones in November of this year.

Not only that, Brookstone will also be taking care of customer service. They will be helping everyone with questions about shipping, address changes, product information, and anything else related to receiving your headphones. Due to this change in customer service, Axent Wear will not be able to handle customer service for about two weeks while we finalize the agreement and then transfer the details to Brookstone. As final manufacturing is dependent upon the number of pre-orders, refunds will no longer be accepted, effective immediately.

We will be posting new photos of the headphones prototype and manufacturing in the following weeks as Brookstone begins production. Thank you all again for the amazing patience and support for making these headphones possible. Axent Wear will always be grateful to you all, and we look forward to seeing photos of everyone wearing their brand new headphones! :)

[axentwear]

Axent Wear Update

Hi Axent Wear backers!

We are excited to announce that we are finalizing arrangements to manufacture our cat ear headphones. We apologize again for the unforeseen delay, and we hope to deliver the headphones in approximately 180 days. 

We will be releasing more information on the headphones' design, stretch-goal perks, and much more as we begin production. 

If you have any questions, please send them to [email protected] and our customer service will help you within 3 business days. 

Thank you all again for your amazing patience and support!

[axentwear]

Axent Wear Manufacturing Update

Hey everyone,  This is Victoria and Wenqing, co-founders of Axent Wear. Thank you for all of your continued support and patience. As co-founders, we want to assure you that Axent Wear has been working hard to bring out quality headphones that will meet our standards and that we can all be proud of. Again, thank you for your patience!  We started the headphones as a small project for fans. We weren't sure if the Indiegogo launch would even work out. But because of your tremendous support, we decided to not only add new headphone functions, but improve the overall quality of the headphone specs as well. The Axent Wear team has visited and inspected the original headphone manufacturer we worked with before the launch. It was unfortunate that we have concluded that a more capable headphone manufacturer is needed in order to meet our enhanced standards.  We have redoubled our effort. This will however entail a higher cost and delays. While we are happy to take on the higher cost ourselves as a thank you to the backers, unfortunately we can't avoid the delays. We have made a choice to place quality above everything else. We hope that you will agree with our decision and continue to support our initiative.  We are eager to update everyone with more good news, but we need to finalize everything before releasing more details. In the mean time, if you need an address change or have any questions, please e-mail our customer service at [email protected] Happy Holidays!

[axentwear]

FAQ in response to our last post

Hi again everyone!

This is Wenqing (Yuumei) again. I'm here to answer some questions that people have been asking in regards to our last update.

Q: What if I need to move to a new address before the headphones can be delivered?

A: Don't worry! E-mail us at [email protected] and our customer service will take note of your new address and make sure you receive your order.

Q: Will you ever find a factory in China that respects environmental and human rights?

A: Most definitely. Although the original factory lacked what we expected, I've personally seen many factories that are clean with worker protection and other safety and environmental protection certificates. Unfortunately there were a multitude of other reasons that prevented us from using those factories. But I do know the right factory exists, and we will find it. We are already in negotiations with a very promising factory in Taiwan as we speak and will hopefully update everyone soon with the good news.

Q: Why didn't you guys know about the bad conditions of the original factory sooner?

A: Only my co-founder, Victoria, can answer this in detail since she is responsible for sourcing manufacturers. However, I can say that before Indiegogo was such a success, we weren't sure if the headphones would work out, and didn't have the funds to fly to China for personal inspections. If I learned anything during the past 2 weeks of touring factories is that many of them will lie about their quality and capabilities unless you do an in person inspection. Which is why I will be going in person to each factory and make sure they are exactly what they claim to be.

Lastly, please remember Axent Wear is a brand new company and the cat ear headphones will be our first product. While we might stumble during the first few steps, we will not fall or fail. At the end of the day, we believe in doing everything right instead of just doing anything fast. Our schedule might be delayed but we will deliver the quality, environmental, and humane headphones to you 100% guaranteed.

[axentwear]

Headphones Manufacturing Update

Hi everyone!

This is Axent Wear co-founder and the headphones designer, Wenqing (aka Yuumei). I am currently in China right now to oversee headphones production.

We here at Axent Wear believe in complete honesty to our backers and complete moral responsibility to the environment and human rights. Thus I believe it is very important to let everyone who put their trust in us to know each and every step of the headphones production, good news or bad news.

Right now I have some bad news. The manufacturer that my co-founder have been in contact with for the past year is not up to the environmental or human rights standards that we thought they had. This is an unfortunate discovery that I only found out upon personal visit of the factory during the past two weeks.

I have been touring countless manufacturers and I will keep doing so until I’ve found the right factory. I will make sure the new manufacturer will respect the environment and human rights because that is the only way to respect our backers as well.

Without doubt we will bring you the high quality headphones you deserve, but due to the unforeseen need to change manufacturers, the delivery date for the headphones will be pushed back. We do not know how long the delay will be at this point but we will keep everyone updated at every step of the way.

Thank you so much for your support and understanding.

In other news, we've decided to try out Indiegogo's Forever Funding Pilot program. The limited time only discount price of $115 (plus $35 for shipping and taxes) for early backers is already over, but you can still pre-order for $135 (plus $35 for shipping and taxes). We plan on opening our own store when all the headphones have been produced, but in the mean time Indiegogo will be the go to place if you missed the chance to pre-order earlier.

[axentwear]

Hey everyone,

Due to huge demand and a large influx of emails requesting this, we are keeping the campaign open and the discounted $115 price for another 15 days!

After Indiegogo notified us of this option, we wanted to thank you for your support and keep the price lower for a bit longer. We couldn’t have gotten this far without you, without your involvement and staying with us throughout this campaign. We also wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about the pricing. This campaign has been an incredible journey for us, and it’s all thanks to you! 

The $115 price ($150 after taxes and shipping) was always a discounted Indiegogo crowdfunding price to reward early backers. Afterwards, the price was always going to rise from $115 ($150 after taxes and shipping) to $135 (not including tax and shipping), so order yours now while you can! This is the last and only time Indiegogo is allowing us to extend this window so please use it. Afterwards, you can still preorder through our website, (http://www.axentwear.com/) for the normal base price of $135. We are very lucky and grateful for such an amazing community of backers, and we’ll continue to strive to give you the best product possible. 

Click on the link below to preorder for $115. This is 15 days left and counting! 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/axent-wear-cat-ear-headphones/x/7458195

Photographer: Daniel Yang (instagram.com/nielkyang)

Model: Erica Brett

[axentwear]

We just raised over $2 million!!! We are overwhelmed by the amount of backing we’ve received, and we wanted to thank you all for your continued support. Without you, none of this would be possible. 

We only have 2 days left before the price rises from $115 ($150 after taxes and shipping) to $135 (not including tax and shipping), so get yours now while you can! Click on the link below to preorder. 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/axent-wear-cat-ear-headphones

Be sure to follow us for updates! 

Photographer: Daniel Yang (instagram.com/nielkyang)

Model: Erica Brett

[axentwear]

Hi everyone! We simply can't believe the amazing amount of support we've received so far. Thank you all so much!  We have surpassed the $1.5 Million stretch goal, so as promised, each order will now come with a detachable gaming boom mic! We will work with our manufacturer and update everyone with new images as soon as we have finalized the mic design.  Thank you all again for the support and have a happy Halloween!  Pre-order your very own Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones at http://igg.me/at/AxentWear/x/7458195 Photographer: Daniel Yang - instagram.com/nielkyangModel: Erica Brett

[axentwear]

Hi everyone! As promised, there are some additional specs for the headphones. Please keep in mind that the Indiegogo campaign has not ended yet so all negotiations with the factory is not set in stone. It’s very likely that there will be further changes in specs as we finalize negotiation at the end of the crowd funding campaign.  - 20Hz - 20KHz Frequency response - 40 mm driver - 32 ohm Impedance - 6 hour battery life - USB charging and 3.5 mm Jack included - 6.6ft detachable cable - Over-ear-cushioning  - Built in volume control plus forward and backward buttons included - Inline mic included (to be upgraded a detachable gaming boom mic if we reach the 1.5 million stretch goal) - On and off LED light button - Approximately 280-300 grams in weight We hope that answers some questions! And remember the crowdfunding is not over yet so specs can still change. We will keep everyone updated with manufacturing process and thank you all again for the tremendous support! Photographer: Daniel Yang Model: Erica Brett

[axentwear]

Pre-order your very own pair of Axent Wear cat ear headphones on our indiegogo! http://igg.me/at/AxentWear/x/7458195

A special shout out to our lovely models: Erica, Nicole, Stella, and Colin! Not only do they look awesome with Axent Wear headphones, they are all highly intelligent UCBerkeley graduates and Ph.D students. As a matter of fact, the entire Axent Wear team is composed of only Berkeley grads and Ph.D students, including our talented photographers, Helen and Daniel.

When not working on headphones, our team members are busy with their research and studies ranging from art, mechanical engineering, political economy, computer science, architecture and curing cancer! We are very lucky to have such a diverse and talented team come together for this fun project. We will all work hard to bring you the best cat ear headphones!

Thank you all for the constant love and support!

[axentwear]

Hey guys! We're proud to announce our very first giveaway contest! Win a free pair of Axent Wear cat ear headphones by sharing this Facebook post. Contest ends on Oct 23rd, 2014. Don't miss out!

Or you can pre-order a pair right now on our Indiegogo!

[axentwear]

Hello everyone! Thank you all so much again for the incredible amount of support! We are now over 300% funded! 

As a special reward, we’ll be hosting some giveaway contests soon so keep your eye out for a chance to win a free pair of headphones in the next the few day!

We are less than a week into our crowdfunding and we did not expect to be so far along already. Rest assured that  we will use the extra money to make sure  the headphones will have the best sound quality possible! This also means we are still negotiating with the manufacturer with new order numbers that we did not expect to have. As soon as the new negotiation ends, we will be releasing more specs. 

In other news, we would like to address some common questions. A lot of people have mentioned the lack of stretch goals for hitting over our original mark. The truth is all the stretch goals we were planning to have, such as adding extra colors like purple, a mic, over-the-ear cushioning and detachable cord, have already been included in the original package. After reading over everyone’s suggestions, we decided to include all these features even before launching our crowdfunding. That is why we did not have any new stretch goals since we decided to go the extra mile and include all the new features in the original package. 

However, there are some features such as changing RGB lights that we decided not to pursue. The issue with that is the RGB colors will look washed out in daylight. Single colored headphones can have color tinted plastic that will look good no matter where you are. Existing RGB headphones are made for indoor gaming so color brightness isn’t an issue, otherwise all the colors would look faded when you go outside. We decide that it’s best for the headphones to have one color that looks great everywhere instead of many colors that can only look ok indoors. We also want to focus all of our attention and funds on making the existing features as high quality as possible and delivering the headphones to everyone as soon as possible. We noticed a lot of crowdfunding in the past that included too many stretch goals weren’t able to handle making the extra features without delaying for many months. 

With that said, we have been reading everyone’s suggestions and decided to add a new stretch goal. Right now the original headphones comes with a mic attached to the cord, but if we can raise over $1.5 million, we will be able to upgrade the inline mic to a detachable gaming boom mic! If we reach that goal, everyone can have a high quality mic for gaming and online chatting, and easily remove it when you head out to party!

Thank you all again! We look forward to bringing you the best cat ear headphones ever! Help us reach our stretch goal at http://igg.me/at/AxentWear/x/7458195 And keep an eye open for our giveaway that’s coming soon!

[axentwear]

Thank you all for the incredible amount of support! We've raised over 100% of our goal within the last 24 hours. We're super excited to begin working with manufacturers to bring you the best quality headphones! 

There's still 30 days left to our campaign so please help spread the awesome news, share our video, and check out our campaign at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/axent-wear-cat-ear-headphones/x/7458195

We've also updated the campaign with answers to many of the questions asked yesterday. You can find the FAQ section at the bottom of the Indiegogo page :)

[axentwear]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your patience and support. Without further ado, we're proud to announce our crowd funding campaign! We need all the help we can get to make this crowd funding successful and turn these headphones into a reality! Click here to back our project and to check out our slick video. See you there!