It doesn’t matter how good your headphones are, it still won’t work best with every type of music imaginable. Simply put, headphones are usually engineered to play best with a specific type of music, sacrificing a crisp high sound for a massive bass, for instance. Not the case with Torque, a line of modular headphones that can be customized to accommodate whatever you want to listen to on the fly.
The top-of-the-line is a customizable pair of headphones called T402V that can be equipped as an on-ear or over-the-ear type (swappable ear pads). It packs 40mm neodymium drivers, which use the company’s bio-cell diaphragm, a proprietary design that, according to the company, is “unparalleled in acoustic performance,” delivering both “a higher velocity and a near ridiculous dynamic range.” Not only can the form factor be adjusted, but also the sound, with four possible bass settings that you switch into by simply turning both ear pads. Features include three-way articulation to help you find the best fit, a spring steel-reinforced headband, and a flat-folding design for easy portability.
Second on Torque’s roster is the T096Z, a pair of in-ear headphones that use the company’s 9mm bio-cell membrane diaphragm transducers. While the on-ear above can only get bass adjustments, this one steps customizability up a notch by using what they’re calling TorqueValves, a set of swappable tuning tips that use a technique called subtractive equalization to adjust the EQ of the audio piping out of the buds. Six of these TorqueValves are available, each one designed to play best with a specific type of music. Features include full machined brass housing, six swappable silicone ear tips, and an in-line mic.
Last is the T103Z, which has already been around for the last year. This pair of ear buds boast 10mm dynamic neodymium drivers and customizability via the same swappable TorqueValves as the T096Z.
Pre-orders for Torque’s headphones are now ongoing over at Kickstarter. Pledges to reserve a unit (everything ships within the next two to three months) starts at $70.