Look, we all know riding with headphones is probably a bad idea. But that won’t change the fact that a lot of riders hit the trail or road every day, plugged into their favorite tunes. Fortunately, there are a number of companies like Elevety who are rethinking the traditional headphone or even speakers. Elevated thought you’re already wearing a helmet, why not make it the speaker…
The secret to the Domio is the transducer on the bottom of the little puck. The transducer vibrates against the shell of the helmet which then amplifies the sound and makes it audible to the wearer of the helmet. While standing next to someone wearing the Domio, you could pick up a slight sound of music, but nothing like one of those portable speaker systems. The system really does work, though I wouldn’t say the audio quality is going to blow you away.
After connecting to your phone with Bluetooth, the Domio will operate with a single button and include a volume dial around the entire perimeter. Domio will attach to almost any helmet with a 3M adhesive backed lock ring, though you will have to have enough of a flat spot to attach the mount. Then it simply locks on with a twist. Micro USB rechargeable, the device is said to offer 8 hour battery life and weighs in at 200g. The standard Domio is available for pre-order now at $99, and Elevety is working on the Domio Plus (above right as a prototype) which will run $149 on Kickstarter in the spring and drops the weight and size.