Hearing Protection Improved with Launch of Health and Safety Product for Live Event, Studio, and Home Use

	ISOLATE by Flare Audio Ltd. Ear protectors

ISOLATE by Flare Audio Ltd. is a new, patent-pending ear protector, a solution for any music and events professional who works in loud sound environments. The ear protectors rival traditional foam or flanged ear plugs and are also ideal for home and other commercial uses.

Launching through crowd-funding site Kickstarter, worldwide call for the product has been proved with the campaign achieving its £25,000 target within 44 hours. ISOLATE is currently rated number one in the UK and number eight in the world on Kickstarter's project popularity list. The campaign runs until August 15, 2016.

Projected to achieve 1,240% of its funding goal at time of press, ISOLATE's unique technology will now be available worldwide, with Kickstarter backers being able to secure pairs ahead of general release at an introductory price.

Traditional earplugs rely on absorption to attenuate sound, which rapidly meets its limit particularly with bass frequencies. ISOLATE protectors reflect sound away from the ears and therefore achieve much greater attenuation, as they do not accept sound into the ear canal.

Delivered with Flare's discreet and stylish custom-designed memory foam tips EARFOAMS, ISOLATE dramatically reduces sound without muffling or distortion. Live music sounds clearer, with increased detail and at safer listening levels. Ears are protected from loud noise that could otherwise damage your hearing.

Live music professionals and music studio engineers will particularly appreciate the ability of ISOLATE to block very low frequencies from entering their ears. Traditional ear plugs and defenders do not block the lowest frequencies, creating a muffled sound which, as well as being unpleasant to listen to, leaves wearers feeling disconnected or even "underwater."

Low frequencies produce the most energy, which is only partially absorbed by the plastic or foam of traditional ear plugs. For the first time ever, ISOLATE blocks all direct sounds, including bass frequencies. ISOLATE is micro in size and so can be used anywhere to isolate your ears from unwanted noise.

The first of its kind, made from solid metal (standard aluminum or pro titanium options), the micro protectors will help protect your hearing using Flare's unique approach, making these ear protectors a more effective and enjoyable experience than standard earplugs.

Reusable and designed for life-long use, these are perfect to use anytime you want to reduce sound levels, from working in concert or festival environments, during the build or the performance, or reducing unwanted noise in the studio. Elsewhere, they are ideal for blocking unwanted noise at motor sport events, during travel (train, plane, or place noise), noisy working environments or simply to ensure a peaceful night's sleep. They're so effective they are ideal for industrial workplace environments to replace both in-ear and over-ear alternatives and will particularly help festival organizers and contractors meet their health and safety obligations.

Flare Audio is already known in the live audio industry, with its products used on a wide range of live events. Flare products are also installed at cinemas, including the Olympic Studios in London.

Ringing and muffled ears, "the morning after the night before" is the sound of hearing damage. Flare Audio believes that conventional plastic or foam earplugs don't work very well to protect the ears because both these materials stop some sound entering the ears but not all, especially lower frequencies. When low frequencies get past traditional ear protection, they apply an EQ to your hearing which means details are lost and you are left in a world of booming bass and sub-sonic pressure which most people can't wait to escape from.

Traditional earplugs, particularly the standard foam ones, rely on absorption principles. Trying to absorb sound requires a large amount of material to work well. When an ear plug has less than an inch of material, the resulting small scale absorption leads to muddy/muffled audio in the high and mid frequencies, with little to no reduction in bass frequencies. With bass getting through, music is no longer enjoyable to listen to as it masks details of higher frequencies.

"Solid metal is a good conductor so it has never been considered for use as an ear protector before," Flare explains. "But what we discovered was that, in order to conduct sound, metals need a direct connection. Without a direct connection, solid metal blocks and reflects sound perfectly. When you isolate a small piece of metal or dense material in soft foam inside your ear, sound cannot get into it through the flexible medium of air: it becomes the perfect isolator. Understanding this principle drove us to develop the perfect ear plug or 'protector.' We wanted to revolutionize hearing protection."

ISOLATE blocks sound from entering the ears and so attenuates all frequencies. Sound is not able to conduct into the patent-pending technology that ISOLATE uses, which means that users are able to effectively turn their ears off to direct sound. The only sound the user hears while using ISOLATE is from bone conduction, which results in an enjoyable and balanced experience with safe, low-level sound detail, rather than the rumble and distortion created by traditional earplugs.

"Initial in-house testing of ISOLATE has yielded better attenuation than any other ear plug," says Flare Audio founder, Davies Roberts. "Flare will release official figures when independent testing and CE certification (ANSI 13.9 for USA) is obtained later this month and we're confident ISOLATE will far outperform the current best market offering."

"I'm wearing the isolates now, they're bloody incredible. Perfect for the tourbus/flights. You guys might have filled a hole in the market!" reports Peredur Ap Gwynedd, guitarist, Faithless / Pendulum.

"These are bloody genius! LONG LIVE EARS... unlike teeth, they don't grow back. #besmart," shares Glen Rowe, tour director for Muse.

"What Flare has done is quite unique. [Everything] from deepest bass guitar to crash cymbals, was reduced to almost zero. Removing so much of the excessive bass that transpires at gigs and concerts means you can effectively improve the sound by wearing them! Only very expensive inner ear protectors come close in terms of comfort and isolation, but nothing has got this good," says Janine Elliot, Hifi Pig.

"People active in construction or on the music scene near loudspeakers often will love these. Highly recommended; great job Flare Audio!" notes Michael Piskor of Headfonics.

"Even our very best earplugs aren't particularly good at attenuating the low frequencies [that shake you to your core]. That's where ISOLATE is fantastic; at reducing the low frequencies," says Allen Davey, director, British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association.

"I designed Flare ISOLATE with your listening pleasure in mind. By using our own patent-pending technology, I discovered that I could create ear protectors that don't absorb sound ... they block it, giving the user the sensation that they have simply lowered the volume. Using Flare ISOLATE at a concert is really something else. You can hear every instrument, every detail at a safe low level like never before," explains Davies Roberts of Flare Audio Ltd.

Available in aluminum and titanium with a choice of color or even coated with gold or platinum, ISOLATE ear protectors are reusable; the main component (the aluminum or titanium body) will last a lifetime. Its custom memory foam replaceable tips, EARFOAMS, are extremely soft yet hard-wearing, available in small, medium, or large for the ultimate comfort fit. Each pair comes with a set of each size.

Flare has chosen Kickstarter to launch the product following a successful campaign to launch its acclaimed R2 earphones last year, which saw the company raise almost double its target.

The ISOLATE® KS campaign runs until August 15, offering a one-off chance to secure a pair at an introductory price of £23 for ISOLATE, £46 for ISOLATE PRO. Packages available. Ships worldwide. For more information or to order, visit the URL below.

Video Link:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=OU5aV1kjb_M

KS campaign link / stats chart:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/584645150/isolate-switch-off-your-ears?token=d18a824b

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/584645150/isolate-switch-off-your-ears/#chart-daily