European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                1 Ito your health bigger ear for better listening by Peter stack san Francisco chronicle in what has All the earmarks of a solution to acoustical problems two enterprising men have developed ear Extension devices that although they look a Little goofy give people bigger ears for enhancing their listening experiences admittedly the soil leather ear extenders called serious listeners look funny at first a a sort of rectangular version of the Mickey mouse ears kids clamor for at Disneyland Quot but they give you the Best Seal in any concert Hall in terms of sound Quot said Paul Edmundson 32, the Burlingame calif., inventor of serious listeners a Quot list eng enhancement tool Quot Edmundson said he has been Able to stand up to an onslaught of Alfred e. Newman jokes about his product which Sells for $25 a pair Quot they were originally aimed at the upper end stereo fans the audiophiles who just Sil at Home where nobody sees them Quot said Edmundson Quot when we took the things to concert Halls to Rock shows to the theater we knew we had something for wider use Quot they re like eyeglasses for the ears a we Don t claim they re a solution to hearing impairment but they re a Benefit Tor hearing enhancement Quot they la even help the elderly person who plays the to so loud in their apartment turn Down the volume Quot Edmundson who developed the product with his Burlingame High school buddy. Terry Gillette 32, took the crazy looking things to the huge consumer electronics show in Chicago last Spring. It was the turning Point a business is so brisk they have an 800 number 800-326-1201 and take charge card orders Over the phone Quot a lot of people at the show  said Edmundson Quot but then they tried them in front of sound equipment we had immediate converts Quot in a Trade show that was designed to show off the hottest new stereo products we came out having one of the most talked Aboul things there. And you Don t even have to plug it in. Quot we be got orders coming in Day and night from All Over the world because we have a Way to make a $500 stereo sound like a $5,000 one by simply concentrating on the ultimate link in the audio Chain the  without necessarily consulting nature. Edmundson and Gillette a who have made a business out of creating Quot designer sound systems Quot for expensive Homes a have pretty much designed for human ears what Many animal ears already have Deer for example have acute hearing because they have big ears. And. Like other animals that Are easily preyed upon they use the cups or Pinna of their ears in a rotating Way to pick up sounds around them using the Quot sound focus Quot their ears allow. Quot we be seen people who go to the symphony who use their hands to cup Over their ears so they can get a cleaner bigger sound Quot said Gillette Quot we even ran across a couple of people who use scotch tape connected to their foreheads. Taping their ears so they la stick out and grab More sound. Quot All we be done is created cups that fit comfortably on your  the devices made of soft leather have stirred up a massive amount of interest. Brown University for example has inquired about carrying the ear extenders in its student store because in franc Taco Chromik Paul Edmundson wears the ear cups he invented. A they re a Benet it Tor hearing enhancement Quot he says. They significantly enhance a person s ability to hear a mumbling professor when he or she discourses in a big lecture Hall the san Jose symphony orchestra has inquired about the ear gadgets because string players have an interest in cutting Down on the High volume sounds they get belted Wuh from the brass Section a not uncommon musical situation even Hunters already besieged by a variety of electronic listening enhancement gimmicks have bought serious listeners because they fit easily into the pocket Don t require wires or batteries. Bow Hunters like them because the thick leather they re made of protects their ears when they Are drawing Sharp arrows Over the shoulder from their quivers Edmundson and Gillette pondered and researched their product for almost a decade before finally going into production last fall. They tried innumerable ways to create cups that would accurately and naturally extend the Pinna or cartilage backed cups of the ear they used plastic they used rubber they used wires and other Means to secure the do hickeys. They travelled to Washington. D a to study All patented devices for listening enhancement discovering that Caps and collared capes and All kinds of goodies have been patented to help people hear things better a Quot but we did t think people would want to Wear hats with elephant ears on them when they go to the opera  said Edmundson. The serious listeners literally hang on the ear. The cup is created by folding the Bottom part and snapping the lower halves together. They come in a variety of colors a Light and dark Brown Blue Black and off White. A audiophiles can get very tedious sometimes about things Quot said Edmundson. Quot we be had people order these things in certain colors because they seriously think a dark Blue might sound better than a  curbing aids by use of diaphragm Columbia s his Center for clinical and behavioural studies. His or human immunodeficiency virus is the cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Stein called for More research on the use of diaphragms to prevent transmission of the aids virus she based her views on a review of studies of diaphragms in the prevention of pregnancy and venereal diseases. Associated press diaphragms could be As effective As condoms at preventing the spread of aids from men to women and Are Likely to be much More widely used. Quot this could and should be promoted among women Quot said researcher Zena Stein of Columbia University Quot it s not going to do everything but it will do something Quot Stein said that while condoms can prevent the heterosexual transmission of aids they Are not used nearly As often As they should be. Most heterosexual transmission occurs from men to women she said and therefore it is women not men who have the incentive to use condoms Quot women can offer them can urge the Man to use them can persuade but it s up to the Man. We know that that s often not  Stein said at the new York Italy medical symposium. In practice condoms Are not being widely used she said Quot compliance is very far from 100 percent. Very far from where we want  Stein is an epidemiologist of diaphragms and spermicides Are As effective As condoms in preventing the spread of gonorrhoea and might Well Boas effective in preventing the spread of the aids virus she said. Research is needed to Settle that question she said. Quot we need a research program that tests these barriers we  she said. The Quot Barrier Quot contraceptives she was referring to include the diaphragm the contraceptive sponge and the Quot Pouch Quot a female condom. Research should also be done to determine which spermicide Best kills the aids virus and whether it should be provided As a Cream foam or gel Stein said Quot we Don t know what women want and what they la j use Quot she said. A Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes tuesday. January 30,1990