Hasta La Ideas

When I was a kid, the volume dial on my father’s hi-fi looked like a schoolbus steering wheel to me. It was huge.

These days most of my audio listening is done on iPhone headphones while walking around NYC, which requires frequent volume adjustment: One block will have jackhammers going, another block will have someone stopping you to ask directions, a third block will have me scrabbling for the pause button while I try to determine if I just heard someone scream out a racial slur. My current headphone volume controls are tiny, like most, so I’m digging Nixon’s Trooper headphones and their huge, chunky three-button interface that looks like you shouldn’t drop it on your foot.

Incidentally, the Chicago Athenaeum has recently slapped the Troopers with a Good Design award. In addition to the fat volume thingy, they’re collapsible, lightweight, feature silicone ear cushions, and the cord is removeable so you don’t have to worry about straining the connection and possibly breaking it when it’s stowed for travel.

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