You Can Turn Down the Volume of the World Around You With These New Ear Plugs

Do you ever get in situations where you want to tune out the noise of life? For millions, popping in a pair of headphones and listening to music during a noisy commute is the only way to cope. But what if you're on a crowded airplane and want some piece? What if you just want to filter out noise without muting everything? One company looks to offer true peace and quiet -- allowing users to control the volume of life with ear plugs.

Amsterdam-based company Knops created a pair of adjustable noise canceling earbuds. These go beyond traditional in-ear foam wedges or over-the-ear bulky units. The team designed Knops to look like gramophones, and the pieces are fully acoustic.

[Image Source: Knop via Kickstarter]

Each pair comes with four steps that cater to what you need in that moment. Step 1 doesn't filter out anything. It's exactly what you would hear without Knops. Step 2 reduces the volume and filters out the noise only slightly while still allowing, for example, a pedestrian to hear oncoming traffic. The ear plugs' Step 3 reduces volume further to replicate the sound quality found in an intimate, acoustic concert setting. Step 4 offers the highest level of noise reduction -- as close to complete silence as possible given a user's surroundings.

[Image Source: Knop via Kickstarter]

Need to go from the complete silence of Step 4 to the moderate noise of Step 2? No worries. With Knops, simply twist the knob and change the level. Users don't even have to remove the earbuds to change steps. The earbuds' sleek look comes from designers tired of the bland, ugly foam buds typically used. The design also resulted after months of running computer simulations and testing prototypes in varying acoustic environments.

[Image Source: Knop via Kickstarter]

The team behind Knops already has a pretty successful track record with sound. Engineer Arjen de Jong, Koen Brouwer, and Quinten Huigen laid the foundation for what became Knops. Brouwer and Huigen already created Thunderplugs -- Europe's most prolific silicon ear plugs, according to Knops.

"Their earplugs are sold in a whopping 26 countries worldwide. They’re like the Richard Bransons of earplugs. Sort of," the team noted on its website. "Their experience in the music business including worldwide shipping is something we use to our advantage for Knops. "

You can find more information about Knops on its Kickstarter page, including ordering details. The company met its online goal five times over, but that doesn't mean you can't still put in for a pair. Knops are set to go out in November. The buds market retail price comes in at 99 Euro (roughly $108 USD) for a set of original Knops.

SEE ALSO: These $89 Wireless Headphones are Tough Competition for Apple's AirPods