LSTN headphones is a 2 yr. old social enterprise which was founded by Bridget Hilton and Joe Huff.
Hilton knew from a young age that music would be her path in life. At 15 she got her first job at a concert venue in Detroit. Over the next decade, Hilton grew up between the vinyl racks at record stores, packing boxes in major label mail-rooms and selling merchandise on tour with bands that she loved. Her next chapter started with a video. A woman her age hears her own voice for the very first time while her husband films it, then uploads to YouTube. After imaging how different her life would be without ever hearing music, Hilton did some research and found there are 360 million people with disabling hearing loss just like the woman in the video. The majority are located in developing countries and can be helped with just simple hearing aids. Music is so important – it shouldn’t be something that is dependent on status, age or location. Hilton knew she had to do something to help. At the same time, her good friend Joe Huff had shared with Hilton his realization that what matters most is what we do help others and how he had just left his prior company to focus on doing just that. Serendipity strikes again. With his background in fashion and Hilton’s background in music they determined it was their responsibility to find a way to make those two worlds collide in a way that could truly help people around the world. They discussed the idea of empowering people by letting individuals know that each of us matters by showing how something as simple as one purchase could make a real difference. The duo met at Hilton’s apartment and decided they were going to set out on an adventure to make Social Enterprise the coolest thing ever through music. It was then that Hilton and Huff launched LSTN at her kitchen table with the mission of changing the world through the power of music. They later moved the company into a small but growing office. “Today, our offices have now become trains, planes and automobiles as we now travel the world growing our company, stated Hilton.” LSTN is a for-purpose company that connects individuals, families and communities through sound.
The mission was important to Hilton and Huff, but the high quality of the product was as crucially important.
LSTN produces not only one of the best headphones on the market, with their style, uniqueness and amazing sound. The wood lends a one of a kind uniqueness to the product.
LSTN Headphones wood is sourced from furniture and flooring companies, whose pieces generate extensive leftover scraps, ideal for the headphones. “You can’t make furniture with them, but the scraps are plenty big to make things like ear buds and headphones with,” Huff says. “Plus we get access to exotic woods that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”
The next phase of the enterprise was to partner with the Starkey Hearing Foundation to help restore hearing for a person in need with every pair that they sell. This past August the duo traveled to Peru to donate 10,000 hearing aids and observed first hand children and adults hearing sounds for the first time or improved hearing. There are 275 million people in the world with hearing impairments and nine out of ten can be helped with a hearing aid. In under 2 years, LSTN has been able to give the gift of sound to over 15,000 people through Starkey in the U.S., Peru, Kenya and Uganda.
Hilton and Huff have just returned from China where they gifted 1875 hearing aids.
LSTN brand offers three styles in three colors (beech, cherry and ebony): ear buds, over-ear foldable headphones and regular over-ear.
The head phones are sold at boutiques, record stores, Whole Foods, Nordstrom or online at: LSTNheadphones.com.
Product Details
TROUBADOURS W/MIC
For the lovers of all things classic. The music fans who pay attention to details. The sophisticated and stylish can’t-leave-home-without-my-headphones types. Each pair of LSTN Troubadours is made from real wood.No two pairs are the same and grain might vary from photos.
• – Beechwood casing - Plush earcups for long term use - Unpluggable, wood enclosed, gold plated plugs - In-line microphone - Durable, nylon wrapped cables - Adjustable metal band - Works with iPhone®, iPod®, Android®, Blackberry®, CD, DVD, spaceships etc.
FILLMORES W/MIC
For the adventure-seekers. The active lifestyle enthusiasts. The I-just-want-to-fold-them-up-and-throw-them-in-my-bag types.Each pair of LSTN Fillmores is individually handcrafted from real, reclaimed wood.No two pairs are the same and wood grain might vary from photos.
For every pair sold, LSTN helps restore hearing to a person in need through Starkey Hearing Foundation.
• – Beechwood casing – Padded headband for long term use - Unpluggable, wood enclosed, gold plated plugs - Durable, nylon wrapped cables - In-line microphone - Compactable, travel ready design - Works with iPhone®, iPod®, Android®, Blackberry®, CD, DVD, spaceships etc.
BOWERYS W/MIC
For the fans of convenience and accessibility. The music lovers who never go a minute without their favorite tunes. The always-on-the-go-go-go types.Each pair of LSTN Bowerys is individually handcrafted from real wood.No two pairs are the same and wood grain might vary from photos.
For every pair sold, LSTN helps restore hearing to a person in need through Starkey Hearing Foundation.
• Features
• Accessories
• Tech Specs
• – Beechwood housing - Microphone for calls and voice recording - Passive noise isolation - Durable nylon wrapped cable - Works with iPhone®, iPod®, Android®, Blackberry®, CD, DVD, spaceships etc.
OUR MISSION
We believe that what’s good for business should be good for the world. When we started LSTN, our mission was to create a company that could create global change by providing high quality products that help fund hearing restoration and spread awareness for the global problem of hearing loss and hearing impairment. Our Giving Back. Amplified. program wasn’t an afterthought or marketing gimmick, it was the reason we started LSTN.We didn’t just want to create another headphone company. We wanted to create something that could change the world.
Follow LSTN Headphones on:
