Vinci Is Already The Most Ambitious Headphones Ever Made, And Its Creator Has Bigger Goals

When you think about how far some sectors of consumer electronics has come in the past decade -- think about the smartphones, computers, and gaming consoles we used in 2006 vs what's available today -- it becomes apparent that personal audio technology has remained oddly stagnant. Sure, companies have cut the cord and gone digital, but even that movement is only slowly taking hold (just check how many people were upset at the iPhone 7′s removal of a 50-plus-year-old analog port). It is that realization -- that innovations in headphones has been relatively muted compared to other areas of tech -- that inspired 36-year-old Max Wu to co-found Vinci, a two-year-old startup headquartered in Beijing that will soon release the world's most ambitious headphones. You may think the latter claim is marketing hyperbole -- that is until you hear what the Vinci does, will soon do, and working on doing in the near future. "I envisioned the Vinci as a robot that sits on your head," says Wu. Okay, that sounds weird (and painful).