
Show HN: Velo – A wireless bluetooth splitter for 2 traditional headphones - dawidpacha
http://velo.audio
======
niftich
I love the concept, this feels a useful need that I didn't know I wanted until
now -- which, I believe, is the best kind of reaction to a new product.

The triangle shape doesn't resonate with me; I think it's really awkward. I
propose something like an 'imperial' profile yo-yo (called 'classic' in the
image [1]), where the two disc-shaped halves can snap together.

[1]
[http://cdn3.volusion.com/cxlem.jbcmk/v/vspfiles/photos/YO_No...](http://cdn3.volusion.com/cxlem.jbcmk/v/vspfiles/photos/YO_No_Jive_3_in_1-3.jpg?1363950588)

I think that style of design is recognizable to be snapped together while
maintaining separated shape that is not unwieldy to handle and pocket. Not to
mention 'velo' sounds like a plausible rhyme for yo-yo and in my opinion, sort
of onomatopoeically and etymologically conjures an image of a fast and nimble
device like a yo-yo.

~~~
reacweb
IMHO, the sharp angles of the triangles are dangerous. But I love the idea of
two identical parts that can join. Maybe a strong magnet could be used (to
join the 2 parts and also to stick a part on a metallic peace of clothe).

~~~
semi-extrinsic
Why restrict this to just two? Why not have the whole pizza pie of them?

At least I see three could be very useful, e.g. for kids in the backseat if
they share a tablet for entertainment on the road.

You can of course add >2 support later.

~~~
dawidpacha
@semi-extrinsic When brainstorming with Netizens R&D team (I took even took a
picture: velo.audio/img/IMG_4309.JPG) we were totally talking about a pizza!
However, it needs to be tested. It's too early to say, how many devices can we
connect to each other without a delay and other potential issues.

~~~
semi-extrinsic
Sure. If you work out how to run with three users nicely, you can maybe extend
to many by making a network topology like a tree that forks off two branches
per level; that gets you to 8 users with only 4x the delay of 2 users.

------
noonespecial
OSX can do this already with aggregate sound devices. I'm frankly surprised
not to see it in IOS. I just kind of figured it would be there if I ever
wanted it.

Seems like a product with a market, but it takes guts to develop considering
the precedent exists already in OSX and your business is just one little IOS
feature-update away from getting hosed.

Edit: Yes the world is bigger than the fruit-themed-brand, but generally as
goes IOS, so goes Android.

------
dawidpacha
@everyone

At the beginning, I was inspired by my new girlfriend, who is active and we
like running together or play other sports ;) Like @reacweb says - it was
about romance and freedom. So originally the product was supposed to be called
just LOVE and be in the shape of the heart. I thought since Instagram is using
heart instead of like, so what's the problem? I was stopped by my friends, who
said it was not wise. Only girls would buy it. Just as a proof, I'm attaching
first render we made:

[http://velo.audio/img/Velo-heart.png](http://velo.audio/img/Velo-heart.png)

BTW VELO comes from VE and LO, which are just two syllables from LOVE but in a
different order. It means that you can split the product and do whatever you
want with this since you have freedom :)

------
jc4p
Don't override my scroll. I didn't even bother reading the page, I _hate_ when
people override my scroll speed and make it 10x slower. Let me read the page
at my own pace!

~~~
supercoder
I love a bespoke scroll behaviour. Makes the page feel so unique and
artisanal. All these cookie cutter websites with the _same boring_ scroll
behaviour are just not for me man.

------
sahaskatta
Doesn't this $20 item on Monoprice do the same thing already?
[https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9722](https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9722)

~~~
mcpherrinm
That's a transmitter to two bluetooth headphones to a traditional audio
source.

This product is a set of receivers for traditional headphones from a bluetooth
audio source.

While they're related (one source to two headphones), they're solving
different problems.

If you used the monoprice product with two of
[https://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Bluetooth-Headphone-
Receiver...](https://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Bluetooth-Headphone-Receiver-
Wireless/dp/B00N7AWL2U) you'd have a similar setup.

If your phone allows pairing two bluetooth audio devices, then the Avantree
product on each headphones is all you need. I don't know if any phones support
that.

Or the Avantree product with a traditional headphone splitter.

~~~
makomk
They're basically different solutions to the same problem of letting two
people listen to the same source via Bluetooth. The nice thing about doing it
on the source side is that you can use whatever Bluetooth headphones you like,
including ones where the Bluetooth receiver is built into the headphones
themselves.

------
greggman
Cool Idea.

I know I'm not the core user but ... I carry a standard audio splitter in my
backpack. I think I've used it 3 times in 9 years. I know you're solving the
issue for bluetooth and the future of digital headphones but are you sure
there's a market? Not saying their isn't. Only that splitters are cheap and
yet I don't think they're that popular. Maybe your product will change that?

------
deadringerr
I like the concept. I've been interested in the idea of dedicated bluetooth
pairing between two little audio connectors for awhile now. Having a bluetooth
speaker with two different people who would like to use it, maybe it's just me
but I would still prefer to unplug from one headphone jack to the other than
have to both mess with our smartphones.

------
oxplot
The only way I know how this could work is if the two devices share, in
realtime, the various parameters and timing information related to the active
bluetooth stream (e.g. hopping to the same channel at the same exact time)
since they won't be able to get any help from the transmitter (e.g. phone).

If that's how it'll work, then it should be easy to have 10 of them receiving
the same stream since one can be the master and configure every other one in
its radio range.

------
voltagex_
I'm worried about the cost of adding the APT-X codec and/or a decent bluetooth
chipset. FWIW, devices with real CSR chips have given me a lot less trouble
than the knockoffs.

And, although triangles are my favourite shape [1], I think two half-circles
would be kinda cool, and probably fit better in my pocket.

[1]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPH89HIBLiw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPH89HIBLiw)
(possibly NSFW?)

------
markbao
This is a cool concept, but the triangle idea is more effort than it's worth
IMO. Having to have a way to communicate between the two triangles plus having
separate batteries for both, not to mention the weirdness of losing one of
them, makes the product needlessly more complex. Having one device with two
headphone outputs is much easier to build IMO.

~~~
sb23
But then you both need to be in the same spot to use it. I like the idea of
being able to sit on opposite sides of a room, or go for a run while using the
device.

~~~
dawidpacha
I'm willing to drop the triangle shape. I'm not that attached to it. However,
we need to have two different devices that can be one. Don't worry about
loosing them. I've figured that out. We are going to put 2 separate beacons in
it. Netizens is the creator of the first beacons working in mesh network (take
a look [http://eonbeacon.com/](http://eonbeacon.com/)), which is good for
navigation as well. We are going to have an excellent tracking service within
a Velo app, better than Tile.

------
Roritharr
My Main usecase for this is movie nights. We have very sensitive neighbors and
watching movies, especially ones with explosions and gunfire in them past 10pm
makes them angry beyond belief, so being able to finish a movie with ~4-5
Headphones that I have stored for this purpose would make inviting friends
over so much easier.

------
b3lvedere
Very nice concept.

Would it be technically possible to connect more than 2, say 4 or 8, to the
same audio bluetooth audio source as well? Then maybe it could be possible to
connect and disconnect these devices sort of like lego bricks. Each with their
own audio jack, bluetooth and battery.

------
supercoder
I always just liked the stereo splitter. No batteries, cheap and it worked,
whats the issue.

~~~
kalleboo
Come next year, no phones are going to have headphone jacks anymore

~~~
supercoder
Yes they will, they'll just be in the form of lightning & USB-C. So I'll just
buy a lightning splitter.

------
snovv_crash
Just a heads up, 'Velo' means bicycle in French.

------
rakpol
Typo on your "R&D, Netizens" blurb: certyfication -> certification.

~~~
dawidpacha
@rakpol thank you for pointing this out. I've already corrected it.

------
jpl56
why not "yin and yang" shapes rather than triangles?

