Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Yuni only for people with single-sided hearing loss?
Not at all! In addition to people with unilateral hearing loss, people who like to (or need to) keep one ear open while listening to audio – such as while working or on Zoom calls, while listening to audiobooks alongside background music, while walking or biking alongside traffic, or while DJing or recording music – have also found the Yuni to be very useful.
I am not totally deaf in either ear, but I have limited hearing in one or both ears. Would the Yuni be right for me?
Yes. No matter your absolute level of hearing loss, if you hear better in one ear than you do in the other, you're going to miss out on some of the true stereo experience when you use headphones. Get a Yuni and listen with your better ear to make sure you don't miss out on that sound!
If I use a CROS hearing aid, would a Yuni give me any benefit?
Yes. Hearing aids that function via contralateral routing of sound (CROS) pick up the signal from the deaf ear and route them to the good ear so that you hear sound from both directions. As you can imagine, this is an extraordinarily helpful device for people with unilateral deafness. However, listening to stereo headphones with a CROS would mean that the signal from either side goes into your good ear without any spatial localization. The benefit of the Yuni is that it gives you the stereo experience with a single ear. Users who use CROS hearing aids may find that they prefer the Yuni experience because it maintains the stereo image of their music rather than compressing it into a single sound-stream.
My iPhone/Android/other device has an Accessibility setting which moves the sound to a single ear. Why should I get a Yuni?
This type of setting squishes the two stereo channels into a single mono channel and plays it through one of your ears, through a single speaker. It makes the music sound cramped, with no sense of space, no distinction between channels, and no ability to hear stereo panning. Up until now, converting a stereo signal to mono in this way has been the best option for unilaterally deaf headphone users. But the Yuni gives you true single-sided stereo, not mono, sound. It plays each channel into a single ear through two separate speakers, maintaining the incomparable sense of stereo. The experience is completely different and much better with the Yuni.
Why is using a Yuni better than getting a stereo-to-mono converter and plugging it in between my headphones and my music player?
Please see above.
Do you have any plans to create a hi-fi flat frequency response model appropriate for studio monitoring or a model with a microphone for gaming? What about a Yuni appropriate for runners?
One day, in a future model, if things go well with the V2!
Can you ship internationally?
Yes. In an attempt to bring single-sided stereo to as many people as possible, we offer an international shipping option for the original Yuni from our Ordering page. If your international address is on your PayPal account, the proper shipping option should apply. We plan to take the same approach for the Yuni v2.
Is the Yuni suitable for children?
Many people want to ensure that the valued youngsters in their lives are able to hear single-sided stereo too. While the Yuni's headband is adjustable, the Yuni is a bit on the large side, necessitated by having two speakers on the same side. This may make it too bulky for very young heads. However, adolescents should be able to wear the Yuni. Please also note that headphones specifically designed for children limit the volume to 85 dB to protect young ears, and the Yuni does not have this feature.
Not at all! In addition to people with unilateral hearing loss, people who like to (or need to) keep one ear open while listening to audio – such as while working or on Zoom calls, while listening to audiobooks alongside background music, while walking or biking alongside traffic, or while DJing or recording music – have also found the Yuni to be very useful.
I am not totally deaf in either ear, but I have limited hearing in one or both ears. Would the Yuni be right for me?
Yes. No matter your absolute level of hearing loss, if you hear better in one ear than you do in the other, you're going to miss out on some of the true stereo experience when you use headphones. Get a Yuni and listen with your better ear to make sure you don't miss out on that sound!
If I use a CROS hearing aid, would a Yuni give me any benefit?
Yes. Hearing aids that function via contralateral routing of sound (CROS) pick up the signal from the deaf ear and route them to the good ear so that you hear sound from both directions. As you can imagine, this is an extraordinarily helpful device for people with unilateral deafness. However, listening to stereo headphones with a CROS would mean that the signal from either side goes into your good ear without any spatial localization. The benefit of the Yuni is that it gives you the stereo experience with a single ear. Users who use CROS hearing aids may find that they prefer the Yuni experience because it maintains the stereo image of their music rather than compressing it into a single sound-stream.
My iPhone/Android/other device has an Accessibility setting which moves the sound to a single ear. Why should I get a Yuni?
This type of setting squishes the two stereo channels into a single mono channel and plays it through one of your ears, through a single speaker. It makes the music sound cramped, with no sense of space, no distinction between channels, and no ability to hear stereo panning. Up until now, converting a stereo signal to mono in this way has been the best option for unilaterally deaf headphone users. But the Yuni gives you true single-sided stereo, not mono, sound. It plays each channel into a single ear through two separate speakers, maintaining the incomparable sense of stereo. The experience is completely different and much better with the Yuni.
Why is using a Yuni better than getting a stereo-to-mono converter and plugging it in between my headphones and my music player?
Please see above.
Do you have any plans to create a hi-fi flat frequency response model appropriate for studio monitoring or a model with a microphone for gaming? What about a Yuni appropriate for runners?
One day, in a future model, if things go well with the V2!
Can you ship internationally?
Yes. In an attempt to bring single-sided stereo to as many people as possible, we offer an international shipping option for the original Yuni from our Ordering page. If your international address is on your PayPal account, the proper shipping option should apply. We plan to take the same approach for the Yuni v2.
Is the Yuni suitable for children?
Many people want to ensure that the valued youngsters in their lives are able to hear single-sided stereo too. While the Yuni's headband is adjustable, the Yuni is a bit on the large side, necessitated by having two speakers on the same side. This may make it too bulky for very young heads. However, adolescents should be able to wear the Yuni. Please also note that headphones specifically designed for children limit the volume to 85 dB to protect young ears, and the Yuni does not have this feature.