Founded in 2013, Doppler Labs debuted the prototype of its Here Active Listening System two years later in 2015. The battery-powered earbuds, according to Doppler Labs founder and CEO Noah Kraft, were built to enhance sound in the world around you. By using the accompanying app, users could, in theory, apply any manner of EQ settings that did everything from reduce overwhelming bass frequencies at a concert to dim the midrange chatter of co-workers while in an office.

Kraft's idea was pretty cool "we want to put a computer, speaker, and mic in everyone's ear" but the Here Active Listening System was met with mixed reviews.

In 2016, the company announced a new version of the earbuds, now called Here One. Dubbed "augmented reality earbuds", these earbuds allowed for streaming audio via Bluetooth, combined with the sound-enhancement tools seen in the Here Active Listening System. It could blend music or content playing in-ear with ambient noise and could adjust that ambient noise as well.

Unfortunately, in bringing Here One to market, the company was met with a raft of problems.

A manufacturer change pushed production delivery from the fall 2016 to February 2017 and then it was let down by its battery. The company wanted to offer 4.5 hours of battery life using augmented hearing and three hours of music streaming, but the unit's Bluetooth chip meant it couldn't.