I tried earbuds that completely changed how New York City sounded around me

Last summer Doppler Labs made waves by introducing earbuds that didn't play music, but instead customized the sounds around you. The concept was that the "Here" earbuds would let you turn the bass up during a concert, or tune out the screeching of cars on the street.

It got a lot of people's imaginations going.

After a runaway success on Kickstarter, Doppler was able to raise $17 million from venture capitalists to make the design a commercial reality.

In February, the Here buds shipped to Kickstarter backers (though they still) aren't available in stores.

I've gotten a few chances to try them out, at various points of development, and they feel truly otherworldly at points.

Here's what my time was like: