Audio enthusiasts who enjoy open-source software development will be pleased to hear that the PineBuds Pro have finally gone on sale.

And to help get ’em in ears, Pine64 is making them available at a discounted ‘community price’ of $69, excluding shipping. The regular retail price is set at $99.

Pretty, neat — but what are these again?

PineBuds Pro are a pair of wireless Bluetooth in-ear headphones. They offer ambient sound passthrough (aka ‘transparency mode’), up to 45 dB active noise cancelation (ANC), a 5 hour battery life, and swish touch control surfaces.

They are capable of running custom-built open operating systems (the charging cradle doubles up as a firmware flashing hub). As with other Pine64 products the “software” side is a community-led endeavour that’s remains a work-in-progress.

Which is a polite way of saying: think twice before buying a pair of PineBuds Pro for your parents! Heck, anyone wanting a totally flawless, fully-featured, and no-fuss pair of in-ear amps should get some Apple AirPods or Nothing Ear Sticks instead.

But for those who prefer their hardware totally hackable…

The PineBuds Pro do, Pine64 say, “just-work” as earphones. But their real appeal is to hardware hackers and tech tinkerers. Several different SDKs are going to be available for enthusiasts to play with, build on, and explore.

And its through those efforts that community-built firmware offering new features and unlocking the full capabilities of the hardware may emerge.

The PineBuds Pro Wiki has data-sheets, schematics, links to the SDKs, and other information. If you’re gonna hit “buy” on a pair, be sure to also hit “bookmark” on that wiki.

Otherwise, skip on to the Pine64 Store to bag yourself a pair — and I’m all-ears to know how good the sound quality is, so if you get to try them do pop back and let me know!