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Where are the 3-D soundbars? Comhear’s crowdfunding backers want to know

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In the fall of 2017, San Diego startup Comhear raised about $1 million on crowdfunding websites for its YARRA 3DX beam-forming audio sound bar.

But Comhear’s Kickstarter and Indiegogo backers have yet to receive their speakers, which were supposed to start shipping in March.

Now some of the more than 1,800 people who placed orders are concerned that the $299 to $399 they pledged may end up being a loss.

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A handful of Comhear’s Kickstarter backers have contacted the Union-Tribune about the delayed orders. The newspaper wrote an article on the Comhear’s $12 million recapitalization in June 2017.

“The promised YARRA sound bars are overdue by a year,” wrote one Kickstarter backer from South Carolina. “Are these folks still in business or did they steal $1 million? They do not update us customers or their Facebook page.”

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Comhear Chief Executive Gerry Chastelet said the company has experienced various delays in getting the sound bars produced.

“It is a brand new, very complex product,” he said. “A product of the complexity of the YARRA 3DX you cannot build simply with the amount of money raised in crowdfunding.”

Comhear is seeking to raise additional capital to finish production and fund other business initiatives, said Chastelet.

“We have raised money in the past, and I am currently actively looking at raising another $4 million to $5 million,” he said. “Obviously we are doing everything possible to honor the commitments as soon as we can.”

Crowdfunding has always been risky for backers. While startups pledge to make their best efforts to deliver what they promise, there are no guarantees. Backers assume the risk of failure.

Founded in 2013, Comhear developed technology that delivers highly directional audio from a single, compact sound bar. Instead of flooding a room with sound, the company’s technology – created at UC San Diego -- directs beams to create a surround-sound field so it appears as if sound is moving around a user’s head.

The technology won awards including a 2017 Consumer Electronics Show Innovation Award, an “Alfie” from the LA Audio Show and a Most Innovative Product designation from San Diego startup accelerator Connect.

Chastelet declined to say when crowdfunding backers might begin to receive their sound bars. But delivery is likely contingent on the company raising additional funds.

“We appreciate their patience and the support we have gotten from our backers,” said Chastelet. “It is foremost on my mind to get the product out to them,”

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mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973