Lend me your ears: Lemmy designs Motörheadphones range

First it was Dr Dre, then 50 Cent...musicians continue trend for branded ear devices

Fans of the decibel-busting heavy metal band Motörhead can now submit their eardrums to a range of headphones specially designed by rock legend Lemmy.

The Motörheadphones, which sell for £30 to £70, focus on the mid-range frequencies favoured by rock music which are less well-served by headphones such as Dr Dre’s popular Beats range, which emphasise the bass-heavy sounds of hip-hop.

“These new headphones are not like the weak-kneed, lily-livered, tin-pot, skinny sounding little pieces of garbage out on the market today,” explained Lemmy, 67.

"We designed these headphones to deliver everything louder than anything else and with the sort of range, clarity and true rock reproduction you'd expect from a band of warriors like us.”

Using his rivals headphones was like “like you're listening through a towel,” said the frontman as he unveiled his product at the Las Vegas CES electronics trade fair.

The Motörheadphones promise to “give smooth warm bass, bombastic drums and clear mid-range plus distinct high-end because of the 40mm neodymium high power speakers that takes 6-10 times more power than a standard headphone.

Asked if this brush with commerce would damage Motörhead’s anti-establishment credentials, Lemmy said: “People say we've never sold out. No one ever approached us.”

The veteran hoped that his engineers had designed a safe product because “it sucks killing people.”

Branded headphones have become a lucrative side-line for rappers including Dre and 50 Cent. Even Simon Cowell launched an earphone range last year, titled X Headphones.

Meanwhile Beats Electronics, the parent company of the Beats by Dr Dre line, said it will launch its own music streaming service this year.

Trent Reznor of the industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails will be chief creative officer of the streaming service, called Daisy, which aims to let artists communicate directly with fans.