The Audiology Dream Team Behind Unplugs
When Kitchen Table Conversations Change the World
Some of the most revolutionary inventions start in the most ordinary places. For Dr. Natan Bauman and Ralph Campagna, two of the three co-founders of Unplugs, it was over countless meals where "breakfast, lunch and dinner and all the snacks in between were always layered with hearing instrumentation issues." What began as shop talk between two hearing industry veterans became something extraordinary: a decade-long collaboration that would fundamentally reimagine how we protect our hearing.
Meet the Inventors
Dr. Natan Bauman brings the curiosity of a lifelong tinkerer to the precision of clinical audiology. With a doctoral degree from Columbia University and over 40 years in the field, Natan has never met a problem he couldn't solve—mainly because "impossible does not belong in his vocabulary." From his early days caring for equipment for deaf students to directing Yale New Haven Hospital's Hearing, Speech and Language clinics, Natan's career has been defined by turning "impossible into reality."
His inventive spirit has given the world devices for treating tinnitus, the first wax guard to protect hearing aids, and most notably, the receiver-in-canal hearing aid technology that's now in most hearing aids worldwide. As a dreamer and creator, Natan sees solutions where others see obstacles.
Ralph Campagna is the perfect complement—a doer and maker whose 45 years in the hearing industry spans everything from manufacturing to client care. Growing up in a hearing aid family business, Ralph was immersed in the world of hearing improvement from childhood. His extensive knowledge covers hearing aid design, manufacturing, repair, programming, software development, and international customer service.
As co-inventor of that revolutionary receiver-in-canal technology alongside Natan, Ralph brings the practical expertise to transform ambitious ideas into real-world solutions. His talent? Making "things impossible possible."
A Partnership Born from Shared Frustration
Ten years ago, these two audiology legends found themselves confronting the same problem that frustrated millions of people worldwide: traditional hearing protection forced an impossible choice between safety and connection. You could protect your hearing or have conversations—but not both.
For Natan and Ralph, this wasn't just a market opportunity; it was personal. Having spent decades helping people hear better, they understood that hearing damage is permanent. But they also knew that hearing protection that people won't actually use provides zero protection at all.
"We needed something completely different," explains the pair. "Not just better earplugs, but a new category entirely."
The Science of Sound Sovereignty
What makes their approach revolutionary isn't just the mechanical ingenuity—though the patent-protected button mechanism that switches between protection and transparency is genuinely groundbreaking. It's their fundamental reframe of what hearing protection should accomplish.
Instead of viewing sound as something to block, they designed Unplugs to give users complete control over their acoustic environment. The result is what they call "sound sovereignty"—your power to choose exactly what you hear and when you hear it.
This philosophy emerged from their combined decades of clinical experience. They'd seen too many patients whose hearing loss could have been prevented, and too many people avoiding protection because existing solutions interfered with their lives.
Beyond the Breakthrough
The receiver-in-canal hearing aid that Natan and Ralph pioneered transformed the hearing aid industry by making devices smaller, more comfortable, and higher-performing. Shockingly, this technology is in over 1.8B hearing devices around the world today! With Unplugs, they're applying that same innovation mindset to prevention rather than treatment.
"We're not just creating a product," Ralph notes. "We're protecting one of humanity's most precious senses before it's too late."
Their approach reflects a broader shift in hearing care—from reactive treatment to proactive protection, from clinical devices to lifestyle accessories, from isolation to connection.
The Click That Changes Everything
After a decade of development, refinement, and patent protection, their vision has materialized into something beautifully simple: a mechanical button that delivers 20dB of protection with one click, and crystal-clear conversation with another.
No batteries. No electronics. No compromises.
It's the kind of elegant solution that seems obvious in retrospect—which is often the hallmark of truly revolutionary innovation. But getting there required the unique combination of Natan's visionary thinking and Ralph's practical execution, built on a foundation of over 80 combined years in audiology.
A Legacy in Progress
Today, as noise pollution increases and hearing damage rates climb globally, the work of Dr. Natan Baumann and Ralph Campagna feels more urgent than ever. Their solution doesn't just protect individual users—it has the potential to shift how society approaches hearing health entirely.
When breakfast conversations lead to patents, and decades of friendship fuel world-changing innovation, you get more than just a better product. You get a glimpse of what's possible when brilliant minds refuse to accept that "impossible" is the final answer.
Ready to experience their breakthrough for yourself? Learn more about Unplugs and join the sound sovereignty movement.