There are several factors at play in the realm of personal sound systems designed for togruta. The most notable of these are:
Size, shape and fit, which soundsocks navigate through a stretchy fabric and which headphones navigate by avoiding the part of the montrals with most variation between individuals.
Sound quality, which can be patchy where soundsocks bunch up and stretch.
Immersiveness,which is improved the more the montrals are covered.
Echolocation,which can be interfered with when the entire montrals are covered, leading to disorientation and collisions. More immersive headsets, however, support echomapped VR.
A togruta’s montrals are hollow, containing only the sensory structures that allow them to hear and echolocate!
It is believed that sounds within a human range are mostly heard by sensors low within the montrals, near where most other humanoid species have ears. However, some studies suggest that the instinct to cover this area as a response to loud noises is one picked up from such species and has no affect other than as a placebo (which can nonetheless help).
Ok I asked this before and I’m going to ask it again: are Togruta headphones little hats that cover their montrals and vibrates? Like those under-water headphones for swimmers?
There are several styles of headphones designed for togruta!
The style most similar to human headphones are small speakers usually worn around the same place on the head as on humans (think over-the-ear headphones, only with a different mode of attaching to the head). These do not provide an immersive experience, but are considered perfectly fine by most togruta for music. The lack of immersiveness is due to the fact they only cover a small area of the montrals, but this can also help avoid collisions caused by echolocation interference so many togruta actually prefer this style for everyday use. As most sound systems are designed for a near-human hearing range, the placement near the base of the montrals means (most) togruta can hear all frequencies played through the headphones – they don’t need their entire montrals covered to hear them!
For those who prefer a more immersive sound, however, there are options that cover the entire montrals. Because montral size and shape vary greatly by individual, the most common and affordable of these options are audio-socks, which are made of fabric and flexible materials with a layer that emits sound inward, to the montrals. They come in various sizes, but the most common fitting issue is around the join between montrals on the top of the head – often the material of the sock doesn’t go far down enough, or bunches there. There are options that circumnavigate this issue by giving the two montrals separate audio-socks. The other obstacle with this style is making contact with the lower montrals, which are as low as the eye-line and are hard to reach when one side is limited to the side of the head. As such, some audio-socks have long flaps that cover this area and further down, strapped to the lekku to keep contact. Other than fit, audio-socks can prove uncomfortable due to the fabric’s texture if low quality, and its sound quality, which may be patchy especially where the fabric is bunched and stretched. They do, however, allow for echolocation-mapped soundtracks to be used given some calibration.
The most expensive and high-tech solution is custom-built hardware made exactly to fit the individual. This is an apparently unrivalled experience, but not one to be used out and about unless you’re very good at purely visual spacial awareness. If your career heavily involves sound and echolocation-mapping, this is the option for you. These are the most precise, high-quality, and immersive headphones available to togruta.
On the topic of echolocation-mapping, a sidenote about virtual reality and togruta: When virtual reality technology was being spread throughout the galaxy, togruta were among the species continually unimpressed by the headsets which had initially been designed for humans. This was because the headsets did not account for the fact that togruta can echolocate, and were at all times aware of the real space around them while their eyes were looking at a virtual one. This lead to the development of echolocation-mapping, a process in which a virtual space is modelled and accurate audio data is simulated within it to give the illusion of the space’s physicality to echolocating species. While this is not standard to all VR releases, the art of echomapping is highly respected and releases with it are usually more critically acclaimed than those without, even within non-echolocating circles.
Compared to other humanoid species, togruta are not notably predisposed to expansionism.
The eventual spread across their homeworld Shili was triggered by a great flood which forced them to leave the basin where they are believed to have first evolved into anatomically modern togruta. Some groups remained close to their homeland, named in the oldest recorded language as Shiilauh, and eventually reinhabited it once it had drained some two generations later. However, like most species, there are exceptions to the trend. The other groups had differing approaches to finding new homes, and the most expansionist individuals travelled the farthest, leading the cultures of their descendant groups to place far more emphasis on travel, exploration, and discovery.
The differing cultures within the species are still around today and the more expansionist groups are often the forerunners in interplanetary outreach and in the colonisation of otherwise uninhabited worlds such as Kiros. However, the fact that togruta have far fewer colonies than other sentient species and are almost always in an extreme minority on most worlds (compared to, for example, humans, who often make up 50% of the population of any given world) suggests that togruta are not naturally inclined to move far from their community, likely due to their history and tradition as pack-hunters.
A togruta’s montrals are hollow, containing only the sensory structures that allow them to hear and echolocate!
It is believed that sounds within a human range are mostly heard by sensors low within the montrals, near where most other humanoid species have ears. However, some studies suggest that the instinct to cover this area as a response to loud noises is one picked up from such species and has no affect other than as a placebo (which can nonetheless help).
