Etymotic Research
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
audio company specializing in the research, design, and production of high fidelity in-ear products. It is notable for being one of the earliest and foremost manufacturers of canalphones for consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
use.
Background
Etymotic Research was founded in 1983 by Mead Killion. The name "Etymotic" means "true to the ear" in Greek. Currently, Etymotic Research holds 89 patents, with another 61 patents pending.Etymotic Research's products are aimed towards scientists, hearing-impaired individuals, audiophile
Audiophile
An audiophile is a person who enjoys listening to recorded music, usually in a home. Some audiophiles are more interested in collecting and listening to music, while others are more interested in collecting and listening to audio components, whose "sound quality" they consider as important as the...
s, and musicians. In addition to their earbuds, ER also has earsets for cellular devices, hearing aid
Hearing aid
A hearing aid is an electroacoustic device which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sound for the wearer. Earlier devices, known as "ear trumpets" or "ear horns", were passive funnel-like amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and...
s, and microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
s.
Well-known products
Although most of their products are aimed at professionals, they do have a highly successful line of in-ear "canalphones" for consumers as follows:- ER-6 Family Earphones
- ER-4 Family Earphones
All of Etymotic's canalphones operate under the closed-canal principle. Etymotic also produces a line of musicians' earplugs, also with the initials of ER. Designed to preserve musicians' hearing while still providing equal attenuation at all frequencies (or, a softer version of what the ear would usually hear), they come in dB
Decibel
The decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
levels of 9, 15, and 25 dB.
ER-6i Isolator
These headphones won the iLoungeILounge
iLounge is an independent website covering all things related to Apple's iPod, iPhone, iPad and the related iTunes software. Founded by Dennis Lloyd in the days after Apple released their first generation iPod on October 23, 2001, iLounge is a popular source of iPod, iPhone and iPad information,...
award 2005 Best: Best Headphone of 2005, with a grade of A on an A+ to F scale.
The ER-6i Isolator are Etymotic Research's newer and cheapest model of canalphones, designed specially for the iPod and other low power mp3 players that require a lower impedance
Electrical impedance
Electrical impedance, or simply impedance, is the measure of the opposition that an electrical circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied. In quantitative terms, it is the complex ratio of the voltage to the current in an alternating current circuit...
. It and its cousin, the ER-6 (with higher impedance and without a bass boost, used in the ER-6i to compensate for low power sources) are lower cost versions of the earlier ER-4 family; like the ER-4, the ER-6 tout high fidelity and very detailed sound reproduction, although in this instance their armature drivers have lower bass volume than regular headphones.
Operating under the closed-canal principle (A canalphone uses specially-formulated sleeves to prevent environmental air from entering the ear canal), the ER-6i specially-formulated sleeves block out environmental noises enabling music-listening at lower volumes, avoid the sound artifacts caused by active noise canceling, and require no external power, thus reducing the risks of hearing damage. Etymotic and other canalphone manufacturers market their IEMs (In-Ear Monitor) against active noise-cancellation headphones by comparing their products against active noise-cancellation headphones, touting that their headphones cancel out sound against all frequencies plus having a higher level of noise attenuation.
The ER-6 family has its share of criticism; two key flaws are the thin, tangle-prone cord used in the ER-6, microphonics of the cord (ie: brushing against the cord produces noise in the ear) and the fact the earphone is inserted into the ear, which may be unnerving to many purchasers (many customers do not realize the earphone must be deeply inserted to ear canal to work properly). Due to the design, improper insertion of the earbuds leads to a severe loss in the quality and volume of bass, although as noted, the ER-6i drivers do not produce the same volume of bass as other headphones.
ER-4 MicroPro
The ER-4 MicroPro (MSRPSuggested retail price
The manufacturer's suggested retail price , list price or recommended retail price of a product is the price which the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell the product. The intention was to help to standardise prices among locations...
: $299) is Etymotic's original IEM (In-Ear Monitor), introduced in 1991. Like the ER-6 family, the ER-4 family operate under the Closed-Canal principle. The company claims to be the leader of closed-canal technology.
According to their product sheet, the Etymotic's ER-4 MicroPro family offers exceptional noise isolation levels ranging from 35-42dB http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er4-ts.aspx, a key selling point for these earphones.
The ER-4 comes in the P (portable, with a low impedance), S (stereo, with a higher impedance, though Etymotic sells a cable that switches impedance of ER-4P to ER-4S) and B (binaural
Binaural recording
Binaural recording is a method of recording sound that uses two microphones, arranged with the intent to create a 3-D stereo sound sensation for the listener of actually being in the room with the performers or instruments. This effect is often created using a technique known as "Dummy head...
).
Like the ER-6, the inherent disadvantages of canalphone designs apply to the ER-4. Although the ER-4 MicroPro family aged well, some audiophiles believe that canalphones, while providing excellent detail, lack other musical attributes such as soundstage and bass presence, giving them a "cold, analytical" sound, not to mention that audiophiles will be expecting Etymotic to deploy a fresher, more updated design with multiple drivers. Others argue that with proper insertion, bass quantity is sufficient and that canalphones do not sound as "cold and analytical" as some believe. However, since frequencies much below 30 Hz is more often 'felt' with the body than 'heard' with the ear, headphones in general (and canalphones in particular) cannot reproduce the physical impact of bass as would be experienced with large subwoofers.
However, as with most discussions regarding sound quality, the arguments from each side tend to be subjective, and those making the arguments usually have little understanding of audiology
Audiology
Audiology is the branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Its practitioners, who treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage are audiologists. Employing various testing strategies Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , -logia) is...
and psychoacoustics
Psychoacoustics
Psychoacoustics is the scientific study of sound perception. More specifically, it is the branch of science studying the psychological and physiological responses associated with sound...
.
ER-4 MicroPro Earphones were selected as one of 10 Road Trip Tech Essentials of PC Magazine.
New products
At 2010 Etymotic Research announced a several new headphones models such as mc5 and hf5.mc5 Earphones
At Q2 2010 Etymotic Research have presented new headphones model named mc5. It became the first headphones in the model line which has got high-output 8 mm neodymium moving coil driver. mc5 provides more detailed, quality bass than ER-6i even lower priced. mc5 are made to be very durable, it has high-gloss polished aluminum finish (in 4 chromatic color options) and kevlarKevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
-reinforced cable.
hf5 High-Fidelity Earphones
hf5 are the successor of ER-4 series, it responses theirs accuracy. Etymotic Research stated that hf5 is belongs to 5th generation of high-fidelity in-ear earphones and delivers a a near-perfect music experience, even in high surrounding-noise conditions.hf5 earphones use Etymotic’s acclaimed tuned acoustic-insert technology for the clearest, truest sound.
ER-20 High Fidelity Earplugs
ETY ER-20 High Fidelity Earplugs were developed to provide low-cost, one-size-fits-most high fidelity earplugs that can be used in a variety of noisy environments. The goal of the design was the same as for Musicians Earplugs: to reduce noise but preserve sound quality; in effect, to turn down the noise but not muffle voices, environmental sounds or music.ER-20 reduces sound approximately 20 dB at all frequencies. The earplugs have good support within the music industry and are used be musicians, DJs, and tech-staff alike. ETY have also added the 'BabyBlues' version of the ER-20 which features reduced a size rubber plug for smaller ear canals.
CUSTOM-FIT
Etymotic offers a cost-effective CUSTOM-FIT solution to make earphones the best they can be with superb comfort, secure fit and consistent noise isolation. It molds are made from impressions of ear canals. Each mold is made to ensure a secure fit every time.Isolation from outside noise gives the best sound quality possible and lets listen to the music at lower, safer levels. It approximately costs $100, term is commonly 2–3 weeks.
Warranty servicing
Etymotic offer no European servicing facilities and defective headphones are returned to the USA for servicing and return. ER pay return postage if the unit has indeed been found to be defective. A common warranty term is 2 years.See also
- AudiophileAudiophileAn audiophile is a person who enjoys listening to recorded music, usually in a home. Some audiophiles are more interested in collecting and listening to music, while others are more interested in collecting and listening to audio components, whose "sound quality" they consider as important as the...
- HeadphonesHeadphonesHeadphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, held close to a user's ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player or portable Media Player. They are also known as stereophones, headsets or, colloquially, cans. The in-ear...
- Ultimate EarsUltimate EarsUltimate Ears is a custom in-ear monitor and earphone manufacturer based in Irvine, California. The company was founded by Mindy Harvey and Jerry Harvey in 1995 and it created a new market for custom IEMs which are now used by most of the world's top touring musicians.In August 2008, Ultimate Ears...
- Safe-in-Sound Award