Remember that Shure was accused of ripping of Etymotic technology? I wrote Shure a letter and they said they were going to make a public statement here. Did they come and make that statement while I was away?

edit: then again, I remember hearing that somewhere along the line Etymotics has dropped the charges... is that true?

Anybody?

I've never seen a Shure rep around here..

There was a 'Shure Guy' around here. Literally.

Since everyone still seems to prefer etys I'm guessing it doesn't really matter.

odd, never seen him.. *proceeds to search*

oh and btw, Happy Birthday Joe Bloggs!

The 'Shure Guy' mentioned in earlier posts on this thread has moved to another position within our firm, so I don't think a public statement was ever made here regarding the comments about us (Shure) “ripping off” Etymotic Research. Since you seem interested, I'll attempt to cover this issue.

Shure developed the E1 earphone in conjunction with Westone Laboratories back in 1995-1996. It became available as part of the PSM600 wired and wireless in-ear monitor systems in 1997. Several other manufacturers at that time were making earphones with this driver technology, which is actually borrowed from the hearing aid industry. Shure and Etymotic Research met back then to consider a possible collaboration, and concluded that it wasn’t a good fit and thus did not happen. As a company that develops products, Shure is now and has always been a strong supporter of intellectual property rights. Please note that there has never been any legal action by Etymotic against Shure. The accuser himself actually said he must have been having a bad day or something.

Shure and Westone parted ways a few years ago, and both have continued to leverage the original mechanical design of the E1. They are no longer the same products, there are big differences in the sound (as captured here by mariowar and appar11 a while back) and other differences in mechanics.

Please let me know if I have not covered anything you have questions about.

-Matt Engstrom
Product Specialist, Earphones
Shure Incorporated

Quote:



I sold my er-6's and bought a pair of Shure e2c's. The Shure's are much, much more comfortable... no microphonic issues either

The sound differences are subjective, but to me, the Shure's are more enjoyable to listen to. They probably don't have the same detail as the ety's, but this often seemed artificial to me anyway.

I can listen to the e2c's for over an hour in comfort. I couldn't stand the er-6's for more than 15 minutes.

It won't stop me buying a pair of 4p's next month though.

Hey Matt, do you know when the new "cooler looking" Shure E1 is coming to market? I hear the E1 sounds good but the mutated hearing aid look puts me off. Also, will the new version offer a custom mold option?

paulj,

I do think most people, around here at least, do prefer the Etymotic brand of canal phones over Shure and other brands. I don't know how you find the Ety's uncomfy? Out of all headphones I've ever tried, the Ety's are the most comfortable simply because there's nothing there to get in the way or cause any heat around the ear. I, and many others here, can wear Ety's literally all day long, and have done so before!! However, I have noticed that the people with differently shaped ear canals do not find Ety's comfy at all. If only there was another way to help those with differently shaped canals...then they would know what comfort really is.

We should all thank Sugarfried for coming around to talk to us

Thank you sugarfried.

paulj: I'm glad to hear your comments. Thanks.

Dunbar: The idea of updating the E1 has been around for a while at Shure. I don't know any specific dates of anything, but an update of the E1 would be nice.
I can only assume that every future earphone that uses the E1 sized nozzle will be customizable. Westone makes a sleeve that fits onto it regardless of casepart design, it's called a UM56 sleeve.

zeplin: another way to help those differently shaped canals is to get a custom mold. It's a very effective way to get a consistent seal from ear to ear for some people. Sensaphonics makes the finest IMHO.