[tinyman392]

@EtyDave EtyTone has a nice ring to it. Etywesticone I’d say LucidDave, but I’m not sure if you’re involved with the other products...

 

[qsk78]

And I'll be involved on the Westone side as well now. I might have to change my name to EtyWest or EtyTone or something.

There is a chance now that Westone will produce a reference type of IEM) - UM30 Pro SR)

 

[BattleBrat]

Ety enough for me! Any word on pricing yet? I have a shiny new walkman coming just for these bad boys! I’m glad it’s the same engineers that are creating them, that was my main concern.

 

[skumrat]

Doubt any time soon since they said summer. It really sounds like the perfect upgrade to the 4SR though with the emphasis on sub bass and sound stage, only other thing missing from my 4SR is probably a bit of high end extension as someone with 19kHz hearing...

 

[BattleBrat]

There is a chance now that Westone will produce a reference type of IEM) - UM30 Pro SR)

Westone used to make a custom fit IEM called the CR1 (later called the CR10) it was a basic no frills custom IEM the cord didnt even go around the ear, it was guided straight down. If Ety could make a custom fit IEM JUST LIKE the CR1 with ER4PT drivers and tuned to sound the same (I dont know the effect of the barrels on tuning) I would sell all my other IEM’s and that would be it, I’d be done.
EtyDave do you have a phone number you could PM me for where in Lucid Audio I can order a pair of CR10’s? My audiologist said he called what was left of westone and they said Lucid makes the CR10’s now... Thank you!

 

[CK Moustache]

That's a good question, and I have a somewhat multi-layered response (pun semi-intended).

Multiple driver earphones were never really in the corporate Ethos of Etymotic, but not all of us were against them. I played around with them years ago and they never really went anywhere. The EVOs were indeed started in earnest after the Lucid acquisition, but the acoustics were done before Westone Audio was acquired. The sound signature was driven by us, the same Etymotic engineers that have been making our earphones for years. For me, this is an earphone that I've wanted to make for a while, so I consider it a true Etymotic product.

I don't anticipate it will be all things to all people. Earphone form factor is a very personal thing. Some folks will prefer our old barrel style IEM with a cable that hangs down and others will prefer an in-concha style IEM that routes the cable over the ear. Since we now offer both, my hope is that we will have something that appeals to everybody. The sound signature of the EVO is definitely in the Etymotic vein, but is more likely to appeal to a fan of our XR series of earphones vs. somebody that wants truly flat bass. For all of the people that have said over the years that they like our earphones but want something with more sub-bass, I think this has a good chance of scratching that itch.

And I'll be involved on the Westone side as well now. I might have to change my name to EtyWest or EtyTone or something.

If in the unlikely event that Etymotic ever decides to go the (dynamic driver + Balanced Armature(s)) hybrid IEM route, please make sure they actually sound good (yeah, yeah, subjective, I know), and especially coherent, as imho there aren't that many well-designed hybrid IEMs on the market (for my tastes at least - either the DD-BA transition is (way too) obvious, or the dynamic driver is too "BA-like" in its presentation (well, why use a dynamic driver in the first place then?! It's the "typical" DD impact and slightly longer perceived lingering I'm looking for in a set of hybrid IEMs)).

Any chance there will be a (slightly) adjusted "Westone house sound" then? I'm hoping for a less relaxed, more accurate mid-treble response. Oh, and if you could do me a favour, please forward the following: pretty please bring back the "old" (Shure-like) W4R-era round grey silicone tips. Those new, elongated single-flange silicone tips (named "Star" tips, if I recall correctly) are very difficult to get a proper and lasting fit and seal with.

 

[Max Choiral]

If in the unlikely event that Etymotic ever decides to go the (dynamic driver + Balanced Armature(s)) hybrid IEM route, please make sure they actually sound good (yeah, yeah, subjective, I know), and especially coherent, as imho there aren't that many well-designed hybrid IEMs on the market (for my tastes at least - either the DD-BA transition is (way too) obvious, or the dynamic driver is too "BA-like" in its presentation (well, why use a dynamic driver in the first place then?! It's the "typical" DD impact and slightly longer perceived lingering I'm looking for in a set of hybrid IEMs)).

Any good reason why Etymotic should go for hybrids?
Actually your statement concludes why they shouldn't. It's the same reason why mostly nobody makes full-sized hybrid headphones. Maybe 2-, 3-way DD only configuration would work but that's just hypothesis.

 

[CK Moustache]

Any good reason why Etymotic should go for hybrids?
Actually your statement concludes why they shouldn't. It's the same reason why mostly nobody makes full-sized hybrid headphones. Maybe 2-, 3-way DD only configuration would work but that's just hypothesis.

No, there isn't, and that's what I also wanted to state in my response that you quoted, in case it was not clear. But if they did (e.g. for strategically opening up for new target groups(market(ing)), they better make it good.

The few rare multi-DD implementations that I am aware of have got, to my knowledge, quite poor frequency response and, if I'm not mistaking, horrible acoustic phase. I'm sure that a properly sounding and measuring multi-DD product could be developed with enough research time and crossover, filter and sound channel length work, but why all of this hassle if the same could also be achieved with a properly implemented single dynamic driver (after all, if the driver itself is not horrible in the first place, with some experience, the basic tuning of the exact bass output and treble response to the desired target is not even all that difficult with a single dynamic driver setup (things are getting more complicated and require more knowledge once the designer/s decide/s to implement an electric filter network in order to achieve a special response that would be otherwise difficult/impossible to get close to with purely basic acoustic tuning, but that's another story))? Surely the "novelty" factor would be high in the beginning after the release, but it is rather questionable whether the product would master the test of time and not be just another "flavour of the month".

 

[Jitu13]

Doubt any time soon since they said summer. It really sounds like the perfect upgrade to the 4SR though with the emphasis on sub bass and sound stage, only other thing missing from my 4SR is probably a bit of high end extension as someone with 19kHz hearing...

I don't think it will be an upgrade to 4sr, more like a sidegrade. The question is, how good of a sidegrade. Well people are already hyped up as it's an ety (doing multiple drivers), hopefully it will be worth the wait.

 

[AnyDave]

Westone used to make a custom fit IEM called the CR1 (later called the CR10) it was a basic no frills custom IEM the cord didnt even go around the ear, it was guided straight down. If Ety could make a custom fit IEM JUST LIKE the CR1 with ER4PT drivers and tuned to sound the same (I dont know the effect of the barrels on tuning) I would sell all my other IEM’s and that would be it, I’d be done.
EtyDave do you have a phone number you could PM me for where in Lucid Audio I can order a pair of CR10’s? My audiologist said he called what was left of westone and they said Lucid makes the CR10’s now... Thank you!

I'm looking into this. The CR10s aren't on the website, so I'm not sure if we still make them or not. I'll let you know what I find out.

 

[AnyDave]

If in the unlikely event that Etymotic ever decides to go the (dynamic driver + Balanced Armature(s)) hybrid IEM route, please make sure they actually sound good (yeah, yeah, subjective, I know), and especially coherent, as imho there aren't that many well-designed hybrid IEMs on the market (for my tastes at least - either the DD-BA transition is (way too) obvious, or the dynamic driver is too "BA-like" in its presentation (well, why use a dynamic driver in the first place then?! It's the "typical" DD impact and slightly longer perceived lingering I'm looking for in a set of hybrid IEMs)).

Any chance there will be a (slightly) adjusted "Westone house sound" then? I'm hoping for a less relaxed, more accurate mid-treble response. Oh, and if you could do me a favour, please forward the following: pretty please bring back the "old" (Shure-like) W4R-era round grey silicone tips. Those new, elongated single-flange silicone tips (named "Star" tips, if I recall correctly) are very difficult to get a proper and lasting fit and seal with.

I'll pass on your comments. It's entirely possible that other folks have had a similar experience to yours.

Tips are definitely a very personal thing and it's challenging to find one geometry that works for everybody. I typically am not a fan of single flange tips, but the current Westone selection actually has one that fits me well.

 

[AnyDave]

I don't think it will be an upgrade to 4sr, more like a sidegrade. The question is, how good of a sidegrade. Well people are already hype up as it's ety (doing multiple drivers), hopefully it will be worth the wait.

We certainly cannot be accused of rushing a multidriver earphone to market.

I don't really view it as a replacement for the ER4SR. That is our reference model of accuracy. The EVO has a bit different of a presentation. I'm can't wait to get them into folks' ears and see what they think. I know what *I* think, but I'm very close to both of them, so it'll be a lot of fun to hear other viewpoints.

 

[Max Choiral]

The few rare multi-DD implementations that I am aware of have got, to my knowledge, quite poor frequency response and, if I'm not mistaking, horrible acoustic phase. I'm sure that a properly sounding and measuring multi-DD product could be developed with enough research time and crossover, filter and sound channel length work, but why all of this hassle if the same could also be achieved with a properly implemented single dynamic driver (after all, if the driver itself is not horrible in the first place, with some experience, the basic tuning of the exact bass output and treble response to the desired target is not even all that difficult with a single dynamic driver setup (things are getting more complicated and require more knowledge once the designer/s decide/s to implement an electric filter network in order to achieve a special response that would be otherwise difficult/impossible to get close to with purely basic acoustic tuning, but that's another story))? Surely the "novelty" factor would be high in the beginning after the release, but it is rather questionable whether the product would master the test of time and not be just another "flavour of the month".

"Less is more" by Etymotic Research

 

[shotgunshane]

And I'll be involved on the Westone side as well now. I might have to change my name to EtyWest or EtyTone or something.

This is some of the most exciting iem news I’ve heard in a while. I’ve always thought Westone had the most comfortable universals housings but I don’t care for any of their tunings. Maybe there’ll be some new Westone tunings in the future!

 

[AnyDave]

This is some of the most exciting iem news I’ve heard in a while. I’ve always thought Westone had the most comfortable universals housings but I don’t care for any of their tunings. Maybe there’ll be some new Westone tunings in the future!

Ultimately, it's important not to lose the identity of either Etymotic or Westone. I just don't foresee them converging on a similar tuning. But certainly each brand will evolve in their own way.