etymoticofficial
Sponsor: Etymotic, Westone Audio
Rationale for electronic musicians earplugs
Music is dynamic, and changes in loudness. There are short intense periods and sometimes loud sound is sustained for minutes. In between there are softer passages.
Music Pro High-fidelity Electronic Musicians Earplugs were designed for musicians who want to hear soft sounds naturally, but need protection from both loud sustained passages, and sudden loud percussive sounds. Music Pro earplugs provide hearing protection that activates only when you need it.
High-fidelity passive earplugs (such as Etymotic ER20XS) provide protection, but do not adapt to changes in loudness. Music Pro high-fidelity electronic earplugs, designed for music industry professionals, automatically adjust to change. The result is hearing protection when needed and natural hearing the rest of the time.
Description of Music Pro electronic earplugs
Music Pro earplugs provide two modes of operation. These intelligent high-fidelity electronic earplugs provide automatic protection from loud sustained music and sudden loud percussive sounds in both modes of operation. Natural hearing mode provide natural hearing for quiet and moderate-level sounds, while Enhanced hearing mode amplify soft sounds of music and speech.
Each electronic earplug is equipped with a microphone, a wide-dynamic-range-compression integrated circuit and a transducer. The circuitry identifies progressive increases in sound level and immediately lowers the volume to a safer level up to the maximum output capability of the transducers. Natural hearing is instantaneously restored when sound levels are safe.
How Music Pro earplugs work
The electronic earplugs perform different functions depending on input levels and mode. For soft and medium-loud sounds they are acoustically transparent, much like having nothing in the ears while in Natural mode. In Enhanced mode, soft sounds are amplified by 6 dB.
As sounds grow louder, they gradually reduce the transmission until they become effectively similar to passive earplugs, which provide 15 dB attenuation up to about 120 dB inputs. Most sounds above 120 dB are actually short transients, such as a drummer's rim shot. Peak SPLs above 120 dB are reduced instantly to safe levels by the output limitation of the transducers. Because these bursts are so short (a few milliseconds), the transients are completely safe. More importantly, recovery is essentially instantaneous: hearing is protected from the transient but the sound seems natural because the earplugs recover faster than the ear.
The final result is intelligent, high-fidelity active sound-reduction earplugs that allow the user to hear soft and normal conversation as if nothing is in the ears.
Establishing the Gold Standard
Musicians Earplugs™ are the world's best-selling custom high-fidelity earplugs. Over twenty-five years ago Etymotic's founder, Dr. Mead Killion, participated in a noise study for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which was the impetus for bringing custom high-fidelity earplugs to market. World-class artists and performers of all music genres use Musicians Earplugs, which come in three levels of protection: 9 dB, 15 dB and 25 dB sound reduction.
Electronic hearing protection for warfighters
In 2009, Etymotic Research developed EB15 BlastPLG® earplugs for deployed military personnel. A high percentage of Warfighters return from theater with hearing loss and tinnitus from not using ear protection because it interferes with situational awareness. In 2011, Etymotic's BlastPLG® Electronic Earplugs received the inaugural Design and Engineering Innovations Award in the Health and Wellness category from the Consumer Electronics Association.
The BlastPLG devices had obvious applications for gun sports, industrial and construction markets. With a presumed application for music, EB15 earplugs were sold to musicians and DJs who played many different genres of music. The reviews were mixed.
Thank you, National Symphony Orchestra members
In early 2011, hearing protection was requested by members of the National Symphony Orchestra who were unable to hear accurately while playing in a small orchestra pit during performances of West Side Story at Lincoln Center.
The first thing reported was distortion overload during intense playing and the fact that for moderately loud sound their instruments "disappeared" and they could not judge their balance with the rest of the orchestra. For those reasons, a series of trials with different modifications was initiated.
In the end, the undistorted headroom was raised, the beginning of the compression (lower threshold knee LTK) was changed and the upper end of compression (upper threshold knee UTK) was changed, maintaining undistorted operation at all levels.
Final words
Etymotic team is hoping you find this story that led to the existing Music Pro product interesting and educational.
Product page: https://www.etymotic.com/product/music-pro/
Impressions by @Zachik: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ety...ssions-index-in-1st-post.956629/post-16310494
Summer is coming, and live concerts are gradually resuming.
When you attend a live performance - make sure you protect your hearing!
Music is dynamic, and changes in loudness. There are short intense periods and sometimes loud sound is sustained for minutes. In between there are softer passages.
Music Pro High-fidelity Electronic Musicians Earplugs were designed for musicians who want to hear soft sounds naturally, but need protection from both loud sustained passages, and sudden loud percussive sounds. Music Pro earplugs provide hearing protection that activates only when you need it.
High-fidelity passive earplugs (such as Etymotic ER20XS) provide protection, but do not adapt to changes in loudness. Music Pro high-fidelity electronic earplugs, designed for music industry professionals, automatically adjust to change. The result is hearing protection when needed and natural hearing the rest of the time.
Description of Music Pro electronic earplugs
Music Pro earplugs provide two modes of operation. These intelligent high-fidelity electronic earplugs provide automatic protection from loud sustained music and sudden loud percussive sounds in both modes of operation. Natural hearing mode provide natural hearing for quiet and moderate-level sounds, while Enhanced hearing mode amplify soft sounds of music and speech.
Each electronic earplug is equipped with a microphone, a wide-dynamic-range-compression integrated circuit and a transducer. The circuitry identifies progressive increases in sound level and immediately lowers the volume to a safer level up to the maximum output capability of the transducers. Natural hearing is instantaneously restored when sound levels are safe.
How Music Pro earplugs work
The electronic earplugs perform different functions depending on input levels and mode. For soft and medium-loud sounds they are acoustically transparent, much like having nothing in the ears while in Natural mode. In Enhanced mode, soft sounds are amplified by 6 dB.
As sounds grow louder, they gradually reduce the transmission until they become effectively similar to passive earplugs, which provide 15 dB attenuation up to about 120 dB inputs. Most sounds above 120 dB are actually short transients, such as a drummer's rim shot. Peak SPLs above 120 dB are reduced instantly to safe levels by the output limitation of the transducers. Because these bursts are so short (a few milliseconds), the transients are completely safe. More importantly, recovery is essentially instantaneous: hearing is protected from the transient but the sound seems natural because the earplugs recover faster than the ear.
The final result is intelligent, high-fidelity active sound-reduction earplugs that allow the user to hear soft and normal conversation as if nothing is in the ears.
Establishing the Gold Standard
Musicians Earplugs™ are the world's best-selling custom high-fidelity earplugs. Over twenty-five years ago Etymotic's founder, Dr. Mead Killion, participated in a noise study for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which was the impetus for bringing custom high-fidelity earplugs to market. World-class artists and performers of all music genres use Musicians Earplugs, which come in three levels of protection: 9 dB, 15 dB and 25 dB sound reduction.
Electronic hearing protection for warfighters
In 2009, Etymotic Research developed EB15 BlastPLG® earplugs for deployed military personnel. A high percentage of Warfighters return from theater with hearing loss and tinnitus from not using ear protection because it interferes with situational awareness. In 2011, Etymotic's BlastPLG® Electronic Earplugs received the inaugural Design and Engineering Innovations Award in the Health and Wellness category from the Consumer Electronics Association.
The BlastPLG devices had obvious applications for gun sports, industrial and construction markets. With a presumed application for music, EB15 earplugs were sold to musicians and DJs who played many different genres of music. The reviews were mixed.
Thank you, National Symphony Orchestra members
In early 2011, hearing protection was requested by members of the National Symphony Orchestra who were unable to hear accurately while playing in a small orchestra pit during performances of West Side Story at Lincoln Center.
The first thing reported was distortion overload during intense playing and the fact that for moderately loud sound their instruments "disappeared" and they could not judge their balance with the rest of the orchestra. For those reasons, a series of trials with different modifications was initiated.
In the end, the undistorted headroom was raised, the beginning of the compression (lower threshold knee LTK) was changed and the upper end of compression (upper threshold knee UTK) was changed, maintaining undistorted operation at all levels.
Final words
Etymotic team is hoping you find this story that led to the existing Music Pro product interesting and educational.
Product page: https://www.etymotic.com/product/music-pro/
Impressions by @Zachik: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ety...ssions-index-in-1st-post.956629/post-16310494
Summer is coming, and live concerts are gradually resuming.
When you attend a live performance - make sure you protect your hearing!
