Why doesn't Etymotic ever come out with new 'phones?

[mrdeadfolx]

I'm sure many of you (Ety fanboys in particular) will say "If it ain't broke don't fix it", but why on earth doesn't Etymotic ever come out with new headphones? I'm not sure about their lower-end models, but it's been a really long time since they had a new flagship, and some would argue they could definitely use one to keep up with the competition. Even purely from a business standpoint you'd think they'd do it to bring in more money. To my knowledge there has not even been an announcement for anything new to look forward to. What's the holdup?

 

[jinx20001]

they have such a big fanbase for the er4's why should they bother, they are still selling as well as new phones with the hype they get here on head fi.

personally i think it is about time for them to get into the dual and triple driver club and show us what they can do but like i said why should they bother because its unlikely to change the fanboys minds

 

[MASantos]

As you said, "If it ain't broke don't fix it"! AFAIK, etymotic isn't really a mass market oriented company. They sell to a specific crowd, studio/pro music folks and us, audiophiles.
Maybe they're having results that are good enough for them, maybe they can't develop the product better enough to justify a new version.

Well, they did improve on the wire sometime ago as people were complaining about microphonics.

 

[antonyfirst]

Probably, until the product they have projected 15 years ago keeps selling this much, they have no reason to spend money and human resources in a new project, and risk to lose fans if they don't meet their expectations.

 

[immtbiker]

Mead Killian spoke at the 2006 National and said that the ER4's are exactly the sound that he wished to reproduce.

If that's the case, and they did indeed change the microphonic cable ($50 upgrade to exsisting owners), then he's not going to mess with it. Only tweak the lower priced models (ER6>ER6i).

 

[elmohut]

Quote:

If that's the case, and they did indeed change the microphonic cable ($50 upgrade to exsisting owners)

I'll have to check on that, as I have a break on the outer insulation on mine.

Info on their site?

 

[billybob_jcv]

They changed from blue/red to both black - that probably took 12 years to get approved...

 

[undo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billybob_jcv /img/forum/go_quote.gif They changed from blue/red to both black - that probably took 12 years to get approved...

at least they should upgrade the tip comfort & microphonics.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrdeadfolx /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm sure many of you (Ety fanboys in particular) will say "If it ain't broke don't fix it", but why on earth doesn't Etymotic ever come out with new headphones? I'm not sure about their lower-end models, but it's been a really long time since they had a new flagship, and some would argue they could definitely use one to keep up with the competition. Even purely from a business standpoint you'd think they'd do it to bring in more money. To my knowledge there has not even been an announcement for anything new to look forward to. What's the holdup?

Actually, they did... but maybe not flagship on-the-headline IEM.

ER7 - Ety's OEM model which has been sold by Altec Lansing and Harman/Kardon.
ER8 - The ugly bluetooth headphone for ipod.

Don't know how many ER8 was sold, but I am pretty sure ER7 has a good sell figure just based on the number of head-fier who owns one.

Well, one can argue ER7 is probably the most 'mainstream' IEM Ety has ever conceived since ER6i. I think Ety is doing a fine job on bring low cost, great price/performance ratio IEM to the mass...

*of course, a 3-ways IEM from Ety could be very exciting, but it's probably an overkill to use two/three balanced armature drivers to create an Ety's classic flat line freq. response signature, right?

 

[vesther]

Etymotic probably doesn't want to alienate its customer base without notice to the many supporters who make Etymotic successful. One balanced armatures and/or a coil magnet tuned for 80%+ accuracy seems to be fine with Etymotic.

If Etymotic would take ease of use and ear comfort into account, then they would have to discuss with its customer base so that the designs wouldn't alienate loyalists.

 

[Pokeylicious]

I know I'm probably in the minority here, but although I believe that Etymotic's pretty much hit the nail on the head as far as sound quality, I wish they would do something about their plastic housing. Having had both of my initial transducers suffer from cracks AND breakage, I would LOVE to see them upgrade the housing to an all metal housing for durability's sake.

 

[facelvega]

Etymotic was never much of a company for product development. They use other companies' drivers, for instance. The last products I remember them producing were the Altec IEMs. Their IEMs do sound good, but they're bulky, uncomfortable, have weak bass, and are hard to drive. They have no more excuse for resting on their laurels than does Grado (whose similarly one-time R&D headphones sound good, but fall apart and are uncomfortable)

 

[jsmithepa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokeylicious /img/forum/go_quote.gif would LOVE to see them upgrade the housing to an all metal housing for durability's sake.

Metal would look sharp but wont be comfortable (hot/cold). And plastic doesn't automatically mean non-durable, there are always composites.

It's quite amazing though... after 10 years, still the phones eveybody compare to.

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Etymotic was never much of a company for product development. They use other companies' drivers, for instance. The last products I remember them producing were the Altec IEMs. Their IEMs do sound good, but they're bulky, uncomfortable, have weak bass, and are hard to drive. They have no more excuse for resting on their laurels than does Grado (whose similarly one-time R&D headphones sound good, but fall apart and are uncomfortable)

Guess the government grant for Ety to develop hearing aid isn't really product development after all? Product development isn't about making everything from scratch... beside, there are other headphone companies who use parts / rebrand product from other manufacturers: Senn, AKG, V-moda, Sony... (and the list goes on).

 

[jsmithepa]

I don't think Ety core business is consumer phones but I could be wrong. Anywhoo the ER4 imitations are just that, not the real Mcoy.