Etymotic Was First
Etymotic Research introduced the first high-fidelity, noise isolating earphones in 1984, which were used primarily for acoustic research. Etymotic's first commercially available earphones for musicians and audiophiles (ER•4B and ER•4S earphones) were developed in 1991, and the ER-4P (1994) accompanied the evolution of personal music players. The ER•4 series earphones are in-the-ear, high-fidelity transducers developed specifically to combine flat frequency response with isolation from external noise. The isolation from outside sound makes it possible to listen at reduced levels, which prevents ear overload distortion and hearing damage from excessive volume levels. ER-6 and 6i Isolator earphones maintain the tradition of high fidelity and high noise isolation, at a lower cost.

Another First
ety•8 Bluetooth earphones are the first and only in-the-ear wireless earphones. Ety•8 earphones also are the only Bluetooth earphones with highly accurate sound reproduction and unsurpassed noise exclusion.

Each earphone weighs less than half an ounce; one contains the battery and the other the circuit and antenna. The ety•8 earphones, which work with iPod devices and other Bluetooth-enabled music players, are supported completely by the ear canal – with no external support required – for comfortable long-term use.

We were able to overcome the technological hurdles – and to deliver Bluetooth without any compromises – by applying our extensive expertise in miniaturized sound components and electronics and by taking advantage of newly developed components.

• The earphones use a low-power, full-bandwidth chip set, which represents a major advance in Bluetooth technology. The small size and low current drain of this chip set helped Etymotic reduce the size of its stereo Bluetooth earphones.
   
• Etymotic was able to make its in-the-ear wireless earphones extremely small – without sacrificing efficiency – thanks to a patent-pending antenna design that folds to fit into the tiny earphone case without losing efficiency. Existing Bluetooth devices require much longer antennas and thus significantly larger packages.
   
• The battery in the ety•8 earphones offers very high efficiency and lasts eight to 10 hours per charge.