Do you like the concept of snug in-ear earphones for your iPhone, iPad, iPod or smartphone, but hate the reality of poor sound quality, discomfort, and frequent readjustments to keep the earphones in your ear? You're not alone. One of the chief complaints we hear from readers is that it's hard to get good sound quality out of in-ear headphones and it's difficult to keep them in your ear, particularly if you like to stay active. Well headphone manufacturer Etymotic wants to change all that by rolling out a custom earmold program for all of its in-ear canal earphone products.
The fact is that the shape and size of one's ear varies from person to person. And while various foam and silicon inserts can be effective for some at getting a nice tight seal inside the ear (which leads to better noise isolation and deeper bass response), for others it seems impossible to get a proper fit. This year, Etymotic is partnering with ACS (Advanced Communication Solutions) and a network of audiologists around the world to roll out a nationwide custom earmold program. Instead of struggling with "one-size-fits-none" earbuds and inserts, you can customize your Etymotic earphones with ear inserts that are sized and shaped precisely to fit your specific ears.
First, decide which of Etymotic's line of in-ear 'phones you want. I myself have used and reviewed the ER4P (earphones only) and HF2 (with microphone) models and found them both to offer excellent sound quality. Inside the package is a voucher for a free ear impression at a certified audiologist's office (the custom inserts themselves are not free, but we'll get to that). Participating audiologists are available in 44 U.S. states, 2 Canadian provinces and 14 countries. At the local audiologist's office, they will sit you down and squirt some cool (literally!) gooey stuff into your ears, which firms up within a few minutes, leaving a perfect impression of the inside of each ear.
These earmolds are then sent off to the ACS factory where they are used to make custom eartips sized precisely for your ears using medical grade silicone. These replace the generic eartips that came with your Etymotic earphones. The cost for this little adventure in custom fitting is about $100, including the audiologist visit and shipping the inserts to your door. The custom inserts come with a limited 1-year warranty and are durable and washable. ACS keeps a scan of your ear mold on file should you want or need to order replacement inserts in the future.
"In the past, enjoying a personalized ear mold meant the hassle of finding your own audiologist and earmold laboratory, plus considerable expense - to the point where only serious musicians, sound engineers and other professionals could justify it," said Mark Karnes, managing director of consumer products at Etymotic. "Etymotic's innovative CUSTOM•FIT program streamlines and simplifies this process, and at $100 per Etymotic product, it is incredibly affordable. It puts the definitive standard in personal listening comfort and quality within easy reach of nearly anyone. And once you've experienced the difference of a customized earmold, you can't imagine using anything else."
We'll be putting these custom earmolds to the test in an upcoming review of Etymotic earphones, so stay tuned...
More Information on Etymotic's CUSTOM FIT program:
Where to Buy Etymotic earphones:
