New Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors Are Designed By and For Professional Recording Engineers and Producers
Ultimate Ears, the number one choice of the world’s top touring
musicians, has teamed up with EMI Music’s Capitol Studios, the legendary
recording facility in Hollywood’s landmark Capitol Tower, to design the
first custom in-ear reference monitors for use by professional producers
and audio engineers – the Ultimate Ears™ In-Ear Reference Monitors. For
the first time, Ultimate
Ears, a product unit of Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI), has
delivered a monitor that features a flat response curve that is both
natural and dimensional in its sound reproduction.
The Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors are designed specifically
for professional studio engineers and producers for use in a variety of
settings, including recording studios, with portable laptops and in live
venues and rehearsal studios for recording, mixing and mastering. They
provide up to 32 dB of noise isolation so engineers and producers are
isolated from the interference due to studio or room noise. All that is
delivered directly to the ears is the natural and true audio track — no
need to worry about near-field positioning. And since only high-fidelity
audio is delivered directly into your ears, the engineers are always in
the “sweet
spot,” ensuring that they are hearing the tracks as they were
produced, mixed or mastered – authentic and precise.
“With the release of the Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors, we
have taken our extensive knowledge of custom in-ear monitor sound
reproduction for touring artists and applied it to meet the demands of
recording engineers and producers,” said Philippe Depallens, vice
president and general manager of the Ultimate Ears product unit for
Logitech. “Finely tuned in collaboration with the world-renowned
engineering team at Capitol Studios, these custom monitors represent our
relentless pursuit to provide the music industry with new products based
on leading technology and expertise. While they are designed for
engineers, they will also meet the needs of our audiophile customers who
demand sound delivered with a true and natural flat response.”
Capitol
Studios and Ultimate Ears engineers have spent many hours together
at Capitol Studio meticulously designing the Ultimate Ears Reference
Monitors sound signature and performance. The result is a revolutionary
product that meets the exacting standards of audio professionals at both
companies.
“Capitol Studios’ number one mission is to attain the best fidelity
possible,” said Greg Parkin, vice president of Capitol Studios. “We are
very proud to be collaborating with Ultimate Ears as they share our
passionate commitment to delivering audio in its purest form to
musicians, engineers, and fans. We have extremely high standards and
strive to operate a finely tuned environment for our clients every day.
We also know that engineers often have to mix and work in a number of
unfamiliar environments. Ultimate Ears’ rigorous expertise in
engineering, coupled with input from our team, has delivered a great
product that gives engineers the confidence that what they’re hearing is
authentic and natural.”
“This is a new and exciting technology twist on traditional studio
reference speakers and headphones – the Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference
Monitors present a very flat curve that is both transparent and
revealing,” explains Tal Herzberg, professional recording engineer and
producer who created multiple Grammy winning recordings and mixes for
such acts as the Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, and Mary J. Blige.
“What is unique is that I find myself not worrying about environmental
noise. Once I put these on, the isolation is so good, room noise is
virtually eliminated. All I hear is the natural, dimensional sound the
monitors create, allowing me to accurately record and mix.”
Professional recording and mixing engineers increasingly must adapt to
recording in changing environments and mobile settings, so the Ultimate
Ears Reference Monitors are a great solution. These monitors deliver pro
audio reproduction, but their small, in-ear size makes them easy to use
on the go. Because they virtually eliminate room noise, they are a
perfect complement to the increasing number of engineers who rely on
their laptops, audio interface and pro audio software to record and mix
in a variety of settings: at home, on a plane, or when working in
multiple studios that are sometimes unfamiliar.
Capitol Studios engineer Steve Genewick states, “For years I've been
looking for a way to take the balanced space I am accustomed to at
Capitol with me when I'm away recording in a live setting, or in an
unfamiliar studio. Ultimate Ears has now made that possible.”
With three individually tuned, balanced armature speakers in each
handcrafted monitor, Ultimate Ears in-Ear Reference Monitors are able to
reproduce frequencies with an extended wide band response from 5 Hz to
18 kHz for a more authentic sound. And by eliminating the burdensome Y
joint connector and using a tightly braided cable to reduce friction and
tangling, you will only hear a clean sound signal. The new
low-distortion, low profile cable greatly reduces any possible cable
cross-talk. The dual sound channel configuration keeps the low, mid and
high frequencies separated until they reach the ears, where they mix
naturally, reducing any chance for distortion.
“I’m finding the Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors to be a great tool,”
said Tom Schlum, director of technology for Capitol Studios. “They allow
me to move between very different acoustic and monitoring environments,
with the knowledge that I have a consistent sound stage to reference.”
Pricing and Availability
The Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors are expected to be available
beginning in September for a suggested retail price of $999 (U.S.). (The
price of the Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors does not include
the initial cost to have a qualified audiologist create your ear
impressions.)
Ultimate Ears monitors are made specifically for each customer so you
will need to have ear impressions made by an audiologist.
Please contact us or check out our website to locate an Ultimate Ears
qualified audiologist. Once Ultimate Ears has received your ear
impressions, we will create your personal set of in-ear monitors. For
additional information, visit www.ultimateears.com.
About Ultimate Ears
Ultimate Ears makes listening devices that let people enjoy music the
way it was meant to be heard. A product unit of Logitech International
(SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI), Ultimate Ears is the leading supplier of
custom in-ear monitors for professional musicians and an emerging
provider of premium earphones and headsets for the consumer market.
About Capitol Studios
For over 50 years, EMI Music’s Capitol Studios a destination where some
of the world’s top musicians have come to collaborate and record their
most important projects. Housed in the historic Capitol Records Tower in
Hollywood, Studio A and B have hosted legends ranging from Frank
Sinatra, Dean Martin and Nat King Cole to the Beach Boys and
contemporary greats such as Green Day and John Mayer. Capitol Studios
specializes in live recording sessions, webcasts, string dates, mixing
to film shoots and videos, as well as mastering to vinyl.
Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in
the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech
and its products, visit the company’s website at www.logitech.com.
