Ultimate Ears
• In Ear Monitoring
Some
companies are destined to change the course of an industry.
The same way some musicians are fated to become living legends.
Ultimate Ears first appeared on the scene in 1995, much like
a small garage band. Based on word of mouth, business was conducted
out of the back of a tour bus. And soon, those in the know started
flocking around. The buzz was that Ultimate Ears was making
something totally different—something that protected musicians’
hearing while allowing them to perform better. Instead of standing
in front of speakers on stage, artists were able to have customized
micro-speakers fitted directly into their ears. A revolution
in live sound reproduction was underfoot. And the best ears
of the industry agreed—Ultimate Ears sounded phenomenal.
During the first few years, the company client list read like
a who’s who from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It
was just a matter of time before early-adopting music lovers
caught whiff of the hype. By 2004 the secret was out, and audiophiles
and business travelers were using Ultimate Ears custom stage
earphones with their iPods® and other MP3 players. In 2005,
Ultimate Ears fully broke onto the scene with the introduction
of three high-end universal fit earphones. Each model was based
on the same speaker technologies and sound signatures found
in the professional stage earphones. This innovation allowed
emerging artists to perform like pros and gave discerning listeners
the chance to hear what everyone was raving about. Athletes
and celebrities soon got in on the action. Critics heaped praise
on the company. Designs got sleeker and smoother. Awards were
won. And Ultimate Ears became a mark of distinction. In 2008,
Ultimate Ears was acquired by Logitech, a world leader in personal
peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications,
digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless
devices. Now a Logitech company but still true to its roots,
Ultimate Ears continues to design and create earphones that
musicians and music lovers depend on and is poised to reach
a global audience.