Etymotic Research on Tuesday introduced the Ety 8, its first Bluetooth-based in-ear wireless earphones. The earphones are expected to be available at retailers beginning in early december for $299 bundled with an iPod adapter, or $199 for the earphones alone.
The Ety 8 earphones each weigh less than one half an ounce, with the battery in one and a circuit antenna and controls in the other. Etymotic includes a variety of eartips to achieve a custom, snug fit. Audio is played back at 44.1 kHz sampling rate, 16-bit resolution, according to the company. And because they’re in-ear earphones, the Ety 8’s provide external noise exclusion functionality; Etymotic rates the reduction at 35 to 40 decibels (dB).
The earphones use a new low-power chipset manufactured by Broadcom which minimizes size and reduces power consumption, according to Etymotic. The battery lasts 7 to 10 hours per charge.
The 8Mate iPod adapter that Etymotic sells along with the Ety 8 earphones enables you control sound volume, track selection, play/pause and previous/next track functions from both the earphone and the iPod.
Editor’s note: The original press release from Etymotic incorrectly stated a 44.1 “Kbps” audio playback — that information has been corrected to read kHz instead.