These drivers are housed in custom-moulded, mostly acrylic earpiece shells and they deliver sound to the wearer’s ears via dual bores (or sound outlet tubes) embedded within the earpiece. The ES-60 design is based on six balanced armature-type drivers grouped as a three-way array, with two bass drivers, two midrange drivers, and two high-frequency drivers per earpiece, all linked via a passive three-way crossover. In other words, he knows an awful lot about the art and science of in-ear monitor design, but he hasn’t let it go to his head (or ego), which is a refreshing combination, to say the least. If you read the interview you may find, as we have, that Cartwright appears to live right at the intersection of Expertise Avenue and Humility Lane. For insights into Cartwright’s design philosophy, we refer you to an interview he did with Hi-Fi+ that is published in the Hi-Fi+ Guide to Headphones, Earphones & Related Electronics (download your free copy at ). The ES-60 is the brainchild of veteran Westone engineer Karl Cartwright, who has probably forgotten more about music monitoring applications and their specific requirements than most of us will ever know. Out of sheer respect for Westone’s contributions to the field, we felt it was time to review the firm’s flagship ES-60 custom-fit in-ear monitors. In fact, if you ask around a bit you will find that Westone alumni are now spread throughout the CIEM industry, so that it is fair to say the company has played a huge (albeit understated) role in shaping today’s high-end personal audio marketplace. Naturally, Westone’s music products division is the one that will most interest Hi-Fi+ readers most and for a very important reason: Westone is arguably the one company most responsible for launching the entire contemporary custom-fit in-ear music monitor movement in the first place.
WESTONE GUITAR TRANSPARENT PROFESSIONAL
Over time, of course, Westone has grown and evolved so that today the firm concentrates its efforts in five separate – but related – areas: custom ear-mould products audiology supply products military earpiece products (yes, many fighter pilots and aircraft carrier crewmen wear Westones) digital, industrial, and hearing protection products and personal and professional music earphones.
This isn’t too surprising since Westone got its start many years ago by building custom-moulded earpiece shells for the famous hearing aid maker Beltone. When asking non-audiophile friends and colleagues for their impressions, if any, of Westone Laboratories, I have discovered many think the firm focuses primarily on selling components and supplies for the global hearing aid industry.
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