"Etymotic Research Inc., while not as well known as some of the other manufacturers such as Bose and Ultrasone, has been catering to the needs of audiophiles for a long time. Headphones and earphones are the latest trend in the audio world and thankfully manufacturers are able to keep up with the standards that many users are now used to. Currently produced headphones and earphones are just as comparable to the stand alone speaker units, which is a delight, but what is not appreciating is their tremendously high prices. Let's face it; such high prices for headphones and earphones are completely justifiable. After all, the more you research and improve technologies in a smaller form factor, the more the users will have to pay to cope up with higher production costs, but when will these technologies become affordable to everyday users? Sure enough, a common user who is planning to listen to music for an hour or so per day will probably pass on sub $100 price tags and only the die-hard music fan will invest in an expensive pair of earphones."