When Dave Friesema talks about the early days of Etymotic Research, it’s like stepping into an entirely different chapter of in-ear history — one that existed parallel to the touring world but rarely overlapped with it.
Long before custom monitors became a fixture on arena stages, Etymotic had already carved out a reputation for precision sound among audiophiles. Their in-ear products weren’t born for rock shows; they were designed for the quiet intimacy of critical listening.
And back then, they weren’t even called in-ears.
We called them canal phones which isn’t the sexiest thing to call something you stick in your ear.
But what they lacked in branding polish, they made up for in performance. With a focus on accuracy over flash, Etymotic set early benchmarks for fidelity that many stage products would chase years later.
Dave’s perspective in the film shows how close the bridge was between these two worlds — and how it never quite got crossed. The company was producing world-class sound, and they already had deep roots in the musician community through their earplug filters, but the leap to live stage monitoring never happened.
His insights reveal both the possibilities that were on the table and the choices that shaped a very different future for the in-ear industry.