Gear Heads: Cosmic Ears

GEAR HEADS

COSMIC EARS LUNA

Phil Gartell, Managing Director of Manchester-based in-ear monitor company, Cosmic Ears, chats to TPi’s Kel Murray about its latest Luna product, a solution designed for the robust nature of touring duties; bringing a new comfort to ear fatigue caused by those familiar long hours...

How did the development of the new Luna in-ear monitor begin? Around 18-months ago, we said how can we get better? The most important thing for us is to listen to our customers. Many of them had heard the full product demo range in our HQ, and importantly, on the road, so we took their feedback on board. Since then we focussed on making research & development a key priority at Cosmic Ears. Due to the rough and tumble of tour life, you need a tough product, so we’ve used less parts within the new range, whilst manitaining our sound quality. It’s a game changer for backline crew and monitor engineers.

We wanted to maintain the Cosmic Ears house sound signature while at the same time drawing on our learnings from customer feedback, which was to create a more rugged in-ear, and with the Luna product, we have

achieved this. We have made the Luna sound signature balanced and smooth enough to appeal to almost all musical tastes and requirements. Luna is going to be one the of best all rounded in-ear we have produced.

Have you worked closely with musicians to ensure this new system will fill any current concerns with IEM’s? We listen to all our customers; engineers, musicians and audiophiles, and we have used their feedback to address any concerns. We have worked closely with a select few sound engineers while Luna was in the development stages.

As a result of this, we’ve made the sound smoother at higher frequencies, this is important for two reasons: to allow the product to be

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COSMIC EARS

used for longer performances, and also for comfort; engineers who will wear them all day and may suffer from ear fatigue will find this model far easier to use during long sessions.

What new features does it offer to the industry? When we talk about the industry we don’t just talk about the performers; we talk about the backline crew too, and within that, we talk about reliability of your in-ears being a major feature. A more robust shell, and now a cavity on the tip of the canal to reduce sweat and, ultimately, wax build up problems

all help make an audio tech’s job easier. Recently, 3D technology has helped us to develop a stronger and consistent shell to protect the components inside. It has also allowed us to create an internal mould to keep everything securely in place. With 2019 beckoning, we will also be launching a new socket system, based on the Estron T2 design, across the full product range.

Does it utilise any new technology? It does, and it also benefits from a more effective system design. Many in-ear designers will say you simply need to add more drivers, but this

COSMIC EARS

is not always the case. Look at the car industry - from Ford to Ferrari - they’re downsizing the number cylinders in their engines for reliability and efficiency, and we are achieving the same thing in our in-ears by utilising less drivers.

We’re not saying that having 8, 10, 12 or 16 + drivers is wrong, but on tour they are vulnerable and prone to damage. So, in essence we’ve utilised some new drivers and also implemented a few tweaks within existing components to make the sound delivery even more effective… but that’s top secret!

Where will it sit in the pro audio market place - is this a low end or top of the line range? It is most definitely sitting in the top line of our product family, yet vitally, it’s also affordable. Luna will be a model that will hit the spot with professionals, yet the price point will be very competitive, which will likely surprise a few people!

Where does Luna fit in the Cosmic Ears product line? The Luna model will fall under the new range known as Nova and will be aimed at the professional and tour market. We will also be releasing Luna in conjunction with an identical sounding generic version, the main reasoning for generic version would be to support artists or band members who may lose their custom set on tour and need a backup set without needing changes to the mix. It will also allow tours to carry generics that can be used

for ad-hoc session musicians. The generics will be ready for release when the custom range goes live.

Have any tours or events decided to take Luna on the road? The product is brand new, so we are working with a hand-picked selection of engineers and have also identified some events we’d like to roll the Luna range out to. If there are any touring companies, studios or production houses looking to demo the Luna range, then we’d love to hear from you! TPi www.cosmicears.com

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