The IK Multimedia ARC ON·EAR is an ingenious piece of hardware from the Italian innovators at IK Multimedia: It's a standalone DAC and headphone amplifier capable of correcting any set of headphones' frequency response, effectively simulating a studio environment with professional monitor speakers. Anyone combining the ARC ON·EAR with a pair of headphones will suddenly find themselves at the centre of a virtual space where they can mix, master, and produce tracks in-the-box with complete confidence. The device's dedicated app allows users to adjust frequency responses and configure numerous other settings, as well as create up to five custom profiles for use with the ON·EAR. Of course, the setup is rounded off with volume controls and a variety of modes. This extraordinary little device delivers the precision and reliability of a professional studio in a casing not much bigger than a deck of cards.
The IK Multimedia ARC ON·EAR keeps things simple, with a very clear and uncluttered set of controls. A large, digital rotary dial allows users to accurately adjust the volume, and the CAL button toggles whether the headphones currently in use have their frequency response corrected or not. The more advanced virtual monitoring functionality – with the detailed simulation of a studio environment equipped with professional monitor speakers – can be activated or deactivated using the STUDIO button. Finally, the FN button can be freely assigned an additional function via the accompanying software suite; by default, it mutes the headphone output. That's it for controls, with the five LEDs indicating which of the five presets is active. For a truly audiophile sound experience, the unit implements a 32-bit ESS SABRE converter with a high damping factor and extremely low distortion.
When they work with the IK Multimedia ARC ON·EAR, music producers whose setup is entirely in-the-box no longer have to sacrifice the acoustic feel of professional monitoring – thanks to the virtual monitoring functionality powered by IK Multimedia's Advanced Physical Modelling technology. The simulated environments include more than 20 studio monitors and 15 multimedia playback systems. In reality, even reference headphones colour the sound they generate, and often deliver an unrealistic stereo image. The IK Multimedia ARC ON·EAR corrects any set of headphones' frequency response, thus achieving a truly neutral frequency curve and a natural stereo field. The system supports more than a hundred popular headphone models, for which IK Multimedia provides predefined frequency profiles: These profiles were created using the same amplifier circuit found in the ARC ON·EAR itself, ensuring precise monitoring for exacting audiophile ears.
IK Multimedia was founded in 1996 in the city of Modena in northern Italy. Its two founders, both musicians and engineers, joined forces with the aim of emulating electronic circuits using computer algorithms. Today, IK Multimedia is a multinational company with seven subsidiaries in Italy, the UK, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Hong Kong, and the USA and exclusively manufactures products which are perfectly tailored to the needs of musicians – true to its motto 'Musicians first'.
In keeping with its streamlined design, even the USB-C socket on the IK Multimedia ARC ON·EAR has a dual function; it charges its internal battery for mobile use, and it is also the port for integration into a DAW. There is also an analogue audio input for bringing in a signal from a mixing console, making it very easy to drop the ARC ON·EAR into a wide range of studio setups – for headphone mixing wherever the production is taking place. The package here includes a USB cable, a headphone adapter, and a case for safe storage when travelling. To keep everything up to date, the ARC ON·EAR's firmware can be updated via the accompanying software.