In Ear Monitors - help needed...

[CameronJ]

8 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

I love the feeling of an "ear toilet" or micro suction. Super cold and super clean feeling after. Oh... and it's like you have bat ears. And as for the impressions, yeah, love that too. 😛

Good choice on the UE6 - it's a really cool piece of gear and you'll no doubt enjoy!

Is it odd that I didn’t really notice a difference in my hearing before/after the micro suction? I know I technically should have (especially seeing how much wax was removed!) but the difference was negligible. Definitely a worthwhile process though - good to give the old lugholes a good clean out.

[EBS_freak]

17 minutes ago, CameronJ said:

Is it odd that I didn’t really notice a difference in my hearing before/after the micro suction? I know I technically should have (especially seeing how much wax was removed!) but the difference was negligible. Definitely a worthwhile process though - good to give the old lugholes a good clean out.

Not really - it just depends if the wax is just thick around the edges (which is enough to stop the taking of an ear impression), or actually thick enough so that it occluding the canal deeper in your ear. If you have the latter, you tend to have a brighter and more airy sounding hearing post microsuction... a bit like restoring the uber highs on a graphic eq!

Only advice is to avoid getting water in your ears until the ear can build back up it's natural level of protection (because wax should be in there( to protect and avoid infection).. just not in abundance!)

Edited October 23, 2019 by EBS_freak

[CameronJ]

Useful to know - cheers @EBS_freak.

I shall no doubt post here again once I receive the goods from CIEM. I’m quite excited!

[EBS_freak]

Should only be a couple of weeks.

[mrtcat]

11 hours ago, CameronJ said:

I’ve taken the plunge and ordered a set of UE6s from Custom IEM Co. 

You absolutely wont regret it. I love my UE6's 

[sPiKi]

Anyone tried the Blon BL03 IEMs?

 

I'm currently using the CCA C10s and while they do a pretty good job as my first step into IEMs, after using them for a few months now, I am finding the treble a bit harsh, even after EQing with my tone control, amp and the A&H SQ5 app. 

 

Are there any other makes and models worth considering at the budget end with a smoother sound for us bassists?

 

Also, can anyone advise on a decent reasonably priced replacement cable?

 

Thanks.

[mrtcat]

9 hours ago, sPiKi said:

Anyone tried the Blon BL03 IEMs?

 

I'm currently using the CCA C10s and while they do a pretty good job as my first step into IEMs, after using them for a few months now, I am finding the treble a bit harsh, even after EQing with my tone control, amp and the A&H SQ5 app. 

 

Are there any other makes and models worth considering at the budget end with a smoother sound for us bassists?

 

Also, can anyone advise on a decent reasonably priced replacement cable?

 

Thanks.

Looks like a single driver per ear. I'd definitely be far more inclined to go down the kz zs10 route.

[sPiKi]

1 hour ago, mrtcat said:

Looks like a single driver per ear. I'd definitely be far more inclined to go down the kz zs10 route.

Thanks for confirming that, which I thought I had read correctly. Any thoughts on the ZS10 or 10 Pro treble ?

Edited November 4, 2019 by sPiKi

[EBS_freak]

The ZS10 is going to be the best value for money IEM you can get for bass - as noted in the thread early, if gives you loads of headroom in the lowend and whilst it doesn't have the most honest of signature or wide soundstage, it does serve as a great on stage monitor. Certainly for less than 40 quid, you'll be hard pressed to find a more performant monitor - in fact, they'll smoke most 400 pound monitors. I wouldn't bother going anywhere else unless you are ready to get into the world of customs, where you are looking at something like a quad balanced armature IEM or the oddball UE6 which gives you good performance and headroom, whilst retaining a lower pricetag due to it's hybrid driver setup.

[sPiKi]

Thanks EBS. I appreciate the advice. I'll check out the ZS10 and compare to the C10. Is a replacement cable advisable and if so, any you would recommend?

I may eventually go custom but I'm still at the experimental stage and getting used to playing 2 hours+ gigs with the in-ears. I have found small tweaks on the desk and app can produce dramatic results.

Be interested to hear your thoughts too on the Behringer P2, which I am also using, and to what degree it influences the sound quality.

Edited November 4, 2019 by sPiKi

[EBS_freak]

40 minutes ago, sPiKi said:

Thanks EBS. I appreciate the advice. I'll order the ZS10 and compare to the C10. Is a replacement cable advisable and if so, any you would recommend?

I may eventually go custom but I'm still at the experimental stage and getting used to playing 2 hours+ gigs with the in-ears. I have found small tweaks on the desk and app can produce dramatic results.

Be interested to hear your thoughts too on the Behringer P2, which I am also using, and to what degree it influences the sound quality.

ZS10 should be more warm, especially in the lows... but its the headroom when you dig in that you'll notice most.

Custom is the biggest improvement that you can make assuming that you have a decent mix to begin with... but appreciate that it is a considerable outlay if you aren't sure how they'll fit in with your setup.

The P2 is a very capable unit... I have no issues with the unit, it performs and sounds great. My only slight criticism is that if the unit is knocked or dropped, the batteries can fall out of their holder preventing the unit from being turned on until the batteries are re-seated. As long as you are aware of that though, it's a quick fix to get a seemingly dead unit operating again. It would be nice if it was a balanced stereo unit - but no great shakes really as most people wouldn't even recognise the difference between balanced/unbalanced in most gig situations.

There's plenty of people getting good results with a set of ZS10s and a P2 - in fact, they've pretty much become the BC standard go to IEM solution without breaking the bank.

Edited November 4, 2019 by EBS_freak

[Ba55me15ter]

The CCA C10 is pretty much identical to the ZS10 no? Same driver config. I have them and am well impressed, but haven't tried them live with bass yet.

https://www.thephonograph.net/cca-c10-review/

[sPiKi]

Having done a bit more research they do seem to be v similar although may be tuned a little differently. Currently looking at the CCA C12s. I see Ali Express are doing a discount event on 11 Nov is that is useful for anyone here.

Edited November 4, 2019 by sPiKi

[EBS_freak]

Well, the Midas DP48 is certainly floating my boat.

Of course, what I am waiting for with baited breath... is the new Behringer Wing...

[lemmywinks]

Quick question (or two) - looking at getting the Behringer P2 but noticed it seems to be a clone of a much more expensive Fischer unit, is there as much of a difference as the price suggests?

Also would spending a little extra on the P1 be useful? Is there a difference in sound and/or battery life and could I mix two different signals (ie me and the rest of the band) and blend them with this unit? Also seems to be a clone of a Fischer jobby.

Edited November 12, 2019 by lemmywinks

[CameronJ]

I would assume the difference in quality isn’t as much as the price would suggest, more due to Behringer’s ability to manufacture the product on a greater scale than Fischer - economies of scale. But having never used either product I’m purely speculating!

[lemmywinks]

Funnily enough I saw the Fischers first then noticed the Behringers which looked pretty much the same, naturally assumed the substantial price difference would translate to a big gap in audio quality but it's been a while since I've used a Behringer product that didn't punch well above it's weight.

[CameronJ]

58 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

Funnily enough I saw the Fischers first then noticed the Behringers which looked pretty much the same, naturally assumed the substantial price difference would translate to a big gap in audio quality but it's been a while since I've used a Behringer product that didn't punch well above it's weight.

Yep, in recent years Behringer have proven themselves to be capable of producing some pretty solid gear. Somewhat off-topic but their recent synth stuff in particular has been rather tasty.

[EBS_freak]

11 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

Quick question (or two) - looking at getting the Behringer P2 but noticed it seems to be a clone of a much more expensive Fischer unit, is there as much of a difference as the price suggests?

Also would spending a little extra on the P1 be useful? Is there a difference in sound and/or battery life and could I mix two different signals (ie me and the rest of the band) and blend them with this unit? Also seems to be a clone of a Fischer jobby.

The Behringer is probably built better than the Fischer unit. Having had some P2s in my arsenal for some time, the only real downside is the battery clip inside. In normal circumstances, it's fine... but if the unit is ever dropped (which you shouldn't do - but it can happen), the chances are the batteries will jump out of the clip and the unit won't power up. It's easy to fix - just pull the housing apart (as you would to replace the battery) and reinsert the battery. It's a small gotcha but can be frustrating in the heat of the moment when the thing won't power up and you forget about this little quirk and you know that the unit has fresh batteries in it.

The main difference between the the P1 and P2 is the fact that the P1 enables two balanced feeds to give you a stereo signal whereas the P2 is only balanced in mono and unbalanced if you run stereo. For most people this is a point not worth mentioning - but obviously, in problematic environments, the unbalanced feed can give you noise on the line, so to speak.

Battery wise, it's worth getting into the habit of getting rechargeables and getting them charged for every gig. Having said that, the battery lifes on both of these units are pretty good and will easily get you through a few gigs. However, nobody wants to look like a clown when the power goes down mid gig and you are scrabbling around to replace batteries.

The mix function of the P1 is generally for dual mono where one feed is from the PA, and one is a "more me" function where you can boost/cut your own feed in relation to the other feed. I personally don't like them... especially if you are using modern desks where you have control over the whole mix from a tablet or phone anyway. It certainly wouldn't be a make or break feature for me.

The other thing mentioning is that the P2 is designed to clip onto your belt. The P1 is a bit clumsy in this respect. With two XLRs hanging off it, it can be quite a weight. You'll want a twin core XLR to minimise the trailing cables... or better still, use it as a headphone amp and get a headphone extender... but then you should take into account that your headphone extender is unbalanced also...

[lemmywinks]

20 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

The Behringer is probably built better than the Fischer unit. Having had some P2s in my arsenal for some time, the only real downside is the battery clip inside. In normal circumstances, it's fine... but if the unit is ever dropped (which you shouldn't do - but it can happen), the chances are the batteries will jump out of the clip and the unit won't power up. It's easy to fix - just pull the housing apart (as you would to replace the battery) and reinsert the battery. It's a small gotcha but can be frustrating in the heat of the moment when the thing won't power up and you forget about this little quirk and you know that the unit has fresh batteries in it.

The main difference between the the P1 and P2 is the fact that the P1 enables two balanced feeds to give you a stereo signal whereas the P2 is only balanced in mono and unbalanced if you run stereo. For most people this is a point not worth mentioning - but obviously, in problematic environments, the unbalanced feed can give you noise on the line, so to speak.

Battery wise, it's worth getting into the habit of getting rechargeables and getting them charged for every gig. Having said that, the battery lifes on both of these units are pretty good and will easily get you through a few gigs. However, nobody wants to look like a clown when the power goes down mid gig and you are scrabbling around to replace batteries.

The mix function of the P1 is generally for dual mono where one feed is from the PA, and one is a "more me" function where you can boost/cut your own feed in relation to the other feed. I personally don't like them... especially if you are using modern desks where you have control over the whole mix from a tablet or phone anyway. It certainly wouldn't be a make or break feature for me.

The other thing mentioning is that the P2 is designed to clip onto your belt. The P1 is a bit clumsy in this respect. With two XLRs hanging off it, it can be quite a weight. You'll want a twin core XLR to minimise the trailing cables... or better still, use it as a headphone amp and get a headphone extender... but then you should take into account that your headphone extender is unbalanced also...

 

Nice one thanks, think I'll just go for the P2. Currently using cheap rechargeable headphone amps which crap out at moderate volume.

 

"especially if you are using modern desks where you have control over the whole mix from a tablet or phone anyway."

We use a DL32R, just waiting for Mackie to disengage their fingers from their bums and release a Windows or Android app for it!

[EBS_freak]

9 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

We use a DL32R, just waiting for Mackie to disengage their fingers from their bums and release a Windows or Android app for it!

Suspect it will be a while yet... I've been on the beta testing team. Looking good but progress isn't anywhere near as quick you'd hope eh?

[EBS_freak]

Just thought, if you got a DL32R, I'm guessing that you are going to be wanting stereo -

Check this thread out for connectivity options - https://community.musictribe.com/t5/Recording/Using-the-Powerplay-P2-for-Wired-IEM/m-p/237996

[lemmywinks]

I think our monitor feed is mono at the moment, will check. Really impressed with the ZS10s btw, got them for about £26 on the KZ Official Alixpress store where they seem to be on permanent sale and they handle an unbearable amount of bass, going to get a 2nd set for home practice.

[EBS_freak]

@lemmywinks running in stereo is a big improvement over mono. In your Aux setup, set up link over channels on your Aux bus view so Aux output 1/2 become Aux 1 (stereo). Then you can pan your channels independent of FoH. Repeat this for Aux outputs 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 (annoying how output is on far right and far left of patch bay), 9/10 etc...

[DaytonaRik]

I can only confirm the comments from @EBS_freak  - moving from a mono IEM with my XR18 to a stereo mix from the X32 Rack is night and day - instead of the everything being sonically stacked on top of itself, making it sometimes tricky to distinguish between different instruments in the mix, the audio is now panned across the stereo image with each instrument being placed as it is on stage, with the option of bring each artist's own instrument/voice to the centre of the mix if required for added clarity and being 'dominant' in the mix without swamping the levels.