The IEM (in ear monitors) Bible thread - a guide to help every musician

[GrahamLeeds]

Thanks, this is all really useful advice...

 

[javi_bassist]

I have been testing different IEMs these last gigs and I think I can comment some thoughts about them:

 

Sennheiser IE100 pro. The most comfortable headphones I ever had. Flat response. Everything is there, but not in a spacial way. Nice bass, mids and highs. I can hear my whole band and myself without any problem. Isolation is nice.

 

KZ ZS10 pro X. They sound terrific. Everything is there, good bass and nice mids. I can hear everything very clearly. My only issue with them is that I am not that comfortable with them. I tried several buds and I cannot feel really comfortable with them. Isolation is nice. All my bandmates use them.

 

KZ Castor (bass enhanced). This set is what KZ recommends for bass players. They include switches to change the eq. They sound good. However, if you have some bass boost, the bass sounds really artificial. There is sub bass, but it is not very defined. I think they are a little bit more comfortable than the ZS10. Isolation is the same than the ZS10. I prefer the ZS10 overall, but they are really nice headphones.

 

KZ ZST. Really good headphones. All the frequencies are heard and you can hear all your bandmates. They sound similar to the ZS10, but the ZS10 sound more spacial IMO. Bass is good and defined. Isolation is the same as the other KZ models.

 

MEE6 pro. Nice and very comfortable. Soundwise are a little bit worse than the Sennheiser or the KZ. 

 

I have ordered the Seinnheiser IE400 pro to see if there is much of a difference. 

[dave_bass5]

5 hours ago, javi_bassist said:

I have been testing different IEMs these last gigs and I think I can comment some thoughts about them:

 

Sennheiser IE100 pro. The most comfortable headphones I ever had. Flat response. Everything is there, but not in a spacial way. Nice bass, mids and highs. I can hear my whole band and myself without any problem. Isolation is nice.

 

KZ ZS10 pro X. They sound terrific. Everything is there, good bass and nice mids. I can hear everything very clearly. My only issue with them is that I am not that comfortable with them. I tried several buds and I cannot feel really comfortable with them. Isolation is nice. All my bandmates use them.

 

KZ Castor (bass enhanced). This set is what KZ recommends for bass players. They include switches to change the eq. They sound good. However, if you have some bass boost, the bass sounds really artificial. There is sub bass, but it is not very defined. I think they are a little bit more comfortable than the ZS10. Isolation is the same than the ZS10. I prefer the ZS10 overall, but they are really nice headphones.

 

KZ ZST. Really good headphones. All the frequencies are heard and you can hear all your bandmates. They sound similar to the ZS10, but the ZS10 sound more spacial IMO. Bass is good and defined. Isolation is the same as the other KZ models.

 

MEE6 pro. Nice and very comfortable. Soundwise are a little bit worse than the Sennheiser or the KZ. 

 

I have ordered the Seinnheiser IE400 pro to see if there is much of a difference. 

I went through all the MEE Pro IEM's, from the 1 to the 4, as well as the 6, and found the 3 to be the best for my use. I liked the 4 driver version but it sounded a bit colder to my ears. 

The IE100 and IE400 are very close (I have both at home). The fit is slightly different, with the IE400 just a tiny bit bigger, or shaped slightly differently. Both are very comfortable though. Ive even got the BT adaptor for mine so I can use them as normal headphones. I can wear those for hours without fatigue. The IE400 has a bit more bass and open top end (again, according to what I think I hear), but with a very similar tone signature. I find them not far off from my AKG M-50's as far as low end goes. 

 

I could never get a KZ of any sort to fit in my ears securely, not matter what tips I used (inc Memory foam). They just seem too big and heavy. 

[warwickhunt]

27 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

I could never get a KZ of any sort to fit in my ears securely, not matter what tips I used (inc Memory foam). They just seem too big and heavy. 

 

My conclusion also.