The IEM (in ear monitors) Bible thread

[Woodinblack]

4 minutes ago, DaytonaRik said:

It's hard when not all of your band mates buy into it.  We have one guitarist who only ever has guitar and vocals in his monitor mix, preferring ambient stage noise and another who described having IEMs as like 'hearing aliens in her head' 🙄 The guitarist gave IEMs about 2 minutes before declaring them to be horrible and would never entertain them since. 

We had that. The guitarist declared them horrible in 2 minutes and couldn't use them, so went back to his normal 'speaker behind his knees and constantly turning it up because he can't hear it'. The singer didn't like it but he is coming round to it. I love it, the drummer has a wired IEM and loves it.

When I got a set for my wife in another band (which sadly fell apart the last practice) telling her that some people have difficulty getting used to them, she decided they were the best thing ever and why didn't I set that up for her years ago.

[MacDaddy]

what are peoples preference on colour?

Skin tone so they blend in, or a colour that makes them stand out?

[EBS_freak]

15 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

Skin tone so they blend in, or a colour that makes them stand out?

"Mannequin" sucks (imho of course) - unless you want to look like you are wearing hearing aids. Nothing wrong with hearing aids... but when you can have all the colours of the rainbow... why beige? It's not as if they become invisible... if anything, it draws attention to them.

[Rik (ESA)]

Or Metallica!

Black gloss for me, but had I had an extra £100 to burn they would have been black sparkle to go with the bass!

[EBS_freak]

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

Thanks for your support Russ, genuinely it has helped.

You don't know who is following this thread and thinking of moving to in -ears. I think for most of us it's a combination of some genuine concerns and a bit of inertia. OK a lot of inertia, and that's why I wanted to put up a bit about my 'journey'. It's really simple as a gigging musician to stick to what you know and for most of us that is fill the room with backline, vocals through the PA and vocal monitors are a luxury extra that the singer can sort if they want. If you are my age it's what we did in the 70's and it kind of works, a lot of old bands provide a good enough sound for the audience to just enjoy the music. The biggest cost is that you progressively lose your hearing.

So for me, I've never been reluctant, it has been about finding time to do the leg work. just like choosing your forever bass or your ideal bass amp this all takes time and some thought. Like trying out basses or a new set list it is fun though. 

For me I wish I'd makde finding the in-ears a priority. You really have to find something that fits and gives a good seal, it doesn't work if you can't cut out the stage noise. Our ears are all different shapes and the provided ear buds probably aren't going to work. You wouldn't expect shoes to fit  if they only made small medium and large and our ears vary as much as feet. I found my fit with ear plugs, for years i struggled with the memory foam ones for building work but the ERS triple flange musicians ones fitted perfectly first time. Moulded ones I'm sure would be even better but that's a hell of a step up in price. If I'm still using them in a year I might try buying some custom ones but it's a big cost for something you might not use and can't sell on either.

The other big thing is the mixer, if you only have a couple of Auxes then individual monitoring isn't an option. Digital mixers are now almost the same price as analogue and will soon be cheaper. They probably are already for the same level of control. My Yamaha MG16xu is £380 and the replacement RCF M18 is £339, way more options/flexibility and 6 auxes, so individual monitors for the whole band.

My hearing is shot, it's been accumulating for a while probably but 5 years ago it was better than most people's, now I struggle to pick out conversation in a noisy room. I'd say to anyone who plays with a drummer to go in-ears for that reason alone. The fact it will make you play and sing better and improve your bands sound, well that is just a bonus. 

 

Thanks for the kind words.

This is it in a nutshell.

IEMs save your ears (unless you are reckless with them and run them super hard).

They can make your band sound way better by removing the volume wars.

They are easier to carry than monitors. They are (within reason - unless you go super custom) as cheap, cheaper or comparable to decent set of monitors.

You can hear all the intricacies of what people are doing. It also tickles me when I hear a percussionist and all the little intricate additions from the various shakers and the like.

And they look pro as fk.

Technology moves on - yet for some reason, people seem to want to adopt the same old dinosaur approach... and you know, bad backs and tinnitus is cool and rock and roll.

Yeah, whatever.

[EBS_freak]

1 minute ago, Rik (ESA) said:

Or Metallica!

Black gloss for me, but had I had an extra £100 to burn they would have been black sparkle to go with the bass!

Black is the most popular choice.

@MacDaddyif you are looking for the "colour" that least stands out, it's clear.

[DaytonaRik]

47 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

what are peoples preference on colour?

Skin tone so they blend in, or a colour that makes them stand out?

I went for a weird asymmetric  red (right) and blue (left) - but with opposite colour text for the brand/model to annoy sound engineers with OCD!

Edited June 21, 2021 by DaytonaRik

[MacDaddy]

1 hour ago, EBS_freak said:

Black is the most popular choice.

@MacDaddyif you are looking for the "colour" that least stands out, it's clear.

Not to me it isn't. 

 

 

 

 

😉

[dave_bass5]

I really liked the clear ‘colour’ when i had a few i was trying out, but as i tend to wear a black suit jacket, and maybe a dark coloured shirt, I went for black, more so for when i have them hanging around my neck etc. I thought they would be less noticeable from a distance. 

[EBS_freak]

35 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

Not to me it isn't. 

 

 

 

 

😉

To be fair, if you are worried about how they look, you should probably ask the people who will be seeing them... unless you have have some weird field of vision...?

[EBS_freak]

Whilst we talk about Chinese IEMs that could be worth a shout - how about the ZAX? 8 a side hybrid (7BA, 1 dynamic per side)

Havent tried them - but that’s a crazy driver count for the money.

[bassmansam]

With gigs returning I've finally pulled the trigger on the Ultimate Ears UE6's. 

Good timing too as they're offering an additional 3 x pairs of faceplates for free worth £190 🙂

My budget couldn't stretch any further and the UE6 seem to be the best bang for buck in this price range. 

Looking forward to the step up from my kzs! 

[EBS_freak]

58 minutes ago, bassmansam said:

With gigs returning I've finally pulled the trigger on the Ultimate Ears UE6's. 

Good timing too as they're offering an additional 3 x pairs of faceplates for free worth £190 🙂

My budget couldn't stretch any further and the UE6 seem to be the best bang for buck in this price range. 

Looking forward to the step up from my kzs! 

UE Switch deal - nice!

[Rik (ESA)]

3 hours ago, bassmansam said:

With gigs returning I've finally pulled the trigger on the Ultimate Ears UE6's. 

Good timing too as they're offering an additional 3 x pairs of faceplates for free worth £190 🙂

My budget couldn't stretch any further and the UE6 seem to be the best bang for buck in this price range. 

Looking forward to the step up from my kzs! 

I use the UE6s mate, you'll be over the moon I assure you! Enjoy 😁

[AJ567]

Random one but I just spotted that Shure are doing some great bargains on IEMs on their website.

SE535 for £179. Free delivery too!

https://www.shure.com/en-GB/shop/special-offers

[bassmansam]

With custom IEM (UE6) Do you tend to use foam ear tips or are the ones supplied best for purpose? 

I switched to memory foam on my KZs and preferred it for better isolation. 

[EBS_freak]

1 hour ago, bassmansam said:

With custom IEM (UE6) Do you tend to use foam ear tips or are the ones supplied best for purpose? 

I switched to memory foam on my KZs and preferred it for better isolation. 

With customs, they are moulded to your ear, they don’t have tips - they literally fit perfectly inside you ear.

[bassmansam]

Any recommendations on extension cables for live use please? 

 

Will spending extra on something like these be worth it to retain sound quality? 

 

I'll probably need 3m-4m... 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Van-Damme-IEM-Extension-Lead-IN-EAR-MONITORING-Stereo-3-5mm-Headphone-Cable-/162372313321?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Neutrik-3-5mm-Stereo-Jack-Headphone-Extension-Cable-PRO-Male-to-Female-TRS-Lead-/281829039560?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

[jrixn1]

6 hours ago, bassmansam said:

Any recommendations on extension cables for live use please? 

 

Will spending extra on something like these be worth it to retain sound quality? 

 

I'll probably need 3m-4m... 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Van-Damme-IEM-Extension-Lead-IN-EAR-MONITORING-Stereo-3-5mm-Headphone-Cable-/162372313321?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

 

I think I've got that Designacable one (I can't remember 100% - but Designacable is my first port of call when I need a cable, so it's likely).  I think mine is 3m.  I haven't compared it to any others, but it's well built and doesn't reduce sound quality.  I've had it for many years.

[bassmansam]

My UE6 Customs arrived this morning.

 

Extremely comfortable and great seal, the left is a bit fiddly and I have to stretch my ear for it to fit. Once it's in the fine so maybe I'll just live with it. 

 

Played along to some music at home and the clarity is excellent. Bass is very clear and not muddy in the slightest. 

 

I'll be testing them out at tonight's gig with the band but so far very impressed! 

[EBS_freak]

Congrats. Glad to hear you’re loving them! As you can probably gather, I think these are the sweet spot for a bass player looking for a decent amount of low end for the money. Looking forward to hearing about your experience!

[Rik (ESA)]

I'm certain you won't be disappointed, I love mine - enjoy! V jealous of the interchangeable faceplates they now offer!

[bassmansam]

First night gigging  with the UE6... 

 

They certainly didn't fail to impress.. 

 

They're extremely comfortable and there's no movement whatsoever on stage once they're in. Excellent seal and I barely noticed them in. I was using KZ ZS10 Pro before which used to slip out in my ear and move around a lot. 

 

In terms of sound the biggest difference I noticed coming from universal KZs is the clarity. I could hear every instrument perfectly and the seperation between everything was excellent. Bass was not overpowering or boomy and had just the right amount of low end. I panned both our lead vocals L/R and they sounded very crisp and clear. I was hearing parts of music on our tracks that I never even knew existed. 

 

All in all I'm very glad I made the move to customs and I'd highly recommend the UE6 to anyone wanting a superb sound. 

 

Thanks again for the recommendation 

 @EBS_freak

[EBS_freak]

Superb news! Sounds like they delivered the goods 🙂

[JPJ]

Nee to the world of IEM’s so this thread has been an invaluable source of information. As a user of some custom moulded ACS filters, I was wondering whether anybody has tested the ACS Pro Line IEM which converts any ACS custom moulded ear plug into an IEM?