ped Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 Hi guys. At band practice I tend to use the house combo (Ampeg 50w tube fliptop type) which does sound very nice however due to being a 7 piece band it's often firing at my legs. I use a Backbeat G2 with a headphone output which I might use for monitoring as well as the amp; basically it gives me a headphone feed of my bass sound only (although I can take a PA feed into it as well but let's leave that for now). I like using it like this because i can still hear the band albeit somewhat reduced in volume on account of the headphones. I used to use Shure E2c in ear buds which were great with the foam tips - they let quite a bit of sound through and sounded good. I can't find them anywhere, now. I notice there are loads of Chinese made copies on Amazon, and I did in fact buy some of these a while ago but I gave them to my brother as I wasn't using them much. I don't remember being blown away but the application for them then was different. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Earphone-Headphones-Compatibility-Computer-Set-Blue-Blue/dp/B09DPB2RCD/ref=sr_1_33_sspa?crid=1W7WP2NTMJPX5&keywords=in+ear+monitors&qid=1703857097&sprefix=in+ear+monitors%2Caps%2C155&sr=8-33-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGZfbmV4dA&psc=1 Has anyone got any recommendations for any of the cheap ones on Amazon, or shall I by some Shure E2 again, they don't seem to be made now but there's a set on ebay... I'm after a fairly flat sounding pair with the option, at least, for foam tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 Just to add that I tried my DT770 pro (80 ohm) and they sounded great but require max output on the Backbeat and may isolate a bit too much. Could try the 32 ohm version but I'll miss the velour pads and the band might think I'm being rude 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 The KZZS10 are more expensive but have more and better drivers, and sound great for bass guitar. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 I love my KZ ZS10s. I've had to replace the cable due to wear, but they're still great. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 Thanks guys that was what I was hoping. Do any foam tips fit these, it seems like everything is one size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted December 29, 2023 Author Share Posted December 29, 2023 Hm it appears that I had the KZ ZS10 previously. Perhaps I need to give them another shot. I’m actually happy with less bassy IEMs because I can ‘feel’ the bass through the backbeat so a less bassy mix in my ears is helpful and less fatiguing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 (edited) I don't know if the technology has moved on but some years ago now I bought a pair of KZ AS10s and they are still brilliant. What I ended up doing was using a pair of old ACS molded earplus for the ear pieces instead of the silicon buds that come with it. I removed the little attenuators and fixed the earphones in place with clear silicon mastic. This gave a perfect fit and improved the bass response exponentially. Edited December 30, 2023 by Paul S Got model number wrong 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 There’s a place near me which does mouldings so I could give that a go. In the end a friend has sent me some KZ Castor which have some little switches to change the response. They’re only £20 so worth a go, I’ll let you know what they’re like. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/kz-castor-standard-harman-neutral-version.26773/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyder Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 I've just moved from KZ ZS10 pro to.... https://ultimateear.com/product/soundear-pro-music/ They are more natural with better projection in the all important mid frequencies. I found the ZS10 pro to have to much bass and treble for my taste. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 59 minutes ago, spyder said: I've just moved from KZ ZS10 pro to.... https://ultimateear.com/product/soundear-pro-music/ They are more natural with better projection in the all important mid frequencies. I found the ZS10 pro to have to much bass and treble for my taste. Thanks, I’ll definitely invest if we all go IEM. At this stage it’s more for low level personal monitoring to mix with ambient band noise, which with the backbeat works really well 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratman Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 I preferred the KZ AS10 over the KZ ZS10 for bass and the general mix. I have tried loads of replacement foam tips but the best ones by far in my opinion are these, they fit and stay in place better: https://www.sonicfoam.com/ I had been looking for some slightly larger tips that nobody else produced, and the Sonicfoam ones were perfect for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 6 hours ago, ratman said: I preferred the KZ AS10 over the KZ ZS10 for bass and the general mix. I have tried loads of replacement foam tips but the best ones by far in my opinion are these, they fit and stay in place better: https://www.sonicfoam.com/ I had been looking for some slightly larger tips that nobody else produced, and the Sonicfoam ones were perfect for me. Good tip (huh huh huh). I have the Zs10s (I think) but they pop out too willingly. These look like they will eliminate that unwanted earbud exit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 I tend to find foam tips are less isolating than silicone and you don’t get that vacuum effect which makes you feel underwater. Much better for personal monitoring alongside ambient sound 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbiscuits Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I use KZ ZS10s too and my only complaint is that they feel quite heavy and large in my ears so once I get sweaty I have to keep adjusting them to stop them falling out. Decent all round sound quality tho for £40. Also heard good things about the Ultimate Ears ones mentioned above too and will probably upgrade to something more comfortable than the KZ set when the time comes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratman Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 On 08/01/2024 at 08:59, bassbiscuits said: once I get sweaty I have to keep adjusting them to stop them falling out. Try the Sonicfoam tips linked above. I had the same issue and in my case going up a size to the 14mm tips worked really well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 The KZ-Castors have arrived. First impressions, with foam, is that they are pretty gutless and thin sounding. Boosting the low frequencies didn't improve matters. With the silicon tips they're much better, but I don't want to use them because they block too much ambient sound and you get that underwater feeling with the airtight seal it creates. The biggest problem however is that they're really quiet, so my Backbeat G2 is turned up to max and I can barely hear them in a band mix. So I'll send them back and perhaps stick with the DT770s I sometimes use for monitoring in the studio. We did discuss as a band going full IEM so perhaps I'll revisit then and pick up some Shure E2 or equivalent in the meantime to try. It could well be that the Backbeat doesn't produce enough power, but I'll try others to be sure. It drives the DT770s OK, but that could be perceived because of the different design and blocking of ambience relative to the level of the cans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 On 01/01/2024 at 13:57, ratman said: I preferred the KZ AS10 over the KZ ZS10 for bass and the general mix. I have tried loads of replacement foam tips but the best ones by far in my opinion are these, they fit and stay in place better: https://www.sonicfoam.com/ I had been looking for some slightly larger tips that nobody else produced, and the Sonicfoam ones were perfect for me. I have some of these on order, but also found some blue memory foam tips in my box of bits - they don’t fit the buds very well, but blinkin eck they stay in my ears soooo much better! No gig booked in until July atm though, so will be a while til I can try them out properly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 (edited) The Sonic Foam tips turned up this afternoon. Well happy with my purchase! They feel like they hold the monitor bodies in place, whereas with the (probably undersized) silicon ones seemed to rely on the hooky wire bit. I think I should be able to bounce around quite happily whilst playing without fear of them dropping out. KZ-ZS10 Pro £45 Behringer P2 £50 Sonic Foam tips £15 Provided the gigs have a Soundie who can provide me a monitor feed, that’s a pretty small investment to hear myself (and everyone else) much better, and carry less stuff too! Edited January 11 by Pea Turgh Added costs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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