Who Needs Custom In-Ear Monitors?
" Custom In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) are not for everyone. They aren’t for DJs who spend a lot of the time talking with others during a set. It’s possible to have a conversation while wearing them, but one of the main reasons for using custom IEMs is the sonic isolation that they provide. Popping them in and out over and over is a less then an ideal user experience. If you can’t hear any difference between a 48k and 320k file there is also really no need for them and for those that chomp on gum while performing these are also not the best choice. Moving the jaw up and down slightly opens and closes the ear canal creating a whooshing sound while wearing them. It’s kind of like sticking your head out the window of a moving car.
In addition to sonic isolation (saving your ears from excessive DBs – we’ve written about the DJing hazard of hearing loss previously), the main reason for custom IEMs is a combination of portability, sound quality and comfort. A good set of cans such as the Pioneer HDJ 2000s or Sennheiser HD-25s are not the most convenient to be wearing or carting around with you all of the time. As DJs, we spend a majority of our time away from our setups and booths evaluating tracks, and with custom IEMs it’s great to have your best-sounding gear with you all the time.
As we all know, lots of people like lots of different kinds of gear. Personal preferences run the gamut from lower end earbuds to Stax earspeakers, but more and more audiophiles are raving about the quality of custom IEMs from companies like JH Audio, Westone and Sleek Audio. For the purpose of this article, we had a look at the five driver ES5’s by Westone. "
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