tucker71
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2005
- Posts
- 159
- Likes
- 10
Futuresonics.
After about 2 years of research and thought, I’ve finally made the switch to custom-fit IEMs.
THE DECISION:
Unlike many of you, my usage will not be for private enjoyment of pre-recorded music but rather, for onstage monitoring. (I am a professional/session Bass player and singer)
In other words, I needed something that could compete with blaring guitar amps, professional vocalists (often using wedges), live drums & cymbals, and various amount of pre-recorded tracks and sequences.
Because of these conditions, I decided to go with the (original) custom IEMs made by Future Sonics. They were designed for this application.
Why didn’t I go with UE? Simple. The UE10 may perform flawlessly when carefully listening for faint brushes against the snaredrum on an uncompressed Norah Jones recording but, would they be able to handle a full-on live mix every night?? My IEMs were gonna get punished by a live mix about 17 times each month.
I needed something a little less clinical. Something that could give my bass guitar some warmth.
THE PROCESS:
Amazingly, it was quite difficult to find an audiologist in Toronto that knew what IEMs were, and why I needed JUST the impressions. I had to explain to several offices that I needed to leave with my impressions in-hand so I could mail them to a lab in Pennsylvania. Many of them wouldn’t agree to that. Odd.
Eventually I found The Musicians Clinic. (http://www.musiciansclinics.com/home.asp ) and had my impressions and a hearing test completed in no time. 50 bucks. In & out. AND a free book on hearing safety.
After that, I was in semi-regular contact with the good folks at FS. They answered a dozen questions both on the phone and in emails. We talked about options, expectations, and pricing. At no point did I feel like they were trying to “close the deal”. It was always an open dialog.
If I had to complain about any aspect of FS, it would be about their website. It’s pretty bare-bones. No pictures of the color options. No explanation of what their various “bass ports” do. What are the advantages of “soft canals” over “firm canals”? Is the “Amber Citrine” translucent or solid? Etc etc. These questions WERE answered over the phone but, in this day and age….I’ve come to expect a liitle more from a website. I did mention this to (FS owner) Marty Garcia and he was very much in agreement. The website is merely an introduction to their product. The real info comes from the discussions and correspondence.
Their myspace account does not contain any info that isn’t on their official site. In my opinion, that’s another opportunity wasted. That place is CRAWLING with musicians!
After all is said and done, I felt as though “hey…if these things are good enough for Shania, Phil Collins, and Nile Rodgers…they’re good enough for me.”
THE SOUND:
I’ve been using the FS universal fit (EM3’s) onstage for years so, I thought I knew what to expect. The bottom-end on the EM3’s is massive. The bass is thick and the detail is “good enough”. It suited my needs perfectly. I just haaaated dealing with the foamies and that thin little wire.
My bass guitar and all my gear doesn’t live with me so, I immediately grabbed my iPod (video) and clicked to a track I had performed on. Something that had been professionally mixed and mastered and something I knew INTIMATELY.
The sound was simply astonishing.
No EQ. No soundcheck.
The new IEMs revealed a layer of detail that I almost forgot was there. I can only compare it to when Dorothy walked out of the black & white world and into the colorized land of OZ.
The punch and presence I was hoping would be there…was there. The only adjective I can use is; SOLID. These IEMs provide a visceral impact that is unlike other IEM’s I’ve tried. (Superfi EB’s & Shure e5)
I listened to some other tracks with varying degrees of production value. Audioslave & Ray Charles. Jellyfish and Prodigy. Steely Dan and The Cult. All sounded good. It should be stated that I have a (somewhat severe) sensitivity to treble freqs. I always find them piercing. In fact. In my entire life, I have NEVER boosted the treble on anything. Ever. I find it too painful.
The FS handled the high-end freqs differently on different recordings. Surely, the variations in the recordings themselves are the biggest factor but, with Audioslave…I used a flat EQ and it sounded fantastic. With Kamikiad (Donald Fagens 2nd solo record) it was simply too bright and I used the iPods “treble reducer” preset. This was a pattern. The hard rock tracks sounded thick and punchy, the pristine jazzier recordings had just a touch too much sizzle.
HAVING SAID THAT, when I played these same exact recording on my laptop, absolutely NO eq was needed. No treble reduction. No Bass boost. Nothin’. It sounded simply perfect.
I don’t know ANYTHING about soundcards and headphone amps but, it’s obvious that the headphone output on my laptop is lightyears beyond my iPods output. I’m not open to the idea of getting a portable hedphone amp though. I really don’t want ANOTHER item to carry around.
ONSTAGE USE:
Perfect.
That’s my whole review.
Perfect.
They handled the kickdrum and my bass easily. The sequences and tracks were detailed. My voice sounded like my own. Not at all “telephone-y”. If Futuresonics’ aim was to make the ideal onstage IEM. They have succeeded. There is a slight “subwoofer effect” with these IEMs that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Would a true audiophile find that effect “gimmicky” or “distracting”? Perhaps.
WHAT YOU GET:
A sleek cardboard box with a metallic red Futuresonics logo.
A black clamshell protective carrying case with the logo, your name, and the serial numbers on the outside.
A cleaning tool, the IEMs, and various “vents” to tailor the bass response all fit in little compartments inside the fitted/molded case.
Also, there is a little mirror glued to the inside of the case so you can see if you’ve inserted them properly. (not necessary but, thoughtful)
The cable is fantastic. It’s quite thin and it will always returns to its straight shape. It doesn’t get curly. It’s coated and lightweight. Easily my favorite cable on any headphones I’ve ever owned.
The IEMs themselves are interesting to look at. The (silver) driver inside is clearly visible. HOWEVER, the surface that the audience sees appears white. Even with the clear model, it appears white. Also, that surface is not perfectly smooth as there IS a vent there. As you can see on their website, it’s almost as if there is a little nipple on the outside. Doesn’t bother ME but, if you’re looking for that ultra modern/smooth surface, this isn’t it.
BOTTOM LINE:
If you’re a musician, I couldn’t see needing MORE performance than these IEMs provide.
If you’re a focused critical listener, I don’t know what to tell you. These might be a little too “fun”. Since I’ve not heard the UE10’s, it would be unfair of me to say anything against them.
If I can get a camera from my buddy, I will post some pix (if you’d like.)
After about 2 years of research and thought, I’ve finally made the switch to custom-fit IEMs.
THE DECISION:
Unlike many of you, my usage will not be for private enjoyment of pre-recorded music but rather, for onstage monitoring. (I am a professional/session Bass player and singer)
In other words, I needed something that could compete with blaring guitar amps, professional vocalists (often using wedges), live drums & cymbals, and various amount of pre-recorded tracks and sequences.
Because of these conditions, I decided to go with the (original) custom IEMs made by Future Sonics. They were designed for this application.
Why didn’t I go with UE? Simple. The UE10 may perform flawlessly when carefully listening for faint brushes against the snaredrum on an uncompressed Norah Jones recording but, would they be able to handle a full-on live mix every night?? My IEMs were gonna get punished by a live mix about 17 times each month.
I needed something a little less clinical. Something that could give my bass guitar some warmth.
THE PROCESS:
Amazingly, it was quite difficult to find an audiologist in Toronto that knew what IEMs were, and why I needed JUST the impressions. I had to explain to several offices that I needed to leave with my impressions in-hand so I could mail them to a lab in Pennsylvania. Many of them wouldn’t agree to that. Odd.
Eventually I found The Musicians Clinic. (http://www.musiciansclinics.com/home.asp ) and had my impressions and a hearing test completed in no time. 50 bucks. In & out. AND a free book on hearing safety.
After that, I was in semi-regular contact with the good folks at FS. They answered a dozen questions both on the phone and in emails. We talked about options, expectations, and pricing. At no point did I feel like they were trying to “close the deal”. It was always an open dialog.
If I had to complain about any aspect of FS, it would be about their website. It’s pretty bare-bones. No pictures of the color options. No explanation of what their various “bass ports” do. What are the advantages of “soft canals” over “firm canals”? Is the “Amber Citrine” translucent or solid? Etc etc. These questions WERE answered over the phone but, in this day and age….I’ve come to expect a liitle more from a website. I did mention this to (FS owner) Marty Garcia and he was very much in agreement. The website is merely an introduction to their product. The real info comes from the discussions and correspondence.
Their myspace account does not contain any info that isn’t on their official site. In my opinion, that’s another opportunity wasted. That place is CRAWLING with musicians!
After all is said and done, I felt as though “hey…if these things are good enough for Shania, Phil Collins, and Nile Rodgers…they’re good enough for me.”
THE SOUND:
I’ve been using the FS universal fit (EM3’s) onstage for years so, I thought I knew what to expect. The bottom-end on the EM3’s is massive. The bass is thick and the detail is “good enough”. It suited my needs perfectly. I just haaaated dealing with the foamies and that thin little wire.
My bass guitar and all my gear doesn’t live with me so, I immediately grabbed my iPod (video) and clicked to a track I had performed on. Something that had been professionally mixed and mastered and something I knew INTIMATELY.
The sound was simply astonishing.
No EQ. No soundcheck.
The new IEMs revealed a layer of detail that I almost forgot was there. I can only compare it to when Dorothy walked out of the black & white world and into the colorized land of OZ.
The punch and presence I was hoping would be there…was there. The only adjective I can use is; SOLID. These IEMs provide a visceral impact that is unlike other IEM’s I’ve tried. (Superfi EB’s & Shure e5)
I listened to some other tracks with varying degrees of production value. Audioslave & Ray Charles. Jellyfish and Prodigy. Steely Dan and The Cult. All sounded good. It should be stated that I have a (somewhat severe) sensitivity to treble freqs. I always find them piercing. In fact. In my entire life, I have NEVER boosted the treble on anything. Ever. I find it too painful.
The FS handled the high-end freqs differently on different recordings. Surely, the variations in the recordings themselves are the biggest factor but, with Audioslave…I used a flat EQ and it sounded fantastic. With Kamikiad (Donald Fagens 2nd solo record) it was simply too bright and I used the iPods “treble reducer” preset. This was a pattern. The hard rock tracks sounded thick and punchy, the pristine jazzier recordings had just a touch too much sizzle.
HAVING SAID THAT, when I played these same exact recording on my laptop, absolutely NO eq was needed. No treble reduction. No Bass boost. Nothin’. It sounded simply perfect.
I don’t know ANYTHING about soundcards and headphone amps but, it’s obvious that the headphone output on my laptop is lightyears beyond my iPods output. I’m not open to the idea of getting a portable hedphone amp though. I really don’t want ANOTHER item to carry around.
ONSTAGE USE:
Perfect.
That’s my whole review.
Perfect.
They handled the kickdrum and my bass easily. The sequences and tracks were detailed. My voice sounded like my own. Not at all “telephone-y”. If Futuresonics’ aim was to make the ideal onstage IEM. They have succeeded. There is a slight “subwoofer effect” with these IEMs that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Would a true audiophile find that effect “gimmicky” or “distracting”? Perhaps.
WHAT YOU GET:
A sleek cardboard box with a metallic red Futuresonics logo.
A black clamshell protective carrying case with the logo, your name, and the serial numbers on the outside.
A cleaning tool, the IEMs, and various “vents” to tailor the bass response all fit in little compartments inside the fitted/molded case.
Also, there is a little mirror glued to the inside of the case so you can see if you’ve inserted them properly. (not necessary but, thoughtful)
The cable is fantastic. It’s quite thin and it will always returns to its straight shape. It doesn’t get curly. It’s coated and lightweight. Easily my favorite cable on any headphones I’ve ever owned.
The IEMs themselves are interesting to look at. The (silver) driver inside is clearly visible. HOWEVER, the surface that the audience sees appears white. Even with the clear model, it appears white. Also, that surface is not perfectly smooth as there IS a vent there. As you can see on their website, it’s almost as if there is a little nipple on the outside. Doesn’t bother ME but, if you’re looking for that ultra modern/smooth surface, this isn’t it.
BOTTOM LINE:
If you’re a musician, I couldn’t see needing MORE performance than these IEMs provide.
If you’re a focused critical listener, I don’t know what to tell you. These might be a little too “fun”. Since I’ve not heard the UE10’s, it would be unfair of me to say anything against them.
If I can get a camera from my buddy, I will post some pix (if you’d like.)
