[Delwrick]

I am looking to pick up some cheapie iems for the personal listening. The music of choice is death metal, and the price can range from a hundred to a couple. Another thing I should state is I am a drummer for a band. It would be nice if I can get some headphones that were applicable as stage monitors as well. Some insight guys? If it was a two for one applied monitos I would be spending upwards of 300 dollars for that.

 

[Napilopez]

I'm not sure what the consensus for a "good" death metal sound signature is, but I certainly enjoy it on my HJE900s.

I have heard some good things about some westones for death metal, I believe, but I don't know much about them(or many Universal balanced armature based IEMs anyways). It seems to me like the Monster Turbine Pro Copper might fit your needs well. They are apparently a neutralish(though still slightly warm) set of IEMs which are intended to be reference quality, so that helps your monitor sound. In general, I've read the Monster Turbine Pros, especially the copper, seem to be able to emulate that grado sound that is said to be so good for rock based genres, but with more bass and less harsh highs. They are well liked here, you should check them out. I've not heard them though.

 

[playingwithfire]

I can picture TF10 sounding quite good with metal...and they are fairly cheap now a days.

 

[KramitDfrog]

Isolation would be an issue with stage monitoring, I gather. I probably wouldn't recommend the HJE900s for that, I don't find mine to isolate terribly well with the standard silicone tips.

I'm not sure about the Copper's isolation, if they're open they might not be too good either - but I have no idea so don't take my word for it!

Triple fi 10 would probably be a very good bet, as long as the fit is good.

 

[shinobi00]

etymotic hf5?

 

[Delwrick]

Do you guys think it would be worth it to go out of my way to get some custom iems? In the end if that were to happen it would be used for everything from stage monitors to personal cans.

 

[Napilopez]

I'm still a noob, but if you can go for it? Definitely. It can save you alot of money down the road. While I do think you should perhaps start with something cheap, things like the Jerry Harvey products are known to be at the top of sound quality, even compared against full size cans. Hopefully someone else can chime in.

 

[fraggerz]

i would say get the um3x.
the um3x has a really tight bass and great seperation plus really good isolation and little microphonics

 

[playingwithfire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraggerz /img/forum/go_quote.gif i would say get the um3x. the um3x has a really tight bass and great seperation plus really good isolation and little microphonics

I'm not sure the UM3X bass hits hard enough for metal plus TF10 is super cheap compare to the Westone.

 

[Azathoth]

For the OP's needs, the Westone UM3X will do. They sound great with metal to my ears. Their isolation is also far better than then TF10.

Basically for stage monitoring use you would need a deep insertion (triple flange silicon ideally) IEM like the aforementioned UM3X. Other alternatives are the Etymotic ER-4P or the Etymotic HF5. The ER-4P is pretty much the pinnacle of sound isolation as far as universals go: 35-41 db.

 

[fraggerz]

But etys lack in bass?

 

[patientot]

I'm not a drummer, but judging by the drummers I've seen at live gigs (include death metal) I'd be a little leery of using IEMs for monitors unless they are some specially made, extra durable type. Most IEMs have cords that are thin and somewhat fragile. I can't imagine they would hold up to regular gigging for any drummer, much less a DM drummer.

Not only that, but a lot of IEMs suffer from microphonics (cable noise) problems. I was thinking about a pair of Etys when I can afford it, but I've eliminated them from consideration due to the microphonics problems nearly every review mentions. Until these companies figure out how to make a better cable, there is no way they are getting a dime from me.

If you need stage monitors, I'd probably look into a traditional, rugged, over the ear closed headphone with a thick, heavy duty cable. Maybe you can find out what other DM drummers use and start there.

 

[Delwrick]

One of the issues with using full-size head phones is that my head moves a little too much for them to stay on safely, but beefy cables is a must. I actually saw monitors under the name klipsch I believe that looked to have chunkier cables. Do you guys know any custom iem companies that would go out of their way for sturdier cables. Another thing is the headphones would be going over my ears and down my back when they are used as stage monitors if that's an issue. This still leaves the question though, would it be more of a value for me to just get custom iems or should I just get universals?

 

[ZARIM]

UM3x, CK100, SM3 will replace the fullsize cans when monitiring on stage. Klipsch Custom 3 are very good sounding IEMs and drums sound realistic on these with great depth.

 

[winma]

If you like fast music and dont plan to use an amp, go for the Re0's

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