[geehoof]

Hey all... I've been searching on these forums for a couple of weeks: I have a few different questions, and am wondering what direction to head in the IEM search. Here's the info:

1. I'm a musician - electric guitar player and singer. I play for a major-label christian artist and play / lead worship on the weekends.

2. I have relatively small ears. The smallest size orange foams on the shure E2s seem to do alright, though, and the smallest olives probably would work as well.

3. I don't necessarily want a lot of isolation. Since the majority of my gigs are at churches, I rarely deal with blazing loud volume levels. I also don't want to feel too disconnected to the participants in a worship service. I'm interested in the ears I've seen that have the ambient tubes (alien ears, and others?). Seems like the perfect option, since I could seal them for louder volume gigs.

4. Here is the sound signature I'm looking for: Balanced, but with a good bump in the bass. Also highs that are even and not "hyped" or too sweet. The two phones I've had so far are old shure E2s and LiveWire triple drivers (briefly, I'm returning them). As a point of reference, here is what was wrong sonically with the LiveWires for me:

- When I had both ears fully inserted (almost uncomfortably deep), I had a perfect amount of bass (this is with trip drivers). However, if I lost even a small amount of seal (like a slight pull on the shell from looping the cable over the top of my ear), I didn't have enough bass.

- The highs were much too prominent in the 10-14khz range (this is what I meant by hyped or sweet). They sounded great, to be sure, but I also plan on using these phones for a little bit of audio mixing, and I don't want a monitor that is going to make my mixes sound artificially good, for instance, I did one mix with the LiveWires and it came out too dark, and with some harshness in the 5-7khz range, since the LiveWires hid these problems. So I need something that is balanced in the top end and a little less prominent than the livewires highs. Of course the E2s lacked bass, and didn't have enough high end extension.

Ok, that's what I'm looking for sonically.

Now I also am not sure whether to pursue another custom mold, or a universal fit. E5s, for example, seem comfortable enough to me, so I don't think I would necessarily mind a universal fit from a comfort point of view. The most important thing for me is sound quality, and also the ambient sound input if I can get it.

Oh, also, my budget is max around $350. If I could find something good for $200 or $250 that would be preferable.


Ok, so based on all of that information, can you give me some ideas / recommendations on:

1. A good universal fit monitor,

versus...

2. A good custom fit monitor,

and also,

3. What are some good models that incorporate the ambient tubes, and have you tried them / do they work?

Thanks guys!

 

[grawk]

save up and get JH5s

 

[Sherwood]

Yep. They hit every one of those criteria, except the price point. $400 + shipping/impressions. Worth it for you to deal with what you have for a few more months and get the best.

 

[geehoof]

It's not so much an issue of saving up, it's more an issue of not wanting to spend that much on an IEM. Any more specifics to confirm that the JHs are worth it, or second opinions? I'm also interested in what ears have good ambient options.

 

[Sherwood]

The JH have a good ambient option, as they're made by Jerry Harvey, the grandaddy of the IEM.

There are a number of established threads on here about the JH5 that would be worth a look.

 

[dj nellie]

Won't customs like the JH5 give him the isolation that he doesn't want?

I haven't heard them, but I'm guessing the Sennheiser IE8s might suit your needs. Seems like when they're worn properly, they let in some sound. Bass is also one of their strong points, based on most accounts.

As for what I have heard, I can recommend the Westone 3. I also have small ears and the flat outer shell and short nozzle lead to a very comfortable fit for me. If you want less isolation, you can try foam tips and not insert them too deeply. The light cable would also seem to be ideal for musicians who are moving around.

Of course, the Westone UM3x was designed for on-stage monitoring, so they're worth looking into as well.

 

[Sherwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj nellie /img/forum/go_quote.gif Won't customs like the JH5 give him the isolation that he doesn't want?

Customs isolate less than universals, and many manufacturers also provide the "ambient vent" option, which reduces isolation further.

There's also always the "one ear in, one out" method

 

[grawk]

Jerry offers ports as an option, and the JH5s are so much better than other options near his price range, it's really the way to go. The other option is to just leave 1 out when you want more connection to the stage. Jerry knows his stuff when it comes to on stage monitoring.

 

[Hentai11]

But for the ear size, I was thinking UE triple .fi 10s. They're neutral and detailed, but not as sparkly as the SE530. (I don't know the Westones.)

They're priced a slight notch below other triple-driver offerings (~$275, new).

 

[geehoof]

One in one out won't work for me, since I rely on panning to be able to hear the whole band clearly (I also run my guitar in stereo). Ambient ports might be a good option, but another thing I ran across makes me wonder - wouldn't they decrease the bass response? A JH-5 without ports would have more bass response than one with ports, correct?

 

[grawk]

Call the good folks at JH Audio and talk to them

 

[geehoof]

Any other ideas?

Is there a universal fit IEM that offers any sort of ambient options? I think I would rather do a universal IEM if I could find this option (or maybe a remolding service could do the job?)

 

[mythless]

ATH Ck10 looks pretty good

 

[dnullify]

I just got my JH5 pros. I can honestly say, this is likely end all IEM for a good long time. the fit is great (first try) and the sound is outstanding.
detailed, clear, accurate and well colored. all in a comfortable custom molded earpiece.

 

[geehoof]

Thanks guys, but when I asked for detailed recommendations, I was hoping more for a detailed description of how certain phones fit what I was looking for.

Obviously JH stuff is hot sh** around here right now, and perhaps not without good reason - but having been around other forums like this (The Gear Page for guitar players), I know how groupthink works, and I'm deeply skeptical of people who say anything without backing it up with detailed information (the most knowledgable or relevant people don't always give the best advice).

If anybody could give me a more detailed recommendation, hopefully comparing their recommendation to the sound of LiveWire trips (so I have an experiential reference point), that would be what I'm looking for.

I don't have the will to exceed my budget on hearsay or reputation alone.