[kensuguro]

Hey all, first post.  I've always turned to head-fi for awesome community knowledge..
 
My Ety ER-4P that I was using for on stage and also for tracking broke..  actually, I've already have 2 of them fail on me in past 2 years, always the Y section of the cable breaking.  So I want to get something a little more durable.
 
My question is this..  while many musicians know and recommend Ety, and maybe Shures, there are many IEM manufactures I've never heard of..  like Klipsch and so on..   Are these known to have reference grade response?  Or are they more like "in ear listening devices" built for casual listening?  I'm not sure if the label "IEM" really means anything in terms of in ears, where as "studio monitors" in headphones usually means the sound isn't beefed up or juiced up in any way, with fairly flat response.
 
Anyway, it's not like I'm going to mix on the IEM, just wanted to know whether there was a conscious distinction in the world of IEM.

 

[yello131]

IEM stands for "In Ear Monitors"
This are suitable for musicians and audiophiles as well. 
SM3 by Earsonics is considered top among IEMs.

 

[rawrster]

It depends really. These days most earphones on the market are designed for personal use and not stage use. There's very few earphones I've owned that I would use for stage purposes. If your budget allows I'd probably get a custom for stage use. If not then I can only recommend you look into Shure although they are not flat but they did the job. I've only used Shure so can't say anything about others. I'd say as long as they isolate well and allow you to hear the rest of the band then you are fine. Another brand that is popular may be Westone but do look into customs as well.

 

[pizzafilms]

I agree with rawster. Consider looking into customs.
 
I've played live, tracked and mixed with consumer iems (and full sizes cans) and if you can find something that sounds to your liking, which is a lot of trial and error, then they can work okay. I've since gone to custom iems (JH-5's from JH Audio to be specific) and the level of everything jumps up significantly. Also, replaceable cables on customs are a significant plus.
 

 

[mvw2]

Maybe try to find an older ER4S with the old style cable.  I assuming you were using ones with the new twisted cable.  The old version had very thick cable that would be hard to damage.
 
The only other earphone that I view the same way I do the ER4 is HifiMan's RE252, but the isolation and durability won't be there. 

 

[kensuguro]

whoa, no $hit...  Jerry Harvey?  That guy seriously kicks, esp with his new series from the JH audio brand.. 
 
Didn't know he's got 2 driver units now.  JH-5 definitely looks like a great deal at $399.  

 

[kensuguro]

Sure, "IEM" stands for in ear monitors.. but with the influx of "monitors" targeted for consumer listening and general listening pleasure, the term "monitor" seems to have lost its meaning.  That's why I'm asking which ones truely are reference monitor grade.  There are consumer speakers, audiophile speakers, and studio monitors..  they all respond differently, and are categorized differently.  With IEM the line has become blurry.
 
Well, i don't think what works for audiophiles necessarily works for monitoring though some may work..  anyway, I won't get into details...  Sounds like customs is the way to go.  Takes so much time to make tho.. dang.

 

[65535]

My Westone UM2's came in today, and they kick major ass. Full bass, but not overwhelming mids, or highs. They are amazingly clear, I'm hearing parts of audio tracks I didn't know existed before, even with my now dead E4c's.
 
I chose to spend a little extra for the removable cable model. My e4c's died due to a frayed cable, so I decided to try out Westones which I've admired for years, and for about $35 for a new cable I never have to worry about broken cables ruining my day again.

 

[pizzafilms]

Quote:

 Takes so much time to make tho.. dang.

 
The turnaround time for my JH-5's was 1 week. 

 

 

[rawrster]

That doesn't mean its 1 week for everyone. There are also possible refits to consider as well. Although at $399 it definitely is a good introductory price. I may bite and get them eventually or another JH custom but the only one that really interests me is the JH13 which is costly but the audiologist I go to is a JHA dealer so impressions can be cheaper probably.

 

[kensuguro]

1 week.. really.  I need something for first week of Nov, so maybe they might make it in time..  kinda tough call though, as I don't want to be stuck waiting for JH-5 and have no monitors if they don't get made in time...  

 

[kensuguro]

Quote:

My Westone UM2's came in today, and they kick major ass. Full bass, but not overwhelming mids, or highs. They are amazingly clear, I'm hearing parts of audio tracks I didn't know existed before, even with my now dead E4c's.
 
I chose to spend a little extra for the removable cable model. My e4c's died due to a frayed cable, so I decided to try out Westones which I've admired for years, and for about $35 for a new cable I never have to worry about broken cables ruining my day again.

Have you used them for tracking or stage monitoring?  I'm also looking at Westone customs since they're still in the affordable range..  not cheap tho!

 

[pizzafilms]

Quote:

1 week.. really.  I need something for first week of Nov, so maybe they might make it in time..  kinda tough call though, as I don't want to be stuck waiting for JH-5 and have no monitors if they don't get made in time...  

To be specific, it was 6 days from the time they got my impressions to the day I got the 5's. The audiologist followed JH Audio's impression guidelines to the tee and they fit first time perfectly. I also didn't do any custom color or artwork. Give them a call see what they say. I had a gig coming up and they said they'd do their best and it was very likely, but couldn't guarantee it. 
 
BTW, I use mine for stage monitoring as well (with an Aviom system) and they rock.

 

[kensuguro]

sounds good!  finding me a nearby audiologist!  I wish they'd just give you 3D data of the things so you can duplicate and give out copies instead... I had one taken for older custom ones, would be so much quicker if I could reuse that mold. hehe.