[Drumnerd]

Hey everyone, first time poster here. I've been playing drums in loud rock bands for several years now and after years of ringy ears Ive decided I need to take stock in my hearing.

For a while I was using some Vic Firth S1H1's but they were huge, wouldn't stay on my head, and were cheaply made (after a couple months I couldn't get a consistent signal in both channels). The isolation was ok, but for a headphone marketed to drummers it could have been alot better and less cumbersome.

I read in a thread similar to this that Er6i's were the way to go for isolation but no one mentioned the hf5. Since its been out a while, the Hf5 dropped about $50 in price and $100 ain't bad for the quality people have been claiming. Still, does anyone have any experience with this headphone in an incredibly loud environment, like maybe 120 db? I want to be able to record drums in a small studio environment so there's going to be overtones everywhere. The isolation level is critical because its going to be a loud rock situation but I need to hear the click track. These look like excellent IEMs but I haven't seen anyone review them in a live musical situation.

Alternatively, is it possible to buy a cheap driver and still get excellent isolation by replacing the stock earpieces?

Thanks for the help!

 

[rune-san]

It sounds like it may be out of your budget, but at this point I would *seriously* consider going with a low-end custom IEM. A custom IEM will have alot better noise isolation and will also have a far more secure fit in your ear while your body is flailing around.

The InEarz IE-P150 is available for around $125. Its only a basic single driver, balanced armature IEM but it will provide the noise isolation and secure seal that will be far more important than the sound quality (since lets face it, if you're just haing a drum signal going through you don't exactly need perfect balance and sibilance in your IEM).

I haven't personally heard the IE-P150, so I can't tell you what it sounds like, but its one of the cheapest custom IEMs available on the market, and done by a fairly reputable company composed of a small team of people who produce and design everything here in America (Florida to be precise), which is bonus points to me.

You'd also have to pay for getting impressions done at an audiologist, but I think it would be worth it.

 

[Drumnerd]

hmm, I like that the InEarz are custom fit but they only claim a 26+ db noise isolation to the hf5's 35. I guess what your saying though is that the 35+ is moot because of the insecure fit, right?

 

[barleyguy]

For drummers, Jerry Harvey generally recommends one of their bass focused customs. That will allow you hear your kick drum as well as the bass player, which is often who drummers follow when playing. The bass focused models are the JH7 and JH11. Which should be similar to the UE7 and UE11. The JH7 is $699. That may be more than you are planning to spend, but it would be long term investment in your art and your ears.

Triple flange tips will give you even better isolation than customs. That's where the 35 Db measurement comes from. But customs will allow you to hear better because the bass response will be better than ety's. You could get a bassy IEM and put triple flanges on it though.

 

[Drumnerd]

I wish I had $699 to spend on headphones but that is just not happening right now. Realistically, I can afford 150, 200 absolute max if their the best possible buy for the money.

I'm not too concerned about the sound quality, I almost never play gigs with a soundboard and would only really use these to record or play to a click track. If I really needed more bass I could probably EQ from the sound board anyway. If the Hf5's stay in and get the job done isolating I might just stick with those. Still though, someone try and change my mind before I spend $120 on headphones.

 

[barleyguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drumnerd /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wish I had $699 to spend on headphones but that is just not happening right now. Realistically, I can afford 150, 200 absolute max if their the best possible buy for the money. I'm not too concerned about the sound quality, I almost never play gigs with a soundboard and would only really use these to record or play to a click track. If I really needed more bass I could probably EQ from the sound board anyway. If the Hf5's stay in and get the job done isolating I might just stick with those. Still though, someone try and change my mind before I spend $120 on headphones.

I haven't tried the HF5's but the buzz about them seems to be really positive. If you don't mind EQ, they are probably a really good choice. The cobalt blue ones are going for $107 on Amazon.

The ER6i's appear to be the same physical design and are even less expensive. And if you can stretch just slightly up in price, the ER4P is many people's favorite ety. Also, the UM2 by Westone has the same full range driver as the ER4P plus a bass driver. They retail for $250 but can often be found much cheaper.

 

[mierenneuker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drumnerd /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wish I had $699 to spend on headphones but that is just not happening right now. Realistically, I can afford 150, 200 absolute max if their the best possible buy for the money. I'm not too concerned about the sound quality, I almost never play gigs with a soundboard and would only really use these to record or play to a click track. If I really needed more bass I could probably EQ from the sound board anyway. If the Hf5's stay in and get the job done isolating I might just stick with those. Still though, someone try and change my mind before I spend $120 on headphones.

The UE SF.5 pro is in your budget.
not that I recommend them, but I saw that the drummer of As i lay dying used them at Wacken

 

[drumrdoc]

If anyone's interested I left a review of my drm earz buying experience on here........ Murdock the Drummer