In-ear monitors for stage use

[Nick31]

I don't know much about IEMs, I've always used rubber ear plugs to save my ears. My drummer has to buy new headphones, his old vic firth ones died on him so he's been looking at IEMs. The seller told him to look at m-audio, apparently they're good.

what are some of the good ones out there in various price ranges ?

 

[facelvega]

there are lots of options from cheap to $1000. Best to pick a price bracket now to get better advice. One quick thought, custom molds would probably be nice for extended use, in which case the Livewires would be a decent reasonably-priced option at $250.

 

[Joelc87]

Shure's SCL series are made for on stage monitoring and have a wide range of price and performance. SCL2's ($99) being the bottom line dynamic one's all the way up to the SCL5's ($499) which have dual balanced armature drivers. Other's to consider would be the UE line of earphones. The Super.fi series would be decent Super.fi 3's can be found for around $70 online The dual driver Super.fi 5's are usually around $175. Triple.fi have even better sound with three drivers but are a lot more expensive at about $350 most places. I don't have a lot of experience with Etymotics or Westone but for on stage ety's would probably produce too much microphonics. Westone UM1's($109) and UM2's ($299) would perhaps be good but their custom fit ES series would be better.

Other customs to consider would be the Livewires ($250). The livewires are a great dual driver custom in ear monitor that is a very good deal for the money. Other's are the Westone ES series mentioned above. Last but definitely not least are the Ultimate Ears (UE) custom monitors. UE has 5 different custom models. The UE-5's ($700) are their high end entry into custom monitors featuring dual drivers These would probably be perfect for your needs. The UE-7's and UE-10's are both triple drivers but are more expensive ($850 and $950 respectively). The ultimate top end are the UE-11 pro's. These are a quad-driver three way crossover design and are amongst the most expensive and best headphones in the world at $1150.

If I was you and just wanted some good relatively high end sound that would isolate and give me a good portable monitoring solution I would probably go with the livewires. The livewires are cheap for as good as they are and are durable too. They have detachable cables that also rotate so they allow you to wear them however you like. If money is no object spring for some UE's because they're known for the best sound in the business, however IMO the livewires are the best price/performance out there and would suit your needs well.

Oh yeah since it's post no. 1 sorry about your wallet!

 

[Nick31]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joelc87 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Shure's SCL series are made for on stage monitoring and have a wide range of price and performance. SCL2's ($99) being the bottom line dynamic one's all the way up to the SCL5's ($499) which have dual balanced armature drivers. Other's to consider would be the UE line of earphones. The Super.fi series would be decent Super.fi 3's can be found for around $70 online The dual driver Super.fi 5's are usually around $175. Triple.fi have even better sound with three drivers but are a lot more expensive at about $350 most places. I don't have a lot of experience with Etymotics or Westone but for on stage ety's would probably produce too much microphonics. Westone UM1's($109) and UM2's ($299) would perhaps be good but their custom fit ES series would be better. Other customs to consider would be the Livewires ($250). The livewires are a great dual driver custom in ear monitor that is a very good deal for the money. Other's are the Westone ES series mentioned above. Last but definitely not least are the Ultimate Ears (UE) custom monitors. UE has 5 different custom models. The UE-5's ($700) are their high end entry into custom monitors featuring dual drivers These would probably be perfect for your needs. The UE-7's and UE-10's are both triple drivers but are more expensive ($850 and $950 respectively). The ultimate top end are the UE-11 pro's. These are a quad-driver three way crossover design and are amongst the most expensive and best headphones in the world at $1150. If I was you and just wanted some good relatively high end sound that would isolate and give me a good portable monitoring solution I would probably go with the livewires. The livewires are cheap for as good as they are and are durable too. They have detachable cables that also rotate so they allow you to wear them however you like. If money is no object spring for some UE's because they're known for the best sound in the business, however IMO the livewires are the best price/performance out there and would suit your needs well. Oh yeah since it's post no. 1 sorry about your wallet!

hehe, no prob I'm in the process of buying new gear for my guitar so my wallet is taking a beating anyway these days

thanks for the info, I'll look into it

 

[JonnyIce]

keep in mind that you can (for a price) always get custom molded sleeves for the Shures and probably others through Sensaphonics...I have them and they fit and isolate great, but do stick out a tad more than I would've liked.

 

[rabbitsfoot]

I have or have used the: Ety ER4, Shure E5, E1, Westone UM2, Superfreq, UE Triple fi10 pro. Of all these, I prefer the UE TF10 because of their balanced sound signature-great bass, good mids, good highs, good power handling capabilities for live sound. The Ety's are great sounding in the mids and highs but lack some warmth in the low end (at least in this application) and though EQ is an option, they will complain if trying to get too much out of them level wise. (Think high levels of live kick drum). They might work excellent for a vocalist or guitarist who may not want as much low end/level as a drummer in their monitors. The Shure E5 has good bottom and power handling but does have an upper frequency rolloff. The E5 can be EQ'd. The Westone UM2 are similar to the Shure E5 with a slightly different sound signature-still good bass and power handling, good mids and, again, a rolled off upper frequency. These are very comfortable due to their use of a small high quality braided cable. The UE TF10 Pro does have fit issues for some people though. There are some different tips available to tweek the system. All of this-my opinion of course so your mileage may vary. I would highly recommend you audition these and others if at all possible before making any judgement.

 

[VeipaCray]

I'm a drummer as well. Check out the Livewires.

 

[syed786]

so from reading all this opinions i guess you people dont think futuresonics are any good (Xtrememac fs1 or Atrio m8) for stage or monitoring use. i think they are better than competition

 

[Nick31]

what do you think of the M-Audio ?

 

[syed786]

i dont know about m-audio because i have not heard it. i think futuresonics are made for monitoring on stage and broadcast you can check out Ear Monitors (R) brand, Atrio Series (TM) professional earphones - musician personal monitors by Future Sonics and make sure you carefully read what they say. because some here r posting irrelevant information from website because unfortunately they have not correctly read it they just look at the pictures and read the headings i think. BTW futuresonic used to make armature drivers they were one of the first ones to come out with but they found a better solution through their reserching with musicians and audiophiles and end users.. i hope this helps...

 

[synaesthetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick31 /img/forum/go_quote.gif what do you think of the M-Audio ?

The M-Audio IEMs are rebadged Ultimate Ears universal IEMs.

IE-10 = super.fi-3 studio
IE-20 = super.fi-5 EB
IE-30 = super.fi 5 pro
IE-40 = triple.fi 10 pro (I think)

 

[huntercb]

I used Shure E3s for my on stage monitors for a period of time (and I'm a drummer). If the Vic Firth heaphones are the ones I'm thinking about, nearly any IEM will be an improvement. What sort of rig is it going to run through?

 

[Nick31]

Quote:

Originally Posted by huntercb /img/forum/go_quote.gif I used Shure E3s for my on stage monitors for a period of time (and I'm a drummer). If the Vic Firth heaphones are the ones I'm thinking about, nearly any IEM will be an improvement. What sort of rig is it going to run through?

mine will run through a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx then use the balanced output and send it into a Presonus Preamp and my drummer has a tama starclassic, no mics for the moment

here's the vic firth I'm refering to

Stereo Isolation Headphones.

 

[Nick31]

bump

 

[huntercb]

I've only used the E3s and SF5pros for any extended period of time onstage, so I can't speak to any of the other suggestions, but both have worked fine for me. Granted, they are not as nice as custom monitors, but they do the job well enough. When I'm using IEMs on stage, it's usually through a wireless setup. As a drummer, I'm not personally familiar with the Axe Fx....sorry I'm not more help.

And those are just the VF phones I suspected. Assuming you get a good seal, IEMs should tromp their sound. I remember the jump I felt when I went from using Studio Kans to the E3s.