Funk-O-Meter
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2005
- Posts
- 247
- Likes
- 20
I've just decided to pull the trigger on a set of Livewires Custom in ear monitors for both portable iPod listening and for use on stage as an in ear monitor. I plan to document my experience here for all to see with updates to this thread and pictures (hopefully). There's not been very many reviews done of these promising little gems so I thought I'd take it upon myself. I couldn't find much info at all and after scavenging around I got enough info to give them a shot. That and they have a 30 money back guarantee so I can't loose really.
My background:
I'm not an audiophile. I know that's a hairy term and that's why I don't use it. I call myself an "Audio Person." I have audiophile tenancies. I love to listen to music and especially through good gear. I can't hear the sound of a speaker wire. I don't think frozen wires sound better. I don't re-arrange my room so the furniture is awkward just because the speakers sound better a little further out. I won't buy a $500 CD player cause it has better DAC's. I can hear the difference between a good one and a bad one though. I built a home studio with nice gear and I know how to use it. I can hear DAC's, mic pre's, crappy mp3's, EQ, and compressions characteristics. I can tell you when a CD was mastered too bright or boomy.
I've got good ears. I've been a musician since I can remember, getting my first drum set when I was 3. I've been playing music ever since and professionally since age 15. I'm now 30. I also started twisting knobs and moving speakers around when I was about 10 realizing that things sounded different when I did certain things. I discovered production values in recorded music with I was 13. At age 15 I started learning the in's and out's of a P.A and at age 17 started dragging a PA around town mixing bands that came though. I also built my first project studio and started recording around that time. At 19 I started working in local clubs as a sound guy even though I wasn't old enough to be in there. I still do when I can but I spend most of my time playing music.
I've got mild to moderate tinnitus from having played and mixed loud instruments my whole life and I've started using IEM's as often as possible on stage to keep it from getting worse. It doesn't bother me and I have no pain or difficult symptoms but I want to keep it that way and I have no intention of stopping playing music. So I'm building my own portable in ear rig around a
Yamaha digital board and these Livewires (if everything goes well) I also have a part time job as a shipper in a warehouse and I wear my IEM's all day and listen to the iPod.
I researched all the available IEM's out there that I could get any kind of good info about and decided these just might be the $%!@! So I'm gonna do it. I've tried 5 or 6 universal IEM's thought the last few years and I'm not happy with any of them so this is the next step up.
What info I have gathered:
Livewires are a custom fit dual driver IEM made by fellas who split off from the medical (audiologists) and audio production industries apparently. It's apparently a small time operation at the moment. I like that kind of thing myself.
They use dual balanced armature drivers just like all the $700-$1200 IEM's use. They also apparently use Plastics One cabling that looks to be the same as what comes on the Westones except they use a cool little coaxial connector that can freely rotate 360 so you an use it in drop down or over the ear style. This cable is borrowed from the IT industry and often found in computer networks. The cables are replaceable which is a must for me as it's gonna take abuse on the road and the cable is the first to go.
I've only been able to read three short reviews about these and only one that was done by an informed person with experience with IEM's of all kinds including high end customs. Fortunately that person also uses IEM's on stage as a musician so It's great info for me. He stated that they sound almost exactly like his Sensaphonics 2X-S that cost almost $700 a pair. The other reviews I read were not bad but not that through.
Step one: Get in touch with them.
I emailed them for some 411 and John Diles responded promptly with answers to my questions and told me to call his cell anytime. Cool... We exchanged a couple of emails and he informed me that they're turn around time is usually 10 days from when they get the impressions. He also attached an order form with all the options available so I could choose my colors. How fun!! I asked him about the return policy and he said buying them is totally risk free. That if I didn't like them I'd get my money back. That's the policy! But he said that's only happened once in the 600 sets or so they've made. What could be better right?
He also informed me that they use "Knowles ED 29689 and CI 22955 drivers in each set of Livewires. These particular drivers are absolutely at the top of the Knowles food chain and have proven to be a great match when coupled together." I found during my research that these drivers (in particular the ED 29689) are used in many other top end IEM's such as the Ety ER4-P/S and Sensaphonics IEM's (at least the older model) It seems the only driver preferred over these is a proprietary one if a company can get such a thing designed and built just for them like Ultimate Ears does.
He said they don't have an recommend audiologist in my area so I'm on my own as far as that goes. So I bust out the phone book and let my fingers do the walking. First place I called gave me the big ole' run around. She didn't seem to know what I really needed, acted confused and quoted me $150 per set of impressions. Um.... I'm gonna have to get back to you on that one. I told her that was unusually high and the most folks charge between $50 and $100 for such a service. Cross that name off the list! Next I called a place that advertises themselves as a hearing aid specialists and told the lady what I needed. She sounded really confused (again) and told me she'd have to call me back. Hum...those do-it-yourself impression kits are starting to sound pretty good. But luckily a fella did call me back a while latter and after I explained what I needed he said "oh....yea, no problem. That'll be $40 a set and we can do it for you real quick Monday morning." Oh joy! That's more like it.
I might even have two sets done cause I'm thinking about ordering some custom ear plugs with replaceable attenuators too for times when I need to mix loud bands but can't put in 25db plugs. Or when I roll up to the festival and the production crew looks like the three stooges and the whole thing is running 2 hours behind and I won't have time to set up the IEM rig and I get no sound check... oh the joys of gigging. But that's a whole other thread.
So that's were we are now. I get impressions made next week and I'm gonna call up the folks at Earpeace Technologies and place my order first thing Monday. Now I just have to pick my colors.....
End of part one. Keep you posted.
My background:
I'm not an audiophile. I know that's a hairy term and that's why I don't use it. I call myself an "Audio Person." I have audiophile tenancies. I love to listen to music and especially through good gear. I can't hear the sound of a speaker wire. I don't think frozen wires sound better. I don't re-arrange my room so the furniture is awkward just because the speakers sound better a little further out. I won't buy a $500 CD player cause it has better DAC's. I can hear the difference between a good one and a bad one though. I built a home studio with nice gear and I know how to use it. I can hear DAC's, mic pre's, crappy mp3's, EQ, and compressions characteristics. I can tell you when a CD was mastered too bright or boomy.
I've got good ears. I've been a musician since I can remember, getting my first drum set when I was 3. I've been playing music ever since and professionally since age 15. I'm now 30. I also started twisting knobs and moving speakers around when I was about 10 realizing that things sounded different when I did certain things. I discovered production values in recorded music with I was 13. At age 15 I started learning the in's and out's of a P.A and at age 17 started dragging a PA around town mixing bands that came though. I also built my first project studio and started recording around that time. At 19 I started working in local clubs as a sound guy even though I wasn't old enough to be in there. I still do when I can but I spend most of my time playing music.
I've got mild to moderate tinnitus from having played and mixed loud instruments my whole life and I've started using IEM's as often as possible on stage to keep it from getting worse. It doesn't bother me and I have no pain or difficult symptoms but I want to keep it that way and I have no intention of stopping playing music. So I'm building my own portable in ear rig around a
Yamaha digital board and these Livewires (if everything goes well) I also have a part time job as a shipper in a warehouse and I wear my IEM's all day and listen to the iPod.
I researched all the available IEM's out there that I could get any kind of good info about and decided these just might be the $%!@! So I'm gonna do it. I've tried 5 or 6 universal IEM's thought the last few years and I'm not happy with any of them so this is the next step up.
What info I have gathered:
Livewires are a custom fit dual driver IEM made by fellas who split off from the medical (audiologists) and audio production industries apparently. It's apparently a small time operation at the moment. I like that kind of thing myself.
They use dual balanced armature drivers just like all the $700-$1200 IEM's use. They also apparently use Plastics One cabling that looks to be the same as what comes on the Westones except they use a cool little coaxial connector that can freely rotate 360 so you an use it in drop down or over the ear style. This cable is borrowed from the IT industry and often found in computer networks. The cables are replaceable which is a must for me as it's gonna take abuse on the road and the cable is the first to go.
I've only been able to read three short reviews about these and only one that was done by an informed person with experience with IEM's of all kinds including high end customs. Fortunately that person also uses IEM's on stage as a musician so It's great info for me. He stated that they sound almost exactly like his Sensaphonics 2X-S that cost almost $700 a pair. The other reviews I read were not bad but not that through.
Step one: Get in touch with them.
I emailed them for some 411 and John Diles responded promptly with answers to my questions and told me to call his cell anytime. Cool... We exchanged a couple of emails and he informed me that they're turn around time is usually 10 days from when they get the impressions. He also attached an order form with all the options available so I could choose my colors. How fun!! I asked him about the return policy and he said buying them is totally risk free. That if I didn't like them I'd get my money back. That's the policy! But he said that's only happened once in the 600 sets or so they've made. What could be better right?
He also informed me that they use "Knowles ED 29689 and CI 22955 drivers in each set of Livewires. These particular drivers are absolutely at the top of the Knowles food chain and have proven to be a great match when coupled together." I found during my research that these drivers (in particular the ED 29689) are used in many other top end IEM's such as the Ety ER4-P/S and Sensaphonics IEM's (at least the older model) It seems the only driver preferred over these is a proprietary one if a company can get such a thing designed and built just for them like Ultimate Ears does.
He said they don't have an recommend audiologist in my area so I'm on my own as far as that goes. So I bust out the phone book and let my fingers do the walking. First place I called gave me the big ole' run around. She didn't seem to know what I really needed, acted confused and quoted me $150 per set of impressions. Um.... I'm gonna have to get back to you on that one. I told her that was unusually high and the most folks charge between $50 and $100 for such a service. Cross that name off the list! Next I called a place that advertises themselves as a hearing aid specialists and told the lady what I needed. She sounded really confused (again) and told me she'd have to call me back. Hum...those do-it-yourself impression kits are starting to sound pretty good. But luckily a fella did call me back a while latter and after I explained what I needed he said "oh....yea, no problem. That'll be $40 a set and we can do it for you real quick Monday morning." Oh joy! That's more like it.
I might even have two sets done cause I'm thinking about ordering some custom ear plugs with replaceable attenuators too for times when I need to mix loud bands but can't put in 25db plugs. Or when I roll up to the festival and the production crew looks like the three stooges and the whole thing is running 2 hours behind and I won't have time to set up the IEM rig and I get no sound check... oh the joys of gigging. But that's a whole other thread.
So that's were we are now. I get impressions made next week and I'm gonna call up the folks at Earpeace Technologies and place my order first thing Monday. Now I just have to pick my colors.....
End of part one. Keep you posted.
