[jon86]

Hi.

I am a fairly loud drummer who plays in a band pretty-much twice a week. The music we play is quite rocky and involves quite a lot of playing on the cymbals. The rest of the band uses UE SuperFi 3 or 5s and the band members say they provide enough isolation but I have quite sensitive ears and don't believe they would provide enough isolation. I currently use some Vater triple-flanged earplugs (Vater Products) with the higher isolating filter and some hi-fi headphones to further attenuate. I believe the earplugs are rated at about 20 - 25db attenuation.

The band leader would like me to get some IEMs as hi-fi headphones don't look as sleak as IEMs. The most important factor for me is to get IEMs that will attenuate as much as possible. The highest frequency end needs to be effectively dead to my ears as I play the cymbals a lot. I am not so bothered about the price or SQ as long as it's reasonable.

After reading lots of threads on this forum and others, it looks like Westone 3s are the most highly rated. Someone on another forum found them for about £230. Would it be worth getting some custom earbuds made for them? If so, how much do you think they will cost? Also, as I am based in the UK, would I have to order through the Belgian distributor?

Thank you very much for your time.
Jon

EDIT: I have just read about the Etymotic ER-4P which are rated 35 - 42 db isolation which seem ideal. They're also a fair bit cheaper (£165 incl P&P). Would these suffice? I just want lots of attenuation, SQ is not so important.

 

[jinx20001]

westone 3 may well be one of the best IEM's in the world but that dont mean you should get them for the best isolation.

isolation can be achieved from earphones over 10 years old, in fact some of the best isolating iem's available even today are the etymotic er4's.

but the key thing to remember is you dont have to spend money on the best earphones available just to get the isolation.

theres lots of high end earphones out there that isolate amazingly, but the best ones for rock music would be a very hard decision to make, the westone 3 from the opinions i read are ok for rock but not the best, same goes for shure se530, great for rock but some phones do it better.

for most rock i would recommend the triple fi 10 but this wont isolate as well as you may desire so this scratches those out.

ofcourse if you want to look completely professional and have the best isolation, maybe even with stage bleed, theres no other option but to go custom. and that dont immediately mean big bucks. ultimate ears ue5c and ue7's are great for rock and are relatively underrated around here. i have not heard the ue7 myself but the ue5c were a joy to use a very long time ago for me. the best thing about customs is the fact they are made for you and you only, they are very personal to you and you will grow to love them, as a result you will learn to love the sound whatever it may be and you will only need this one pair for years...honestly you cant go wrong with customs, you just have to put a bit of time in to purchase them

 

[artears]

If you are in UK, I will recommend ACS custom iems, I have T2s and will probably write a review soon, but I can tell you that their isolation is great, silicone is very comfortable to wear and the sound quality is amazing. I am not sure if you call the price reasonable or not, but we are talking about your health here... I would at least ask Andy's (owner of ACS) opinion, he is a very nice person and will be very helpful.

By the way, regular iems with standard tips, maybe except triflanges, which I do not find to be very comfortable, do not provide as much isolation as custom iems. I also have SE530s, the best isolation I got is when I used custom sleeves I ordered from Sensaphonics... Hope this helps.

 

[jon86]

Perhaps I might be better off getting some cheap(er) IEMs and then getting some custom sleeves. Is there a particular IEM that goes well with custom sleeves? Importantly, can the custom sleeves provide around 30db isolation?

EDIT: After some more research, I think I'll either go for Etymotic ER-6i with custom ACS sleeves or ACS T3 with custom sleeves. Would the T3s be much better? They're about £150 or £200 respectively.

Thanks again.

 

[fredman22]

Westone UM2s were actually designed for stage musicians and their sound is tailored more for that purpose (it hasn't stopped me from using them as my main IEM for the past 3 years); they're sensitive providing high attenuation, and even though I only use them with a DAP, I typically wear them unfazed for 2 or 3 hours at a time, and am sure they are easily capable of longer sessions if needed. Comfort is their forte, and their nozzle size lends usage of Shure, Ety, and other similar-sized tips for a good variety of fit choices - worth consideration! Good luck.