[Phosphenetre]

I'm a music producer and engineer looking for IEMs that sound like the studio listening gear I'm used to - monitoring headphones calibrated with Sonarworks and studio monitors in a proper room. I should mention right away that this means not just something that measures 'flat' on a graph, but something that gives me the presentation and reproduction I'm used to in the studio - the timbre, tone, weight and body of instruments need to sound natural and true to the recording and how it'd sound played back through my calibrated headphones or studio monitors. Neutral shouldn't mean 'thin' or 'cold'.

Secondary (but still important) things I'm looking for are isolation and good imaging, separation and transient response.

In a nutshell - my lovely neutral headphones or speakers in IEM form. I can spend upto $200 on these.

I'm aware of the complications here - what's flat for headphones does not sound 'flat' for IEMs, and the diffuse-field vs Harman target debates. The jury is obviously still out, but I'll say this - I don't think straight diffuse-field like the way Etymotic does it would hit the mark for me. I can't try before I buy, and I'm worried even something like the ER4XR might not give me the realistic, natural timbre reproduction I need while on a mix, particularly in the low-end.

If I'm tuning a kick drum on my headphones or monitors, or dialling in the precise about of energy at 100 Hz on a bass guitar, I want that to translate and come across as closely as possible on these IEMs.

$200 is not a lot, but considering I have full-size headphones around the $300 mark that do this extremely well, I'm thinking I can get extremely close.

Thank you for reading, looking forward to the recommendations!

 

[Zenvota]

A used pair of shure se535s with a 5db low shelf at about 100hz is a good option

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/ShureSE535.pdf

https://www.hifishark.com/model/shure-se-535

 

[Phosphenetre]

A used pair of shure se535s with a 5db low shelf at about 100hz is a good option

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/ShureSE535.pdf

https://www.hifishark.com/model/shure-se-535

Thanks for the suggestion. I've tried the 535 before and found the treble to not really extend well enough, at least for my intended purpose. Also, EQing is not always an option, if I use these live for example and my engineer doesn't have a board that can EQ the global aux to my channel.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I'm a music producer and engineer looking for IEMs that sound like the studio listening gear I'm used to - monitoring headphones calibrated with Sonarworks and studio monitors in a proper room. I should mention right away that this means not just something that measures 'flat' on a graph, but something that gives me the presentation and reproduction I'm used to in the studio - the timbre, tone, weight and body of instruments need to sound natural and true to the recording and how it'd sound played back through my calibrated headphones or studio monitors. Neutral shouldn't mean 'thin' or 'cold'.

Secondary (but still important) things I'm looking for are isolation and good imaging, separation and transient response.

In a nutshell - my lovely neutral headphones or speakers in IEM form. I can spend upto $200 on these.

I'm aware of the complications here - what's flat for headphones does not sound 'flat' for IEMs, and the diffuse-field vs Harman target debates. The jury is obviously still out, but I'll say this - I don't think straight diffuse-field like the way Etymotic does it would hit the mark for me. I can't try before I buy, and I'm worried even something like the ER4XR might not give me the realistic, natural timbre reproduction I need while on a mix, particularly in the low-end.

If I'm tuning a kick drum on my headphones or monitors, or dialling in the precise about of energy at 100 Hz on a bass guitar, I want that to translate and come across as closely as possible on these IEMs.

$200 is not a lot, but considering I have full-size headphones around the $300 mark that do this extremely well, I'm thinking I can get extremely close.

Thank you for reading, looking forward to the recommendations!

I would just try the BGVP DM6. Simply because they are very flat and seem to offer fairly good outside noise blocking. Take note too, that the sound will smooth out slighly after 40 hours, with the soundstage getting a little bigger with better imaging. Treble will get slighly smoother too after 40 hours of burn-in. People who don’t believe in burn-in have even commented positive? They are also really comfortable to wear long term.

 

[yong_shun]

You can give Sennheiser IE40 Pro a try
https://www.theaudiolocheese.com/home/sennheiser-ie40-pro

 

[Phosphenetre]

You can give Sennheiser IE40 Pro a try
https://www.theaudiolocheese.com/home/sennheiser-ie40-pro

Thanks, this one's actually on my list because it looks very promising on paper, but I haven't found a review from any familiar reviewers I trust yet, maybe because it's still a fairly new release.

The other reviews that are around seem to have mixed opinions on the treble, some calling it a bit aggressive and sibilant, which is not something I want as a monitoring IEM.

 

[yong_shun]

The other reviews that are around seem to have mixed opinions on the treble, some calling it a bit aggressive and sibilant, which is not something I want as a monitoring IEM.

If you have a chance, you should have a proper audition on that IEM before buying. Everyone will have different expectations and tolerances towards the treble.

 

[silent-circuit]

Tanchjim Oxygen are Harmon curve tuned and some of my favorite IEMs (and I tend towards neutral presentations with maybe a little bass emphasis). Should be able to find them used in budget. New they're $270 and in my opinion definitely worth it.

While I do like the ER4XR, I agree it is too thin at times. My 'bedroom system' is a pair of JBL 305P MKII running off a Chromecast Audio and Topping D50, so while I'm not a music producer I do know what monitors should sound like.