Upgrade Your Workspace with flexispot! Enter code 'C730' and save $30 on the C7(or C7max)! Shop now! Flexispot C7 ergonomic chair:bit.ly/4gkIEZs -us bit.ly/3OFnlGc -ca
I’m a drummer. I wouldn’t call myself a professional (I don’t make a living off of music) but I travel around my state and get paid to drum from time to time. I’ve tried many pairs of lower end in ears through the years, including the shure ones from the video, and they’ve all felt terrible. A couple years ago, I was gifted Me Audio M6s. They’re like $40, but they sound fantastic. Their audio is clearer than monitors double their price. I use them to this day. Definitely check them out if you don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend.
Started with Shure 215s, went to Mackie MP320, and now I have a pair of Alclair CMVK and I love them. They are bass heavy, but bass guitar is all I play. Custom is a game changer!
After having two times ear infections I stopped using IEMs completely. I used SHURE SE846 and KZ ZAR. Now as a drummer my preferred choice is Vicfirth SIH 2 headphones.
Came here to say to check out FIR audio! Pricey but a different class and approach to IEMs. Feels like over ear headphones in an IEM form. Check them out! There is a spot to demo them in Nashville too!
I use KZ’s every service. Landon Spann put me on to them. That’s really the only time I have to use in-ears so, I’ve never really considered upgrading. I did have some of the Shure 215s and absolutely hated them.
The IEMs peeps are showing up here, I can agree with the opinions of others that neutral tuning is probably a good pick but yeah it depends on your taste also. I have multiple IEMs for listening sessions and have a separate set for monitoring. I have the 7hz Sonus and it being neutral really helped specially hearing everyone more clearly and also not having to check my monitoring channel multiple times to set the faders to where I want but my brain also got used to how it sounds.
I remember reading somewhere that Beyonce's in ears (also running 64's) had somewhere in the region of 12-18 drivers in each ear, and my little self started to wonder what you'd want to be listening to at such a high level of detail? 😅
Alclair for customs and 3 driver Sam Audio for universal backups. I’ve used the 215’s, 425’s, KZ & MEE Audio. They’re al solid but after using the more commercial grade/quality is hard to go back.
I own KZ edx pro (in my county they cost me 15 bucks) I am not an experienced musician, but for me they were ok on stage Also they're fine for shooter gaming (very defined sounds of footsteps)
I have a pair of 1964 Ears V6 stage from 2013. BUt recently got a pair of Ultimate Ears 350 Pro. Fantastic! Before that was the Sennheiser Ie 100 Pro. Way better than the Shure's. I've had the Shure's since 2012. Work great, but sounds muffled to me.
Definitely an @EmpireEars guy for the last few years. I currently have a set of “3d’s” and “Legend X” models‼️ I love them and the main office is an hour from my house. #BmacMusikTravels
Hi, I am a songwriter from the UK. As well as watching your videos, I watch an awesome guitarist called Mike Cole. I do not know if you are aware of him. Anyway, I would really like to write a gospel tune for you both. Is this something that you would be interested in collaborating in?
If you shop around, you can find the top tier KZ ones for UNDER 20 bucks, buy 5 pairs and tour for 3 years without a hitch....You'd still be cheper off than buying one mid priced pair...So I do not see your specific problem, of them "falling apart" Good wires can also be bought extra for under 5 bucks a pop.
For cheap iems go with 7hz salnote zeroes or kiwi ear cadenzas. The members of my worship team that used to use kzs have all switched to one of the 2 and are much happier as the tuning is more neutral on both.
I have a pair of KZ ZS10 Pro in-ear monitors that gets the job done. All I care about is a good fit and being able to hear everything clearly with reasonably good quality. I'm sure if I were touring professionally instead of just local gigs and playing for my church I'd go with something much better, but for my humble needs the KZs are great! I also have a pair of BASN Bmasters that I got for free, and I use those as a backup, they sound decent too but I have a much harder time maintaining a good seal with them during a gig. I have used a bunch of others, my church used to supply in-ears for the musicians/singers and I experimented a bit on my own. To be honest, the KZ in-ears sound just about as good to me (and in some cases even better) than the more expensive pairs I've tried, so I've just been sticking with them lately. However, I have not tried any in-ears that cost more then a few hundred dollars, and I'm sure I'd be blown away if I tried a more expensive pair with custom molds, but I just can't justify it for what I do.
My fav iem that I have in my collection is the Mega5est. My fav budget that I have are either the salnote zero 1 not the 2 the 1 or and the truthear gate. Mid budgets fav are my project red zero and the titan S2 and the hexa. Higher than that I absolutely love the nova from truthear. On the bit of higher prices as well I absolutely love my sennheiser IE-100 and as well my fiio FH-5. And on the higher price than those both I absolutely and I do mean absolutely love my timeless and timeless AE. (the AE is more natural targeted sound) And finally my absolute favorite is the Mega5est. That is the list over all and I highly recommend checking those all and amazing video mate!
The Salnotes Zero 1 is great as monitor. I´ve tried many others in the 100 u$d range and I still use those ones. The Hexa is a good neutral option in the 80 u$d range
KZ is ok to initial, that not it is for besst work and is a trouble for audio enngineer........the basics is a 3 drivers CTM, Westone, Ultimate, 64 audio , Shure, end history
I was using a set of BASN BSingers, which were much better than the cheap Walmart ear buds. I probably should have gone with the KZs, but I was looking at as set with a reputation of a bit more durability and I had a little more available budget for IEMs. I was given the suggestion the Mackie MP-220 dual driver IEMs. I was wanting something that had better low end and to hear my bass and the drums. The dual drivers helped noticeably. If the BASNs are a 100% improvement over the Wally specials, then the Mackie's are about a 75% improvement over the BASNs.
0:08 Wow...that is some prejudice sounding through already...."From super cheap ones, to mediocre(!!), to reaaly expensive ones..." Saying it like this , is already saying the expensive ones are best....Not really true , IMO. But it saves me time, not having to watch the video any further.
Hi Travis. 2 questions about IEMs. 1) Suggestions for IEMs specific to bass players? 2) Many of our singers only use one IEM (leaving one ear open). Pros/Cons to that approach?
I recommend the Sennheiser IE500 Pro. Balanced and true. It’s louder when you plug into a regular device and perfectly tune for wireless packs and wired IEM systems. They’re a bit expensive but if you’re truly needing to hear everything then it’s the right price. I also recommend the IE400 Pro and the only difference is that some frequencies are attenuated but in a very good way. If I had to buy some tomorrow and I wanted to spend less than 600 I’d get those. OR the shure 215’s if I wanted to be under 200
I'm surprised that you recommended KZs, but then again, cheap IEMs are not what people usually come to you for. KZs are generally V-shaped, which I guess is not traditionally good for monitoring, as you would want something more neutral. There are much better options even around the $20 range if you want a more neutral IEM like the Salnotes 7hz Zero, Moondrop Chu, Tangzu Wan'er, etc. If you think KZs are good, man these are probably gonna blow your mind. To anyone reading this and wanting a cheap IEM, just don't buy a KZ please.
I have used a couple of KZ models and they're amazing. I'm quite surprised you have a different view. Which models were you using? I've used the KZ Castor, KZ ZS10x pro X, KZ EDX Prox which all sound amazing. The ZS10 ProX has 5 drivers in each ear
@@danielatta1088 are you familiar with frequency response graphs at all? If not, I recommend you check them out. The KZs graphs are very V shaped (or U shaped) and they sound exactly like that. I have a KZ ZSN Pro X (bought them when I didn’t know much and just followed what Dank Pod told me lol). Now I use the Salnotes Zero. People say it lacks bass but I guess that’s just what I prefer.
@@its_minhle well, I know the graphs for each of the models I have. I guess it's not about the graphs for me, it's the response I get when I use them on stage. Anyways, cheers to enjoying your IEM's. After all we all play to enjoy music and not to be consumed by graphs and all the gimmicks 😀
@@danielatta1088 it’s true that we should all enjoy what we like. But I have to strongly disagree with your implication that graphs are gimmicks. They provide an objective view to how each IEM sound, which you can then use as a foundation to find out your personal preferences. Graphs are especially useful for people who don’t know what their preferences are yet, which happen to be the main audiences of this video: people watching to learn about IEMs. Objectively, KZs are not neutral or balanced . Whether neutral is something you want or not is a different topic.
I also don’t understand why everyone loves kzs. Terrible tuning for monitoring. I’m a big 7hz zero 2 evangelist! Also kiwi ear cadenza are super good for the price. My whole worship team has switched from kzs to one of the 2. The vocalist specifically all loveeee the kiwi ears
I’ve always just got basic shure 215s and been fortunate to be able to dial my own mix. Just figured that way if they crap out I can just go get another pair and not be stuck with custom ones crapping out mid tour. Same reason I play an American jazz, I can just grab one off the rack
Great video Travis! As a church musician (Bass and keyboard player) I agree with you. I keep a pair of the tried-and-true Sure 215s as a backup in my bag. I don't love them, but they're solid and reliable. Have tried various models from the KZ line and agree that they do sound decent for the price though quality wise you get what you pay for. From the mid-tier I'm currently using the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite which I absolutely love. For listening to music, playing the keyboard and even for gaming they are perfect. The sound quality you get out of those 8 drivers is like nothing I've ever tried before. They could use a bit of a bass boost for bass playing, but nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of EQ. On the high end I've been hearing good things about the 64 audio a4s with their hybrid driver setup, so that's what I went with. We'll see in a couple of weeks if they live up to the hype.
I've been using MEE Audio IEM's for years and love them. They have everything from universal to custom molds and can range from single to quad driver models. All are made specific for different musicians. My triple driver molds were around $250. if you use universal molds they're around $150, so they are in between your low and mid range. You can also make custom faceplates for the molds for super cheap
For universal fits, I haven't found any that fit and seal as well as Westones. MEE is a runner up, but KZ, Shure, and most others it seems have a fairly large nozzle that the ear tip fits on, which doesn't give it a ton of room to compress and expand freely in your ear- this greatly affects seal (and thus sound quality and consistency) and comfort. I have small ears, but a surprising amount of people I've talked to and worked with have similar gripes about universal fit options that melt away if they're handed a pair of Westones. Like everything, Westones have gotten significantly more expensive over the past few years, so we equip our church team members with MEE models, and a few of us have custom molds. I'd also note that most triple driver models are mid frequency weighted, but if you bump up to 4 you get back to a balanced sound signature, so I'd say that's an important distinction to consider if you can't go up to 6 or more drivers like you're recommending here.
I've used several different iems over the years, with a wide range of prices, and I realized that reference sets are not good for live sound. I say that as a bass player. For anyone else in the band, I wouldn't say that, but for the bass player, a set that has a lot of bass is best. I've had more expensive sets, but the one I've veen using for the past year (that is the set I've liked most), is the 7HZ Legato. It's a bass monster and not the most expensive. When it's on sale, you can find them around $70 (otherwise,they go for about $110).
Kz has put out a bunch of bass focused models this year that sound much better than the legato. There's also the kbear rose finch that is probably superior and costs about $20.
I bought the Shure 425 because of good reviews online. That's when I learned to never trust people online about inears. They are horrendous with lousy LF and ice picky high mids. I tried the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO and what a huge difference! They sound like a couple of great studio headphones with great stereo separation and resolution. Would recommend them to anyone who wants a great and affordable in ear solution for serious usage. (But don't trust me, try them yourself or talk to actual musicians who have tried multiple products and have a good understanding of the challenges of live monitoring)
At church we started using IEMs not so long ago. I still don't have these types but I use a headset. The brand is NipponAmerica and it has a great great sound, wether for this o listening to music on the computer, phone etc. I would be really insecure of what brand to pick when I decide to move to these types of IEMs, I'm worried about losing the quality I have with the Nippon America ones
Literally went down a rabbit hole for budget friendly iems as a musician got the KZ rhapsody and Kiwi Ear Cadenza on the way to make a decision. Hoping one is a winner.
@Jayyy_Wav Yeah best thing for your buck years ago, the market flooded with good chinese iem nowadays. And their tuning is weird, sounds too boomy for me, but they got nice isolation for live perform tho. I'd still prefer moondrop aria for the price range
I disagree! I’m using the se535 and I’m really satisfied…. You get what you put into them… they’re not enhanced I’m any particular way, so you just have to properly mix in what you want and you’re set….. just my experience!!!🤷🏿♂️
Customs are not for everyone. If you are a sweatier more naturally oiled person, they are going to fall out and not seal like any other iem I feel like the people who preach about customs are trying to justify buying them.
A lot of misinformation in this video... You come out saying that the amount of drivers isn't the most important thing in an iem, then proceed to only talk about this for the rest of the video. More drivers does NOT mean better quality. It can help, for sure, but it increases the complexity of the earpiece and the more drivers you have, the more difficult it is to actually get a good tuning. There are some really good dual and triple driver sets, but there's also plenty bad multi driver iems out there today, specially in the mid range market. As for the shures, they were only relevant before the Chi-fi revolution, now they're only bought by people who don't know any better and trust the brand. Also, recommending KZ without mentioning the specific models is also gonna lead people to get bad product. KZ makes some amazing iems for super cheap, but they've also got so much garbage in their lineup. Have you ever tried they 12 driver sets? They are horrible. If people just buy iems based on the brand, most of them will be sorely disappointed.
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bit.ly/3OFnlGc -ca
I’m a drummer. I wouldn’t call myself a professional (I don’t make a living off of music) but I travel around my state and get paid to drum from time to time. I’ve tried many pairs of lower end in ears through the years, including the shure ones from the video, and they’ve all felt terrible. A couple years ago, I was gifted Me Audio M6s. They’re like $40, but they sound fantastic. Their audio is clearer than monitors double their price. I use them to this day. Definitely check them out if you don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend.
Started with Shure 215s, went to Mackie MP320, and now I have a pair of Alclair CMVK and I love them. They are bass heavy, but bass guitar is all I play. Custom is a game changer!
After having two times ear infections I stopped using IEMs completely. I used SHURE SE846 and KZ ZAR. Now as a drummer my preferred choice is Vicfirth SIH 2 headphones.
I like the KZ’s over tha 215
Came here to say to check out FIR audio! Pricey but a different class and approach to IEMs. Feels like over ear headphones in an IEM form. Check them out! There is a spot to demo them in Nashville too!
Yup. There's a spot to demo them in Los Angeles too. Fir is another level. The best custom IEMs I've ever purchased
I use Alclair CMVK 5 drivers. They are perfect for bass! Love mine
I use KZ’s every service. Landon Spann put me on to them. That’s really the only time I have to use in-ears so, I’ve never really considered upgrading.
I did have some of the Shure 215s and absolutely hated them.
The IEMs peeps are showing up here, I can agree with the opinions of others that neutral tuning is probably a good pick but yeah it depends on your taste also. I have multiple IEMs for listening sessions and have a separate set for monitoring. I have the 7hz Sonus and it being neutral really helped specially hearing everyone more clearly and also not having to check my monitoring channel multiple times to set the faders to where I want but my brain also got used to how it sounds.
I remember reading somewhere that Beyonce's in ears (also running 64's) had somewhere in the region of 12-18 drivers in each ear, and my little self started to wonder what you'd want to be listening to at such a high level of detail? 😅
Alclair for customs and 3 driver Sam Audio for universal backups. I’ve used the 215’s, 425’s, KZ & MEE Audio. They’re al solid but after using the more commercial grade/quality is hard to go back.
What do you think about KZ ZS10 Pro 2? Iam a beginner don't know anything so help plz😅
I made the switch to custom in ears last year and it was the best decision I've made. I went with FIR Audio and their team is absolutely incredible
I own KZ edx pro (in my county they cost me 15 bucks)
I am not an experienced musician, but for me they were ok on stage
Also they're fine for shooter gaming (very defined sounds of footsteps)
I have a pair of 1964 Ears V6 stage from 2013. BUt recently got a pair of Ultimate Ears 350 Pro. Fantastic! Before that was the Sennheiser Ie 100 Pro. Way better than the Shure's.
I've had the Shure's since 2012. Work great, but sounds muffled to me.
I was literally asking my self this question on my last gig.
Im using sennheiser audio IE im a bass player and they are pretty good on the low range
We use kz, and it’s amazing….
I upgraded from 215’s because I was always missing the kick and snare and the bass.
Yo @Travisdykes, what happened to the Juicyearz?
Definitely an @EmpireEars guy for the last few years. I currently have a set of “3d’s” and “Legend X” models‼️ I love them and the main office is an hour from my house. #BmacMusikTravels
wow, man, super good, your videos are amazing, Medley Coritos de Navidad | Maverick City Música bassplissss is for December 22, plisss
Got the kz for practice they are good
Stay away from Kz as much as you can.
And for an over all iem’s you can use the project red zero for a natural sounding 50$ they are simply amazing.
I’m glad to hear you can put a chair together yourself without help 😂😂
Which prefer system do u use with ur in ear monitor( Xvire, SENNHEISER, Temu, etc). Forgive me if I spell something wrong.
MEE are awesome too
Hi, I am a songwriter from the UK. As well as watching your videos, I watch an awesome guitarist called Mike Cole. I do not know if you are aware of him. Anyway, I would really like to write a gospel tune for you both. Is this something that you would be interested in collaborating in?
I use those KZ
If you shop around, you can find the top tier KZ ones for UNDER 20 bucks, buy 5 pairs and tour for 3 years without a hitch....You'd still be cheper off than buying one mid priced pair...So I do not see your specific problem, of them "falling apart" Good wires can also be bought extra for under 5 bucks a pop.
For cheap iems go with 7hz salnote zeroes or kiwi ear cadenzas. The members of my worship team that used to use kzs have all switched to one of the 2 and are much happier as the tuning is more neutral on both.
Huge advocate for KZ!!!
specificallly KZ ZSN Pro
Mine broke in 8months
Then i got it replaced and break aft 6months
Btoh the right one dead
I have a pair of KZ ZS10 Pro in-ear monitors that gets the job done. All I care about is a good fit and being able to hear everything clearly with reasonably good quality. I'm sure if I were touring professionally instead of just local gigs and playing for my church I'd go with something much better, but for my humble needs the KZs are great! I also have a pair of BASN Bmasters that I got for free, and I use those as a backup, they sound decent too but I have a much harder time maintaining a good seal with them during a gig. I have used a bunch of others, my church used to supply in-ears for the musicians/singers and I experimented a bit on my own. To be honest, the KZ in-ears sound just about as good to me (and in some cases even better) than the more expensive pairs I've tried, so I've just been sticking with them lately. However, I have not tried any in-ears that cost more then a few hundred dollars, and I'm sure I'd be blown away if I tried a more expensive pair with custom molds, but I just can't justify it for what I do.
My fav iem that I have in my collection is the Mega5est.
My fav budget that I have are either the salnote zero 1 not the 2 the 1 or and the truthear gate.
Mid budgets fav are my project red zero and the titan S2 and the hexa.
Higher than that I absolutely love the nova from truthear.
On the bit of higher prices as well I absolutely love my sennheiser IE-100 and as well my fiio FH-5.
And on the higher price than those both I absolutely and I do mean absolutely love my timeless and timeless AE. (the AE is more natural targeted sound)
And finally my absolute favorite is the Mega5est.
That is the list over all and I highly recommend checking those all and amazing video mate!
The Salnotes Zero 1 is great as monitor. I´ve tried many others in the 100 u$d range and I still use those ones.
The Hexa is a good neutral option in the 80 u$d range
Shure 215 needed to buy 2 pairs in 5 years. I love them
I never knew so many people in this comment section would have awful takes on IEM’s. KZ’s are perfectly fine budget IEM’s.
It cost more money to buy modern gear than a years worth of gigs.
So how do you eat and pay rent,while your saving money for the tools for the job.?
The Shure 535 were fantastic too
KZ is ok to initial, that not it is for besst work and is a trouble for audio enngineer........the basics is a 3 drivers CTM, Westone, Ultimate, 64 audio , Shure, end history
I was using a set of BASN BSingers, which were much better than the cheap Walmart ear buds. I probably should have gone with the KZs, but I was looking at as set with a reputation of a bit more durability and I had a little more available budget for IEMs. I was given the suggestion the Mackie MP-220 dual driver IEMs. I was wanting something that had better low end and to hear my bass and the drums. The dual drivers helped noticeably. If the BASNs are a 100% improvement over the Wally specials, then the Mackie's are about a 75% improvement over the BASNs.
I thought this video was gonna be about the 1500 dollar cartier frames
0:08 Wow...that is some prejudice sounding through already...."From super cheap ones, to mediocre(!!), to reaaly expensive ones..." Saying it like this , is already saying the expensive ones are best....Not really true , IMO.
But it saves me time, not having to watch the video any further.
Good. Bye.
Hi Travis. 2 questions about IEMs.
1) Suggestions for IEMs specific to bass players?
2) Many of our singers only use one IEM (leaving one ear open). Pros/Cons to that approach?
Been using Shure 535’s since forever. Both in studio and n stage. These things are rock solid.
I recommend the Sennheiser IE500 Pro.
Balanced and true. It’s louder when you plug into a regular device and perfectly tune for wireless packs and wired IEM systems. They’re a bit expensive but if you’re truly needing to hear everything then it’s the right price.
I also recommend the IE400 Pro and the only difference is that some frequencies are attenuated but in a very good way. If I had to buy some tomorrow and I wanted to spend less than 600 I’d get those. OR the shure 215’s if I wanted to be under 200
I have been using the ZSTs for 35$ to 50 and they are going a great job
I'm surprised that you recommended KZs, but then again, cheap IEMs are not what people usually come to you for. KZs are generally V-shaped, which I guess is not traditionally good for monitoring, as you would want something more neutral. There are much better options even around the $20 range if you want a more neutral IEM like the Salnotes 7hz Zero, Moondrop Chu, Tangzu Wan'er, etc. If you think KZs are good, man these are probably gonna blow your mind. To anyone reading this and wanting a cheap IEM, just don't buy a KZ please.
I have used a couple of KZ models and they're amazing. I'm quite surprised you have a different view. Which models were you using? I've used the KZ Castor, KZ ZS10x pro X, KZ EDX Prox which all sound amazing. The ZS10 ProX has 5 drivers in each ear
@@danielatta1088 are you familiar with frequency response graphs at all? If not, I recommend you check them out. The KZs graphs are very V shaped (or U shaped) and they sound exactly like that. I have a KZ ZSN Pro X (bought them when I didn’t know much and just followed what Dank Pod told me lol). Now I use the Salnotes Zero. People say it lacks bass but I guess that’s just what I prefer.
@@its_minhle well, I know the graphs for each of the models I have. I guess it's not about the graphs for me, it's the response I get when I use them on stage. Anyways, cheers to enjoying your IEM's. After all we all play to enjoy music and not to be consumed by graphs and all the gimmicks 😀
@@danielatta1088 it’s true that we should all enjoy what we like. But I have to strongly disagree with your implication that graphs are gimmicks. They provide an objective view to how each IEM sound, which you can then use as a foundation to find out your personal preferences. Graphs are especially useful for people who don’t know what their preferences are yet, which happen to be the main audiences of this video: people watching to learn about IEMs. Objectively, KZs are not neutral or balanced . Whether neutral is something you want or not is a different topic.
I also don’t understand why everyone loves kzs. Terrible tuning for monitoring. I’m a big 7hz zero 2 evangelist! Also kiwi ear cadenza are super good for the price. My whole worship team has switched from kzs to one of the 2. The vocalist specifically all loveeee the kiwi ears
I’ve always just got basic shure 215s and been fortunate to be able to dial my own mix. Just figured that way if they crap out I can just go get another pair and not be stuck with custom ones crapping out mid tour. Same reason I play an American jazz, I can just grab one off the rack
Great video Travis! As a church musician (Bass and keyboard player) I agree with you. I keep a pair of the tried-and-true Sure 215s as a backup in my bag. I don't love them, but they're solid and reliable. Have tried various models from the KZ line and agree that they do sound decent for the price though quality wise you get what you pay for.
From the mid-tier I'm currently using the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite which I absolutely love. For listening to music, playing the keyboard and even for gaming they are perfect. The sound quality you get out of those 8 drivers is like nothing I've ever tried before. They could use a bit of a bass boost for bass playing, but nothing that can't be fixed with a bit of EQ.
On the high end I've been hearing good things about the 64 audio a4s with their hybrid driver setup, so that's what I went with. We'll see in a couple of weeks if they live up to the hype.
I've been using MEE Audio IEM's for years and love them. They have everything from universal to custom molds and can range from single to quad driver models. All are made specific for different musicians. My triple driver molds were around $250. if you use universal molds they're around $150, so they are in between your low and mid range. You can also make custom faceplates for the molds for super cheap
For universal fits, I haven't found any that fit and seal as well as Westones. MEE is a runner up, but KZ, Shure, and most others it seems have a fairly large nozzle that the ear tip fits on, which doesn't give it a ton of room to compress and expand freely in your ear- this greatly affects seal (and thus sound quality and consistency) and comfort. I have small ears, but a surprising amount of people I've talked to and worked with have similar gripes about universal fit options that melt away if they're handed a pair of Westones. Like everything, Westones have gotten significantly more expensive over the past few years, so we equip our church team members with MEE models, and a few of us have custom molds.
I'd also note that most triple driver models are mid frequency weighted, but if you bump up to 4 you get back to a balanced sound signature, so I'd say that's an important distinction to consider if you can't go up to 6 or more drivers like you're recommending here.
I've used several different iems over the years, with a wide range of prices, and I realized that reference sets are not good for live sound. I say that as a bass player. For anyone else in the band, I wouldn't say that, but for the bass player, a set that has a lot of bass is best. I've had more expensive sets, but the one I've veen using for the past year (that is the set I've liked most), is the 7HZ Legato. It's a bass monster and not the most expensive. When it's on sale, you can find them around $70 (otherwise,they go for about $110).
Kz has put out a bunch of bass focused models this year that sound much better than the legato. There's also the kbear rose finch that is probably superior and costs about $20.
Custom: Ultimate Ears UE11, backup pair, Juicy Earz: J5’s! I play gospel music, keys and organ.
I bought the Shure 425 because of good reviews online. That's when I learned to never trust people online about inears. They are horrendous with lousy LF and ice picky high mids.
I tried the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO and what a huge difference! They sound like a couple of great studio headphones with great stereo separation and resolution. Would recommend them to anyone who wants a great and affordable in ear solution for serious usage.
(But don't trust me, try them yourself or talk to actual musicians who have tried multiple products and have a good understanding of the challenges of live monitoring)
At church we started using IEMs not so long ago. I still don't have these types but I use a headset. The brand is NipponAmerica and it has a great great sound, wether for this o listening to music on the computer, phone etc. I would be really insecure of what brand to pick when I decide to move to these types of IEMs, I'm worried about losing the quality I have with the Nippon America ones
Literally went down a rabbit hole for budget friendly iems as a musician got the KZ rhapsody and Kiwi Ear Cadenza on the way to make a decision. Hoping one is a winner.
Cadenzas are great!!!!! Much more neutral tuning than the kzs
Just don't get shure, it's expensively shit in this era of cheap Chi-Fi. Still don't understand why they're so popular
Shure 215 are the best bang for your buck. I used them for almost 8 years. Using 64 audio A12t’s now and still have my old Shures as a back up.
@Jayyy_Wav Yeah best thing for your buck years ago, the market flooded with good chinese iem nowadays. And their tuning is weird, sounds too boomy for me, but they got nice isolation for live perform tho. I'd still prefer moondrop aria for the price range
I disagree! I’m using the se535 and I’m really satisfied…. You get what you put into them… they’re not enhanced I’m any particular way, so you just have to properly mix in what you want and you’re set….. just my experience!!!🤷🏿♂️
Customs are not for everyone. If you are a sweatier more naturally oiled person, they are going to fall out and not seal like any other iem
I feel like the people who preach about customs are trying to justify buying them.
Ultimate Ears that have many jams on them
A lot of misinformation in this video... You come out saying that the amount of drivers isn't the most important thing in an iem, then proceed to only talk about this for the rest of the video. More drivers does NOT mean better quality. It can help, for sure, but it increases the complexity of the earpiece and the more drivers you have, the more difficult it is to actually get a good tuning. There are some really good dual and triple driver sets, but there's also plenty bad multi driver iems out there today, specially in the mid range market. As for the shures, they were only relevant before the Chi-fi revolution, now they're only bought by people who don't know any better and trust the brand. Also, recommending KZ without mentioning the specific models is also gonna lead people to get bad product. KZ makes some amazing iems for super cheap, but they've also got so much garbage in their lineup. Have you ever tried they 12 driver sets? They are horrible. If people just buy iems based on the brand, most of them will be sorely disappointed.