In ear phones/monitors - educate me

Lestratcaster

I want to step up my game earphones wise. Been using my Sennheiser CX-300's which sorta do the job but as I'm venturing more into recording and possibly live video playing I would like to get something better. Also I have a Kemper which I sometimes use headphones for so need something a whole better, and I do those playthrough video things so having a good mix to listen to (as in click and backing track) is quite important. Isolation is pretty important but I presume this would require the custom mould type as opposed to the universal ear bud type ones. And given this current pandemic taking impressions may not be available.

I like the look of the Shure SE series, the 215 or 425' may be adequate? What about Sennheiser? 

Whistler

I started with IEMs by messing with bits of kit. I used the JVC sports earbuds I had at the time and despite trying a handful of others (but not moulds) I have stuck with the JVCs because they fit over my ear precisely and stay put whatever I do with moving about.

For me the aim is not to have the most hi-fi accurate sound but to be able to hear what I need to hear to play my part well. I have used IEMs as a bass player where all I needed was the drums and myself above the rest of the band, and I use them now (right up until lockdowns started) as a drummer, where I have a metronome and the main vocalist - I have tried mixing the whole band but it gets more complicated and simple suits me.

octatonic

Read Audio or ACS are the way to go.

Musicwolf

I started with Shure SE215’s then, after only a couple of trial practice sessions, ordered a pair of ACS custom moulds.  I couldn’t get the Shures to stay put.

I got a pair of KZ ZS10s for general listening and which I thought would be ok as backups.  They fit better than the Shures, they sound great - the trouble is that, for some reason, they affect my ability to pitch yet I’m fine with the ACS.  I have done literally hundreds of tests and the difference is quite marked.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

Read Audio or ACS are the way to go.

I had a pair of custom moulded ear plugs from them, they were great but I had the impressions taken in 2013 and my ear canal shape has probably changed a bit since, plus with no live gigs or rehearsals possible I don't have a use for it now. But I don't know if they're still taking impressions at the moment.

Lestratcaster

Musicwolf said:

I started with Shure SE215’s then, after only a couple of trial practice sessions, ordered a pair of ACS custom moulds.  I couldn’t get the Shures to stay put.

I got a pair of KZ ZS10s for general listening and which I thought would be ok as backups.  They fit better than the Shures, they sound great - the trouble is that, for some reason, they affect my ability to pitch yet I’m fine with the ACS.  I have done literally hundreds of tests and the difference is quite marked.

I won't be moving around too much if its for studio use, and we're a way off from playing live and I'm probably not as active as I used to be haha.

The cheapest ACS monitor is the Evoke 2 classic which is the same sorta price as a Shure SE425 I think.

PolarityMan

I have KZ ZS10s and Sure SE315s, they are both decent IEMs for live but I wouldn't use them for anything in the studio as they are still miles away from even cheap closed back headphones and certainly not a patch on by DT 880 pros.

Whats wrong with non IEM types? Is it the appearance for videos?

4114Effects

I'll shortly be selling some SE535 earphones if they're of interest? Incredible sounding, I've just moved up to the 846 though so they're surplus to requirements.

Lestratcaster

PolarityMan said:

I have KZ ZS10s and Sure SE315s, they are both decent IEMs for live but I wouldn't use them for anything in the studio as they are still miles away from even cheap closed back headphones and certainly not a patch on by DT 880 pros.

Whats wrong with non IEM types? Is it the appearance for videos?

Yeah kinda, visual aesthetics and all that. Just for general all round use I want to just get one good set for live, recording and listening to music I guess.

Aren't the Shure SE series kinda traditional headphone types?

Lestratcaster

4114Effects said:

I'll shortly be selling some SE535 earphones if they're of interest? Incredible sounding, I've just moved up to the 846 though so they're surplus to requirements.

How much you looking for them? And how would the hygiene thing work as you've had them in your ears? 

4114Effects

Lestratcaster said:

4114Effects said:

I'll shortly be selling some SE535 earphones if they're of interest? Incredible sounding, I've just moved up to the 846 though so they're surplus to requirements.

How much you looking for them? And how would the hygiene thing work as you've had them in your ears? 

Probably around £130, bargain as I've had them a while so they don't come with many accessories. Hygiene isn't a problem, I'll clean with isopropyl alcohol and dispose of the ear foams and include brand new ones. :-)

Lestratcaster

4114Effects said:

Lestratcaster said:

4114Effects said:

I'll shortly be selling some SE535 earphones if they're of interest? Incredible sounding, I've just moved up to the 846 though so they're surplus to requirements.

How much you looking for them? And how would the hygiene thing work as you've had them in your ears? 

Probably around £130, bargain as I've had them a while so they don't come with many accessories. Hygiene isn't a problem, I'll clean with isopropyl alcohol and dispose of the ear foams and include brand new ones. :-)

Wow I'm quite tempted! How long have you had them for? They're bound to sound better than the SE425's which is what I was originally looking at as well, no worries on the cleaning, was just worried cos of the covid stuff as you know!

4114Effects

I've had these for about a year now. Before that I had the se530 for about 9 years before one wire finally gave up the ghost! Perfect for IEM as the sound is very anylitival and not exaggerated in any frequency. Isolation is second to none too. 

4114Effects

Analytical ...

RandomGecko

Shures are fine - adequate. The 215s are ok but something like the 535 are much better sounding. 

I have mostly used Cosmic Ears for IEMs since 2016 and they sound great. I have the 6-driver CE6P and would definitely recommend them.

I tried ACS years ago but they kept breaking so they’ve had significantly less use!

In fact, they’ve all seen almost zero use since March 2020! 

Lestratcaster

I scored the SE535's used for a very good price off @4114Effects - they're very very good and are a major step up from my cheap earphones.

I think longer term though custom mould is the way to go, but this won't be for a while. Alternatively I think they do the custom mould thing for it too if I get an impression taken for an extra £150 or so.

ACS recommended the Evolve one with the triple driver, for an all round performance, but they're like £400+. Have read about theirs breaking as well.

Have looked at Cosmic Ears too and they seem to get a good rep from many people so may check them out.

Lestratcaster

So over a year of using the Shure's which have been good I'm finally stepping up my IEM game. Looking at Cosmic Ears and the reviews seem to be very good from impressions to getting the product/unboxing and the sound quality.

I also see the actual monitor has a faceplate to completely cover the ear concha whereas my recently ordered Snugs Pro sleeves don't really do that.

Just trying to decide which driver I want out of the CE3/4/6P. The 6 is meant to be the best of the best, never listened to music with 2 dual drivers for bass/mid/treble before. The 3 driver one is good, but I wonder if the CE4P would be the happy medium without having to spend more than I need? Or should I just go with the 6 and make sure I get the best possible IEM's.

PolarityMan

Depends what you're going to play through them I guess. I suspect for live use esp really with guitar high in the mix you will get diminishing returns at some point 

Lestratcaster

My Focusrite 8i6 most of the time and my Kemper Profiler. Live I'll probably be using some form of splitter rack thing that all bands seem to use when doing live shows. Still getting my head round that side.

I've read that more drivers don't necessarily mean better sound, so would 6 be necessary? There would be 2 for low/mid/high. I notice alot of the studio musicians and YouTube guitarists use the 6 driver one. Drummers more the 4 one as they need more bass response.

mike257

Lestratcaster said:

So over a year of using the Shure's which have been good I'm finally stepping up my IEM game. Looking at Cosmic Ears and the reviews seem to be very good from impressions to getting the product/unboxing and the sound quality.

I also see the actual monitor has a faceplate to completely cover the ear concha whereas my recently ordered Snugs Pro sleeves don't really do that.

Just trying to decide which driver I want out of the CE3/4/6P. The 6 is meant to be the best of the best, never listened to music with 2 dual drivers for bass/mid/treble before. The 3 driver one is good, but I wonder if the CE4P would be the happy medium without having to spend more than I need? Or should I just go with the 6 and make sure I get the best possible IEM's.

The CE6P are great. It's hard to find comparative information because of the custom nature of them, but I needed them for monitor mixing so the CE6P were the only choice in the range for me and I'm very happy with them. 

I'd say that if you're going to the trouble of getting custom fit, you might as well get the best you can afford, because you can't just swap them afterwards, so if you can stretch to the 6 I'd go for it. I'm sure the 4 are great too though. 

Worth bearing in mind that moulds aren't forever as your ears continue to change shape so you'll have to look at fresh ones in 4-5 years. If you're earning from gigging though (or even if you're not), £200ish a year over the typical time before you need new ones to have both protection from stage noise and clarity of sound is a solid investment. 

Lestratcaster

mike257 said:

Lestratcaster said:

So over a year of using the Shure's which have been good I'm finally stepping up my IEM game. Looking at Cosmic Ears and the reviews seem to be very good from impressions to getting the product/unboxing and the sound quality.

I also see the actual monitor has a faceplate to completely cover the ear concha whereas my recently ordered Snugs Pro sleeves don't really do that.

Just trying to decide which driver I want out of the CE3/4/6P. The 6 is meant to be the best of the best, never listened to music with 2 dual drivers for bass/mid/treble before. The 3 driver one is good, but I wonder if the CE4P would be the happy medium without having to spend more than I need? Or should I just go with the 6 and make sure I get the best possible IEM's.

The CE6P are great. It's hard to find comparative information because of the custom nature of them, but I needed them for monitor mixing so the CE6P were the only choice in the range for me and I'm very happy with them. 

I'd say that if you're going to the trouble of getting custom fit, you might as well get the best you can afford, because you can't just swap them afterwards, so if you can stretch to the 6 I'd go for it. I'm sure the 4 are great too though. 

Worth bearing in mind that moulds aren't forever as your ears continue to change shape so you'll have to look at fresh ones in 4-5 years. If you're earning from gigging though (or even if you're not), £200ish a year over the typical time before you need new ones to have both protection from stage noise and clarity of sound is a solid investment. 

I don't really need to mix, but to have the detail in the songs for transcribing parts and such is nice. I was told the 4's have a more flat frequency range and the 3's are more for vocalists. I'll mainly be playing at home so won't be in loud environments. Maybe in a few years I'll be on stage using them. More drivers also don't necessarily mean better sound as well. 

I've always had the approach of going just one above the recommended one, I can just about afford the 6's, but don't want to be disappointed after pouring so much money into them. If I have to change them after 5 years as well that's another factor.