Ear monitors, any experience/advice ?

Jimbo55

I seem to have an (age related !) drop off in my hearing, and particularly against background noise - actually going to have my hearing tested tomorrow !!!
In my music gatherings playing with a 'practice group' and occasional showcase/open mic type events, I can't seem to hear myself soloing clearly - most times we just all go through a mixer to a PA pointing forward - there's no individual amps or foldback speakers.
Talking briefly to a pro last night who runs our 'group' about ear monitors that he uses on big stages suggested that might be worth considering trying - he uses Sharp 215 type but I wont get a chance to talk to him again for a couple of weeks.
has anyone here got any comment/advice on this ? I think the basic 215s are around £70/80/90, but how do they connect to the mixer - do you have to have a separate wireless link or is there some sort of bluetooth or other means ?
Any help much appreciated.

Musicwolf

What mixer do you have?

Each person using in-ears really needs to have their own individual mix and each mix requires an auxiliary buss.  Digital mixers are usually better equipped in this respect whereas budget analogue mixers may have only one or two aux sends which need to handle all the monitoring needs.

If you are able to get your own mix, and stereo is better, then you need a headphone amplifier and a means to transmit the signal to said amplifier.  Wired is cheaper, better quality and more reliable than wireless.  Wireless transmission is normally analogue (digital introduces too much latency for monitoring purposes) and unless you are prepared to spend big the sound quality will be compromised.  Unless you need to move around the stage then go wired.  You can buy small battery powered belt worn headphone amps for relatively little money.

Whatever you do you need to get used to the concept of in-ears.  Get used to wearing them and spend time getting a mix that works for you.  I’ve worked with several guys who spent money getting set up and then never gave it a chance before saying that it wasn’t for them.

Jimbo55 said:

 or is there some sort of bluetooth or other means ?

I'm afraid not.  Bluetooth has far too much latency, which is a pity as it would make in-ears so much cheaper.

Roland

Your friend was probably referring to the Shure SE215 https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/earphones/se215cl.  I’ve got a pair. The sound is not bad, and the cable is much more durable than my fitted Cosmic Ears plugs.

rze99

I have used the shure se215. Very good and sturdy. Need the right foam size. They are good for recording because there is zero leak and pleasant for listening generally. Not everyone can tolerate in canal solutions though. 

Jimbo55

Thanks for great advice - annoyingly my hearing test postponed from today to beginning of Feb because the clinician is sick - oh dear, but pressing on here the 215s certainly seem a good bet all round - how do these connect up to the source though, and can you make adjustments with these rather than at the mixer end ? I think there are some more expensive Shure ones that are described as 'wireless'.
It's a 'rock project' gathering that I do once a week that I struggle most when we play together as a band after just a few of us working on the guitar parts 'quietly' before. The chap there suggested that they could probably 'feed me' the sound source from their mixer (to PA).
I'd like to go ahead and get some ear monitors to try at home first anyway, which may even help with some track recording.

Jimbo55

Gosh, just after my last posting a few minutes ago a music good friend of mine has just called to say someone he knows has a Shure PSM200 wireless system that was bought about 2 years ago but never used and happy to give to me - any comments on this ? I feel so chuffed with such a gesture and will recompense towards. Apparently will drop off later today or tomorrow. Already getting me thinking, would the 215s be a better earpiece and work with this system rather than the earpieces that come with it - something for later maybe.

Roland

Jimbo55 said:

... would the 215s be a better earpiece and work with this system rather than the earpieces that come with it ...

The 215s are better than the 112GR, both sonically and physically. The 215s cable is designed to hook around your ear from the back, whereas the 112 just has a floppy piece of wire. If you find you like wireless, and you’ve got the budget, then buy the 225s, and keep the 112s as backup.

Musicwolf

Jimbo55 said:

Gosh, just after my last posting a few minutes ago a music good friend of mine has just called to say someone he knows has a Shure PSM200 wireless system that was bought about 2 years ago but never used and happy to give to me - any comments on this ? I feel so chuffed with such a gesture and will recompense towards. Apparently will drop off later today or tomorrow. Already getting me thinking, would the 215s be a better earpiece and work with this system rather than the earpieces that come with it - something for later maybe.

Good result.  I'm pretty sure that the PSM200 is a mono system so you will just need a single, mono, feed from the desk.  If it's an analogue desk then that's probably all you would get in any case.

When you are setting up your in-ear mix try not to think about which elements need to be higher in the mix so that you can hear them.  Try to think in terms of what bits can I reduce in order to make the important bits stand out.  Keep the levels sensible so as not to further damage your hearing.

Stratavarious

I use a couple of pairs of Shure 215s. Solid performance for the price, replaceable cables, etc.

No to Bluetooth - too much latency. We have belt mounted packs with volume controls cabled to mixer but you can pay for wireless.

Danny1969

215's are solid and the cable is repairable as it will take solder on the enamelled conductors easy enough, unlike some other brands. I know you can change the whole cable but it's £22 ish last time I looked. 
In ten years with hundreds of gigs I've used 2 pairs of SE215's and never been tempted to get anything else. Beware of the cheap ones on Ebay and Amazon, those are fakes and sound no where near as good as the real thing. 


I designed this cable rather than use wireless. It's a Van Damme cable that carries the guitar signal from the guitar to the amp one way and the IEM from the desk up through the same cable the other way to a 3.5mm stereo socket where you plug in your IEM's. Sold loads of them all over the world