I've finally decided to make the jump to IEMs and need to get educated in a hurry about them. I've perused several earlier threads about them on the Forum but they are at least a few years old and it's likely that there are newer-fangled things out there by now.
I'm certainly willing to spring for the custom-molded ear pieces, so there's that.
Do some models have noise cancelling ability to lower the stage volume (esp of bass and drums) or do you rely on the custom molds to do that?
And did I understand that some have a little mic on them someplace to pick up speaking asides on stage (like if a band member needs to get your attention without putting it into the mains)?
What do you experienced pros recommend? I'm all ears!
Take a look at Alclair iems out of Minneapolis. Their iem’s sound fantastic and their turnaround and customer service is awesome. I use their Tour Triple’s and love them. Their prices are also very, very reasonable especially for custom molds. Their prices are where Audio 64 used to be until they got to be expensive. I’ve turned a lot of musicians onto them, and everyone has said they sound fantastic. You can pick the colors of the shells and body and even customize the logo if you want. My steel sounds absolutely fantastic through them. They also have sales going on a lot of the time especially on Black Friday. Are you also looking at an iem rig or just the earbuds? If you’re looking for an IEM system, take a look at the Mipro MI-909 digital wireless system. It is about half of the price of Shure or Sennheiser, and the quality is much better than both of those. Crystal clear with low floor noise (hiss) and hardly no dropouts since it’s digital. I’ve been using iem’s exclusively for about 20 years now and my current system is by far the best I’ve ever used. Hope this helps
Jim, I'm a fellow Pennsylvanian playing steel in a bar band. I use in ears all the time. A lot depends on your budget. You can pay A LOT for a system if it's justifiable or you can get a pretty good sound from a mid level system. I like wired in ears. As a steel player, of course I'm not moving around much. I use Presonus HP2 or Behringer P2 belt clip amps with audio technica e70 ear buds. Molds are essential and then yes, they are noise cancelling. All you will hear is whats in your mix. You can go to an audiologist and get measured. They all send them out to be made. If you tell them what brand and model ear buds you have, they probably have a mold for them in stock. I went that route at first but lost one and then later changed ear bud brands so I needed another very expensive mold. I now use Radians Custom Molded DIY molds from amazon. Youtube has instruction videos. I also tried the ones with the little mic. Unless your bandmates speak directly into the mic, it didnt work for me. I've used wireless too and beside the expense, there can be reception problems. Especially if other band members use different brands than you. On the other hand, when everything is working right and the gear is good, you cant beat the clarity and consistency of a good wireless in ear system. That's just my own experience. Others may have walked a different path.
Sho-Bud Pro I, Boss Katana 100 and a 50, Fender super 60, Goodrich 120, Peterson strobe II
JH audio monitors are definitely top notch but they are also $2000 just for the ear buds. Typically guitar players really only need dual or triple driver earbuds. More drivers does not mean better sound it just means a lot more headroom for louder stages. Think of it this way, if you are a band and have one stack of speakers on either side of the stage and then add two or three more stacks per side that does not change your sound. It just allows you to get louder before it starts to break up
Thanks Kevin. And Michael, thanks for that helpful explanation. Our bassist loves his Westone earbuds with custom molds. Anyone here familiar with them for a second, independent opinion?
Westone makes awesome universal fit earbuds, they were the manufacturer for Shure’s earbuds for years. Their UM pro dual and triple driver buds sound great. I have owned several pairs over the years. I’m sure their custom molds are equally as good.
The vast majority of in ear monitors on the market use balanced armatures for drivers. These were originally developed for hearing aids by a company called Knowles. So all these different brands are basically using the exact same balanced armatures from Knowles. The only difference is in how they tune the ports that go to your ears and use of filters to enhance or filter out certain frequencies for a desired sound profile. The major difference is in the quality and fit of the acrylic shells.
I use Ultimate Ears 18 Plus Pro. They're up to $1600 now. I paid about $1200 a few years ago, but I got a discount because everyone in the band bought IEMs from the company. Call customer support and ask for a discount.
Hey Jim. I use Westone triple drivers and, with the caveat that I vastly prefer playing without IEMs(!), they work very well. I actually like a little bleed of the stage sound, so they universal fit is fine. That said, it does cancel almost all the stage sound out, and I have to mix the drums (well, the bass and snare) into my buds. I would recommend a wireless receiver. Even as a sitting steel player, I find that "tether" annoying. Anyway, you play several songs on Tele, so you'll need the wireless. I'm sure you can get even better brands, but my Senheiser wireless system seems to work fine.
I got Alclair triple driver IEM’s awhile back. I’m playing an Emmons PP through a tube amp and I’m very happy with my sound. I just don’t hear my tone through the IEM’s, which honestly takes away from my personal enjoyment. I used a Behringer P1 as my in ear amp, as recommended by Alclair. So, do they work; yes. Am I happy with what I hear through them;no. What personal amps are you all using for your IEM’s. Perhaps that’s a factor?
84 Emmons D10 PP, MSA D10, Hilton, Little Walter PF89, PF-350 cabs, blueSky, BJS
I just use $100 Shure in ears.
They are okay and I generally have one in and one out.
Other members have $1000, $2000, in ears but mine work okay so I can hear the Acoustic guitar and bass.
