FM3 - The best in ear sound I've ever had!

[MayPRS]

Yesterday our Queen tribute band played at a major corporate event — a huge company, easily one of the largest in Europe.

The sound and production were absolutely unbelievable. But the real point here was the in-ear system: Shure PSM1000 with P10R+ packs. Using my humble KZ in-ears, the sound was incredible — no harshness, no brittleness, nothing fatiguing at all. It honestly felt almost like playing through a wedge: tons of low end and punch, very natural and full. Completely blew me away.

I always thought my issues with IEMs were down to the earphones themselves. Turns out… nope. It’s the wireless units.

What a show. And yeah — the FM3 sounded enormous. I’ve never had this kind of sound, not even with my analog rigs. Absolutely brutal (in the best possible way).

 

[joegtr]

The mixing console and the person behind it also have something to do with it

 

[MayPRS]

The mixing console and the person behind it also have something to do with it

No doubt yes, but the equipment is night and day comparing to other great sound companies I encountered... most of them used Sennheiser G4 and this Shure blows them out of the water in my experience.

 

[Dave Merrill]

No doubt yes, but the equipment is night and day comparing to other great sound companies I encountered... most of them used Sennheiser G4 and this Shure blows them out of the water in my experience.

Really cool that it worked out so well.

Still, there are so many other variables that either did or might have changed, it's a stretch to put all the joy down to that one unit.

 

[sprada]

I honestly thought there was absolutely no sound difference at all between cheap and expensive in ear monitoring systems.

 

[Domct203]

I honestly thought there was absolutely no sound difference at all between cheap and expensive in ear monitoring systems.

Are you referring to the monitors or the wireless system?

My first wireless IEM system was the cheapest one Sweetwater sold, IIRC it was less than $180 USD. Man it was horrible, even when using my Sony MDR-7506 headphones as the monitors. Not just the sound quality either, dropouts were ridiculous, even at rehearsals.

 

[Admin M@]

I really enjoy tagging along on your musical journeys. If you ever perform in my neighborhood, I'll be there!

 

[sprada]

Are you referring to the monitors or the wireless system?

My first wireless IEM system was the cheapest one Sweetwater sold, IIRC it was less than $180 USD. Man it was horrible, even when using my Sony MDR-7506 headphones as the monitors. Not just the sound quality either, dropouts were ridiculous, even at rehearsals.

The system itself. I thought really only the monitors made a sound difference.
I thought the system it self accounts for flexibility, stability, range, etc etc, but no sound difference.

I have a very expensive custom molded set of Audio 64 in ears and a cheap Xvive system (that never failed on me)
I thought it couldn't get better than this

 

[Domct203]

The system itself. I thought really only the monitors made a sound difference.
I thought the system it self accounts for flexibility, stability, range, etc etc, but no sound difference.

I have a very expensive custom molded set of Audio 64 in ears and a cheap Xvive system (that never failed on me)
I thought it couldn't get better than this

If it works for you that is all that matters. I noticed a big difference in frequency response and dynamic range when I ‘upgraded’.

With that said, I’ve been using the Line 6 Relay guitar wireless (G90 & G50) since they came out, I’d put them up against systems costing 3X as much any day.

 

[vangrieg]

I honestly thought there was absolutely no sound difference at all between cheap and expensive in ear monitoring systems.

Well there certainly is a difference - I can't say I tried them all, but I did use a number of various wireless systems with the same pair of in ears. There's compression, distortion, noise, output impedance, latency and many other parameters that are vastly different.

Would I call it a "night and day" difference? No, definitely not in a live gig situation, where even with the same system experience can be quite different due to a million factors including mood. But wireless systems aren't the same for sure.

 

[scottp]

I have another thread going on this topic.
I have tried about 30 different IEM to date.
I have been using IEM live for 6 years now playing at least 2x a month.
I started with the KZ ZS10 Pros. I used those as my main ones for 4+ years. (never really being happy but I couldn't figure out why)
Always with Comply memory foam tips for comfort and Isolation.

Key take away.
I found listening to different CD's at home, with all those IEM, most of them become very harsh in the treble range or have too much bass.
I simply could not turn up the volume without it being painful.
If you can't listen at home, they are probably not going to work in a band context.

I'll be updating my IEM thread in early February 2026 with the latest findings.

 

[RockYoWorld]

I have a very expensive custom molded set of Audio 64 in ears and a cheap Xvive system (that never failed on me)
I thought it couldn't get better than this

I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news for you, but the Xvive system sounds TERRIBLE compared to any "decent" system I've ever tried. I had an Xvive for backup/easy plug-in gigs. Comparing it to Shure PSM300 and Senheisser G4 (entry level units for those brands), the Xvive sounds like listening to music through a flip phone speaker from 2003. In my experience, the Shure PSM300 and PSM900 sounded quite similar, although maybe the noise floor is better on the PSM900. I didn't get the chance to compare them side by side. The cover band I used to play in has PSM900 units while the rig I built for my current band has PSM300 units.

Even the Phenyx Pro PT-33 IEM system sounds 100 times better than the Xvive, which is a more fair comparison since it's a budget brand and can only be ran in mono, like the Xvive.

This is not to trash the Xvive system. It is a very convenient system to be rechargeable battery system that you just quick plug into a mixer or an XLR going to a wedge and wallah! you've got an IEM! It's a great emergency backup or something to use when you're filling in for a simple gig.

Spending good money on IEM ear buds and only using the Xvive system is a waste, though.

 

[sprada]

I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news for you, but the Xvive system sounds TERRIBLE compared to any "decent" system I've ever tried. I had an Xvive for backup/easy plug-in gigs. Comparing it to Shure PSM300 and Senheisser G4 (entry level units for those brands), the Xvive sounds like listening to music through a flip phone speaker from 2003. In my experience, the Shure PSM300 and PSM900 sounded quite similar, although maybe the noise floor is better on the PSM900. I didn't get the chance to compare them side by side. The cover band I used to play in has PSM900 units while the rig I built for my current band has PSM300 units.

Even the Phenyx Pro PT-33 IEM system sounds 100 times better than the Xvive, which is a more fair comparison since it's a budget brand and can only be ran in mono, like the Xvive.

This is not to trash the Xvive system. It is a very convenient system to be rechargeable battery system that you just quick plug into a mixer or an XLR going to a wedge and wallah! you've got an IEM! It's a great emergency backup or something to use when you're filling in for a simple gig.

Spending good money on IEM ear buds and only using the Xvive system is a waste, though.

Damn you

I got into IEM kind of recently and I'm really liking the journey.
The Xvive is indeed practical, quick setup, usb charging etc.
However the PSM300 (+SB900 battery and charger since using AA batteries is just nuts) looks really appealing.

Need to do some reading

 

[RockYoWorld]

Damn you

I got into IEM kind of recently and I'm really liking the journey.
The Xvive is indeed practical, quick setup, usb charging etc.
However the PSM300 (+SB900 battery and charger since using AA batteries is just nuts) looks really appealing.

Need to do some reading

My band invested in a bunch of Panasonic Eneloop AA batteries and chargers that we use for everything. I agree that devices with dedicated lithium batteries are better, such as many options Shure has. It does get expensive, though, and unless you have backups, you lose the ability to do a quick swap if it's necessary.

For music equipment, I DO NOT recommend getting the lithium AA batteries you can buy. I have some for Xbox controllers and they work great for that, but there are handful of reasons why the lithium AA batteries aren't good for music equipment. Get a good brand of rechargeable AA batteries (usually NiMH chemistry). Even then, many people will advise against using those rechargeable AA batteries as well. I have had good experience with them, though, and it saves money and waste not throwing them away all the time, especially for rehearsals.

- My day job is engineering lithium batteries into a variety of "medium" size applications, so I can get a little over-invested in that topic.

 

[Domct203]

My band invested in a bunch of Panasonic Eneloop AA batteries and chargers that we use for everything. I agree that devices with dedicated lithium batteries are better, such as many options Shure has. It does get expensive, though, and unless you have backups, you lose the ability to do a quick swap if it's necessary.

For music equipment, I DO NOT recommend getting the lithium AA batteries you can buy. I have some for Xbox controllers and they work great for that, but there are handful of reasons why the lithium AA batteries aren't good for music equipment. Get a good brand of rechargeable AA batteries (usually NiMH chemistry). Even then, many people will advise against using those rechargeable AA batteries as well. I have had good experience with them, though, and it saves money and waste not throwing them away all the time, especially for rehearsals.

- My day job is engineering lithium batteries into a variety of "medium" size applications, so I can get a little over-invested in that topic.

+1 on the Eneloop rechargeables, and don't skimp on the charger. I'm not at home right now and can't remember the brand, but the charger I have will let you set the charge & discharge rate, has a refresh & analyze mode, a discharge mode, and will display the charged capacity at the end of the charging cycle. When I notice the capacity dropping, I do a refresh cycle and the batteries are just about good as new. I play a good 6-8 hours weekly with my wireless and I have eneloops that are 2 years old and still going. I'd say I get about 2+ weeks between charges with my Line 6 G90's transmitter.