In ear monitor suggestions

I'm interested in this from a different angle. I have Custom Mold, Ambient and ones like @unix-guy describes.

We've trued them at band practice and can't really get into them. What do you guys to to get a more full sound in your IEM's. DO you modify your mix in any way? It always seems to be missing low end and just never feels great though EVERYONE I see uses them.

THanks

MM
 
WITELITE said:
I'm interested in this from a different angle. I have Custom Mold, Ambient and ones like @unix-guy describes.

We've trued them at band practice and can't really get into them. What do you guys to to get a more full sound in your IEM's. DO you modify your mix in any way? It always seems to be missing low end and just never feels great though EVERYONE I see uses them.

THanks

MM
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There's a thing about bone conduction that helps with low end (and just in general, really). Make sure you're fitting your IEMs correctly in your ears using a twisting motion. It took me a while to really figure that out, but once I did...wow!
 
Rob13 said:
These things are so subjective, so each person's opinion is completely valid (for them)...

I have never used a universal fit that sounded as good, offered the protection of, and the CONSISTENCY of a custom mold IEM. That includes Shure, Carvin, Sennheiser, Westone, KZ, and several of the other available on Amazon types.

My first set of CIEMs were made by Alien Ear. Terrible customer service, but the 3 driver IEMs I bought were great until the shell cracked/broke after 8 years of heavy use.

Since then, I've moved on to Ultimate Ears - first dual driver (UE5) and now 3 driver (UE7). Paired with either a Shure PSM300 or an Xvive system (backup & "throw & go" situations), as long as I have control of my mix (and time to dial & eq), I know I'll be happy.

(FYI, control & time are facilitated by owning the IEM mixer - X32 - and taking time to dial in the band & eq as a necessary preparatory step during rehearsals, soundchecks, etc. Once I got familiar with the process, making small adjustments at a gig became quick & simple.)
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I second all this. I have some Sensaphonics custom molds that were made for some pretty budget Shure drivers about 20 years ago...still sound far superior to any of the contemporary universal fit choices I have (2 types of stock Shure buds, a few of the "awesome Amazon bargains" that weren't awesome. The best part is they stay put, and truly block outside sound. The band is quickly getting popular and booking some great venues, so I'll be investing in a modern set of custom molded IEMs.

I put together an IEM system for the band based on the X32 & S16 and Shure PSM 300 IEMs. It's proved to be way too much cartage and setup to use for gigs, so we take a rack of PSM 300 transmitters and roll with whatever mix the venue provides, or contract with our sound tech. But for rehearsal it's brilliant - we can hear, and saves on ear fatigue from bashing about in a small room with six of your closest friends. Not cheap, but for our band it was a great investment in ourselves.
 
WITELITE said:
I'm interested in this from a different angle. I have Custom Mold, Ambient and ones like @unix-guy describes.

We've trued them at band practice and can't really get into them. What do you guys to to get a more full sound in your IEM's. DO you modify your mix in any way? It always seems to be missing low end and just never feels great though EVERYONE I see uses them.

THanks

MM
Click to expand...
I primarily use them to hear my vocals and my guitar - I can hear everything else at a level fine for myself. I modify the levels but not the eq. To be honest , I’m more concerned with the front of house sound than how it sounds it my ears
 
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If it’s low freq response you seek I can’t over-stress how important a well-fitted custom mold is. Bone conduction is so important for that “bottom octave”, especially if you’re dealing with a five-string (or upright) bass.
 
+1 on the KZs - I was using sone Westone AM30s and the KZs are MUCH better at a much lower price. Kept seeing them pop up in discussions so I gave them a try and they sound great.
 
Thanks to all who offered their experiences. This is a whole entire case full of cans of worms, obviously. I am trying to get as close to what comes in goes out as I can get. I realize that every PA brand has its own character, and every room has its own impact live. The ideal scenario is being able to dial in sounds with the ears at my apartment an have them translate well enough live. I understand that there will be some amount of tweaking every night, playing in a different venue with sometimes different bands that are different styles of music even.
I have a couple of pairs of KZs (az10s and whatever their top of the line is), and find them to be too "colored" for my taste. I have used the Shure e215s, with much better luck than the KZs. This is very limited lower end experience. I am only going to be able to make a intermediate to pro purchase one a year, and this will be the first stab. Knowing that it will probably not work out with the first choice regardless, I am trying to make a somewhat educated choice. Good luck to me, haha.
I am torn between the Shure e846 gen 2s with the interchangable filters and a half dozen other options (64 audio, JH audio, Ultimate ears, and now Sensaphonics) , some of which are suggested here. Man, if only there was a shop you could go to to test them all out.
 
Maybe consider having some "sleeves" made for the Shure universal IEMs you are already familiar/comfortable with? Those sleeves should be pliable enough to provide some seal, better isolation than foam tips (I use Comply foam tips on active, noise cancelling headphones (Airpods)), and you can remove / move them to other Shure universal IEMs if you need to.

The same process for molded CIEMs (getting a mold of your ears) is required, but the "ante" should be substantially lower than full-blown CIEMs.
 
Since you’ve got a good budget, imo your priority should be custom IEMs. They make a huge difference.
I have UE7 and sensaphonics 2Max. I got my ear scan done at NAMM for the UE set. I don’t think that’s as good as getting an actual mold done. The seal isn’t good and the bass response suffers.
The next NAMM I got the molds done at the sensaphonics booth and went with a 2Max (they had a deal for ~$850 at namm). Excellent seal and sound.
My drummer switched from UE to 64Audio CIEMS and raves about it.

More drivers isn’t necessarily better, so just buy something that fits your budget.
 
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