In ears with AX8

TimMcG1011 said:
Appreciate all the feedback! I checked out Alclair triple driver options (reference and tour models). Very reasonably priced. Thinking these and custom molds with local audiologist might be the answer. The 64 audio are way out of my budget unfortunately.

Thanks for all the replies and information. Love IEM for vocals, drums, keys. Have yet to hear a truly satisfying guitar tone through them. Hoping this resolves that or gets me a lot closer.
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One of my friends church band went for Alclairs because of price. Several already broken in just a few years, didn’t give me much confidence.

I know money doesn’t grow on trees but think about how great your gear is and then decide if it’s worth going cheap at the last step before your ears.

I’ve have 64 Quads and JH Audio 16s. Worth every penny. Also really useful for listening to music at night in bed after my wife is asleep, rocking out on the riding mower, rocking out on plane flights, and playing xbox after kids are in bed.
 
I am breaking in my AX8 this week on my regular gig with singer Morgan James. I use the JH16's by Jerry Harvey Audio. I'm a little bit torn on the issue of stereo vs. mono, because as good as it sounds in my ears, when we don't have our FOH/Monitor engineer, stereo can get botched in the house. I will say that listening to the AX8 on IEMs is very enjoyable, and in fact, I prefer it to the sound of a close miked SM57 in my ears, which is very brittle. When I'm in the studio, I always have a mic about 18 inches away from the amp and slightly elevated in my headphone mix because it's what I'm used to hearing in a room.

What I wish I had was a way to dial in a sort of "ambient" sound globally coming out of the AX8 into my ears, while the FOH got the regular signal.
 
So I called 64 Audio to talk to the about the A3 vs the A2e. For 30 bucks, they are sending me an A3 loaner to try. It is obviously a universal fit, but I should get the jist if a 2 driver is fine or if a 3 driver is that much better.

One guy in my band also has the A2e's, he said they were way better than his alien ears that were 3 driver.

Anyways, pretty cool the 64 audio will send you loaners, I would think other companies would do that if you asked.
 
rlennyr said:
For guitars, I recommend atleast 3 drivers.
I've been using the Westone UMPro 30 for a while and am very happy. I recently got the AMPro30 and am very happy with them as well.
Didn't like the Shures as they are not neutral.

Custom IEMs there are plenty to choose from if you decide to go that route.
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Would love to hear your comparison thoughts between the am30 and the um30
 
Do you have control of your mix? Pan, Pan, Pan it is your best friend when getting a good mix. If you have everything coming down the center it will muddy up very quickly. Also watch out for ear wax.

I own a pair of JHS Audio triple drivers and love them.
 
64 A3s here and they are great. Much more clarity and definition than the Shure 535s.

It’s been mentioned but can’t be overstated - stereo IEMs are critically important. Pan some things, add a pair of hard panned room mics, and/or add a subtle stereo reverb. It makes such a huge difference in fatigue levels and how long you can keep them in your ears.

And always - always - wear both ears. Wearing one ear in and one out can lead to hearing loss and can also damage the drivers (since you end up driving them harder).
 
Empire Ears Apollo X...no adel..CIEM..10 drivers. One of the best investments I've made gear wise. Full sound at lower volumes. AX 8 sounds amazing through them, even helped me dial in my presets better.
 
WorshipGuy said:
Do you have control of your mix? Pan, Pan, Pan it is your best friend when getting a good mix. If you have everything coming down the center it will muddy up very quickly. Also watch out for ear wax.

I own a pair of JHS Audio triple drivers and love them.
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Can you give me an example of what you pan? keys, drums, bass??? We use an XR18 and so I have my own personal mix. Where do you recommend I start with panning?

Thanks for the tip!
 
TimMcG1011 said:
Can you give me an example of what you pan? keys, drums, bass??? We use an XR18 and so I have my own personal mix. Where do you recommend I start with panning?

Thanks for the tip!
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I'm a bassplayer and soundman. I have been on IEM since 2003. I started with Shure E3, then E5, then UE7 and have been using the JH13v2 for the past 2 years. I liked the UE, but with the JH (6 drivers), I run my monitor mix flat where I used to boost a bit at 80Hz and 2-4kHz. I started running stereo IEM mixes a few years ago and would not want to go back to mono. The trick with panning is to not hard pan anything. You want a natural feel, as if you didn't have IEM at all. Do not pan yourself. Pan the other musicians according to where they stand relative to you. How much you pan them is up to you. I start with 10:00 and 2:00 and go from there until I can hear the separation. Even if the drummer is right next to me, I pan the 3 toms and overhead mics while the kick and snare are straight up the middle.

I say to not hard pan anyone because of the following. When you are open ear, even if someone is standing to your right, you can still hear them with your left ear, albeit not as loud. You want to replicate the same "feeling" with the IEMs.

I noticed that I have been running my mix quieter since having gone stereo and can hear myself much better. The tone of everything in my mix has also improved with an increase in clarity (probably due to the removal of mud when everything is mashed up). As others have said, custom molds are the way to go as you need the seal for low end retention. They are also useful on planes, riding mower, motorcycle and while checking out youtube in bed while your s.o. is sleeping. :)
 
BassRocky said:
I'm a bassplayer and soundman. I have been on IEM since 2003. I started with Shure E3, then E5, then UE7 and have been using the JH13v2 for the past 2 years. I liked the UE, but with the JH (6 drivers), I run my monitor mix flat where I used to boost a bit at 80Hz and 2-4kHz. I started running stereo IEM mixes a few years ago and would not want to go back to mono. The trick with panning is to not hard pan anything. You want a natural feel, as if you didn't have IEM at all. Do not pan yourself. Pan the other musicians according to where they stand relative to you. How much you pan them is up to you. I start with 10:00 and 2:00 and go from there until I can hear the separation. Even if the drummer is right next to me, I pan the 3 toms and overhead mics while the kick and snare are straight up the middle.

I say to not hard pan anyone because of the following. When you are open ear, even if someone is standing to your right, you can still hear them with your left ear, albeit not as loud. You want to replicate the same "feeling" with the IEMs.

I noticed that I have been running my mix quieter since having gone stereo and can hear myself much better. The tone of everything in my mix has also improved with an increase in clarity (probably due to the removal of mud when everything is mashed up). As others have said, custom molds are the way to go as you need the seal for low end retention. They are also useful on planes, riding mower, motorcycle and while checking out youtube in bed while your s.o. is sleeping. :)
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Thanks for the detailed explanation. I appreciate it and it makes perfect sense.

I take playing very seriously, but my budget puts me in the around $600 to $700 range unfortunately. Many of the models described in this thread are well over $1,000. Would love to experience that but not going to happen any time soon...Just hoping to get the most bang for my buck. Thinking alclair quad drivers.
 
I'd say you should get at least custom molds and get the best drivers you can afford. Without good molds the best drivers are not worth the money.
 
ChristThePhone said:
I'd say you should get at least custom molds and get the best drivers you can afford. Without good molds the best drivers are not worth the money.
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Definitely, I agree. Already got a local audiologist to take the impressions. So when I choose the IEMs I can send those in and get the molds done. Alclair includes that in their pricing.
 
TimMcG1011 said:
Can you give me an example of what you pan? keys, drums, bass??? We use an XR18 and so I have my own personal mix. Where do you recommend I start with panning?

Thanks for the tip!
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I pan most instruments and vocals hard left and right. Example: Vocal 1 hard right, Vocal 2 hard left, ect. If the drums are running down multiple lines I will pan those hard left and right as well. I know it sounds strange but it works. Your mind will give you the sensation everything is coming down the middle. I usually run my instrument (electric) and bass down the middle. The purpose of all of this is the relieve the stress on your drivers. Your sound will be a lot less muddy. Take it to extremes. You can always bring it back to the center if you like. If you end up hating it you can always go back to what your doing. It is worth a shot.
 
I am using the westone with 2 drivers and they suck I want to upgrade soon but hard to afford what people are recommending in here. What do you guys think is the best step up for me from 2 driver westones without breaking the bank. Would there be a huge difference between the 2 driver westone compared to the 3 or should I look at other companies that have good yet affordable headphones?
 
From my research on this and reviews you are starting at 400 for a three driver in ears plus you need to get the ear mold which run 80-100. It is what it is.
 
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