Hi Nauts
I am looking for a good to go solution of wired in ears, for monitoring on stage and mobile music production.
My dt 1770 is a way too big, in summer too hot, and for techno i dont like the bass.
It doesnt make fun to work with it.
So my thought is to get an wired in ear system.
For me mobility, noise canceling and sound clearness with a bit of bass fun is important.
Cann someone helpful elektronaut guve me his top advice?
Thanks a lot.
Cheers Milan
Interested as well
A few things to consider-
IEMs are typically not noise cancelling. Most are used for stage performance so you don’t need to rely on monitors on the stage. They also aren’t usually used for production. Personally I’d be very very careful using IEMs as your production listening devices, because the close proximity to your ear drums can be dangerous when sweeping EQ or making big changes.
Secondly, noise cancelling earbuds or headphones aren’t the best for production either because they inherently change the way that the signal is represented. I wouldn’t use noise cancelling headphones for anything other than listening to music on a subway, plane, bus, etc.
If you aren’t vibing with your current headphones, I’d try to find some lighter open back headphones (the sennheiser hd650s come to mind) and then just get some noise cancelling earbuds for other listening.
Maybe others can chime in with specific model recommendations but I’d try to separate these two things, personally.
Hope that helps.
I use Shure’s budget IEMs SE215 (SE215 Pro - Professional Sound Isolating™ Earphones - Shure Europe) for similar use cases (monitoring when recording at home, listening to/making music on the go). They are (sort of) noise cancelling passively, provided you get the right tips for your ears, have a great sound for the price, and don’t get too boomy.
I have Sennheiser IE 600, they are great for listening to music, full of details, clear sound, although they have a lot of bass. Tried using them for production and gave up, preferring to use the DT770 Pro. I don’t want to use them for production so as not to damage the eardrum and hearing. Personally, no IEMs can replace normal headphones.
I just ordered the Mackie MP 220 bta from gear4music, they’re on sale ATM for 79 quid delivered, they’ve got a pretty solid reviews, dual drivers and a Bluetooth adapter, feels like a good deal to me…
Just an update on the Mackie’s, got them and they’re nice, good fit and sound quality, however the pair I received have a faulty Bluetooth adapter, I’ve sent them back for replacement, hopefully the new ones ar all good… glad I checked the functionality of them really as I wasn’t buying them for the BT adapter, it was more that they were cheaper than the standard wired version…
what about latency with a bt system?
I don’t think the BT module is intended for production scenarios, I think it’s just an additional option for listening back or using them with your phone, the sound quality was/is very decent, plenty of heft and definition personally I wouldn’t use Bluetooth in any situation where latency is going to cause an issue
I’ve had a good few pairs of Future Sonics G10s over the years but these were only used for general listening (work, commute etc). The bass was always a factor for me and at the time they were a good option after being recommended by a friend, and doing some research. I still use them with an Apogee Groove and they sound amazing. Loads of presence and weight.
They also do more specific bespoke models for monitoring so might be worth checking out…
I’ve been using these two, with to different sets of drivers and maybe a dozen cords over the last 15 years. I’m quite happy with them. For out and about use, I’ve got a FiiO BTR5 Bluetooth DAC, now that we’ve left the age of phones with headphone jacks. I might done day try a pair of actual noise cancelling earbuds, but these have served me really well. I have a pair of AKGs for more critical listening, but I prefer monitors there.
I needed something for livestream shows during the pandemic and tried these BASN Bmaster Amazon.co.uk
I have found that standard earbuds don’t stay in place when playing. I like the very enclosed nature of the listening experience. Good frequency range and didn’t have to drive them too hard. Long cable and tightening piece so make a snug fit at the back of my head which helps stop them becoming a visual distraction and helps them stay in place.
As we returned to in person live shows I went wireless and use them on stage also.
…whatever u might choose, go for a serious pro product and spent ur money only once…
go for serious inear drivers made for personally fitted, customized inearpieces…
that’s the only option to hear nothing but the pure content, the only real noise cancellation there is, since all other such like claims only work for the average consumer that wants a peaceful flight…but no real and professional reference for all sorts of serious sonic missions…
The Westone Pro X and Westone Mach range are supposed to be very good. So that’s what I went for when I recently got in ears for the first time. I went for the cheapest from the Mach series (Mach 10) because it was on a discount.
It’s only one driver compared to the more expensive ones in the range that have multiple drivers, but the sound is actually surprisingly good. And they were really good at keeping out the sound from the loud speakers in the techno venue that I performed live. Because we played live, it was important I could hear what I did well enough. But with the kind of rough loud techno music we make, it’s not needed anyways to hear things súper precise. But I really was surprised about how well they worked.
In ears that you get moulded to your ears are way more expensive. I first thought that that’s what you really need. But my friend that I performed with told me he used to have moulded in ears, and that after a while his ears changed/grew and they didn’t fit anymore. And that his non-moulded in ears worked fine. So I got the Westone Mach’s:) If I’d have the cash I might at some point look at an upgrade in the range but for the €220 bucks that I spent I’m very happy and they’ll be fine for my use case for the upcoming years.
Only thing is the cables. They’re crazy thin. The leaflet says they’re actually very strong. But I still would be more confident with a thinker cable. Replacements are véry expensive - since Westone uses a niche connector.
