I have spent the past few years buying a bunch of budget set and also <$200 sets to try different sound siganture, find what I like and just for the fun of trying different things.
If I could give my own self from a few years ago an advice knowing what I know now, I would say: skip the budget IEMs and buy a good set around $200-400. I now use mainly Cadenza4 and Doscinco and I’m very happy.
The Tea Pro (or similar) looks like a really good choice for a balanced sound.
I have the same thinking but one of my fear was “what if I spent all these money and it didn’t meet my expectation?”. But I guess at this price range there shouldnt be any diminishing returns yet. And also jumping to a 300€ pair should be leaps and bounds above my current nuo
It will most likely be a good significant jump. You may not notice a jump like that once you go to above $500 or above $1000.
The good thing is you will be able to sell or trade that set if you don’t like it, especially if you buy a set that’s pretty well reviewed.
This is why I still recommend people know what they like before spending too much.
Yeah I mean I don’t think for me 500€+ would really makes any difference for me since I don’t deal with audio everyday anyway. Also saw that you have tried quite a few tips. Any recommendation on cheap good tips? I plan to get spinfit w1, divinus (still dunno standard or wide), tangzu sancai (also dunno balanced pr wide), penon liqueur orange/black, dunu s&s but heard that last one is kinda hit or miss
Sancai tips release pressure and therefore don’t create a good seal for me.
S&S don’t work for me because I have short ear canals.
Sony EP-EX11
Elecom EHP-CAP20
Those are my favorite and cheapest tips. (Amazon JP is where I bought them from)
Hello. New guy here, and new to IEMs. I play electric and acoustic guitar and use Shure SE215 IEMs on stage and at rehearsals. I use them primarily for noise reduction, although my set-up allows me to adjust my guitar volume so I can hear myself over the band. I’m finding that the volume of a rock band in a small rehearsal studio (and some live sound stages) often overpowers the “noise reduction” capabilities of even properly fit IEMs (not sure I can do anything about this). However, I do notice that my guitar sound in these IEMs is heavy on the high frequencies, making the guitar sound kinda crappy, to the point of discomfort. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, how have you been able to remedy this - without spending more than $500?
Thanks in advance.
Shure is the shittiest brand in the IEM world.
You can get some custom IEM’s for under $500. I think Alclair has two. There are tons of IEM’s out there but I don’t think my IEM’s are as isolating as my CIEM.
The SE215 has been outclassed by 20 usd budget chifi for many many many years now so ditch that asap.
If you want a LOT more isolation, you might need to consider a ventless iem. Which you need to look at BA-only (Balanced Armature) iems for. BA-only iems are more expensive than others so they start at around 100 usd, such as the Aful MagicOne. Next step up would be the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite (250 usd).
(and as krafty mentioned, CIEMs will also be highly isolating but those are a LOT more expensive and not as many options.)
You can consider the Custom BabyFreqs, they have a B1G1 offer right now, making them a great value. Another option is the Etymotic EVO, known for its top-tier isolation and neutral sound. Both under $500.
Thanks for your help.
Understood. Thanks. I’ve had the Shures for years, and they’ve done ok for acoustic guitar gigs. (I have a pair of MEEs that are just as good, but 1/4 the price.) Now that I’m gigging with electric, I’m outgrowing them.
So, for the volume/isolation issue, I wonder if the vent/ventless feature is splitting hairs. (I mean when you’re standing next to a stack of mains and the subs are just below, there’s no escaping that!) The universals claim to have equal decibel reduction as the custom fits … on paper. Not having ever tried the custom fit, I guess I’d like to know if others out there have tried the customs and really found them more protective.
The second think I’m learning in the rabbit hole is that there is an ideal (flat?) frequency that allows for an electric guitar (esp with some overdrive) to sound better. Are there guitarists out there that can share their experience with this?
Thanks again!
Thanks. The Baby Freqs look interesting, and I am waiting to hear back from them about using them for guitar. The Etymotic brand (in case I’m mistaken) seems to not be making IEMs anymore. ???
Thanks for the reply.
You are right that the sound from the sub is impossible to reduce as it hits your whole body. But you CAN still lower the volume coming into your ears. Iems achieve this type of top tier isolation by not having any vents at all (BA iems tends to be this way) and then complemented by the shape that is likely filling up your entire ear. So a ventless CIEM will be the most isolating iem.
(although I dunno if ANC will reduce bass frequencies more but I at least doubt it will be more for the treble as ANC is not good there.)
The iem I would imagine works well for live monitoring would be the Sony IER-M7 (or M9 but that is quite a bit more expensive) as that is made for that and tonality should be pretty good for that as well I imagine.
Etymotic EVO should still be available but they are a western company and not the type to come out with new stuff often, EVO is their latest iem afaik. Just that…it has a VERY deep insertion so I would avoid that tbh…imagine falling when on stage and landing on the side of your head…yeah…
All good points. Thanks!
I have this in both universal and CIEM versions. The custom is the ventless version since I have no issues with pressure buildup. The custom without venting is highly isolating, but a universal isn’t many db’s behind. It has a relatively flat FR, so I believe it would perform well with guitar, but have no experience with this!
Cant see any vents on the UIEM though?
Mind taking a pic of it?