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. Iām finding that the volume of a rock band in a small rehearsal studio (and some live sound stages) often overpowers the ānoise reductionā 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.
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You can get some custom IEMās for under $500. I think Alclair has two. There are tons of IEMās out there but I donāt think my IEMās 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.)
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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. Iāve had the Shures for years, and theyāve done ok for acoustic guitar gigs. (I have a pair of MEEs that are just as good, but 1/4 the price.) Now that Iām gigging with electric, Iām outgrowing them.
So, for the volume/isolation issue, I wonder if the vent/ventless feature is splitting hairs. (I mean when youāre standing next to a stack of mains and the subs are just below, thereās no escaping that!) The universals claim to have equal decibel reduction as the custom fits ā¦ on paper. Not having ever tried the custom fit, I guess Iād like to know if others out there have tried the customs and really found them more protective.
The second think Iām 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 Iām mistaken) seems to not be making IEMs anymore. ???
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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 thatā¦it has a VERY deep insertion so I would avoid that tbhā¦imagine falling when on stage and landing on the side of your headā¦yeahā¦
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 isnāt many dbās behind. It has a relatively flat FR, so I believe it would perform well with guitar, but have no experience with this!
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Cant see any vents on the UIEM though?
Mind taking a pic of it?
Both my UIEM and CIEM are unvented. The vent they have looks like the Apex modules from 64A. I believe @ToneDeafMonk have a vented CIEM without the tuning switches. I guess they will build a UIEM with vent if you pay for itš . I remember Gareth saying the venting system was quite space demanding, so it is possible the IEM would be a bit big.
aa right, this is the one with the apex-like vent on the faceplate. Not sure how much sound leaks in with this type but it should at least be worse than unvented ones.
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Hey, you mentioned Babyfreqs, and the interesting thing about them is they use a soft silicone earpiece which, in theory, should be slightly better in fit and seal than standard CIEMs. A deeper dive also revealed Sensaphonics (https://www.sensaphonics.com/), which also uses soft silicone. Does anyone out there have experience with either the Sensaphonics or the Babyfreqs? (Both are lacking in online reviews/YouTube clips.) Thanks in advance. (BTW, the Babyfreqs do not use BA drivers, but rather one 12mm electrodynamic driver.)
I havenāt tried Babyfreqs or Sensaphonics myself, but they both seem pretty interesting, especially with the soft silicone approach. I came across this review on Babyfreqs that gives some insights into their build and sound, which might be helpful. Hope you find the right pair for you! https://youtu.be/nioX29sOK78?si=S86IgV8PiWZD0yyv
Thank you for that.
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I still own my se215ās from when they launched like 20 years ago. They were the flavor of the month over at Head-fi. They were $100 back then! And riku is right, any $20 chi-fi iem is loads better.