I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for in ear monitors? I am taking a really compact setup on the road and need a pair for making music while I am away. Headphones are a no go because even they are too large, and I don’t have any experience with in ears (aside from bluetooth earbuds). Thanks so much!
I have two pieces of practical advice for in-ear setups:
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Custom molds are the key to getting good isolation and good sound. To which end, I recommend getting a generic set of drivers, from a brand like Shure, and getting custom molds made for those; as apposed to, say, investing in models wherein the drivers are contained inside the molds, which are considerably more expensive. The reason being that you will outgrow the molds, every few years, and it’s easier and more affordable to simply swap the molds.
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If you don’t need wireless, don’t spend the extra money. Wired packs are cheaper and more reliable. So, if you’re not wandering about the stage, save your money.
Cheers!
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…all sorts of bluetooth solutions are no solution since they always imply latency…
sae with all other wireless solutions if not hi end pro level…
but also if truu in ear monitoring instead of cans, then go for the real the pro thing…
i can’t agree, that u outgrow once made personal molds…if ur beyond ur teenage years, a once and for ur ears only personal custoizez ear piece will serve u forever, if u don’t loose it…
and as mentioned, those that got the drivers embedded right form the get go are the top notch, but “standard” drivers from shure for example will do totally fine…
so, yes…do the investment and never look back…get some personal molds made with a standard backend to place the pro drivers…end of the day and once used to it, the very best headphones u’ll ever needed…
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Your nose and ears indeed change as you get older, but it isn’t that they’re growing. Instead, what you’re seeing is the effects of skin changes and gravity. Other parts of your body change in the same ways, but your ears and nose are more visible and more noticeable.
_from the Internet
OK, maybe I should be a bit more specific. I’m not looking for anything wireless or really high end or anything custom. Just some decent wired ones that will let me make music on a plane etc.
Check out Flares
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You only need a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter then.
I have two pairs of in-ears, both Westones. One pair is their top-of-the-line 8-driver custom molds, and I swear by them. I get audiophile sound quality and do most of my mixing in them now. My second pair is their Am Pro 30 triple-driver that lets some ambient noise in. I bought them to have as a backup, and they sound and feel great for live music.
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Fact: the cartilage in your ears and nose continues to grow throughout your life.
Now, the rate and effect of this will differ from one person to the next, to be sure; but there is a good chance that your molds will no longer fit perfectly (which is critical to their performance) after a few years.
The silicone that they’re made of is also subject to shrinkage and hardening.
Cheers!
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Misconception. From my readings, this is what’s happening :
So, why do our ears and noses look larger as we get older?
What’s actually happening is that you’re starting to notice the impact of gravity, and changes to your skin, on your body. The muscles, skin and cartilage in the body do continue to change even once bone growth has stopped happening. It’s these softer areas that are more likely to be responsible for what we perceive to be growth changes when it comes to the ears and nose. Changes can be triggered by a very wide range of different circumstances, from injuries to whether we lose or gain weight, experience pregnancy or an injury. All these - as well as the passage of time - will have an impact on the connective tissue in skin and cartilage, leading to the changes that we tend to notice in ears and nose as we age.
Well, whatever is happening (and I’m not a doctor, but I play one in real life), as someone who has been touring with in-ears for decades, all I can tell you is that I’ve been through several sets of molds, in that time, for the above-mentioned reasons.
Take my advice with a grain of salt, of course; but don’t say I didn’t tell you so.
Cheers!
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I’m with you on this, it’s just technical informations that I wanted to share. I’ve also been told when I was young that our ears and nose are still growing through our life.
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Key questions: Where are you based? What kind of bodypack will you be using? Will they be used in noisy environments?
Oh right, we’re talking more earbuds than iems then. I mean, the Shure 215s are fine, loads of people use them.
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Yes, Shure 215s or one of the more expensive alternatives in the line are nice. I use Shure SE425 with triple flex sleeves both as IEM on stage and for making music on the go. My wife use 215. Both of us are happy with them and haven’t bothered getting custom molds. All ears are different, I guess, but we both feel they isolate well and find them comfortable even when singing.
I have used FutureSonics G10s for years and they are great (IMO). They do custom moulds also.
…yup, don’t take “forever” too literally, of course…half a decade remains still a forever like good investment…so, sure, nose and ears keep on “growing” until ur very last day on earth, but custumized ear pieces will serve u well for quite a while, once ur beyond the classic grow rates during chidlhood and teenage years…
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I think that’s an urban legend, probably spread by the folks who sell the molds. In any case, that’s what a doctor has told me. What counts for protection here is the size of the ear channel. The “concha” molds are designed to hold better in your ear when you open your mouth often, such as is the case of a vocalist. For in-ear monitoring, you also need the concha variety, else they will fall off your ears. Now that does not mean that molds won’t wear with time, for they will.
Well thanks all, I ended up just going with a pair of sennheiser ie 100 pros. I started going down the rabbit hole of chifi iems but decided to save that for another day.