IEM's...tell me whats good

spark240

As title...never tried them...like the idea of wireless, seems to go from a few hundred quid to thousands...

Who's using what ?

english_bob

I've been through a fair few pairs of cheapish IEMs over the last few years- for not a ton of money Soundmagic and RHA are worth a look. I decided to take a punt on something a bit more upmarket so currently I've got some Shure SE215s. There's a noticeable difference in sound quality between the £20-30 IEMs and the Shures.

Can't really comment on wireless, but I'm pretty sure all three bands do offer pretty much the same IEMs I've had as wireless as well as wired.

Musicwolf

If you can manage with wired then that’s the way to go.  Much better sound quality c/w budget wireless (restricted bandwidth) and better reliability, all for considerably less money.

I use a pair of single driver ACS custom moulds (which cost me c£250 from memory) and an LD Systems belt worn amplifier costing around £75.  I have a pair of KZ ZS10 pros which I use in the gym (c£40).  I tried these last week in the rehearsal room, in case I need them as a spare, and they were very good.

Roland

I started with Shure SE215s. As @english_bob says, they’re better than ordinary ear buds. I still use them in situations where I don’t want isolation, such as on trains, but not on stage because they tend to pull out of my ears. When we got a new, louder drummer I went for moulded plugs with three drivers. They are much better sound quality than the SE215s. The story is here https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/127326/talk-to-me-about-wireless-iems

kennedydream1980

I use KZ ES4’s and AS10’s, I was using Shure SE425’s previously and much prefer the KZ’s. I would also recommend a wired system for better sound quality. I used a Behringer P1 for years but now run my IEM setup through my Kemper stage.

bob21

I mix monitors for a living - so I see setups covering everything from £60 to several thousand £!

Three major parts to consider - Drivers, Transmission, and your mix.

In terms of drivers.. Until recently, I was recommending the Shure 215s as the starter IEM for people wanting to try.. But - the KZ IEMs have absolutely trounced these at the lower end of the market. I think the ZS10s are pretty slamming - and will give you a pretty good vibe of in ears for under £50. However - it is a little pot luck whether these will fit particularly well. And they lack a little detail that you will start to notice with better mixes (and things like modeller guitar/acoustic guitar).

To go up a step - you want to be looking at multi-driver IEMs like the shure 425 and 535. These give you back a load of that detail previously mentioned - and will be quite a bit more road worthy. This is the £200ish region.

To go up the big step - it's custom molds. They sound great, because they use high end drivers and crossovers. They fit perfectly, so the isolation is incredible, which means you can run a mix quieter and with more subtlety. I can talk for ages about these, having experienced a lot of the options.. so if you want to know more, let me know. Practically this is the £350 and up region..

Worth pointing out that with any generic IEM - you don't just have to stick with the manufacturer's tips..! Aftermarket options are available - I particularly recommend Comply tips. You tend to get a much better fit and seal with these - so better comfort, and a better sound.

Transmission.. The thing that goes between the desk and your ears.
The first rule here is that the very best wireless system on the market is nearly as good as a piece of XLR. (Also true for wireless mics). So if you can use a wired system, do! If you have a guitar lead - you're already wired - so why not add a wired IEM cable.
If you want to go wired, you need a headphone amp. For sensible money, I really rate the Behringer P2. It's a clone of a Fischer Amps pack which is much more expensive - and as long as you're careful, should last plenty well. The Behringer is about £30, the Fischer about £100. If you want to go all out, the dog's bollocks product is a Shure P9HW (which is reassuringly expensive!).
If you absolutely must do wireless.. The entry level product in my opinion is the Sennhesier ew300 IEM. It's £849 a system. I have a small amount of experience with the LD Systems ME1000 - which I think is probably acceptable at the pub band type level. It doesn't play brilliantly when you introduce multiple units together, and the audio quality of it isn't as good. But it's £230 - so it might be a compromise worth trying.
If you want to go full out - the industry favourite product at the moment is Shure's PSM1000. Bloody marvellous it is, and so it should be for £2k a channel.


Your Mix...
First things first - it is imperative to have your own mix. Sharing mixes with IEMs just really sucks. When you sharing floor wedges - if you want a bit less bass, you walk slightly in the opposite direction.. With IEMs, you can't do that. 
I've tried some systems with bands where they've shared some mixes, and added 'more me' on top with something like a Behringer mixer or a Rolls headphone amp. It's still not ideal though..

Second thing.. If you can get a stereo mix, absolutely do. In a world where digital consoles are unbelievably cheap (an XR18 is £300, a X32 rack is £600) - there's just no excuses not to have a desk with enough auxes for stereo. It is an absolute night-and-day difference to be able to pan Toms and Overheads, to be able to push stereo guitars and keys in stereo, and be able to knock backing vocals off centre - it makes a huge difference to how 'cluttered' an IEM mix feel, and generates lots of space..

Obviously, if you want it in your mix - you need to mic it. This means for some bands in smaller venues, you're going to have to mic stuff just for the ears - be that toms, drum overheads, DI-ing the bass. Worthwhile spending some time doing a 'production rehearsal' to get this all dialled in, and spending some good quality time getting your mix to a point where you're happy with it. 

I can chat about this forever.. But hopefully this will give you enough to get your teeth into to get some ideas going! Shoot back some questions if you want and I'll do my best to help!

Jota

Been using the KZs too. Mine are the ES4. No complaints.

PolarityMan

I alternate between my KZs and SE315s, Im pretty convinced the only reason i marginally prefer the shures is because I dont have the kind of memory foam type tips for the KZs....I have a set to try out tongiht though so might completely replace them. 

Musicwolf

I've been looking for memory foam tips for KZs - happy to hear of any recommendations

PolarityMan

I got these...will let you know how they are tomorrow

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B075ZMZTF8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

bob21

@Musicwolf ;
Best foam tips on the market. Expensive but worth it! https://www.complyfoam.com/

Musicwolf

@bob21 Thanks