I've not tried in-ear monitoring before, but I've got a specific use case where I think it'd be useful. My Quilter Superblock already has a headphone out, so I'm thinking if I can get a long cable from that then I can avoid having my amp too loud on stage without the need for an additional monitor. So...
1) any suggestions for cheap headphones I can use? Not looking to get moulded ones, at least until I've tried the set up, but ideally something one up from regular earbuds that might provide some protection from the drummer.
2) the headphone out is affected by the master volume control, so I could do with some way of adjusting it before it gets to my ears. Probably just passive attenuation would work as its quite hot, any headphone extension cables with that built in that anyone knows about? Or another solution I've missed?
Comments
That's £1.64 from CPC.co.uk
For budget IEM's I like Shure SE215's but there are cheaper £50 sets on Amazon that will do the job.
https://staggmusic.com/en/products/view/SPM235BK-high-resolution-sound-isolating-in-ear-monitor-black/
Isolation from stage volume depends on the fit in your ear. Any decent pair of generics will come with a couple of different tip sizes, so it'll take some experimentation to see which works best for you. When popping them in your ears, roll/squish the foam earbuds so they're squashed smaller, pop them in your ears and hold them in place for a few seconds while the foam expands.
The fit of generics will never match the isolation you get from well fitted customs, but they'll still be a step in the right direction.
Two top issues:
Does the size of the IEM body fit into your ear, allowing the tip to reach into your ear canal? The body of the KZ is so large and flat that I can’t get it far enough in to work properly. If you have the right shaped ears they sound fine and the cable is great. Se215s are a totally different shape and will fit most people.
Are you using the right size foam tips? Silicon triple-flange tips are ok on quiet stages or if you like some audio bleed but some care is needed to get useful isolation, but it can be done. Correctly fitted, appropriate sized, good quality (Comply) tips should be fine.
Assuming we’re not talking about the cheapest and worst buds these two issues are much more significant than the actual model of IEMs used.
Consider also what you’re driving it with. A badly set up IEM system is a very efficient way to destroy your hearing. Good EQ and limiting coupled with decent isolation should be higher up the list than moulds.
I find that they're excessively hyped in the high mids compared to other earphones, especially when you directly A/B them. That might suit some people - I'm generally looking for as flat a response as possible as I'm using them for mixing monitors live, and often with people wearing different types of IEMs on stage, but if it's just for yourself, you might prefer the more sculpted frequency response on the KZs. Certainly can't knock them for the price.
Most of the IEM earbuds will block out a lot of the ambient sound so if you're planning on using your headphone out on your amp you hear yourself better you might find that the other band members will then be too quiet.
We did some exploring of these some time ago because we generally use a Qu-Pac but couldn’t really justify the expense vs the Qu-You app and existing IEMs. There was definitely some IEM Acquisition Anticipation Anxiety in the room, though.