In-Ear Monitors - your opinions?

[rondmc]

ok, let's try this... I'm ready to upgrade from my Shure E3 in-ears, and I'm trying to gather information regarding what pair would be the best. I'd love to stay in the sub-$200 range.

I've looked at the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10, and the Klipsch Image X10.

What are you using, and what are your observations?

RE: fit, sound quality, build quality, volume, noise isolation, replaceable cables, etc...

thanks, all!
ron

[MustangsAndDrums]

I personally use the Westone ES2 molds, our worship team uses Westone UM2 universals. The UM2 sounds great - very detailed & accurate and they're around 279. You can get the single driver UM1 model for $109 according to Westone's site. You can get the UM2 & higher models with removable/replaceable cables as an option. If you're buying your own, I highly recommend looking at custom molds. If you stretch your budget alittle, you can get into the AC1 or AC2 models - which the product line was actually created for worship teams who wanted a lower-cost custom monitor. Molds fit perfect to your ears & always stay in place, no matter how much you move.

I have been a Westone customer for years - personally & our church. Their quality & customer service can not be beat! They've taken good care of us before & after the sale. I can't say enough good things about the company & its employees.

[hitchface]

As a fellow hunter of all things in ear, I would very seriously recommend upping your budget and getting at very least a dual driver unit. Otherwise you are just paying for fancy iPod headphones. The noise isolation might be nice, but separation of sound via multiple drivers is sorta the bread and butter of a good in ear system.

1964 Ears and JH Audio are good places to look. 1964 has awesome prices for their units and JH Audio is run by the guy who made Ultimate Ears what it is today.

[efrisch]

I've been using the Westone AC2 at church and on the road for the past 6 months or so and am totally in love with them. They sound great, fit great, and in my opinion, they really broke the price/performance barrier on custom molds (I used some low end Alien Ears for several years before I got the Westones and there is just no comparison). That said, they're still roughly twice your budget.

I haven't heard very many bad comments about Ultimate Ears products, and I'm not familiar with the Klipsch, but if you're shooting to stay under $200, I'm not sure you're going to find a big improvement over your S3s (which are $200 buds themselves). If you're really looking to step up, and can stretch your budget a bit, custom molds are definitely the way to go.

On a side note - there have been several past threads where we talked extensively about this stuff - a little searching will go a long way.

[rondmc]

thanks for the notes!

ok, so let's up the budget to up to $400. what does that do for me?

and sorry, i did search but didn't find... sorry!

ron
;-P

[efrisch]

$400 would put you in range for the Westone AC series, which I can highly recommend. You'd also be in the higher end of some of the more budget friendly companies for custom molds (Live Wires, Alien Ears, Fidelity). Also in that range would be the 3 & 4 driver universal fit models from Ultimate Ears, Westone, Shure, etc.

My personal opinion is that if you've got $400, your best bet for universal OR custom fit is Westone. They make an excellent product and they're a great company to work with. Having used Shure universals and then Alien Ears custom molds in the past, switching to the AC2 was one of the best gear decisions I ever made. I also have their custom ear plugs, and love those as well. Others here will disagree, and in the end it all comes down to what works best for you, but that's my $.02. I would definitely recommend removable cords... it's just one less thing to make you play without your monitors while they're in the shop, and that's a good thing.

[bbrunskill]

I had $400 to spend and after much thought, I choose the 1964-T.

My reasons for choosing 1964:

1. Triple Driver - the Westone AC2, UE4, JH4 are all $400 and all are dual driver. I play drums and wanted a good kick sound.
2. I like the company and people, they are young, keen, and friendly and come from a church background.
3. Soft tips - the $400 offerings from UE, JH, Westone are all hard acrylic and don't come with a soft vinyl tip option, and I wanted soft tips for comfort. I also ordered a two tone finish, still came in under $400
4. Other 'budget' IEM manufactures like Alien Ears and Fidelity have had many issues with customer service and fit. I haven't heard a single horror story about 1964.

If you can stretch the budget a long way, the UE 18 and JH 16 are supposed to be amazing but if you're set at $400, I think the 1964T is the way to go. I love mine, no complaints at all.

[chrisburke]

Just last week I made my own in ears using my earbuds and radians custom ear mold kit... $14.99 at bass pro.. I'm honestly amazed! Complete isolation.. It took my in ears volume down 75%... If I had the money, I'd do westones.. But I don't have $300



I rushed the job, so I didn't quite get the sound hole lined up right.. But I plan to buy another kit and doing it properly.. I can honestly say I think it sounds great (and I really am a snob when it comes to sound).. Especially considering the cost... Sadly as a pt youth pastor and pt worship leader, I just don't have the funds to drop $400 on IEM's, especially when the rest of the team still uses wedges.. But hopefully by June I'll be ft worship somewhere, and will have a budget that can get some nice westones or something similar

[thedudedrum]

I use a dual driver IEM made from Fidelity In-Ear Custom, use to be Livewires. They are a great IEM for under $300. More models have been released in the last couple of years.

[rondmc]

thanks for all the input, folks! i'm leaning toward the 1964-T or -Q (thus pushing my budget to $500 - bwahahah). for those who've tried them, is the bass response in the 1964-Q that much better than the triple?

so here's another couple questions:

1.) soft tips/ear canals - do i really want these? is it worth $50?

2.) bass response is a biggie - and here's the kicker: i will possibly be wearing these in my motorcycle helmet as well (BlueTooth stereo/intercom/phone interface). the idea of having them do double duty as earplugs, which i already wear, AND headphones is way appealing. so do the 1964s have enough bass to sound accurate with a lot of ambient/wind noise, i wonder?

btw, chrisburke - i'll be trying that soon.

thanks, all!
ron