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In Ear Monitors

jalevinemd

Member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
916
For those of you guitarists using IEM’s, I was curious to know how many drivers your system has. My band plays mostly classic rock. I use a Quilter Tone Block 201 into a mic’d Mesa 1x12 cab. All overdrive and distortion coming from my pedalboard. I want to hear mostly myself in the mix but the rest of the band as well.

Interested to see how many drivers are enough. Can I get away with 2 or 3? :peace2
 

Keefoman

Active member
Joined
Nov 4, 2009
Messages
576
I use the Shure PSM 300 system with the two driver 215s. I think that works well.
 

jalevinemd

Member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
916
I use the Shure PSM 300 system with the two driver 215s. I think that works well.

That’s the system I have. According to the product specs the 215’s are single driver. Shure’s numbering system is a bit confusing. I’m looking to get a set of custom molded IEM’s.
 

Keefoman

Active member
Joined
Nov 4, 2009
Messages
576
That’s the system I have. According to the product specs the 215’s are single driver. Shure’s numbering system is a bit confusing. I’m looking to get a set of custom molded IEM’s.
Sorry, my bad. Yes they are single drivers. You can get moulded buds for the 215s too, ifyou think they do the job well enough.
 

jalevinemd

Member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
916
Sorry, my bad. Yes they are single drivers. You can get moulded buds for the 215s too, ifyou think they do the job well enough.

That’s just it. I don’t know if they’re good enough. I’m not thrilled with the tone I’m getting from them. Sound seems compressed without good definition...especially the low end. Not sure if it’s the single driver or the natural sequela of hearing my guitar through earphones.
 

Keefoman

Active member
Joined
Nov 4, 2009
Messages
576
That’s just it. I don’t know if they’re good enough. I’m not thrilled with the tone I’m getting from them. Sound seems compressed without good definition...especially the low end. Not sure if it’s the single driver or the natural sequela of hearing my guitar through earphones.
You'll never get the same "feeling" and tone by hearing your miked amp only through earphones. I'm not actually sharing your experience with my rig, but I prefer not using in-ear if I don't have to. I'm pretty sure I would even with more expensive earphones too.

I guess you'll only know if you try different earphones.
 

BurstWurst

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Messages
568
My 4 piece bar band (classic rock) has been using PSM700 systems and Shure (2 driver) SE425s (no custom molds, but using Comply tips) for several years. It took some getting used to, but, we found that the benefits definitely outweigh the detriments. No setting up floor monitors, lower stage volume, players in charge of their own mixes via iPhones, etc. We have some SE215s as back-ups, which I've never had to use, but when the other fellows have used the SE215s, they've not complained of their sound. Sure, I prefer the tone (of my guitar) standing right in front of my amp with no ear buds (in somewhat the same way I prefer the sound of my B3/Leslie over my Nord electro), but, the overall band sound for the audience is improved with the benefits of using the in-ears. The first couple shows, where we didn't use audience mics was a little disconcerting, since remedied with a pair of audience mics. Our PSM700 systems have a compression option, which can be switched on or off, we keep it off. I couldn't possibly justify spending much more than the SE425s cost on ear buds, or custom molds. And, I believe it's more the different dynamic of going to in-ears versus floor monitors, more than the type of ear-buds used that takes the getting used to. For our shows, I go out front to get the general mix set up (with no ear-buds), then mix the rest of the night from the stage with the FOH mix in my ear buds. Not the ideal situation, but, it has worked well for us. It seems that the lower we can keep the stage volume, the better the results we have. Hence we do well with 5E3 deluxe amps (or similar wattage amps). Doing things as we do, I'd probably benefit with custom molds for better isolation, oh well....... For the scale of my operation, I feel I'm at the right place on the scale of diminishing returns.
 

jalevinemd

Member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
916
My 4 piece bar band (classic rock) has been using PSM700 systems and Shure (2 driver) SE425s (no custom molds, but using Comply tips) for several years. It took some getting used to, but, we found that the benefits definitely outweigh the detriments. No setting up floor monitors, lower stage volume, players in charge of their own mixes via iPhones, etc. We have some SE215s as back-ups, which I've never had to use, but when the other fellows have used the SE215s, they've not complained of their sound. Sure, I prefer the tone (of my guitar) standing right in front of my amp with no ear buds (in somewhat the same way I prefer the sound of my B3/Leslie over my Nord electro), but, the overall band sound for the audience is improved with the benefits of using the in-ears. The first couple shows, where we didn't use audience mics was a little disconcerting, since remedied with a pair of audience mics. Our PSM700 systems have a compression option, which can be switched on or off, we keep it off. I couldn't possibly justify spending much more than the SE425s cost on ear buds, or custom molds. And, I believe it's more the different dynamic of going to in-ears versus floor monitors, more than the type of ear-buds used that takes the getting used to. For our shows, I go out front to get the general mix set up (with no ear-buds), then mix the rest of the night from the stage with the FOH mix in my ear buds. Not the ideal situation, but, it has worked well for us. It seems that the lower we can keep the stage volume, the better the results we have. Hence we do well with 5E3 deluxe amps (or similar wattage amps). Doing things as we do, I'd probably benefit with custom molds for better isolation, oh well....... For the scale of my operation, I feel I'm at the right place on the scale of diminishing returns.

We're kind of in the same boat as you. We're a six piece bar band...mostly classic rock with some 90's alternative rock thrown in to keep a couple of the younger guys happy. We're loud. Too loud for my taste. Because there's six of us and the stages are pretty tight, I'm usually right next to the drummer. That makes hearing myself well virtually impossible, even with the floor wedges up pretty high. Lately I've played gigs with no ear protection. That's what prompted me to look at IEM's as a solution. My intention was to test out the Shure system with the 215's to see if I even liked the idea of IEM's before investing in a set of custom molds. Like you I'd rather hear my amp without earphones in, but that's proving to be an impossibility. I'm not thrilled with the sound of the single driver 215's and am hoping that at least a 2 driver set gets me closer to where I want to be. I already have molds done from a pair of Sensaphonic ear protectors that I use. Now I need to decide if I should spend nearly $250 on the 425's or closer to $400 on a set pf 64 Audio custom molds. Because buying the 425's to see if the extra driver makes a difference and then buying the 64 Audios makes no sense. Decisions...decisions.

:peace2
 

BGrumbine213

New member
Joined
Jul 13, 2018
Messages
5
Long time lurker, finally created an account, and first post.

I’m an airline pilot by profession, so I spend a lot of time riding in the back of the planes as well so I went with IEM’s that I could use for just plain listening as well. While there are a lot of cheaper options, I decided to go with the high end of the spectrum and got some JH Audio Lola’s. They’re an 8 driver configuration per ear. 2 BA drivers for lows, 2 dynamic drivers for the mids, and 4 BA drivers for the highs. Set me back a good chunk of change but honestly the sound quality is outstanding. Best sounding headphones/IEM’s I’ve ever listened to, and I’m a self-professed nerd when it comes to high fidelity headphones and the like.
 
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