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In ear monitoring for production sound...


Dennis Kersten

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Last month I bought the shure se535 in ears, strictly to listen and enjoy music in other places than the studio. Today I was preparing and testing my setup for the next gig and decided to use the in ears instead of my beyerdynamic dt48 and sennheiser hd25 and I was really blown away about the quality and that It provides up to 37 db of isolation!!

Does anyone tested these in ears for production sound? I mainly do bag work and docu stuff. I felt that these in ears really let me listen to where I point my microphone even more than headphones. It was a short comparisation but I was impressed.

What do you think about (extreme quality) in ears for production sound?

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This will be a subjective decision for you to make.

the great isolation has both an upside, and a downside (you cannot hear what is going on around you)

They are, of course extremely popular with performing musicians, replacing stage monitors, and the MI market is srull growing very fast! Production sound: not so much.

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i got myself some UE11's

http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/ue/custom-in-ear-monitors/devices/11-Pro

for the job i just finished which involved a lot of filming in clubs.

i have to say i think they are great - i used them all the time.

i didnt have to turn the headphone gain up when we were in the club, and the isolation means that i can hear only what the microphone is hearing rather than anything that is bleeding through the headphones. but as Senator said, i hear very little of what is going on around me unless i have the boom pointed at whats around me. but it does have the advantage (for me anyways) that i can shut everyone out whilst the cast are jabbering away when we arent filming- loved the headphone off switch on the 442.

they are very comfortable to wear for long periods as they are custom moulded to my ears and i can wear a warm hat without it getting in the way.

the sound is very good though the bass is not as pronounced as something like the hd25's, but its about the same as what am used to from the ultrasone 750's.

but they did cost me about 4 times more than a pair of ultrasones.

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A few months ago I bought myself a pair of custom earphones from Alien Ears http://www.alienears.com/C1000.htm , so that on days when I'm working outside in the rain with a hoodie, or in the cold with a tuque, or in the summer with a wide brimmed hat, well it's not awkward. I've used them a few times indoors just to see how I liked them in that setting, but I still prefer my HD25's mainly because they're easier to put on and take off multiple times a day and I still find them more comfortable. But sound quality, they're almost the same. Just a tad bit less bass in the earphones. The model I got was the single driver version.

I also do the occasional over-the-shoulder type work but I haven't had a chance to try them out yet in that environment. For now it's been tv series only.

I'm glad I have both

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I use in ear monitors when I am doing bag work, for many of the reasons stated above. I have had both off-the-shelf and custom molded models. I find a big difference between the single, dual and triple driver models. Once you have had triples, its hard to go back to the other ones.

I still prefer to use my Ultrasone headphones when doing cart work.

It's good to have as many different tools as you can afford to make your job easier.

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I've been using Etymotic Er-4p for 5 or 6 years now. Don't miss my Dt-48s at all. Way more isolation, better sound, lower listening levels, wear whatever I want on my head. Downsides are mechanical noise conducting through the wires and their fragility. For me the pros way outweigh the cons.

Brent C

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  • 3 weeks later...

Pretty much what everyone else has said, with the overal statement that I love them in noisy locations. When I do EXT bag work in NYC, or INT but on the subways for instance, the isolation just can't be beaten.

In winter they are great too, because I can wear a beanie (hat, depending on where you're from) and the in ears just ride beneath it.

Only two problems I have are that after a while, something jammed in my ear canal gets old, and I have to walk around a lot with my slate mic open while doing bag work so I can hear what is going on around me... lest I boom each person that tries to talk to me, which would inevitably make me look like a jerk.

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I thinking of getting some IEMs. Would you guys recommend the Westone 4 over the Westone UM3X? From what I can gather the Westone 4 is more of a "personal listening" monitor that is a bit more coloured in its frequency response. The UM3X seems to be more of a true monitor with a flat frequency response (btw I'm basing this on what I read on the Westone website). I would've thought the UM3X would be better suited to field mixing/monitoring?

Also how do these compare to the Etymotic ER-4S? These both seem to be the most accurate monitoring earphones from what I've read.

Ed

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The three models you've mentioned are all excellent. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, but there is a really important thing to consider: how they feel in your ears. Is there is any way you can try them out at a local dealer before you buy? Everybody's ears are different, and even though manufacturers offer different tips, some models are more comfortable than others.

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The three models you've mentioned are all excellent. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, but there is a really important thing to consider: how they feel in your ears. Is there is any way you can try them out at a local dealer before you buy? Everybody's ears are different, and even though manufacturers offer different tips, some models are more comfortable than others.

I don't know of any manufacturer that allows you to try on in-ear monitors due to health concerns, however the higher end Shure model of in-ears I have are designed to be custom moldable. This means that they can be used stand alone with the provided inserts or soft pieces that close your ear canal, or you can go to an audiologist and have your ear canal molded and then send the in-ears off to have inserted into the mold. This is the best noise rejection, is what professional musicians do, and is not terribly expensive. The downside being if you decided that you didn't like them when you were said and done, you're left with a very expensive set of in ear monitors that literally no one else in the world can use.

My $0.02.

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The retailers that sold me my Westone universal fit IEMs had sealed packages of assorted tips for customers to use as they audition. The packs were opened in front of me and alcohol wipes were provided. After I auditioned them, the tips were thrown away and the IEMs were wiped down. I don't know if every retailer provides this kind of service, but most should if they want their customers to feel good about a $400 purchase.

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" that allows you to try on in-ear monitors due to health concerns, "

Every year at NAMM, and other shows, they all do so at their booths, with large supplies of the basic plug-tip. as for custom earmolds, they are of course 'pay in advance', so study them well (features, materials, etc), then get professional investments (ear casting) made by an audiologist to have turned into your custom IEM's.

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Don't know what your budget is, but look at the JHAudio stuff.

http://www.jhaudio.c...-music-products

when i got my ultimate ears, the salesman told me that JHaudio was the company started by the guy who started ultimate ears and left after selling the company to logitech.

the JH11 sounded very similar to the UE11 that i ended up getting.

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