Need advice on best in-ear buds for playing bass

Marshall Hiwatt · #1 11-01-2007, 10:08 AM

I am trying to get some advice on the best in ear buds for playing bass. The price for some of these are such that you cannot sample the earphones to see if you get the kind of bass response to give you the full sound for playing bass without blowing them (not as much as volume but more like low freq. demands).

I play in duo right now so stage volume is not a concern. We play with tracks some and I also use the butt kicker to feel the bass and the kick drum.

I would just like to spend my money in the right direction for some good in ear headphones. Single driver or dual driver?? Nothing too expensive.

Thanks,
Ace

Diggler · #2 11-01-2007, 11:21 AM

I'll jump right in and say that I'm very happy with my LiveWires. I can't see needing any more than what they offer.

Dual driver/custom molds/replaceable wires/$249.

Petebass · #3 11-02-2007, 05:00 PM

Everyone is going to jump on and say Westone UM2's or Shure E5's.

I happen to own a set of Westone UM 2's and find they aren't as good for bass IEM as the Sennheiser CX300's. The price is their downfall, but interestingly it's not because they're expensive but because they're about a quarter the price of the UM2's. How can they be any good if they're only $90? Believe me, they're fantastic!

knarleybass · #4 11-02-2007, 05:03 PM

I like the Ultimate Ears, dual drivers, they sound great and don't cost an arm and leg.

zac2944 · #5 11-02-2007, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petebass

Everyone is going to jump on and say Westone UM2's or Shure E5's.

I happen to own a set of Westone UM 2's and find they aren't as good for bass IEM as the Sennheiser CX300's. The price is their downfall, but interestingly it's not because they're expensive but because they're about a quarter the price of the UM2's. How can they be any good if they're only $90? Believe me, they're fantastic!

Do you think the ones you see on ebay are real?

They would be about $15 with shipping. Sound too good to be true.

How could one tell if they were fake? I'd be willing to test a pair out, but I don't know if I could spot a fake.

Petebass · #6 11-02-2007, 05:26 PM

The Ebay ones ARE FAKE! I know because I bought a set hoping to use them as a spare. When they arrived, there were obvious differences in the construction, and they sounded horrible compared to the originals.

Do yourself a favour, buy from a reputable Sennheiser dealer. You'll still be ahead by a couple of hundred bucks......

Marshall Hiwatt · #7 11-04-2007, 06:13 PM

Thanks to all for the response. It's most helpful to sort the ones out that are the best candidates for use with bass guitar at the gig. I tried some inexpensive Sony MDR-ED21LP Fontopia with High-powered Neodymium Magnets, about 20 bucks from Sears that actually had pretty good bass response. They were kinda hard to get a good fit in my ear and stay in place while moving my head.

I checked the Live Wires web site out and those seem to be a good deal with dual drivers and custom ear molds. I've seen some others in that price range that did not offer custom molds like M-audio I-30 dual drivers I think it was. Just don't think that they would be as comfortable.

I will check out some of the others mentioned in the thread.

Thanks Again and any other advice would be appreciated.

Ace

Marshall Hiwatt · #8 12-08-2007, 12:53 AM

I decided to go with the Live Wires IEM. I talked with John Diles the audiologist and owner of LiveWires on the phone and he found me an audiologist in Dallas that could take the ear impressions to his specs. The custom ear molds with dual drivers IEM at $249.00 seem to be the best deal compared to others for the same price with no custom molds.

John was very nice to talk with and is really growing a great business.

Stay Tuned,
Ace