Alclair Tour Triple IEMs: Anyone using them?

[monkeyland]

Feathers not Ruffled. People seem to be enjoying their in ear monitors. And I appreciate that and am happy for them. Many happen to have 64 audio monitors, which are $900 for the A4s. I just joined this band that I'll be using In Ear Monitors. I haven't had a gig with them. I expect after 2 gigs I'll have paid for the monitors, assuming I also factor in gas/tolls/etc... But how much will we work? I dunno, we got a few weddings next year, some in limbo. So we're still building.

I have high pitched tinnitus as well. I feel your pain.

I talked with both Alclair and In Earz on the phone. They both recommended a pair by my explanation of my music situation, but did not offer a universal trial option. I didn't ask, they didn't offer. I assume cost savings of these two brands factors in the fact they don't have trial monitors to send to clients. Or they just didn't care to provide the best customer service they could have. I don't want to charge them with the latter.

Well said. And the thing about it is, if the corporate band takes off, and the gigs are like the good corporate bands around here, you will not be worried about upgrading in the future. Those gigs pay well in this part of the country. Then you can spring for that fodera!

 

[Jon Mush]

I have a pair of the Tour Customs. I got them years ago. They were my first custom fit ears and I'm quite comfortable with them. I've played smaller stages and larger venues and never felt like anything was lacking. My last time through MN, I stopped in and toured the shop with my son. We both listened to every model that made. (At that time, the Spires were the top of the line. Theyre out of my price range, but those sounded amazing.). But for my taste, at that budget, the tours would be my choice.

I don't really feel that the bottom is really accentuated, they're full down there, but not authoritative or tilted toward the low end. They're just strong in a musical way. Vocals sound good and are very clear, the detail overall is quite good as well. I had to use Shure universals for a few weeks a while back, and I missed them dearly.

The band touring sched has been pretty heavy for about 5 years now and they've behaved like a champ. The only issues I've ever had with them are due to clumsiness on my own part. The folks at Alclair have been great to deal with, and have accommodated both questions and my road schedule. They've been a pleasure. Hope that helps.

 

[s0c9]

Another thing to keep in mind is that 64 audio made their name when they were priced lower than their competition, and lots of the people who love them here bought theirs (or at least their first pair) back when they were less expensive (ie when they had non-ADEL/APEX models). There's no doubt that they are great monitors and they deserve their reputation but they are not aimed at the same market segment that they used to be, and companies like Alclair and Inearz are filling that gap.

Thanks
I'm a 64 Audio "artist" and have been using their IEM's for about 5 yrs now.
It's noted in my sig, but I don't try to sell anyone on them. Yes, they are very much up there with "top"guys now.
I own both a set of Qi's (now backups) and A8's.. and I totally LOVE the amount of BASS I can put into each..
They're pretty good on the audiophile side too.
My guitar player has a set of UE7'sd, singer has A12's, drummer was on his THIRD repair of his AlienEarz at one point. Spent more time with those in the shop than using them.
Anyways. .WHATEVER vendor one chooses, I HIGHLY recommend triple drivers (or better) if you play bass. .some have 2LF and one HF. Some have one each of LF, Mid and HF. With enclosed customs (non ADEL/APEX) you'll have LESS ear fatigue and be able to wear them longer (as a result) with multiple drivers splitting out the various frequencies.
I say this because SO MANY go with single drivers - like SE215's - and end up hating the mix.
It's like having a PA speaker with only ONE driver. With EVERYTHING going thru it, it will be muddy, distorted and pretty horrible. It's a mechanical limitation of a speaker. Why would you want to miniaturize that and stick it inside your ear?
My $0.02

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

Are you looking at just custom iems or are unversals with comply or triple flange tips a option? If your are open to try it the Kz Zs6 quad drivers destroy everything I have compared them to and only cost $45. I would buy upgraded tips and a cable but even after getting all of the upgrades I'm still under $100 and they sound so clear the bass isn't overpowering but its deffinitly able to be heard. These are basically a chinese knock off of the Campfire Audio Andromedas that cost $1500.

 

[BassAndReeds]

Are you looking at just custom iems or are unversals with comply or triple flange tips a option? If your are open to try it the Kz Zs6 quad drivers destroy everything I have compared them to and only cost $45. I would buy upgraded tips and a cable but even after getting all of the upgrades I'm still under $100 and they sound so clear the bass isn't overpowering but its deffinitly able to be heard. These are basically a chinese knock off of the Campfire Audio Andromedas that cost $1500.

Interesting idea. But yes, I am partial to custom.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

Hey @BassAndReeds, what did you end up deciding on for your IEMs?

 

[BassAndReeds]

Hey @BassAndReeds, what did you end up deciding on for your IEMs?

I decided on InEarz p450

4 drivers and 3 crossovers. For less price as the Tours from Auclair. I chose an all clear design.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

I decided on InEarz p450

4 drivers and 3 crossovers. For less price as the Tours from Auclair. I chose an all clear design.

Nice! How do they sound?

Looking at the Inearz website, they look to be more expensive than the tours. Did you get a special price?

 

[BassAndReeds]

Nice! How do they sound?

Looking at the Inearz website, they look to be more expensive than the tours. Did you get a special price?

Wow. Maybe I did. I didn't pay $750 for them.

I just purchased them last winter. I'm not part of any association that would get me a discount.

But they did move their office since then, so maybe that cost is added to their products.

 

[BassAndReeds]

Nice! How do they sound?

Looking at the Inearz website, they look to be more expensive than the tours. Did you get a special price?

They sound good. I don't have anything to compare it to. But I can hear everything clearly. I do have individual control of all instrument levels in my personal monitor.

 

[Beejky]

I realize that this thread is from 2016 but I just bought the CMVK five driver from alclair and I love them. We went with senn 3g radios and I have used several ear buds with them and would come away from gigs with my ears in shambles. The Alclair CMVK's not only let me hear what I wanted but a 1/3 the volume. I have never let a gig not having my ears ringing from either stage volume or my drummers crash.

What a delight to be able to turn down the IEM radio, and then turn it down again, and then again.

Last gig I did not have to turn the radio up in my car to hear it on the way home.

$899.00 G3+1000.00 G3 Combiner with antenna+ just shy of 700 for in ears that really work. Priceless!

Hi,

I just won an audition for a Top 40/Wedding/Corporate/etc... band that doesn't use any onstage monitoring. Solely IEMs for everyone. I'm new to this. Anyone use the Alclair Tour Triple IEMs? They're marketing says they're what I need. Designed for Bass players (and Drummers). Also, for Vocals. I'll be doing Bass, background vocals, possibly lead on a song or two, and possibly saxophone on a medley.

Anyone use the Alclair Tour Triples? Happy? Unhappy?

(Note: I've looked into the '64 A4s ($900). They are much more expensive than the ($500) Alclairs. $900 is a lot at this point for a band that is working, but still building a client base)

 

[BassAndReeds]

I realize that this thread is from 2016 but I just bought the CMVK five driver from alclair and I love them. We went with senn 3g radios and I have used several ear buds with them and would come away from gigs with my ears in shambles. The Alclair CMVK's not only let me hear what I wanted but a 1/3 the volume. I have never let a gig not having my ears ringing from either stage volume or my drummers crash.

What a delight to be able to turn down the IEM radio, and then turn it down again, and then again.

Last gig I did not have to turn the radio up in my car to hear it on the way home.

$899.00 G3+1000.00 G3 Combiner with antenna+ just shy of 700 for in ears that really work. Priceless!

Only 6 months ago (2017)

Glad you're enjoying your monitors

 

[Fun Size Nick]

I realize that this thread is from 2016 but I just bought the CMVK five driver from alclair and I love them. We went with senn 3g radios and I have used several ear buds with them and would come away from gigs with my ears in shambles. The Alclair CMVK's not only let me hear what I wanted but a 1/3 the volume. I have never let a gig not having my ears ringing from either stage volume or my drummers crash.

What a delight to be able to turn down the IEM radio, and then turn it down again, and then again.

Last gig I did not have to turn the radio up in my car to hear it on the way home.

$899.00 G3+1000.00 G3 Combiner with antenna+ just shy of 700 for in ears that really work. Priceless!

NICE! I've been keen to hear reports on the CMVK...I would have them if I could swing the cash. A rep from Alclair's description of them was something like: "they are in no way a 'balanced' monitor...but what they are is awesome (for bassist & drummers)". 4 woofers and 1 tweeter will do that

 

[Beejky]

NICE! I've been keen to hear reports on the CMVK...I would have them if I could swing the cash. A rep from Alclair's description of them was something like: "they are in no way a 'balanced' monitor...but what they are is awesome (for bassist & drummers)". 4 woofers and 1 tweeter will do that

I probably would not use them to master a recording, but they are not "boomy." At low volume to don't have to go looking for the bottom, It is there!

I have to share my "unboxing" experience because it is funny now that I think back on it.

I got the notice that they had delivered and I was on my way to a service call (IT guy by trade) so I swung by the house and grabbed them out of the mailbox. I had them out of the box before I got out of the neighborhood and thought "Well, I am going to hook them up to my iPhone to see how they sound!"

I get to a stop light, I put them in where I "thought" they should be, and alas they didn't sound any better than every other ear bud I had ever used.

Que Buyer remorse in 3..2..1.

I looked up in the rearview mirror and noticed they were sticking out of my ears a lot so I pulled the right one out and looked closely at it. I noticed a kind of a "Double notch" at the top of them and then I felt my ear and realized they were not in all of the way. I put the bud back in my ear and reached over the top of my head and pulled up on my right ear. Pop in went in the rest of the way.

Now mind you, I had my iPhone playing music at a volume that appeared to be high enough to make them work "in the position they had been in."

BOOM! Holy Smokes! Where is the volume control!

Buyers remorse exits stage left........

OMG OMG OMG!

I love them. iPhone volume set at about 1/3. Wore them for 4 straight hours and heard stuff that I had never heard before (which means I had to go back an relearn 3 hours of music.)

We have all been in a situation where you just can quite hear that bass line. That problem is history!

IMHO If you are a bass player or a drummer you can't loose buying these things.

 

[quilanthegreat]

Glad to hear positive reviews on Alclair. I put in my order for the Spire 6 driver model on Saturday and mailed in my molds yesterday. I was really having a hard choosing between Alclair and 64 Audio, but the 30% Black Friday discounting on the Spires meant I got a custom molded, 6 driver in ear from a reputable company for less than $615. I can't wait to get them to see if all the hype about custom molds is true. I'll let you all know what I think after I've spent some time with them. First thing I'll do is throw a proper bourbon down the hatch and then listen to "Hunter" by Bjork - I'm fully anticipating a life altering experience.

@Jon Mush - would you mind sharing some of your thoughts about the Spires?

 

[s0c9]

Glad to hear positive reviews on Alclair. I put in my order for the Spire 6 driver model on Saturday and mailed in my molds yesterday. I was really having a hard choosing between Alclair and 64 Audio, but the 30% Black Friday discounting on the Spires meant I got a custom molded, 6 driver in ear from a reputable company for less than $615. I can't wait to get them to see if all the hype about custom molds is true. I'll let you all know what I think after I've spent some time with them. First thing I'll do is throw a proper bourbon down the hatch and then listen to "Hunter" by Bjork - I'm fully anticipating a life altering experience.

@Jon Mush - would you mind sharing some of your thoughts about the Spires?

Much as I've considered upgrading my 64 A8's to the their new N8's, the price is just way out there. The Alclair CMVK are VERY reasonably priced... as are the Spire.. and yes, the BF deal would make them a great deal !!
Not in the market right now..

 

[drumstix5001]

I am a drummer and am now in the market for some new in ears after my puppy got a hold of my shure se425s that I had been using for years. I want to go the custom route now, and had always wanted a set of the ultimate ears UE 11 pros, but those are just too expensive right now. I have been going back and forth between the Alclair tours and the 64 Audio A4t. The 64 audio i feel like would really meet what I am looking for, but they would be a stretch for me and the Alclair tours seem like they would be a really good match as well.

I had thought about the Alclair CMVKs but i think I have decided against them because I feel like they arent exactly what i will need. I mainly will use them playing drums and casually while listening to music. I am not currently in a band but that may change soon and I would want to start doing some vocals as well as drums and eventually would hope to play live. I don't feel the CVMK would be ideal in all those situations which is why I think I have decided on the Tours.

If anyone is familiar with the three mentioned models and how they compare I would love to hear some input on which I should potentially get.

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

I was really close to pulling the trigger on some custom mold iems but I just got some Bgvp Dm6 five ba in ears for $170 on the black friday sale paired with my spinfit twinblade cp220 m2 size eartips. I think I may wait on customs now these things get and maintain a perfect seal and are extremely comfy have very strong bass response and excellent instrument sepperation its just another more affordable option for those who arent ready to drop the coin on full customs.

 

[quilanthegreat]

Circling back to my post #35, maybe some users will find this helpful.

Let me preface my experience with the caveat that my situation is most likely isolated to a very small amount of Alclair users and also note that this will be a long post.
I purchased a pair of Spires from Alclair in November 2018 during their black Friday sale. I went to a respected audiologist that was recommended by 2 friends who had their molds taken from this person as well. After purchase, I sent in my ear molds and waited the standard 5 weeks. At the end of week 5, I contacted Alclair for an update and was told my monitors were in quality control and should ship out the next day assuming no problems. Three days after this, I contacted them again and was told that my monitors did not pass QC and that they were being re-shelled. Alclair expedited this and my new monitors were shipped to me 2 weeks after that. Once I received my monitors, the fit was so completely terrible I convinced myself they must have mixed up my molds with someone else's because there was nothing custom about the fit.

After speaking with Grace and sending over pics of the poor fit, they figured the problem was the canals being built too small. After 2 rounds of back and forth, the fit from the Spires was still completely unusable for me. At that point, we decided that I should move to the CMVKs because the fewer drivers might make the fit better for my anatomy, we also agreed that I should have a second pair of ear impressions shot so they had something else to work with. So now I wait for a completely new set of monitors to be made (again expedited to within 1 - 2 weeks). I hear back that the second impressions that I sent are not usable, and I go back to the audiologist a third time. I finally get a usable impression (Alclair prefers an impression of the complete ear anatomy - meaning outer ear and all, apparently most IEM companies are fine with just an impression of the helix and canal). My CMVKs are sent over, and again there are fit issues in both ears - although the fit was getting much closer than the Spires. Maybe 2 or 3 more rounds of back and forth for fit adjustments and by the first week of April I had a usable product (original purchase was November). Now that I have a usable product, I can say the the CMVKs are fine for stage use, but I could not recommend for daily/casual listening (obviously not their intended use but that's why I chose Spire first). I feel like the instrument separation is insufficient and things start to sound harsh and distorted. After my experience and after using their product, I would suggest saving until you can afford the A4's from 64 Audio and go that route. 3D printing seems to yield better results than hand poured IEM, at least from my anecdotal evidence.

Now here is where I will sing the praises of the customer service Alclair provides. Throughout the whole process, I never once felt like Alcair wasn't in my corner and trying their best to make me the best product they could. I suspect they lost money on me as a customer considering I purchased the monitors at a 30% discount, then moved to a cheaper model which they reimbursed the price difference. They spent untold hours working with me and on my monitors, they reimbursed me for the cost of the third set of impressions, and went above and beyond in trying to make it right. I can't recommend their customer service and helpful attitude any higher. Although the overall experience was stressful, Grace and Jeremy made it that much better with their professionalism. I now use the comparison that Alclair is the more affordable product like a MIM Fender bass, and 64 Audio is the equivalent of the American Fender line. Both are completely usable, but you get what you pay for.