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Double Bass Anybody here use IEM's?

E

Evan Corcoran

Jul 12, 2016
14
3
#1
Hello,

The touring gig I have this year will be using IEM's, and it is on me to pick out some earphones that I think will work best for me. The rest of the system is all set up.

There is a lot of opinions to wade through, and it's a bit exhausting since most reviews and opinions aren't that relatable. I'm exclusively playing upright, arco 20-30% of the time, fiddle player, and female singer/acoustic guitar player. Most of the reviews I can easily find are from electric bass/guitar/keyboards/drummers with real loud stage volumes and stuff like that.

So my question is, anybody gigging regularly with IEM's that could recommend a pair?

I don't need really good sound (although it would be nice of course), I'm just looking for something that I won't hate, as is frequently the case with traditional floor wedges. I'm hoping to stay under $750, but would potentially go higher. It looks like the custom molded ones are out of the question based on price, but I'm still looking.

Thanks in advance, any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
#2
I use IEMs, though not all the time. They are wonderful for some situations, though - especially when you can control the mix. It's much easier to hear your pitch through IEMs than a loud stage, so that's helpful.

I've been using Westones for a long time. I'm getting ready to step up to custom molds, but even the Westone UM30 or UM50 would be a very good option for you.
 
#5
Evan Corcoran said:
Which Westones have you been using? And what custom molds are you thinking about getting?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I've been using the old UM2, a dual driver. They are on the fritz after 5 years of regular use, but they've done a good job for me. I'm most likely going for the ES50s, which are above your price point, but the ES20's are right there.

For universals, you could get the UM Pro 30 for about $400 or the Pro 50 for $650. Those are great phones, and should work very well for DB. Just find the right foam inserts and you'll be good to go.
 
#6
I have been playing at a music theatre about 250 shows a year. I have only used IEM for about 8 years. I play upright bass some but mainly Electric bass. I go thru a Rolls PM351. I use the Westone UM pro 30. I am waiting on my Pro 50s to come in Thursday. You can find them online for $439. You can find the Pro 30s for $269
 
#7
I think anything from westone or shure will work well and they have options under and over your budget. I think if you spend more than $500 on any of these you're going to a great set of universal fit IEMs. If you are going to get customs I would wait until your budget is slightly higher to get westone, sensaphonics, Ultimate Ears, or JH audio customs.
 
#8
I actually started out a little bit easy and got myself a pair of MEE Audio M6 Pro universal fit (for $45 brand new). The comply foam tips fit me very well, and not a half bad sound coming from these cheap earbuds. I use a realist and a DPA 4099, and control my own mix via an ipad on stage. It's been 25+ gigs with these, and I have no real desire to upgrade. Mainly based on the fact that these fit me real well and sound good. I never want to use traditional monitors ever again, IEM's are amazing.
 
#9
I switched to Shure SE535s after about 6 years of using Shure SE215s. The difference was a night-and-day situation. Saving some pennies to have the audiologist in the band do some custom ear molds for me. They sound great, though.
 
#11
The SE215s have a baked in bass response, so they allowed me to have a perception of more bass frequencies than were actually there. That allowed me to turn down the buds a bit and still get an approximation of bass tone through the temporal bone. Both are very good IEMs, but the 535s, with their triple drivers, offer more detail in the mid to high frequencies, and if you can EQ your mix, you can bring that bass response in accordingly.

So, yes, I liked the SE215s, but I also liked the SE535s more. If I had a limited budget (which I did for 6 years), I'd get the 215s and I'd be very happy with them.
 

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