Beginner IEM

[Derekuda]

Hello all! I recently started learning the bass guitar. I have a Focusrite that I use to practice with on my laptop and I wanted to get some IEM so that I am not bugging my wife. I purchased 2 sets of low end, KZ ZS10 Pro and KZ ZSN Pro X. The first pair are very bass heavy while the second are more flat sounding.
Now coming from the non-musician world where I typically buy Sony wireless earbuds that heavily emphasize bass, I am not sure how IEM are supposed to sound. My understanding is that when you eventually play with a band, you want IEM that have a broad range so you can hear all everything? Or is that not correct? What sound profile should I be looking for in my first pair of IEM?

 

[Fishface]

If you're planning on using in a band the ZS10 would be better for a bass player, so that you will hear more bass fullness. The ZSN is more general purpose.
I prefer the KZ ZAX over the ZS10, since it's a bit more even in the mids. They don't cost that much more.

Also get some Comply 500 foam tips, for whichever KZ you choose. You'll thank me later.

 

[Derekuda]

If you're planning on using in a band the ZS10 would be better for a bass player, so that you will hear more bass fullness. The ZSN is more general purpose.
I prefer the KZ ZAX over the ZS10, since it's a bit more even in the mids. They don't cost that much more.

Also get some Comply 500 foam tips, for whichever KZ you choose. You'll thank me later.

I appreciate the reply. Right now its just for practicing at home. Eventually I hope to play in my church. Not so much a tradtional band..... at least not yet. But as for my original question, what am I supposed to go for when buying IEM? Am I supposed to be looking for something that pushes bass more or am I supposed to use something that sounds more open to hear every instrument?

 

[Fishface]

Determine what is important to YOU.
For me, in both church and many other gigs, the ZAX or ZS10 are better because it specifically offers more bass. The ZS10 might be a bit too much bass and less mid content, which is why the ZAX is better for my preferences.
Also, the ZSN Pro X is only 2 drivers, so each have to deliver more sonic range, thus less quality per driver. They're less expensive (around 25-30 on Amazon).
The ZS10 has 5, so they are going to each be more precise. They're more expensive (around $50 on amazon).

Either will do for you. You just have to decide what is more important for YOU.
Also, get the foam tips. seriously.

 

[tb-player]

Dissenting opinion here. KZs are nicely affordable, but Ive never been able to dial them in to suit my needs. I've owned a few pairs and they're just okay. Id say, spend a little more and look for something more balanced without a direct driver. A bass driver can seriously overpower the mids and highs, making it more difficult to hear the rest of the band. My main gigging IEMs are Westone and they're really great.

 

[Fishface]

Yep... can't honestly compare KZ & Westone. But for beginner, KZ are fine in my opinion. Looking to switch over to something more than KZ, and the Westone would be on that list to consider.

 

[aprod]

Just use headphones at home.

 

[waveman]

Depends on if you have dedicated mix. I use CCA 10's which are a little bass heavy, and it works perfect with a single mix. I hear myself nice and clear and no one else complains, and they are using Sony and Xvive. Drummer uses CCA 12's.

 

[scuzzy]

I use cca 16's. Got the 20's, and I prefer the 16 for live music. 20's are great for just listening to music though. I also have the 10's and 12's.

I like the cca stuff. Same company as KZ, just tweaked different.

 

[logdrum]

A good ear cleaning from a clinic that specializes in important or something other than Q-tips. On my last physical, Doc told me to properly clean my ears and that made a lot of things better, even mild headaches and balance, - on the boogie board

 

[samjclee]

I went through several Chi-Fi IEMs, and now moved on to custom IEM. I am fully on IEMs for most of my gigs past 4-5 years, and I'm not going back to wedges as long as IEM options are available. and ZS10 pro is something I recommend for the best quality for its price. One thing I'd like to say is that whatever you are using, mixing well and having a proper gain structure for your monitor are as important as having a good set.

 

[NocoLaw]

I use the ZS10s, and I like them just fine. I don't have any problem hearing the singer and lead guitar, but I hear the bass from them better than others I've compared; which are The Shure 215 (I think - the ones that come with the PSM 300), Kiwi Ears (a little less $ than the KZs), and some customs that me keys player wears (I don't remember the brand). I felt like the KZs reproduced the bass more prominently, which I want. The rest of the band wears the Kiwis, because they sound good for the money. The keys player's ear is obviously different from mine, and I wasn't comparing in a playing setting, just messing around to hear the drivers. They were great audio, just not tuned to hi-light bass, which is customizable and could be done. If I was going to spend real money on them, I'd look at them, but they approach $1,000, and for my purposes, aren't necessary. I do highly recommend getting the foam for better isolation than the silicone tips that come on most of the less expensive IEMs. Everyone in my crew likes them better on the Kiwis too.

 

[basspraiser]

I use these in my church band and really like them

Spectrum Series by Future Sonics

Future Sonics Spectrum Series: The next generation in-ear universal fit professional monitors (IEM) for stage, studio, worship, broadcast and personal use.

www.spectrumseries.biz

 

[oldcatfish]

When I was regularly gigging in churches and subbing for bands, I never knew what I was getting into. If it was in ear monitors….I had cheap wired earbuds (both bass boosted and flat sounding ones) and a small mixer that I took with me just in case. Depending on which instrument I was playing, determined which ones I chose. For me, the most important thing wasn't even the sound, but how well they stayed in my ear.

If you're just learning to play, get whatever is cheapest, and works for you. You can always save up for a nice in-ear set when you actually need them. Personally, I find that I have a bit better volume control with over the ear headphones, so that's what I use to practice.

 

[Kerplunk]

Also get some Comply 500 foam tips, for whichever KZ you choose. You'll thank me later.

Thanks for the tip. I went to the Comply site to check them out. They have a search function to make the right choice. I have the KZ zs10 pro, which they suggest the Comply 600 tips. Not that the 500's wont fit, or do just as good a job, as I wouldn't know. Just thought I'd mention it, if anyone else was looking to get this product from somewhere else, maybe cheaper, than the manufacturer.

 

[Strane]

Hello all! I recently started learning the bass guitar. I have a Focusrite that I use to practice with on my laptop and I wanted to get some IEM so that I am not bugging my wife. I purchased 2 sets of low end, KZ ZS10 Pro and KZ ZSN Pro X. The first pair are very bass heavy while the second are more flat sounding.
Now coming from the non-musician world where I typically buy Sony wireless earbuds that heavily emphasize bass, I am not sure how IEM are supposed to sound. My understanding is that when you eventually play with a band, you want IEM that have a broad range so you can hear all everything? Or is that not correct? What sound profile should I be looking for in my first pair of IEM?

I would consider this. I use it to play at home. You can connect it to the computer, iPhone or whatever you want.

 

[el murdoque]

If you're planning on using in a band the ZS10 would be better for a bass player, so that you will hear more bass fullness. The ZSN is more general purpose.
I prefer the KZ ZAX over the ZS10, since it's a bit more even in the mids. They don't cost that much more.

Also get some Comply 500 foam tips, for whichever KZ you choose. You'll thank me later.

While I agree on the tips, I beg to differ on the advice towards bass heavy earpieces. When you listen to your bass with exaggerated response, you will probably process it so it sounds good to your ears, which entails that it will sound thinner everywhere else. A good pair of IEMs with a flat response is capable of producing heavy bass when you send it heavy bass.

Dissenting opinion here. KZs are nicely affordable, but Ive never been able to dial them in to suit my needs. I've owned a few pairs and they're just okay. Id say, spend a little more and look for something more balanced without a direct driver. A bass driver can seriously overpower the mids and highs, making it more difficult to hear the rest of the band. My main gigging IEMs are Westone and they're really great.

I've had the ZS-5, the ZS-10 pro and the AS-10. I kept the older ZS-5 as a backup, because they work okay for IEM. I don't think I paid more than 50 bucks for any of these. And each and every set of these completely smoke the Shure SE215 which cost more than twice that. There is a heavy gap between the cheaper Chinese IEMs and high quality IEMs that clearly outperform them.

Just use headphones at home.

That's another good suggestion. I use my Sennheiser HD650 at home. Much easier to put on and take off, great sound, no isolation.

 

[RattleSnack]

KZ IEMs are all very nice, but I found they need EQ for neutral response. My band plays all IEM and without amps, so good IE monitoring is a must.
Since we use digital mixer, I devised EQ curve to compensate for that bassy trebly response, saved it as a preset, and applied it to every AUX out.
If you can do some EQ before the output, just cut a bit of that low and high response.

 

[JamesGrant]

I know people that go for the cheapo ZST and are happy. Personally I prefer the Shure 215se. (£85/$100USD) they are comfortable, fairly neutral, robust. I've had my pair for 8 years.
I'd go custom but I'm worried about them getting lost/damaged whereas the Shures are cheap enough to quickly replace without be feeling a big dent in the finances!!

 

[GTHintz]

Hello all! I recently started learning the bass guitar. I have a Focusrite that I use to practice with on my laptop and I wanted to get some IEM so that I am not bugging my wife. I purchased 2 sets of low end, KZ ZS10 Pro and KZ ZSN Pro X. The first pair are very bass heavy while the second are more flat sounding.
Now coming from the non-musician world where I typically buy Sony wireless earbuds that heavily emphasize bass, I am not sure how IEM are supposed to sound. My understanding is that when you eventually play with a band, you want IEM that have a broad range so you can hear all everything? Or is that not correct? What sound profile should I be looking for in my first pair of IEM?

The best I could advise would be to look for a decent iem that has a wide frequency range and then once you get the right ear tip and you're comfortable and seated well in your ear then you should have a good foundation to EQ from. You'll figure out how you want to sound both solo practice and with your band after some experimentation. I've used a few kz in ears and they definitely range from super loud and shrill to very mellow. I noticed that they are definitely nice for how cheap but I've recently started using some Shure audio 215 and I think I really like them. The biggest difference to me is that it doesn't have as much volume as the kz but the dynamic range is much more useable and I can still get plenty loud from my other gear. The sub bass is phenomenal compared to the kz and it's very neutral which allows my very expensive GK Plex preamp to push more EQ without fighting what was already in the kz. I think you should try to find a flatter in ear as well as something with a curve or use your Sony and see if you like that. You'll know once you start playing with EQ to find where to go. Maybe use the Sony but run your EQ flat and see what that sounds like and keep walking it in from there. But also if you go the flatter in ear route it might be easier to mix the other instruments in your band on stage. You'll have more flexibility which is another nice thing. Shure, Sennheiser, Mackie, audio Technica are all really nice quality so if you're ok with used just try to find something good second hand. You might find say a Shure 535 for around 60$ used when new they are like 300+$. Also don't get too insane with how many drivers are in the iem. A Shure single driver sounds nicer than a 5 driver Chinese kz or something equivalent. You want quality over quantity. A lot of the Chinese ones pack drivers in and don't even wire them in. It's just so they can market that it's more intricate than it is. If you do like Sony I'm sure they have a nice iem you can pick up as well. Hopefully this rant is helpful