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Getting IEM cables to not be annoying!!

dirtychinchilla

dirtychinchilla

Dec 23, 2007
659
670
London, UK
#1
I'm using some fairly budget IEMs at the moment (XZ ZS10 Pro), but they work very nicely on the whole. I have a wireless pack, which I normally put onto my belt instead of my strap as I find it knocks into my bass otherwise.

What really annoys me is the cable. I've not found a way to get it to sit nicely and not pull when I'm playing. I was just wondering if anyone had a solution to this?

The cable for the IEMs is probably set up more for having it run down your front instead of your back, but that's not really practical.

Any ideas?
 
#2
Most folks I've seen run it down the back. They use a clip to anchor it somewhere around the nape of the neck to give slack for head movement. I had some kz's and they didn't come with a clip. You can improvise though, or just buy a clip
 
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#3
flojob said:
Most folks I've seen run it down the back. They use a clip to anchor it somewhere around the nape of the neck to give slack for head movement. I had some kz's and they didn't come with a clip. You can improvise though, or just buy a clip
Click to expand...

That makes a hell of a lot of sense, thanks very much! Mine didn't come with a clip, so I've got some on order from Amazon.

How did you find the KZs? I'm weighing up whether to upgrade massively by getting moulded in-ears. But they are in the region of £250-£300 dependent on whether or not you choose the ones with ambient sound, which are the more expensive. I'm also weighing up whether or not the ambient sound would be helpful as I don't have a feel for how much the non-ambient would isolate me from the drums, which are not normally micced at our gigs.
 
#6
I had the same issue with these earbuds, the cable was constantly getting stuck in my strap and tugging. I ended up getting custom IEMs and they have a cinch that secure the IEMs in place against my head. That seems to have helped a lot. It may be that the cable quality is superior, but I also have forgotten to cinch the customs and the cable has gotten stuck, so I do think that's a real factor (as silly as it may sound).

As for how isolated you get from the drums with molded IEMs, you can still hear the drums unless you're really far away from them. Almost all of them claim a 26 db pad, so it mutes them a bit but they still come through. I've toyed with the idea of the ambient port, there are times when I loosen one of my earbuds to get some ambient sound. Haven't committed to the idea of it though because it's easy to loosen/tighten the earbud but would be harder to take a plug in/out during a set.
 
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#8
lildrgn said:
You must be magic or you don't stand and wear a bass on a strap. Otherwise, what happens to the cable when you stand up? Is it under your guitar strap? Help me understand!!
Click to expand...
Because the cable is under my shirt, the strap doesn’t touch it or snag it.
I also tuck the cables from the buds over my ears to prevent them being pulled out, negating the need for clips.
I never have a drama.
 
#10
Chickenwheels said:
Because the cable is under my shirt, the strap doesn’t touch it or snag it.
I also tuck the cables from the buds over my ears to prevent them being pulled out, negating the need for clips.
I never have a drama.
Click to expand...
hold up, i am thick today. If I run the wire under my shirt, and then put my bass on, the strap runs over my shirt, which is over the wire, at which point it is trapped and potentially pulled with any guitar movement.

Is that how you're doing it? If so, that's pretty awesome. For me, I think there would be too much pulling and discomfort.
 
#11
Get the upgrade braded cable. Not only is it less flimsy and annoying, but it improves the SOUND of the KZ buds IMMENSELY. Seriously, you won't believe the difference in sound.

Amazon.com: Linsoul Tripowin Zonie 16 Core Silver Plated Cable SPC Earphone Cable for KZ ZSX, ZSN Pro, ZS10 Pro NF2u, QDC IEMs (QDC-3.5mm, Grey) : Electronics

And, yes, run it down the back of your shirt. There's really no other way to keep it out of the way. You get used to how much "slack" you'll need to be able to turn your head. Don't over thing that part. You'll figure it out quickly. Down the back is the only way.
 
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#12
lildrgn said:
hold up, i am thick today. If I run the wire under my shirt, and then put my bass on, the strap runs over my shirt, which is over the wire, at which point it is trapped and potentially pulled with any guitar movement.

Is that how you're doing it? If so, that's pretty awesome. For me, I think there would be too much pulling and discomfort.
Click to expand...
Once that wire is on your skin, it doesn’t want to move. Plus the shirt doesn’t want to grab it, even with a strap on. It just works for me.
 
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#16
I solved this problem. I used 2 strip ties one on each end of the strap you leave a little slack on each one I run the cord with the plug end along the length of the strap and leave enough room to move around with the buds and have enough room to plug into the belt pack. then I fastened a little pouch on the top part of the strap to put the buds in when we take a break.
 
#17
Thanks for all your advice everyone. Gigged on the weekend with a piece of tape on the cable on the back of my neck and that worked perfectly. Good, simple solution!

Unfortunately, there was a load of drum bleed from one of the mics so I was still deafened. Not sure how I deal with that issue.
 

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