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IEM for Bass Players

#62
Steve88 said:
I use a set of the KZ brand IEM's at church. I forget which model exactly but they were around $50 a few years ago. I think they are a 4 driver model.

They aren't the last word in detail or resolution but they are certainly good enough for my needs. If they ever break I'll probably just get the same thing.

EDIT: I have the KZ ZS10 Pro
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Hi Steve,

I also use the KZ ZS10 Pro’s for both church and band use. They are outstanding IEM’s IMHO, I think because they are “chi-fi” people dismiss them without a thought but they really are good. With 5 drivers per side you can’t go wrong, especially at the price they sell for.
 
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#66
It’s a Tripowin cable (8 core), I think I bought mine from Amazon.

31BED803-271B-4249-9BDD-821499D5F6B2.jpeg
 
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#69
Has anyone used the KZ AS10 IEM’s, they’re also supposed to be quite good?

I was thinking of getting a set of these, but having read comparison A/B reviews the ZS10 Pro’s appear to be the better option.
 
#72
I have the as10's. I quite like them. But, I've only used them a few times as in ears for performance, and they did great. I've read other more experienced iem folks say that you do t need to hear everything, so iems that emphasize lows may be a good option (the V shape eq), like the zs10 are, according to reviews.
I like the idea of having a more accurate representation of the sound though, and supposedly the AS10 are better for that.
The takeaway I guess should be that I've never used any kz iems except the AS10, but I like them a lot haha I haven't felt any lack of bass or sound quality
 
#73
How many of you IEM users sing? When you sing, do you hear your own voice resonating in your head so that you don't need to be turned up in the mix?

I ask because I use hearing protection for every gig, and I hear my own voice well enough that I often don't need monitors.
 
#74
flojob said:
I have the as10's. I quite like them. But, I've only used them a few times as in ears for performance, and they did great. I've read other more experienced iem folks say that you do t need to hear everything, so iems that emphasize lows may be a good option (the V shape eq), like the zs10 are, according to reviews.
I like the idea of having a more accurate representation of the sound though, and supposedly the AS10 are better for that.
The takeaway I guess should be that I've never used any kz iems except the AS10, but I like them a lot haha I haven't felt any lack of bass or sound quality
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Yes the KZ’s are amazing value for money. I don’t know how true it is, but someone wrote that for anything like their specification and performance you would have paid £1000 for 10 years ago?

I would be interested to hear how they compare with a bespoke customer mould IEM?
 
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#75
I'm going to rez this thread since I am looking at updating my SE215 IEMs for my wireless system.
I am pretty well versed in IEMs for casual listening. The KZ brand is known for being decent for the money. My concern would be sound isolation and tuning for on stage. An IEM for music listening wouldn't necessarily be designed for optimal attenuation of outside noise, or the frequencies you need to hear properly on stage.

Does anyone have experience with the Mackie IEMs or Audio Technica ATH-e70s?
 
#76
socialleper said:
My concern would be sound isolation and tuning for on stage. An IEM for music listening wouldn't necessarily be designed for optimal attenuation of outside noise, or the frequencies you need to hear properly on stage.
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It's not clear to me why you think it should make a difference. Unless there a specific sonic profile - which one CAN get with customs, but not advertised too often in universals - it's all about the seal, as most IEM's are close in range from 20Hz-16MHz (or higher, the AS10 says 40Mhz, but that's not a human audible frequency).
That means it's the seal in your ears you should worry about with universal fit, not the audio profile. The profile becomes irrelevant [anyway] once the seal is broken and the low end vanishes!

External attenuation values are usually listed in the tech specs for customs. I find many universal don't list those as the values is dependent on too many factors. But if listed, the higher the number (eg: -26Db) the more external attenuation and better isolation.

Based on the few KZ series I've listened to (ZS5, Zs6, AS10) but not used at gigs (they don't stay in my ears) - the audio quality is perfectly fine for live use - as long as they work (seal) in your ears!
 
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#77
s0c9 said:
It's not clear to me why you think it should make a difference. Unless there a specific sonic profile - which one CAN get with customs, but not advertised too often in universals - it's all about the seal, as most IEM's are close in range from 20Hz-16MHz (or higher, the AS10 says 40Mhz, but that's not a human audible frequency).
That means it's the seal in your ears you should worry about with universal fit, not the audio profile. The profile becomes irrelevant [anyway] once the seal is broken and the low end vanishes!

External attenuation values are usually listed in the tech specs for customs. I find many universal don't list those as the values is dependent on too many factors. But if listed, the higher the number (eg: -26Db) the more external attenuation and better isolation.

Based on the few KZ series I've listened to (ZS5, Zs6, AS10) but not used at gigs (they don't stay in my ears) - the audio quality is perfectly fine for live use - as long as they work (seal) in your ears!
Click to expand...
My first concern would be seal.
Something like the se215 is designed to fill in a lot of your outer ear to help with attenuation and to seat them snugly. Something like the BLON BL03 (mentioned earlier by a poster), which I own, are fine for casual music listening, but are horrible for the stage. They don't attenuate well at all, regardless of seal, and they come loose very easily.

Similarly, IEMs designed for music listening might be scooped, which doesn't work well on stage. Clarity and sound stage are great for music listening, but on stage all those subtleties go right out the window. Even with good attenuation the noise on stage is messy, and the mix is whatever the engineer feels like. Something linear is preferable since deep sub bass in an In Ears system is a waste of time. As is "airy" treble. You just can't hear that stuff on stage.

I read some other reviews of the KZ AS10, and people say they sit well in your ear. Since they are cheap in comparison to my other IEMs and Headphones, I'll give them a shot. I have the se215, but I don’t love their tone or seal.
 
#79
socialleper said:
Even with good attenuation the noise on stage is messy, and the mix is whatever the engineer feels like. Something linear is preferable since deep sub bass in an In Ears system is a waste of time. As is "airy" treble. You just can't hear that stuff on stage.
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Couple of things.

If the stage noise is "messy" in your ears, then you are NOT getting good attenuation and have a lot of stage bleed. The isolation should be like standing outside in the middle of nowhere on a windless night. There should be indiscernible noise from the stage with a proper seal.

Deep sub bass in one's IEM depends on whether the BA drivers can handle it. I have 4 * LF drivers in each ear.. I can get plenty of tight sub bass! But mushy uncontrolled sub-bass IS worthless!

The band should not be relying on someone else to mix your IEM's - unless dedicated and familiar with ur needs!
If you have no control over your mix, then yes.. even the wrong level of effects in the mix can make it horrendous.
I've posted this pic before.. but this (or similar) setup - there are many variants, coupled with a splitter snake will support pretty much every situation I've encountered playing live.
Full control of your own mix - assuming you know how to correctly EQ instruments!
With an external "dual band" router you have the ability to control the IEM mix from on stage using phones, tablets, etc. and let FOH do FOH, not monitor mixes!!

The X32 Rack can be replaced with any number of similar consoles.
If the House has a stage box w/ a splitter, then hook the splits into the console
If not, one leg of your splitter goes into the console, the other goes into the House snake. It makes no difference whether the House stage box is analog or digital. Same process!

IEM_Split_Config.png
 
#80
socialleper said:
I have the se215, but I don’t love their tone or seal.
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Seal is more a matter of finding a tip that works well for you I think, which you'll have to do no matter which IEM you use. The rubber Shure tips don't isolate that well for me, but the foam ones work well (I need to use different sizes in each ear though). The tips that come with the KZ buds are even worse than the Shures, but with Comply tips in the right sizes I've found them to work well.
 
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