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My experience going to custom IEMs
- Thread starter bobbybass85
- Start date
Yeah it was no extra charge for the white border. They have great service and quality. And the fit is perfect the first time!
vision
It's all about the groove!
- Feb 25, 2005
- 3,988
- 618
- 47
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, La Bella Strings, and 64 Audio IEMs
My wait time was around 3 weeks. But it's best to ask the shop though - your wait time will depend on their current backlog.
These Quads are spoiling me. I find myself using them everywhere even in my car when I have a great stereo already. They really are that good, the detail is incredible. I would love to hear the V6
vision
It's all about the groove!
- Feb 25, 2005
- 3,988
- 618
- 47
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, La Bella Strings, and 64 Audio IEMs
+1...when I have mine in at the house I can't hear my son or wife talking when they are right next to me. No way I'd be able to hear another car's horn or the siren from a firetruck while driving.
I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring for 1964 Ears. On March 7 I got ear impressions made and I ordered a set of 1964 Q's. I received them last Friday, March 29.
I am long time (13 years) user of Etymotic Research ER-4, both P and S models. As is well documented they are weak on the low end but they do two things I have never experienced in any in-ear type set of earphones. #1 - They have the best high end and hi-mid response of any type of in-ear I have ever tried. They are very smooth and non-fatiguing and I can and have used for hours on end for both recorded and live music. #2 They fit my ears better than any non custom in-ear I have ever tried. With the low end comments stated I will say I've played bass with them in a live setting numerous times in the past several months and had them to a place that I could live with them if I had to. A Buttkicker probably would have been in my future and I could have been satisfied.
I will qualify my statements a bit further. I've never tried a set of in-ears over about $600. I just cannot justify that kind of money and I'm not a professional musician either. I have tried if only in a demo situation the majority of the non-molded in-ears under that price point. In addition to being a bass player I am also a frequent business traveler. I use my Ety's several times a week during 3 to 5 hour flights. They are my constant companion in flight. I wore out my first set and Etymotic Research replaced them for me at about year 12 for a VERY reasonable amount of money. Truth be told I sent them to the factory to have the cable replaced and they called me and said they'd never seen a pair that old come back and in working condition. They asked me if I'd consider replacing them because they were a bit out of spec. Etymotic Research have customer service that is second to none.
Okay so what about Ety's; this is supposed to be about 1964 Ears Q's. I went through that diatribe to express what I expected which is that honestly I did not ever imagine that I could like a pair of in-ears as much as my Ety's. I picked the 1964's up from the post office on Friday and saw a friend of mine who is about to order his own set. I went to him and said I was almost afraid to put them in because I knew from trying soooo many different sets of in-ears (particularly in the several weeks leading up to placing my order and a bit after) that I was very afraid I'd be disappointed. Let's focus on "putting them in" it's a tiny bit weird at first however mine fit PERFECTLY. I did order the soft tips on the ends which I like. I played 3 church services this weekend with my Q's. They are every bit the in-ear that the Ety's are on top with the bottom end I wanted. I can make the kick drum sound just like it does in the PA, I can feel the kick drum and my bass sounds as good as possible without actually using a real amplifier and I predict that my amp is going to start to collect dust as of now. Another thing is because the isolation is so excellent I'm keeping the overall level down which means no hearing fatigue. They really sound amazing and worth every penny. I'm very lucky to have them.
With that said if you are considering ordering a set of "ears" I'd recommend the 1964's with NO reservations. I'm not one to rant on or brag but I do think that credit is due here. I'm also going to send a copy of this to the 1964 guys - which I never do.
I am long time (13 years) user of Etymotic Research ER-4, both P and S models. As is well documented they are weak on the low end but they do two things I have never experienced in any in-ear type set of earphones. #1 - They have the best high end and hi-mid response of any type of in-ear I have ever tried. They are very smooth and non-fatiguing and I can and have used for hours on end for both recorded and live music. #2 They fit my ears better than any non custom in-ear I have ever tried. With the low end comments stated I will say I've played bass with them in a live setting numerous times in the past several months and had them to a place that I could live with them if I had to. A Buttkicker probably would have been in my future and I could have been satisfied.
I will qualify my statements a bit further. I've never tried a set of in-ears over about $600. I just cannot justify that kind of money and I'm not a professional musician either. I have tried if only in a demo situation the majority of the non-molded in-ears under that price point. In addition to being a bass player I am also a frequent business traveler. I use my Ety's several times a week during 3 to 5 hour flights. They are my constant companion in flight. I wore out my first set and Etymotic Research replaced them for me at about year 12 for a VERY reasonable amount of money. Truth be told I sent them to the factory to have the cable replaced and they called me and said they'd never seen a pair that old come back and in working condition. They asked me if I'd consider replacing them because they were a bit out of spec. Etymotic Research have customer service that is second to none.
Okay so what about Ety's; this is supposed to be about 1964 Ears Q's. I went through that diatribe to express what I expected which is that honestly I did not ever imagine that I could like a pair of in-ears as much as my Ety's. I picked the 1964's up from the post office on Friday and saw a friend of mine who is about to order his own set. I went to him and said I was almost afraid to put them in because I knew from trying soooo many different sets of in-ears (particularly in the several weeks leading up to placing my order and a bit after) that I was very afraid I'd be disappointed. Let's focus on "putting them in" it's a tiny bit weird at first however mine fit PERFECTLY. I did order the soft tips on the ends which I like. I played 3 church services this weekend with my Q's. They are every bit the in-ear that the Ety's are on top with the bottom end I wanted. I can make the kick drum sound just like it does in the PA, I can feel the kick drum and my bass sounds as good as possible without actually using a real amplifier and I predict that my amp is going to start to collect dust as of now. Another thing is because the isolation is so excellent I'm keeping the overall level down which means no hearing fatigue. They really sound amazing and worth every penny. I'm very lucky to have them.
With that said if you are considering ordering a set of "ears" I'd recommend the 1964's with NO reservations. I'm not one to rant on or brag but I do think that credit is due here. I'm also going to send a copy of this to the 1964 guys - which I never do.
vision
It's all about the groove!
- Feb 25, 2005
- 3,988
- 618
- 47
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: MTD Basses, La Bella Strings, and 64 Audio IEMs
Great review! I fully agree.
This is the thing that I am by far the most happy with. I've done studio sessions where I was tracking bass all day with NO ear fatigue because of the fact that I can keep my volume down. Also on gigs I can plat over four hours with LOUD bands but my own ear volume level is at a very comfortable lower level leaving me with no fatigue, and absolutely no ear ringing. Over the long run this is literally gonna change my life.
I'll add that for me this probably wouldn't be specific to 1964 Ears - any customs that are well made and have proper fit would likely give you the same thing as far as isolation. But for anyone that is thinking about the move to in-ears and thinking it's too expensive - it is SOOOOOOOOOOO worth it. For something that costs less than the amount of a decent bass amp head you are getting something that can really change your life.
This is the thing that I am by far the most happy with. I've done studio sessions where I was tracking bass all day with NO ear fatigue because of the fact that I can keep my volume down. Also on gigs I can plat over four hours with LOUD bands but my own ear volume level is at a very comfortable lower level leaving me with no fatigue, and absolutely no ear ringing. Over the long run this is literally gonna change my life.
I'll add that for me this probably wouldn't be specific to 1964 Ears - any customs that are well made and have proper fit would likely give you the same thing as far as isolation. But for anyone that is thinking about the move to in-ears and thinking it's too expensive - it is SOOOOOOOOOOO worth it. For something that costs less than the amount of a decent bass amp head you are getting something that can really change your life.
Great review scowboy. Glad you like em! I'm still loving mine, they'll be in good use this week for three gigs
I have the 1964 duals - I agree on the acrylic tips being more durable, and molds should only cost about $50 at the audiologist.
I enjoy the duals (I got them primarily for a guitar/vocals gig), if I need to upgrade I will - but I think even custom duals would perform better than a triple driver universal fit. The isolation is great and the sound is awesome.
You can't go wrong with 1964 Ears. Great company.
I enjoy the duals (I got them primarily for a guitar/vocals gig), if I need to upgrade I will - but I think even custom duals would perform better than a triple driver universal fit. The isolation is great and the sound is awesome.
You can't go wrong with 1964 Ears. Great company.
Thought I'd chime in with a review on the 1964 Quads. I got them in the low season and have only played about 6 gigs with them so far.
I am very happy with the construction and from all the research I've done I don't think 1964 can be beat with bang for the buck.
I got them for two reasons: a) primarily because I was curious to see if I could be happier playing with IEMs than I can be with an amp and b) to protect my hearing.
With regards to the first question, I am happy playing with the IEM over the amp, not necessarily happier than when playing with an amp. For some gigs, it would probably just be easier to bring my 2x10 cab and micro head and plug in and have a good sound. Using the IEM I need to get the balance of all the instruments just right in my ears so it is a bit more complicated. At my last gig on the other hand, we played in a huge auditorium/echo chamber where the sound was rubbish for the other musicians. For me it was perfect in my ears wherever I moved around on stage.
With regards to the hearing thing, I already have a dip in my hearing and IEMs shall be helping me keep those volumes down and save it.
I can't wait to use them throughout this year as I feel that I can dial my IEM monitoring solution better. In fact, with IEM, they will only sound as good as what is being fed to them from the mixer.
I am very happy with the construction and from all the research I've done I don't think 1964 can be beat with bang for the buck.
I got them for two reasons: a) primarily because I was curious to see if I could be happier playing with IEMs than I can be with an amp and b) to protect my hearing.
With regards to the first question, I am happy playing with the IEM over the amp, not necessarily happier than when playing with an amp. For some gigs, it would probably just be easier to bring my 2x10 cab and micro head and plug in and have a good sound. Using the IEM I need to get the balance of all the instruments just right in my ears so it is a bit more complicated. At my last gig on the other hand, we played in a huge auditorium/echo chamber where the sound was rubbish for the other musicians. For me it was perfect in my ears wherever I moved around on stage.
With regards to the hearing thing, I already have a dip in my hearing and IEMs shall be helping me keep those volumes down and save it.
I can't wait to use them throughout this year as I feel that I can dial my IEM monitoring solution better. In fact, with IEM, they will only sound as good as what is being fed to them from the mixer.
I just read through the (long!) 1964-V6 appreciation thread on head-fi.org and am still confused about whether that would be a better IEM vs. the 1964-Q Quad Driver. I'm a bass player (obviously!) so you'd think the Q would be "better" for my purposes, but as the whole point of an IEM is to hear other key elements of the band in addition to bass, seems like one would want a fuller range, more neutral IEM. Several posts about the V6 mentioned the "separation" in sound, being able to easily pick out individual instruments. I'm kind of siding toward the V6, but would be interested in your comments. I'm a total newbie at the IEM thing. Thanks.
Much of the capability of the V6 would be lost for live play. They were designed for audiophiles and mixing. You would do perfectly well to grab the 1964 V3 for playing bass. Keep in mind that more than a few of the head-fi crowd only listen to classical music, and they're usually the ones praising or detesting certain products. A set of IEMs will only be as good as the signal going to them.
Yes, the V3 description seems more "balanced" than the Quad. Again, I realize bass players love hearing bass, so more is better, right? Well, maybe not in context of wanting to hear other instruments in the mix. So you think the V3 makes more sense than the Q for on-stage monitoring?
