Need IEMs?

[Fun Size Nick]

I use Shure 235 ear Buds which are a lot cheaper than $300, more like well under $200. This series is not going to be the highest fidelity sound which you can get from multiple driver Buds. The reality is what will be sent from your monitor system to your ear Buds is not likely going to be a high fidelity mix. Heaven knows, what I was getting at my church wasn’t close to high fidelity.

I spent about 45 minutes with a Rep from Shure talking about the change from playing abiently to IEM and wanting a good bass response. He suggested having the multiple drivers will reduce the net amount of bass you perceive. Dog gone if he wasn’t right.

Are you getting avioms (individual mixers)? A Buttkicker (vibrating platform)?

Just to clarify - Aviom is a brand name, and there are other companies making IEM systems with personal mixers so you might be using that kind of setup even if you’re not familiar with that name.

I frankly hate Aviom systems as I’ve never played through one where the clarity was what I’d like it to be. When the church that I was playing at changed to an Allen & Heath IEM system, it was like night & day for clarity with the same earbuds that I was using with the old Aviom system. Even the newer generation of Aviom doesn’t sound as good to me (unless it’s because the audio techs are doing something really wrong with it, which is always a possibility).

 

[dmas81]

For several reasons, any post that starts with "don't listen to anyone else" needs to be avoided like the plague.

Not only will you find better and more accurate information elsewhere, but that information coming from a humble soul will be way better.

LOL fair enough, and I stand corrected, however I read the first 5 -7 responses here and seen every one of them saying Shures and Westones (literally the guitar center shelved product of IEM’s). If someone was on here only recommending the limited selection of bass guitars that GC offers, due to limited experience of anything offered outside of box store, you’d speak up too. But you are correct, I should have read a few more comments.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

Unless of course you yourself play an Ibanez or Squier as your main axe

Ain’t nothing wrong with that...

 

[DWBass]

I bought a clone (or possibly from the same Chinese factory) of the KZ earbuds off wish.com for less than $20. They've been rock solid. Plenty of bass.

 

[dmas81]

Ain’t nothing wrong with that...

I have owned both, my point is, if that’s all you’ve ever experienced, (What a box store stocks), then you have limited knowledge to draw from what’s out there. Shure’s and Westones are the GC shelved product that most (not all) in this thread have only tried without having tried anything else.

 

[RyanSaranich]

Ideally for bass get 3 drivers or more if you can. The other key element is fit. At your budget custom molds are out but there a lot of included and after market tips you can try and it’s worth to experiment to find the best fit for your ears. A good seal will really improve the low end response.

3 drivers or more- totally! But I think there are diminishing returns. I've had a few sets of Westones thankfully, and I could confidently say on my gigs that I would be happy with 3 drivers. I have a set or two that both have more than 3 drivers (custom fit), and there are not enough benefits in my ears to use more drivers unless you've just got money to blow. Admittedly, my gig is an easy one in terms of monitoring. I play on a rock gig that has lower stage volume than many of the jazz gigs I play. The rock gig also has an incredible monitor engineer providing each of us with our own mixes with EQ and all, so I have no real clashing frequencies, etc.
But also- that seal is REAL. I think this is where the biggest benefit of the custom IEMs are. Having that fit takes away a lot of stage volume issues and also helps you to be less deaf because you can turn down the mix!!! hahah

 

[74hc]

What's worse than stage monitors? Wired IEMs.

Tell your church to go wireless or keep the monitors.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

I have owned both, my point is, if that’s all you’ve ever experienced, (What a box store stocks), then you have limited knowledge to draw from what’s out there. Shure’s and Westones are the GC shelved product that most (not all) in this thread have only tried without having tried anything else.

Gotcha

What's worse than stage monitors? Wired IEMs.

Tell your church to go wireless or keep the monitors.

I’ve played with wired much more frequently than wireless, and I’m happy either way now that I have my preferred setup figured out. I have my own long extension cable, so I can have the cable coming from any direction that I choose, regardless of where the personal mixer is located. I have the end of my earbud cable clipped to a belt loop, then plug the extension into that, so any pull on the extension shouldn’t reach the earbud cable or my earbuds. I also like to have the extension cable resting on a cabinet (with something heavy on it, like a DI), so that the extension doesn’t go to the ground and underfoot.

That’s what I’ve found works for me, YMMV but it’s made the wired experience much better for me. I should add that I’m not jumping off drum risers or anything!

 

[Danny O Danny]

Two thoughts from a former church worship musician/worship leader of many years:

1) Why not just use headphones plugged into the MyMix module? It doesn't look cool, but the worship band isn't supposed to be a show anyway.
2) The typical church spends 85% of its budget on pastoral salaries and the building (rent/mortgage, utilities, etc.). The remaining 15% goes toward office supplies, sound system, miscellaneous and, benevolence. It's functionally a business, which makes use of volunteer labor (and that's ok). If they require IEMs, they should supply you with them. You're providing the volunteer labor.

 

[Altitude]

I’m not a fan of any IEMs as I don’t think having that much volume in your ears is healthy for your hearing. But I’m interested in the KZ brand for when I have to work with them.

Let's talk about this a minute, as I think it's misunderstood.

IEMs do two things effectively - they channel a music mix to your ears, and they also keep most of everything else out - including stage and FOH volume.

I've played in the exact same rooms through the years both with and without IEMs. Many of these are small and very loud rooms. With the IEM setup, very little of that noise makes it to my ears. Instead, I get a customized mix where I have control of the volume. 100% of the time I go home after the IEM gigs with less ear fatigue than I used to have without IEMs in the same room.

In fact, the isolation of outside noise from a good IEM setup is so effective that we found we could not communicate with the audience or each other effectively while wearing them. We started placing a mic on stage to pick up the ambient sound from the room, which helps with that a little and also mitigates the feeling you get with IEMs that you're playing in an empty room with nobody in it.

Ear fatigue and damage is an issue for sure, but IEMs make it better, not worse, as long as you're responsible with the volume knob.

 

[Nunovsky]

I have the KZ-ZS10 and got them for 24,61 euros and they work great. I absolutely recommend those and they're as good as some that cost around 3 digits.

 

[lfmn16]

Churches are flush with cash. Make them pay for it.

They are flush with cash BECAUSE they make their volunteers pay for everything.

 

[chandman1004]

Caveats.... I haven't used the zs10, just the as10... And I use a headphone amplifier from maudio that does have a bass boost switch. But the as10s sound better than the 215s. If I had the resources,I imagine custom iems would be much better. But since it is one a week at most I use them, I am completely happy

 

[Altitude]

Churches are flush with cash. Make them pay for it.

Considering the restrictions against in-person attendance over the last year combined with a general trend of decline in church attendance, I assume that the average neighborhood church may be barely surviving. Which is too bad since those are usually the ones doing the good work.

 

[CoffeeLove]

Hello,

I'm starting out with our church band, and today I was told I'd need a set of IEMs to plug into the MyMix system boxes.

The current bass player recommended I go with a dual driver IEM so that I could hear my bass well enough.

So, I'm looking for recommendations on the best IEMs for under $300 (at least dual driver(?)).

I've read lots of reviews on the web, and of course lots of folks like the IEMs that other don't at all like. I've had good experience with TalkBass recommendations, so I'm back to the well for help!

I have no experience with IEMs. I don't think I hear well enough to ever be an audiophile. I want something that is comfortable and helps me hear my bass as well as possible.

Thank you in advance for your recommendations!

buzz

I personally do not spend a bunch of money on IEM's. Have had many variations from cheap to very expensive, but in the end it did not make that much of a difference to me. I now buy the dual or multi $50-$60 generic one's on Amazon. Good enough for me and they always sound good, IMHO. All in ears sound a little different, so for me it is about finding one's that have a "flat" response rather than bass boosted. The "who has the most custom/expensive in ears" can be mild annoying, so I have gone the other route. Also use mine occasionally for gigging-out as well with our cover band so they take a beating, don't want to spend a bunch of money. The fancy ones break/die just as easy as the cheap one's, IMHO.

 

[nickpc]

For a volunteer church bassist on a volunteer’s budget look at KZ ZS10 Pros. Use with Comply Foam Tips.

KZ AS10 -- 5 drivers. $60 on Amazon.
100% quality and legit.
There are a couple other KZ models (I got the ZS10 for $45).

Spend about $8 for foam replacement eartips for total sound isolation.

Not a joke... read about KZ on talkbass - MANY THREADS. (or ask @BurningSkies). Also MANY reviews comparing KZs to similar IEMs that cost $$$$ all over the web.

Yes and yes - I'm using them and have had zero issues with them. I even use them at home for silent practice over my over-the-ear headphones because of how good they sound.

And you're not dropping a lot into them should, for some reason, they just don't work for you.

 

[QweziRider]

Though I'd love some 50s!

I just thought I'd bite the bullet and get them at the time. Surely, they had to be 20 better!

 

[QweziRider]

If someone was on here only recommending the limited selection...

When asked for a recommendation, I can only recommend what I've actually used.

 

[micguy]

Churches are flush with cash. Make them pay for it.

Maybe mega churches do, but most do not. None I've ever been a part of.

I play at several campuses of a church that anyone would call a Mega-church - indeed we're one of the prototypical Mega Churches. Are the coffers flowing over with cash? Well, sorta - The church is ridiculously generous towards those who need help - both in our neighborhood and around the world - that's a big part of why we exist - to help those less fortunate. We don't, however, spend a lot on ourselves. We do have some earbuds, but most of the musicians and singers supply our own. I support my church with my time, talent, and resources. Compared to everything else I contribute, a pair of earbuds is a relatively small throw in.

 

[rknea]

For the past 10 years I've used a $75 pair of Klipsch Enhanced Bass ear buds I purchased at Best Buy. I've tried many different IEM's and haven't found any that can handle the low frequencies as well as these and been as comfortable!