Overhead headphones instead of IEM for live performance

[Angelo Neto]

I'm a live musician (singer, guitarist) and have been using IEM only in the last few years. Before that I never used anything. My ears have suffered because of it.... but I hate IEMs. I feel like I'm in a fish bowl and it cuts the communication with the crowd and band members. It takes forever to put them in and they come out when I move around.

I'm looking to buy some headphones instead. Any suggestions? I need something that blocks out the outside noise and wont fall off when I'm moving around. Also it kind of needs to be sweat proof since I sweat buckets. All of that and obvioustly have a decent sound.
Tall order I know...

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

Get custom mold iems and a ambient mic with a talkback switch to turn the mic on or off as needed. Over ears are not ideal for live use at least in my experience especially if you sweat heavily.

 

[5andFretless]

You are going to need wireless waterproof active noise canceling over the ear headphones.

A quick look on Best Buy shows a couple of options, but they are pricey. I have a pair of Sony wt1000s that are all of that but not waterproof and they were over $300. I use them for Teams Meetings at work and they are very effective at eliminating outside noise.

I won't comment on the practicality of the idea

 

[Angelo Neto]

Get custom mold iems and a ambient mic with a talkback switch to turn the mic on or off as needed. Over ears are not ideal for live use at least in my experience especially if you sweat heavily.

Yeh Ive considered getting custom molded but the price puts me off. Thanks for the reply though

 

[Angelo Neto]

You are going to need wireless waterproof active noise canceling over the ear headphones.

A quick look on Best Buy shows a couple of options, but they are pricey. I have a pair of Sony wt1000s that are all of that but not waterproof and they were over $300. I use them for Teams Meetings at work and they are very effective at eliminating outside noise.

I won't comment on the practicality of the idea

I already have a wireless system (shure psm 300), so all I would need to do is plug in some wired headphones into my wireless pack. I've done it before at home and it sounds great. I actually ordered some senheiser hd 25 just to try, if it doesnt work out I'll use it for studio tracking. Thanks for the reply

 

[DirtDog]

You are going to need wireless waterproof active noise canceling over the ear headphones.

A quick look on Best Buy shows a couple of options, but they are pricey. I have a pair of Sony wt1000s that are all of that but not waterproof and they were over $300. I use them for Teams Meetings at work and they are very effective at eliminating outside noise.

I won't comment on the practicality of the idea

Wireless (Bluetooth) latency will kill ya in a live performance situation.

I'd look into what Paul Gilbert uses. He's been using headphones live for years.

 

[Angelo Neto]

Wireless (Bluetooth) latency will kill ya in a live performance situation.

I'd look into what Paul Gilbert uses. He's been using headphones live for years.

Yeh no worries I have a wireless body pack so no need for bluetooth. Yeh Gilbert's headphones are huge though at least in the 3g concert. I went for the senheiser hd25 in the end. They're a DJ set which grossed me out but apparently good sound, resilient, comfy, soundproof and you can flip the left one if you ever need to use one only, or talk to people. We shall see... (although I obviously wont be able to test it live right now)

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

Yeh Ive considered getting custom molded but the price puts me off. Thanks for the reply though

I got my set of Anthem Five dual driver custom molds for around $200 they sound excellent I highly recommend checking them out

 

[Element Zero]

Can't go wrong with Sennheiser HD380 Pros. Used them for years for live no backline gigs.

 

[Angelo Neto]

Guys, I've received the headphones and..... it's awesome. I should have done this years ago maybe I'd still have full hearing. I ordered some better memory foam earpads, which took me ages since I dont buy anything animal based like leather. but it's so much more comfortable, the cable doesnt snag (as long as you use them wrong way round, cable should be on left side and down the front). They're not too big so it's not awkward, they stay on really and in mine and my girlfriends opinion it looks cool too. Also bass... I can hear bass now. All I can say is at least try it out.

 

[ShawnG]

I have a pair of HD25s as my in-home, practice headphones and have been very happy with them. Best of luck!

 

[JRA]

I feel like I'm in a fish bowl and it cuts the communication with the crowd and band members.

against the grain, but:
i'm going to suggest that you consider headphones that do not cancel noise --- that's right: semi-open-back! for the very reason you hate the sound of IEMs, to eliminate the "fishbowl effect"...you want to let some of the outside world into your ears, but you want the monitor signal to competently predominate.

i think you could do better for stage work, but i've always used my AKG K240 sets = i hear the stage stuff but my monitor signal can be increased/attenuated per circumstance. something to think about.

good luck finding the right headphones!

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

against the grain, but:
i'm going to suggest that you consider headphones that do not cancel noise --- that's right: semi-open-back! for the very reason you hate the sound of IEMs, to eliminate the "fishbowl effect"...you want to let some of the outside world into your ears, but you want the monitor signal to competently predominate.

i think you could do better for stage work, but i've always used my AKG K240 sets = i hear the stage stuff but my monitor signal can be increased/attenuated per circumstance. something to think about.

good luck finding the right headphones!

Semi open back headphones do sound awesome they will almost always sound better in my experience. I use iem's for live use and rehearsal tho because they are more comfortable, less obtrusive and I prefer the isolation so I can focus without distracting noise. In a perfect world owning a pair of each type of headphone isn't a bad idea either. I like having good set of nearfield studio monitors and regular book shelf speakers on hand for tracking too so I can reference between all of the sources. I use closed back headphones primarily for tracking and for referencing the panning/ stereo imaging then I'll use the open backs to see how things are sitting in the mix switching between that and the nearfield monitors and bookshelfs to see how it will sound on different sources as a finished product. If you can only afford one set of headphones atm and you don't have much issue with needing complete silence in the house apartment ect then the semi open back designs might be your best bet.

 

[walterw]

headphones that don't cover your ears are probably a short road to hearing loss

the entire point of in-ear monitoring is to block out loud stage volume and let you hear what you need at a safe low level; otherwise the earphones have to be cranked up to get over the stage wash, leading to hearing damage.

you're also not going to get low end for bass playing without a sealed ear chamber.

 

[el murdoque]

You are going to need wireless waterproof active noise canceling over the ear headphones.

A quick look on Best Buy shows a couple of options, but they are pricey. I have a pair of Sony wt1000s that are all of that but not waterproof and they were over $300. I use them for Teams Meetings at work and they are very effective at eliminating outside noise.

I won't comment on the practicality of the idea

These wireless units that were not made for musicians will introduce latency into the system. A musician can tolerate 10ms, but any more and it's bad. When listening to music or doing zoom calls, you won't even feel 100ms. Especially Bluetooth is bad in that regard.

I already have a wireless system (shure psm 300), so all I would need to do is plug in some wired headphones into my wireless pack. I've done it before at home and it sounds great. I actually ordered some senheiser hd 25 just to try, if it doesnt work out I'll use it for studio tracking. Thanks for the reply

I use the Sennheisers at home, because they sound okay and are easy to pop on/off.
Live I use Shure SE535s with custom molds. This is a much tighter sound and gives me more immersion, so I don't miss having no amp sound on stage.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I'm a live musician (singer, guitarist) and have been using IEM only in the last few years. Before that I never used anything. My ears have suffered because of it.... but I hate IEMs. I feel like I'm in a fish bowl and it cuts the communication with the crowd and band members. It takes forever to put them in and they come out when I move around.

I'm looking to buy some headphones instead. Any suggestions? I need something that blocks out the outside noise and wont fall off when I'm moving around. Also it kind of needs to be sweat proof since I sweat buckets. All of that and obvioustly have a decent sound.
Tall order I know...

Most people I know that use in ears use an ambient mic so they don't have that fish in a bowl vibe. I'd avoid using headphones on stage. They tend to fall off even more easily.

 

[gflowers]

My issues are acoustic drums, loud wedges, and existing hearing issues. I still have pretty good hearing, but I have mild tinnitus and I've already had the stapes (small bone) in my left ear replaced with a titanium prosthetic. I've already had several expensive custom sets of IEM's made (3-5 drivers) and none have managed to maintain a good sound lock especially when I sweat. I've had them refitted to fit better but even that hasn't solved the problem of losing the bottom end. All of that being the case, I'm ready to try cans on stage. My hearing is way more important than looking cool, which is obvious given my profile pic, but I need cans that sound great, are comfortable and isolate most of the outside stage volume/noise.

 

[Geri O]

My issues are acoustic drums, loud wedges, and existing hearing issues. I still have pretty good hearing, but I have mild tinnitus and I've already had the stapes (small bone) in my left ear replaced with a titanium prosthetic. I've already had several expensive custom sets of IEM's made (3-5 drivers) and none have managed to maintain a good sound lock especially when I sweat. I've had them refitted to fit better but even that hasn't solved the problem of losing the bottom end. All of that being the case, I'm ready to try cans on stage. My hearing is way more important than looking cool, which is obvious given my profile pic, but I need cans that sound great, are comfortable and isolate most of the outside stage volume/noise.

If your mind is made up against custom mold IEMs, I'm really not interested in offering any ideas. Basically, you can get used to that inaccurate, but common fishbowl description or you can continue the slide into eventual hearing degradation and loss. Your call. Frankly, for the most part, it doesn't concern me either way.

However, all that aside, I ran into the issue of the seal on my custom molded IEMs breaking loose when I sang or changed expressions. My IEM maker said they could fix that, but I didn't want to be without them for another 2-3 weeks. The technician then suggested the Comply comfort strips, which is a small foam strip with an adhesive back that wraps around the part that goes into the ear canal. I tried them and my problem of losing the seal was instantly gone. You do have to change them once a month or so, depending on how often you use the IEMs as they get kinda nasty and the adhesive wears out from inserting and removing the molds (I change mine pretty much once a month). I've been using this same set of IEMs for 9 years now.
So there ya go, take it or leave it. No need to respond with why you think this won't work for you, like every other idea that gets shot down by folks with your issues. I know they can work.

 

[Marko 1]

My issues are acoustic drums, loud wedges, and existing hearing issues. I still have pretty good hearing, but I have mild tinnitus and I've already had the stapes (small bone) in my left ear replaced with a titanium prosthetic. I've already had several expensive custom sets of IEM's made (3-5 drivers) and none have managed to maintain a good sound lock especially when I sweat. I've had them refitted to fit better but even that hasn't solved the problem of losing the bottom end. All of that being the case, I'm ready to try cans on stage. My hearing is way more important than looking cool, which is obvious given my profile pic, but I need cans that sound great, are comfortable and isolate most of the outside stage volume/noise.

Unless I'm a front guy, I wouldn't find cans objectionable at all.

In fact, if I decide to ditch the floor monitors (which I prefer right now), I might just go straight to cans and skip the IEM journey to getting it right, and the expense.

I just don't think anybody would find offense to it.

 

[gflowers]

If your mind is made up against custom mold IEMs, I'm really not interested in offering any ideas. Basically, you can get used to that inaccurate, but common fishbowl description or you can continue the slide into eventual hearing degradation and loss. Your call. Frankly, for the most part, it doesn't concern me either way.

However, all that aside, I ran into the issue of the seal on my custom molded IEMs breaking loose when I sang or changed expressions. My IEM maker said they could fix that, but I didn't want to be without them for another 2-3 weeks. The technician then suggested the Comply comfort strips, which is a small foam strip with an adhesive back that wraps around the part that goes into the ear canal. I tried them and my problem of losing the seal was instantly gone. You do have to change them once a month or so, depending on how often you use the IEMs as they get kinda nasty and the adhesive wears out from inserting and removing the molds (I change mine pretty much once a month). I've been using this same set of IEMs for 9 years now.
So there ya go, take it or leave it. No need to respond with why you think this won't work for you, like every other idea that gets shot down by folks with your issues. I know they can work.

If your mind is made up against custom mold IEMs, I'm really not interested in offering any ideas. Basically, you can get used to that inaccurate, but common fishbowl description or you can continue the slide into eventual hearing degradation and loss. Your call. Frankly, for the most part, it doesn't concern me either way.

However, all that aside, I ran into the issue of the seal on my custom molded IEMs breaking loose when I sang or changed expressions. My IEM maker said they could fix that, but I didn't want to be without them for another 2-3 weeks. The technician then suggested the Comply comfort strips, which is a small foam strip with an adhesive back that wraps around the part that goes into the ear canal. I tried them and my problem of losing the seal was instantly gone. You do have to change them once a month or so, depending on how often you use the IEMs as they get kinda nasty and the adhesive wears out from inserting and removing the molds (I change mine pretty much once a month). I've been using this same set of IEMs for 9 years now.
So there ya go, take it or leave it. No need to respond with why you think this won't work for you, like every other idea that gets shot down by folks with your issues. I know they can work.

If your mind is made up against custom mold IEMs, I'm really not interested in offering any ideas. Basically, you can get used to that inaccurate, but common fishbowl description or you can continue the slide into eventual hearing degradation and loss. Your call. Frankly, for the most part, it doesn't concern me either way.

However, all that aside, I ran into the issue of the seal on my custom molded IEMs breaking loose when I sang or changed expressions. My IEM maker said they could fix that, but I didn't want to be without them for another 2-3 weeks. The technician then suggested the Comply comfort strips, which is a small foam strip with an adhesive back that wraps around the part that goes into the ear canal. I tried them and my problem of losing the seal was instantly gone. You do have to change them once a month or so, depending on how often you use the IEMs as they get kinda nasty and the adhesive wears out from inserting and removing the molds (I change mine pretty much once a month). I've been using this same set of IEMs for 9 years now.
So there ya go, take it or leave it. No need to respond with why you think this won't work for you, like every other idea that gets shot down by folks with your issues. I know they can work.

Thanks. I'll give them a try.