For those who have used the ZS7's, hows the isolation and comfort? Any fatigue? And one more question, but I doubt it really matters: what style of music?
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Recommend a <$300 set of buds
- Thread starter Bodeanly
- Start date
Ugh! I keep thinking I've decided, then someone comes in with another suggestion. Did you try the memory foam inserts for the KZ's? I have the luxury of dialing in my own mix as well. I thought everyone did when it came to IEM. Whoops.
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By all means try the KZ line - order through Amazon and you can return them without issue. I'm merely offering an alternative because I tried them after recommendations from here, but they just didn't work for ME.
I don't know, but I don't think everyone has the equipment to allow for individual monitor mixes - it's probably becoming more and more prevalent. It's pretty simple to split the house feed to monitor channels, but it requires additional hardware/software to allow each monitor to have it's own mix.
I A - B some 215's with the under $10 ZS1's, the 215's sounded muddy compared to the ZS1's but had better build quality.
We have one monitor mix. If I'd had my way we would have bought a digital mixer and had our own but the other 2 were dead against it so we got another entry level analogue (the cheapest).
The first thing our drummer said was "I can't hear my vocals, can you turn me up in the IEMs". My response "No we can hear you fine, you shouldn't have been such a tight assed git when we bought the new mixer".
We ended up getting him a "more of me" mixer headphone amp that takes our monitor mix and his mic so he can crank it to his hearts desire. (If he would buy some decent IEMs with properly fitting buds he would be lot better off but he maintains that he has to hear his drums which are not in the PA!)
It took me about 6 months to find the right buds, which are memory foam.
We have one monitor mix. If I'd had my way we would have bought a digital mixer and had our own but the other 2 were dead against it so we got another entry level analogue (the cheapest).
The first thing our drummer said was "I can't hear my vocals, can you turn me up in the IEMs". My response "No we can hear you fine, you shouldn't have been such a tight assed git when we bought the new mixer".
We ended up getting him a "more of me" mixer headphone amp that takes our monitor mix and his mic so he can crank it to his hearts desire. (If he would buy some decent IEMs with properly fitting buds he would be lot better off but he maintains that he has to hear his drums which are not in the PA!)
The band I'm playing with had me put an app on my phone to control my mix. I haven't really messed with it though because their previous bassist had a decent setting, so I've been using that for rehearsals (rehearsals are with over ears). First gig with these guys is this Friday, thus all of my scrambling for buds. No clue what system they're using. I'm actually more nervous about the buds than the one zillion songs I had to learn.
s0c9
Supporting Member
With wireless technology available with a slew of small footprint < $1500 digital consoles, it's now affordable for local bands.
Been using it for 4+ yrs now.. plug-n-play.
IEM mixer with either direct feed or from FOH split. Same mix every gig, with remote control of your mix via iPad/tablet.
NO FOH involvement with your IEM's.
That's what I use as well to mix.
Sorry, but you're a little late to the game to be trying out ear buds for this week's gig - they can take some getting used to. Make sure you either bring a monitor or your over ears in case the IEMs don't work out (really wish it wouldn't be so uncool to use headphones on stage!). I intentionally held off on exploring the IEM scene until we had a couple of months of down time after New Years. I've used them for 3 weeks now in rehearsals (4+ hours per week) and I'm still getting used to them. If you don't sing, it will be easier, but the sound you get is just not the same as over ear or live room. You may get lucky, but be prepared with some alternative monitoring system.
While I fear you may be correct, I have been using my girlfriend's Shure 215's for practice at home. Over the course of my gigging life, I've used IEM's for exactly two gigs (the ones with the really long cables). The biggest issue I recall having was the way it felt like the audience was on another planet. I will not be singing on Friday. I went ahead and ordered the KZ ZS7's and TRN V80's. Amazon says they will be here by 9pm. I ordered the box of assorted size memory foam tips as well. While I wish that over-ears was an exception, there are no other monitoring options for Friday's gig. The guitarist sometimes plays with one in/ one out, but I've been warned that it's a good way to go deaf. With nearly four days to adjust, I'm putting all my eggs into the "get lucky" basket. I have no choice.
Yes, even at rehearsal I feel some disconnect - haven't gigged them yet (couple of weeks!). My buds are not noise cancelling (didn't want), so I can hear ambient stuff - until someone puts sound into my ears.
Good luck sir!
Thanks so much for all of your feedback in this thread! So much has changed since "show up to gig/ plug in bass." Good luck to you as well!
Amen brother - crosses my mind every time I have to fiddle with some bit of technology...
You will love the ZS7. One part of the issue with this thread (don't get me wrong - it's an AWESOME thread!) is that many have commented they have tried the KZ... well... which ones? There appear to be big leaps forward in sound quality and build quality with each new KZ model that comes out. And - they have a LOT of models! As for me, I have not tried the TRN V80 or BMG DMG or DM6 - so I can't compare. All I can tell you is - the KZ AS10 are very very good. The KZ ZS7 are, in my opinion, a notch above the AS10 in every category. At least for me and my ears. And they are $50. That's insane.... It strikes me that probably at this point - all of the buds being discussed are 'good enough' - it then comes down to personal preference.
One of the biggest issues I'm having is buying generic vs name brand. The stars completely aligned for me being welcomed into this band. They have their crap together. Their bassist relocated right as I had a break between semesters, so I lived in their catalog, practicing harder than I've ever practiced. They are pros and all of their gear is top notch, so my main reservation was to have them scoff at my skimping when it came to buds. They still have their former bassist's buds if the KZ ZS7's and TRN V80's don't work out for some reason. But, seriously, major kudos to you and everyone else who convinced me to save some cash.
Yeah, fit is everything when your going with lower cost non custom molded buds. I like the form factor on those.....TB always costs me $$$$.
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I'm also wary of skimping on this kind of stuff - typically, you do get what you pay for. If it was easier (possible) to return higher end stuff, I probably would have gone down the Shure (or other "known") path. But I had already experienced issues with fit with ear buds that I could not return (luckily pretty cheap) and I wasn't going to go down that road with $200-$1500 ear buds. That could be a ton of money not to mention a lot of waiting around for shipping (my local options are exactly 1 choice for multiple driver IEMs).
For me, the issue between known and "budget" gear is going to be concern over longevity if I find that something initially works for me. I can buy a life time supply of what I now use for the price of one of the "known" ones - I can have a couple of spares in my bag at all times. The thing about being pro, in this regards and IMO, is to be able to recover from an unexpected "something's not working" issue without interrupting a gig's flow. You can have $1500 buds all night long, but if they fail, are you going to have a spare set of those in your bag? Not me. And if you're used to high end stuff and your backups are budget, you won't be comfortable, which will diminish your performance. You're not going to be able to recover in the middle of a gig if you don't have comparable backups - you may have to rely on what you can hear from FOH the rest of the night, unless there are other live monitors on stage.
Be careful.
I just had my post of that sorta thing erased in here
I wonder how long yours will remain up?
Let's see...
Perhaps some people don't appreciate humor when it's not the humor forum. Then, perhaps some people don't appreciate humor at all.Be careful.
I just had my post of that sorta thing erased in here
I wonder how long yours will remain up?
Let's see...
