Yep.
Btw since you're the OP.
I hope my post, even though it got erased, was not offensive to you or other onlooker or lurkers.
It was meant as a joke. It was a play on the subject of buds...
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Recommend a <$300 set of buds
- Thread starter Bodeanly
- Start date
Btw since you're the OP.
I hope my post, even though it got erased, was not offensive to you or other onlooker or lurkers.
It was meant as a joke. It was a play on the subject of buds...
I ordered the KZ ES4 and am blown away with the sound you get for under $15. I was skeptical of whether or not IEMs would even work for me.
I figured if these were ok and my ear canals could tolerate them I might pop for the $50 set later on. I'm not a gigging bassist these days, so I can't attest to how well these work on stage, but I have a VERY strong suspicion they'd work perfectly fine. I just use them for silent practice and to listen to music on my laptop/phone. They are a simpler 2-driver model, but the price vs. performance ratio is phenomenal. I don't really feel a need to upgrade.
The only negative is the delivery time from china takes 2 to 4 weeks.
I figured if these were ok and my ear canals could tolerate them I might pop for the $50 set later on. I'm not a gigging bassist these days, so I can't attest to how well these work on stage, but I have a VERY strong suspicion they'd work perfectly fine. I just use them for silent practice and to listen to music on my laptop/phone. They are a simpler 2-driver model, but the price vs. performance ratio is phenomenal. I don't really feel a need to upgrade.
The only negative is the delivery time from china takes 2 to 4 weeks.
It's cool that even the $15 set is getting rave reviews. Amazon offered same day shipping on the ZS7's, so I'm all:
Damn hippies! Get off my lawn!
So what did you end up spending with tax and delivery? Less than $300 you Hippy Hater!
96 bucks, both pairs delivered with a box of memory foam tips. Using the difference to buy grilled cheeses in the parking lot.So what did you end up spending with tax and delivery? Less than $300 you Hippy Hater!
Last edited:
Grilled cheese is not grill cheese, unless it's hot...
... Hippy Hater Hibachi... on the corner... $5, for you... order now, you get two.
I know it's past decision time, but for a bass player using buds for IEMs, the second drive has minimal use. I had a long conversation with a rep from Shure, and while the 425's will provide a very defined full range as you would expect with multiple drivers, those extra drivers are competing in your ear canal for superiority.
As explained, You're a bassist. Would you rather hear a guitarist finger screech in great detail, or a really nice low end? Pretty much he also said sound isolation is critical for bass, and a good seal in the ear canal is key, more so than having multiple drivers.
I don't know about all that driver talk.....but for sure lose the seal, lose the bass. I've probably spent more money finding the right tips for me than I spent on ear buds.
I wouldn't agree with the rep. The drivers themselves don't compete with each other for superiority, it's the sounds themselves that 'compete' and that's why IEMs need to be mixed wisely, and why (IMO) clarity across the spectrum is helpful. I find that the added clarity that I get with my Dual XBs (over my old Shure se215s) allows me to have instruments such as guitar & vox higher in the mix while still hearing everything I need to hear clearly.
Also, while I don't need to hear guitar finger screech in detail, I do need to hear hi-hats nice and clearly!
I have avioms with my own 16 Chanel mixer. With that I can adj as much high hat or anything else for that matter with reasonable clarity, although probably not as refined as yours. It was a cost benefit situation for me, with the question answered will I be able to function, and the answer was a resounding yes.
Good post and thanks for the response.
I would like to hear as much of the mix as I can. If I can only hear my bass, there's gonna be trouble. One driver is not enough or else I'd keep using my girlfriend's Shure's.
No prob. Agreed about cost-benefit - you can really spend as much as you like on IEMs so you really have to decide what elements are important to you! I only took the plunge on customs after using the se215s for a couple of years and really figuring out what I was after that I wasn't currently getting. I'm definitely with you that seal is key, nothing matters if you don't get that right.
I can say with strong assurity this is false information. Compare it to a front of house pa system how would it sound if you pushed everything thru just a pair of 18" or 21" drivers? The only issues that arise with mutiple drivers are tunning, crossover mismatch phase/ time alignment and impedance if the designer is good this will be a non issue. Single driver iems lack the instrument sepperation that a multi driver can offer as the frequencys battle each other and the result is a muddy mix.
This is an awesome thread, I wanted to start going the IEM route but didn't wanna spend $500+ doing it. I've gotta get my own mixer as I'll be the only one using em. One of the guitar players will probably jump onboard if it goes well for me.
My question is I do a lot of the singing, looking at getting the ZS7's. Any other singers out there using these, how are they for vocals?
My question is I do a lot of the singing, looking at getting the ZS7's. Any other singers out there using these, how are they for vocals?
So... the Shure rep was trying to somehow sell a Shure product? Weird. With foam tips, I find all of the KZ line that I've tried to isolate at least as well, if not better, than the SE215 that I own. I can't speak for the more expensive Shure buds - but I suspect there is little difference. Good isolation plus multi drivers > good isolation plus a an over priced brand name.
I sing lead on a few songs per night ( country and rock), and plenty of backup vox. I think the ZS7 are great in the dual bass+vocals route. I really like mine. AS10 are great in the vox range as well.
Cool thanks, at the price they're going for might get em both. Gotta order me a Rolls PM351 and I'll be ready to do this. I'm really lookin forward to having my own monitors that I have control over.
