is there any really good inear monitor comparable to a really good headphones

[leifislive]

... like the AKG k701 and sennheiser HD 600?

I tried several expensive closed phones, but they have all their shortcomings. I have also tried shrue e-3 and e-4 and was rather diassapointed. Intended area of use is mainly monitoring of location recordings (manily classics), inear monitoring and "walkman" applications...

Any recommendations? What abour the shure e-5?

Thanks

Leif

[chrisp2u]

Originally Posted by leifislive

... like the AKG k701 and sennheiser HD 600?

I tried several expensive closed phones, but they have all their shortcomings. I have also tried shrue e-3 and e-4 and was rather diassapointed. Intended area of use is mainly monitoring of location recordings (manily classics), inear monitoring and "walkman" applications...

Any recommendations? What abour the shure e-5?

Thanks

Leif

I have Westone UM2's and like them quite a bit. Not a fan of the Shures... compared to the Westone UM2's (which are almost half the price) the E5's are really over priced and there's little difference, if any in sound qualiy. Many people even actually seem to prefer the UM2's over the E5's. You can get custom molds for the 2's if you want for a bit more $$$. If you're a true slut, Westone also offers a custom fit 3-way driver (the ES3.... UM2's and E5's are only 2).

There are a lot of options out there, with many offereing stuff which is considered far better than the Shure's... of course, pricing varies quite a bit. Other brands you might want to check out include Ultimate Ears, Etymotic, future sonics. Note that they all vary quite a bit in fit too... so not all are for everyone.

You might want to look around here for opinions...
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forum...p?s=&forumid=2
---
c

[firby]

Etymotics ER4/S .

Best in ears that I have heard. Pretty amazing. They knock the socks off of the Shure e3cs which I also have.

[leifislive]

Originally Posted by firby

Etymotics ER4/S .

Best in ears that I have heard. Pretty amazing. They knock the socks off of the Shure e3cs which I also have.

that' what linkwitz recommends... shall try them. and the others as well.

[u b k]

imo the etymotics have zero bass and really peaky upper mids. they do isolate really well, i love them for plane trips cross country, but the sound is not anything i'd call satisfying.

and i have both models; the one which claims to have extended bass does not, to my ears, have any such thing.


gregoire
del
ubk
.

[Ethan Winer]

Leif,

> is there any really good inear monitor comparable to a really good headphones <

No, because as soon as you put a speaker into a room, the room dominates the response. Especially at bass frequencies.

--Ethan

[cajonezzz]

I have got in the habit of checking mixes on my inears- Sensaphonics Pro Soft's, and Ultimate ears Ue7's.

The Sensa's seal better for me, but are difficult to put in- they are my "critical listening" and gig ears, when i need the uber seal. very hifi, very flat.

then Ultimates are triple driver and move a little more bass, and are easier to get in and out ( acryllic) and since I practically live with those ears in ( driving , biking, gigs where i need em in and out quick, ipod ears ) I've gotten to know them well, and while spendy $$$ they are a workhorse. I also use them on production gigs, feeding a wireless belt pack. That allows me to get whatever mix I want to check sent to my ears ( monitoring what the talent is getting) to help dial mixes. Very useful.

I think once you get the Sensaphonics dialed, you'd be really happy for your application. It's all about the fit.

They arent' cheap though-- like 900 bucks.

[cajonezzz]

I have got in the habit of checking mixes on my inears- Sensaphonics Pro Soft's, and Ultimate ears Ue7's.

The Sensa's seal better for me, but are difficult to put in- they are my "critical listening" and gig ears, when i need the uber seal. very hifi, very flat.

then Ultimates are triple driver and move a little more bass, and are easier to get in and out ( acryllic) and since I practically live with those ears in ( driving , biking, gigs where i need em in and out quick, ipod ears ) I've gotten to know them well, and while spendy $$$ they are a workhorse. I also use them on production gigs, feeding a wireless belt pack. That allows me to get whatever mix I want to check sent to my ears ( monitoring what the talent is getting) to help dial mixes. Very useful.

I think once you get the Sensaphonics dialed, you'd be really happy for your application. It's all about the fit.

They arent' cheap though-- like 900 bucks.

[leifislive]

thanks for your replies and mentioning the sensaphonics and ultimates; I have not heard of them yet. Will check, whether I can try those somewhere.

I have wondered, whether the anatomy of one's external ear does matter a lot in terms of influencing the frequency response. so may be one needs to try different seals and may expect a lot of benefit when "optimizing" the whole equipment for the perfect fit...

Regarding the rooms influence on the bass response, that's quite clear (and it affects the wohle spectrum of yourse as well); but I think that my akg 701 have come to a level of neutrality, I have never experienced in that price range before. Unfortunately, they are open; and if the orchestra is making a lot of "noise"... you can tell.

Still wondering...

Thanks for the input so far. Please feel free to make any more recommendations or add , I 'd be very thankful.

Best

Leif

[firby]

Originally Posted by u b i k

imo the etymotics have zero bass and really peaky upper mids. they do isolate really well, i love them for plane trips cross country, but the sound is not anything i'd call satisfying.

and i have both models; the one which claims to have extended bass does not, to my ears, have any such thing.


gregoire
del
ubk
.

Yeah those point are valid. Still I love them. To me they are like a super cleaned version of my AKG 240DF with more clarity. The AKGs dont have much bass either. Its there but it doesn't rumble. Those and the etys are my favorite pairs. I think that they sound kind of pristine and flat. If there is a hype in the mids I may favor it. They are analytical and I could wear them all day, either set.

[leifislive]

Hi,

I bought the er-4p due to availability and price/sound. once you get a tight seal (which is tricky, the do not fit perfectly to my right ear...), I have nothing to complane about.

good for inearmonitoring, or for mountainbiking and mp3-listening at moderate levels while walking aside a traffic road or in an airplane... and, I think, even great for monitoring while doing location recordings under not so good conditions. I even take them as a second reference when listening to a final mix.

bass is not perfect, that's true, but they are a great compromise. you don't get, KH o500c, but you will not hesitate to use them for audio work and audio enjoyment.

I am satisfied, they allow me to judge whether micing is alright much better than any closed headphone I am aware of when being in a noisy environment.

best and thanks for all comments

leif

[Sui_City]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Leif,

> is there any really good inear monitor comparable to a really good headphones <

No, because as soon as you put a speaker into a room, the room dominates the response. Especially at bass frequencies.

--Ethan

ethan,

leif was asking about in-ear monitors.

[T.RayBullard]

ER-4 are fantastic..good choice. they are accurate, the bass is accurate.. it doesnt bump , but it is solid, and it is there, which is all I care about..dont care about "bump"

I LOVE my etys.

[raal]

i use ultimateear 2 driver units for live and they sound great for that. have tried them in the studio. not up to par with headphones imho.

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by Sui_City

ethan,

leif was asking about in-ear monitors.

I thought it said linear at first glance.

[Sui_City]

Originally Posted by max cooper

I thought it said linear at first glance.

figured as much,

kinda cool from a "how the human brain works..." point of view

[Sqye]

http://futuresonics.com/gocustom/index.html

Talk to David.

I've had 2 very satisfied lead singers with the
custom in ear 'softer wear' sleeves.

The are comfortable, and they stay in your ears,
which is wonderful.

They work with the sennheiser IE3's.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...lr%3D%26sa%3DN

The IE3's ear bud headphones are not the greatest by any stretch,
but they are vastly improved with the custom in ear molds.

They're also expensive - you can find them for just over $200.


If you're at all interested, pm me, or just call David,
the founder of Future Sonics.

He's AMAZING. Super nice, super responsive,
and great quality product delivered when promised.

He definitely goes above and beyond the call of duty.

He can probably recommend a slamming audiologist in your area,
as well.


These may not be the right ear mold for you, as you're
interested in hi-fidelity / engineering / recording phones.
But the performers seem to like them.

Anyway, best of luck, and keep us posted

[wwittman]

Isn;t Marty Garcia the founder of futuresonics?

anyway, I have Futuresonics and Sensaphonics as well.

I like the comfort of the Sensaphonics (and I don't find them any harder to get in and out, really) but I tend to think the futures sound a bit better


but either, or Ultimate Ears, are all reasonable replacements for headphones IF you get to know and understand them.

and all of them require custom molding and will run about $800-900.

[Zep Dude]

Another recommendation for the Etymotic's. As someone mentioned, if they are not tightly sealed you won't hear bass, but they have accurate bass when properly in the eat.

I sometimes add some external ear muffs (like used in riffle ranges) over the Etymotics and it gives me so much isloation I can mic a Marshall cabinet and clearly hear the sweet spot through the monitor feed. I can feel the air from the speakers pulsing against my chest but barely hear anything external.