Which in-ears should I get?

[zemlin]

A continuation of this thread
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...497#post320497
"Great cans for location setups?"

I like the idea of in-ears and muffs
Looks like Shure E3c and Etymotic ER-4P fall into my price range and both have a lot of fans out in cyber-space land.

One reviewer said he didn't like the ER-4Ps because they accentuated all the flaws in his MP3s - sounds like just the ticket to me.

What do y'all think? Anyone used both?

[edit] some additional thoughts ...
Seems the Shures are considered more comfortable - and the wire routing would work well under hearing protection - the Etymotic wires could be routed over ears, so they should work OK too. From review's I've read it seems the Etymotics compare more closely to the Shure E5s - many more $$. Between the E3s and the ER-4s it seems the ER-4s usually win.

At this point that's the direction I'm leaning. Will probably place an order Monday at the latest.

[cajonezzz]

Originally Posted by zemlin

A continuation of this thread
http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...497#post320497
"Great cans for location setups?"

I like the idea of in-ears and muffs
Looks like Shure E3c and Etymotic ER-4P fall into my price range and both have a lot of fans out in cyber-space land.

One reviewer said he didn't like the ER-4Ps because they accentuated all the flaws in his MP3s - sounds like just the ticket to me.

What do y'all think? Anyone used both?

[edit] some additional thoughts ...
Seems the Shures are considered more comfortable - and the wire routing would work well under hearing protection - the Etymotic wires could be routed over ears, so they should work OK too. From review's I've read it seems the Etymotics compare more closely to the Shure E5s - many more $$. Between the E3s and the ER-4s it seems the ER-4s usually win.

At this point that's the direction I'm leaning. Will probably place an order Monday at the latest.

I'm pretty pleased with the cheapy Future Sonics foamy's... http://www.futuresonics.com/
I think they sound better than either of the Shure's mentioned. I also have the molded ($) Ultimate Ears, they sound amazing....

[wwittman]

Any of the custom molded in-ears will sound a lot better than generic foam tipped ones.

in my opinion Future Sonics may sound the best... Ultimate Ears are also widely praised... many monitor engineers seem to swear that they are the best (and they've probably heard them all)

I also like Sensophonics... they are the only ALL soft silicone ones and they fit super well and are incredibly comfortable, because of that.


a mid-priced solution, is to get either the generic low-end Future Sonics EM-3 and have a custom made silicone sleeve made for them.
This makes them fit like the high-end all custom unit and works well.
or
Sensophonics also does the same thing, offering custom molded sleeves that accept the Shure line of in-ears.

with any molded option, you'll need an audiologist to shoot a mold of your ears, which adds a little expense, but is well worth it.

[meteor]

i have had a lot of luck with the westone universal fit drivers. i think they sound better than the shures or the futuresonic universals. however, my custom ultimate ears (for several times the money) are pretty stunning.

cheers,

[Tibbon]

PSM600 or PSM 700 system with E5's and custom molds. No other way to go.

[zemlin]

Damn you slutz - damn you all to h@##!
You were supposed to make the decision easier, not more complicated.

I guess I shoulda' known better than that.



More research to do, I guess!

[zemlin]

SHURE PSM? Don't think so - can't spend thousands, or even $1K.

I start squirming above $200 for this bit of kit.

Looks like the Westones are out of the running as well.

I might be able to get molds for cheap - my late Dad was big in the field of Audiology, my sister-in-law is an audiologist, and my Mom would still have lots of contacts in the field at at the University where my Dad taught for many years.

Don't know - but it's worth looking into. Molds probably aren't that big a deal if I have to pay the going rate either.

So regardless of what I buy, concensus seems to be that I could (in time) get custom molds made for them. I'll believe that and make that a goal.

Futuresonics EM3 is the only possible candidate that's been added to the list.

[Frost]

The new shure e4 is available and is under $200, its closer to the 5 than the 3. I think the er5 is best with the soft black inserts. The e4 is so much cheaper tho.

I have all of the shures, and a pair of etty er4's. Until the e4 from shure I would have recommended the ettys, tho the cable noise gets old, and they arent as comfortable for me.

Good Luck

Frost

[Coolstuff]

Take a look at http://IFBSource.com They show several brands of in-ears

[Telecastr]

Originally Posted by wwittman

a mid-priced solution, is to get either the generic low-end Future Sonics EM-3 and have a custom made silicone sleeve made for them.
This makes them fit like the high-end all custom unit and works well.

I have these. They are called SofterWear molds. There's a definate increase in quality from the foam sleeves.

[zemlin]

Thanks y'all ... I ended up with Futuresonics EM3 - $99, plus a pair of 31dB muffs. I can't hear a damn thing (except the blood in my head) unless it's coming through the wire. I'm not sure I'd say the EM3s sound great, but they seem to be very good at highlighting defects, which is actually what I want. Initially the bass was WAY too boomy, but I fixed that by not stuffing them as far into my head.

Just finished my first location recording (choral) where I used that combination to setup the mics. I'll see how well I did when I start mixing. I did a REAL quick mix (levels only) and let some of the singers listen through my AKG240s - their eyes popped when they heard it - so I think it will turn out OK.

I'll be looking into custom molds for these in the future.

[Remoteness]

Awesome Bro!

[wwittman]

cool...
You might consider wasting another $100 or so on having the custom silicone soft sleeves made for your EM-3's... they'll fit better and sound better.