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Post by j4gitr (John) on Mar 24, 2020 9:10:11 GMT -7
Just connected with a pretty good Music Ministry in our new home town. They are using a Behringer Powerplay system as main source of monitoring. Sweetwater has some Westone IEM’s with significant savings. Anyone using them? There’s several models. I think I want to stay under $200. Any other recommendations?
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Post by zpilot on Mar 24, 2020 10:42:31 GMT -7
Before you spend anywhere near $200 on earbuds try these: KZ AS10 IEM 5. You can find them on Amazon. I have never tried Westones but I have used several from Shure and Sennheiser and these seem to be just as good and more durable.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2020 12:50:48 GMT -7
There's a reason why pros use custom molded in ears.
Custom molded in ears also function as ear protection and since they are keeping the ambient sound out of your ears you don't have to turn them up so loud to hear what's going on.
With the generics you have to turn up the in ears pretty loud to get over the noise in your situation.
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Post by j4gitr (John) on Mar 24, 2020 13:44:51 GMT -7
I took my Sony MDR7506 headphones and they worked well. I’m just a back row musician, so appearance isn’t paramount. Maybe I’m better off sticking with that. Eric, when you refer to generic you mean anything that is not custom fit?
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Post by iluvpunz on Mar 24, 2020 13:49:21 GMT -7
I've been very happy with my Westones. I had a set of the ambient ones, the AM Pro 30's which worked great for me on more quiet stages. I would think they would be really good for worship musicians. Unfortunately they got re-appropriated (stolen) at a festival gig last summer. I'm using my backup UM Pros right now which are good but are very sound isolating. I have trouble communicating sometimes with the other guys sometimes without pulling one.
I agree with Eric, if you can swing it go custom molded and hire a guard to keep track of them. Depending on your instrument and whether you sing go triple driver. Dual driver lacks some of the mid frequencies that guitars and vocals reside in.
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Post by GuitarZ on Mar 24, 2020 13:57:20 GMT -7
Custom molded in ears also function as ear protection and since they are keeping the ambient sound out of your ears you don't have to turn them up so loud to hear what's going on. Not to throw too much on the plate, but another option is Etymotic. www.etymotic.com They claim to have invented "insert earphones" in 1984. The reason I mention them is that their isolation is very good (35 - 42 dB). They kind of get inserted deeper into the ear canal, and it's basically like having strong earplugs in your ears although with sound. Not many people know about them. The pluses are isolation, very pure/flat sound, good construction, and sub $200 cost for two models. The negatives are they don't look as cool as regular in-ears (although they're kind of unobtrusive), very pure/flat sound (plus & negative ) meaning they don't have a bass bump (although they're now selling versions with enhanced bass), and don't have quick disconnect cables. Every time I think about getting "real" in-ears, I realize the etymotics are doing a good job for me and I don't look too geeky. I think I saw Ed Sheeran using them once on a TV special. Regarding Westone, my drummer had good things to say about them.
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Post by zpilot on Mar 24, 2020 23:16:17 GMT -7
Before you spend anywhere near $200 on earbuds try these: KZ AS10 IEM 5. You can find them on Amazon. I have never tried Westones but I have used several from Shure and Sennheiser and these seem to be just as good and more durable. You really should hear the KZ's. These run around $50. There certainly are better ones out there but, as always, a decision has to be made on cost vs performance. Ear protection in most worship settings is not an issue. I think these are plenty good enough. You will be surprised at the level of fidelity.
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Post by GuitarZ on Mar 25, 2020 8:54:16 GMT -7
Not a bad idea to start with the KZ's. If you want to upgrade later you can. And, after reading about the IEMs that walked away, these would be valuable to have in the gig bag even if you do upgrade on the off chance that your IEMs leave you for a different guy (or gal as the case may be).
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Post by Righty on Mar 25, 2020 10:10:38 GMT -7
Heard about the KZ AS10's sometime last summer and decided to try them out. Intended use was as an everyday set of phones. Already had a set of Westone UM3X for IEM use and a set of AMPRO-30's on the way. Unfortunately the KZ's only lasted about 5 months before the left side died. I did try them as IEM's with the band for several practices and one gig and they worked out fine although I found the Westones more balanced with a crisper and more refined low end. The KZ's were brighter overall (to me) which was not something I liked all that much compared to the Westones. Didn't need any extra perceived high end on my guitar tone since it already sounds a littler brighter through IEM's to me.
At $349 the AMPRO-30's are worth every penny to me. Equal or better in sound than the old UM3X's (which were excellent) with the added benefit of ambience ports.
For a backup I'm carrying a set of Shure SE-215's which are surprisingly good for single drivers at $99.
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Post by redzsrock on Mar 25, 2020 12:13:30 GMT -7
I've used a lot of different ears over the years. I would encourage you to take a serious look at Alclair. Probably their Dual XB model. You could probably even get a discount through your church. They are very good, especially at the price point. We have had almost a dozen worship team members go to these, and are very happy with them.
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