I'm a touring drum tech and the time has come for IEMs.

I have the Shure se215's and really like them. Im sure the 315's and 515's are better but I can't imagine how much better they are. I've never tried the Westones, but my guitarist lent me his Bose IEM's and they're not even in the same league, they're more like expensive phones for an mp3 player. The Shures blew them away.

by the way, who do you tour with if you don't mind me asking.
 
Not familiar with either one, so Iooked them up. If you're concerned about isolation - I assume you want it - these are not going to give you much. Molds offer the best isolation, and of course you're looking at more money.

If you need them for the tour, the artist should pay for them.

Bermuda
 
Yeah, you should probably look into Ultimate Ears or other ones of that ilk. You can go to the audiologist and get the molds done, send them off to the company and in three weeks you'll have your custom fit IEMs.

My company supplies me with Shure SE315's for my gig and those are adequate, but if you want sound isolation to protect your hearing, nothing is better than the custom molds. Cheapest Ultimate Ears before getting the ear molds would be $399. And they go up to about $1500 depending on how many drivers you want.
 
The Shure's I use work, but the idea is to have a good enough seal so the signals going into the headphones don't have to be turned up very loud - because that's what will damage your hearing. In my gig, I'm playing to a track so I just have the track loud enough so I can lock into it, and there are no other musicians around me playing louder than I need. So I can get away with the SE315s. But I think as soon as I had to deal with alot of on-stage volume and a denser monitor mix going to the headphones, I'd want the better isolation and drivers that you get with the upper-end designs of the custom manufacturers.
 
Yeah this is exactly what i was worrying about. The drummer i tech for has UE18s so it makes me want custom molds but obviously i'd only need about 2-3 drivers. I'm going to have to save some money up i think and stick with my earphones with ear muffs on top. Shame but i already have tinnitus so i'm not taking any risks.

Its good not to take risks concerning your hearing! Yeah - the UE's at $399 before getting the molds done is a bit pricey. But there are other companies - there's one down in Florida where it's a bit cheaper ($250 I think for the first model). And I think UE might offer specials where they could throw in the fitting for free (I know they were doing that at NAMM). Would these be primarily for monitoring? Or could you get away with a wedge mix and wearing really good earplugs?

Sometimes it's just a matter of how you want to work. If I'm not singing, a small wedge monitor would be ok and I'll just wear nice earplugs. If you were having to lock to sequences and click tracks, then IEMs would be the best thing, but if you're just playing live, and only need a reference, perhaps the wedge speaker and plugs? That would save alot of money.
 
I'm sorry. You said you're the touring drum tech. So you're not the drummer in the band? Why would you need to hear the mix? Are people talking to you during the show?
 
Hi again. Yeah i'll just have to drum mix so i can hear if anything goes wrong instantly ie: bottom snare skin goes, mic comes off etc. and people speaking to me. Thanks for the help.

If that's all you need a single driver would probably do. I will say I've used single and dual driver IEM and the dual is far better and worth the money in my book. I currently am using the Westone UM2 and have been very pleased with them! Would love to get some custom ones but Westone wants about $600 or so just for the drivers. Buddy of mine was telling about a company called www.1964ears.com that does IEM's and the custom ones start at like $350 that does not include the audiologist fee for the visit and ear mold.
 
If thats all you need then drop the $100 on the Shure SE215's and be done.
 
I just got a pair of universal fitting IEM's - the Heir Audio 3.ai; they're reviewed as the 'Westone 3's done right'. Three drivers, detachable cable, many tips to choose from, and better sound compared to the W3 (check out forums online comparing the two if you so choose), come with carrying cases, have some of the most reputable customer service around, and look pretty great as well. They do custom fit of course, the comparable model is $450 compared to $300 I think. Not sure if that's in your price range, but I've been pretty floored so far by them.
http://www.heiraudio.com/
But if that's all you need them for, just check out Etymotic's stuff, they cancel lots of noise if that's what you need, or the Shure SE215's for a great IEM in that price range. I really think that a good pair of headphones/IEM's is a worthwhile investment, so consider all options.
 
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My 2 cents,

I'm in the market too. Here's the thing with the SE215's, they're affordable and reasonably well regarded. Everyone's ear canal is different but when I have used universal (as opposed to custom) IEMs, the foam, earplug like seal they provide is really good, which is what you really need. Trust me, PROTECT YOUR HEARING NOW.

But there is a price.....they are difficult to remove and replace. IOW, if someone needs to talk to you while you have IEMs in, and you can't understand them, you have to remove them. Then to reinstall, it takes time for the foam to reseal in your ear.

But if you're going to put 'em in and keep 'em in for a full show, they're really great. You should be able to find foams that fit in the assortment in the box and then get a supply of them....because they wear out when they become soiled. They're less than $20 for 5 pair, I think. The rubber tips are more like regular earbuds and don't seal as well, but they last.

Custom IEMs seal right when you put 'em in, which is one reason why they're better.

The problem I have with customs is that I'm concerned about sound quality, and it is impossible to know what a CIEM will sound like until you've made the investment.....and if you're not fond of it, they cannot be resold...because they're custom. It's a frustrating fact of life. Im going to post about specific customs and see if anyone has anything to share.

I hope this helps.
 
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