Members vangkm Posted November 30, 2012 Members Share Posted November 30, 2012 What's a good budget IEM? I'm looking for adjustable fit, good bass/drum response. We have the Audio Technica EP and I have a hard time hearing myself singing. They came with the M2 units we're using, no one in the band likes the EP3s. Could it be that we're just not getting a good seal and some different tips will help? Do they not stack up well to the other budget sub $150 IEMs like the ones listed and others? Just curious and looking to grab new affordable buds. I'm going with some custom molds as soon as I have the time/money but this is more for the rest of the band who doesn't need the kind of quality I do to hear myself singing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted November 30, 2012 Members Share Posted November 30, 2012 For earbuds review, try searching at head-fi forum. They have a lot of great information regarding earbuds, headphones and so on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vangkm Posted November 30, 2012 Author Members Share Posted November 30, 2012 Originally Posted by voicemaster For earbuds review, try searching at head-fi forum. They have a lot of great information regarding earbuds, headphones and so on there. I've been on there but man is it a zoo, very hard to navigate and search. Also what's up with 2 private message max?It seems that they're more focused on sound quality and fit than anything else on that board too. I want to know how these buds will manage when moving around, playing music, music monitoring for live performance, etc...which I don't see too many discussions on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted November 30, 2012 Members Share Posted November 30, 2012 The drummer in my church is using my old Shure E2C and he loves it, so I think the SE215 will sound even better. The treble is not harsh at all when playing the cymbal, the kick is pretty punchy and has that "body" to it, so does the toms, vocal sounds pretty clear, but like all Shure IEMs the vocal is pretty recessed, but still clear and smooth, it just doesn't sound like "in your face" sound. For me, I think Shure IEMs are great for drummer. You could also check the Etymotic IEMs as they are considered to be clear, super detailed sounding IEM, but the bass might not be as big as the Shure, but they are very tight (more punchy than boomy). Hope that help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vangkm Posted December 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 1, 2012 Originally Posted by voicemaster The drummer in my church is using my old Shure E2C and he loves it, so I think the SE215 will sound even better. The treble is not harsh at all when playing the cymbal, the kick is pretty punchy and has that "body" to it, so does the toms, vocal sounds pretty clear, but like all Shure IEMs the vocal is pretty recessed, but still clear and smooth, it just doesn't sound like "in your face" sound. For me, I think Shure IEMs are great for drummer.You could also check the Etymotic IEMs as they are considered to be clear, super detailed sounding IEM, but the bass might not be as big as the Shure, but they are very tight (more punchy than boomy).Hope that help. Awesome! Thanks for the input. Most likely the drummer and bassist will be using those then. I'm going with some Aurisonics ASG-1's. After reading many reviews and finding out more about the company and the intended use of the ASG-1's I was pretty sold...especially after I got a decent price for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OneEng Posted December 1, 2012 Members Share Posted December 1, 2012 Originally Posted by voicemaster The drummer in my church is using my old Shure E2C and he loves it, so I think the SE215 will sound even better. The treble is not harsh at all when playing the cymbal, the kick is pretty punchy and has that "body" to it, so does the toms, vocal sounds pretty clear, but like all Shure IEMs the vocal is pretty recessed, but still clear and smooth, it just doesn't sound like "in your face" sound. For me, I think Shure IEMs are great for drummer.You could also check the Etymotic IEMs as they are considered to be clear, super detailed sounding IEM, but the bass might not be as big as the Shure, but they are very tight (more punchy than boomy).Hope that help. +1.I use the SE215 as does the lead guitarist (I play rhythm guitar and sing lead). The bottom on the 215 is really nice as is the clarity. It is truly a great bargain for what you get (I paid ~$100.00 for mine). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted December 2, 2012 Members Share Posted December 2, 2012 Yes, I think Shure IEMs are good for stage monitoring. The treble is smooth, no harshness and sibilance even when playing heavy cymbals. SE215 for only $99 is probably one of the best bang of buck for budget universal IEM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vangkm Posted December 3, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 3, 2012 So I saw an ad for some Shure buds (SE535) on craigslist for a great deal...I had to grab them since it was within the budget I had set anyways. The difference in sound quality/seal/output of the buds is just amazing. The difference is so stark and now I can hear myself singing even when I go from a whisper to scream. Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 The SE535 is a great sounding IEM from Shure. It is the top of the line model also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiroVette Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 I have a question: I just recently came across a pair of E4c buds that I thought were kaput. One of the wires going into the right but was frayed and Shure told me about 5 years ago they have to be replaced and that I was "just outside the warranty...and blah, blah, blah. Anyway, my guitar tech was blown away by the sound of these buds and assured me that contrary to Shure's "bizarre assertion," (as he put it) these buds are absolutely fixable, which he did in like an hour! lol Anyway, I asked him what he thought about the buds and his response was to shake his head and say, "My God, these are the best headphones I have ever heard! You better be careful you don't go deaf." Anyway, my question is, I know these buds are old, but would they make good IEM's? I remember that I paid $300.00 for them, but for some reason Amazon now has them for $599.00. Another question is are these considered budget IEM's or would they rank pretty high in terms of quality for use as a musician's IEM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 The e4c is one of the mid high end of shure IEM line up back then. Their model start from e2c, e3c, e4c and e5c. Shure iems are nice sounding with very very smooth mid range and the most important is no harshness on the treble. The only drawback with Shure iems are the cable. I have an e2c and the cable cracked several years ago, same thing happened to my friend's 115m. But they are trying to fix the problem using a detachable cable starting from shure se215 model and up. So, if the cable broke, you can just buy another cable instead of new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiroVette Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 Originally Posted by voicemaster The e4c is one of the mid high end of shure IEM line up back then. Their model start from e2c, e3c, e4c and e5c. Shure iems are nice sounding with very very smooth mid range and the most important is no harshness on the treble. The only drawback with Shure iems are the cable. I have an e2c and the cable cracked several years ago, same thing happened to my friend's 115m. But they are trying to fix the problem using a detachable cable starting from shure se215 model and up. So, if the cable broke, you can just buy another cable instead of new one. I kind of scored on this one as my tech is also a close personal friend. My buds had completely frayed right at the point there the wire enters the right bud. It rendered that side inoperative to the point that I thought they were un-fixable. It was only by sheer dumb luck that I happened to have tossed them into an old desk drawer and when I came across them, my buddy informed me that he could fix them. He did and they sound...well ungodly amazing, to be quite honest.I was incredibly happy (before he fixed them) with using my Klipsch s4 buds as a wired IEM. Despite the admonishments by some in this forum that those buds would not be very good at all as IEM's, I was blown away by the beautiful clarity. I can't wait to try these e4c's out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 The klipsch s4 has exaggerated bass and prone to sibilance on the high note. The treble can be harsh sometime and you dont want to have that when using it for stage monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiroVette Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 Originally Posted by voicemaster The klipsch s4 has exaggerated bass and prone to sibilance on the high note. The treble can be harsh sometime and you dont want to have that when using it for stage monitor. Perhaps, but quite honestly, they sounded pretty amazing to me even just used as an in-ear test subject. Don't get me wrong, I am quite sure that the e4c's or some other high end bud will sound a helluva lot better. But I had literally zero complaints about the quality of sounds the s4 gave me as an IEM. And if someone is on a budget AND has a teenage daughter prone to being extremely careless with her stuff, I can't see how he could go wrong with a pair of $80.00 buds that you can cop off Amazon and other sites for between $39.99 and $49.99. It doesn't sound like his daughter is an audiophile, and I simply cannot imagine her not being happy with buds like this for this use. If so, then lol perhaps she ought to learn to treat her stuff better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 Yeah the s4 is a good sounding iem, it just doesnt work that well for stage monitor. For music listening, i dont see any problem. And also, many or most people doesnt really care about sound quality, that's why you see alot of people use beats, i-bud and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiroVette Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 Originally Posted by voicemaster Yeah the s4 is a good sounding iem, it just doesnt work that well for stage monitor. For music listening, i dont see any problem. Thanks for the response. Why is it that these are good listening buds but not good IEM buds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 Sibilance and treble harshness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiroVette Posted December 4, 2012 Members Share Posted December 4, 2012 Originally Posted by voicemaster Sibilance and treble harshness. I don't find them to be sibilant or harsh in the high end, to be quite honest. However, even if they are, you know which other monitors boast the same complaint with many end users? The QSC K series cabinets. Yet, all the time people defend the cabinet by saying that it is easy to EQ out the harshness and sibilance. So, it seems to me at least that if one can EQ a wedge or FOH speaker that one can EQ an IEM with the same good results, no?I am buying the Presonus 24.4.2 and I can apply one of the eight EQ's to the aux send to my IEM, perhaps? I am saying this because I am spending $10K on a PA system, and if I absolutely need to, would pay the extra cash for a nice ear bud as an IEM. But you know what? it seems to me that if I was ecstatic with the sound of my Klipsch s4 buds as IEM's, is it your position that the e4c would be somehow worse? I mean, with a bud of this quality at my disposal, and SO MANY people going for "low end" buds, why wouldn't this moderate to high end bud with some EQing do a great job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Art Flood Posted December 5, 2012 Members Share Posted December 5, 2012 Originally Posted by ChiroVette I am buying the Presonus 24.4.2 and I can apply one of the eight EQ's to the aux send to my IEM, perhaps? You sure could. And you could also use the fat channel eq (you get 4 bands with 24.4.2) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted December 5, 2012 Members Share Posted December 5, 2012 I didnt say that the Klipsch S4 cant be used for stage monitoring. It just for under $100, the SE215 is a better choice IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiroVette Posted December 5, 2012 Members Share Posted December 5, 2012 Originally Posted by Art Flood You sure could. And you could also use the fat channel eq (you get 4 bands with 24.4.2) Yeah I think this would make the e4cs sounds awesome, particularly if the only complaint about them is that they are sibilant and harsh at the high frequencies. Originally Posted by voicemaster I didnt say that the Klipsch S4 cant be used for stage monitoring. It just for under $100, the SE215 is a better choice IMHO. lol I think you are completely missing my point. I was NOT in any way referencing the SE215's or comparing the Klipsch s4s to them, and certainly would NOT expect the s4's to come out on top in such a comparison. I was saying that the s'4 sounded absolutely fantastic to me as IEM's and they are a good set of buds for listening to an iPod, but not high end at all. My point was that if the s4's sounded that good to me, then surely the e4c's are going to sound absolutely amazing. And if indeed the complaints you cited about them are true, just as they are for the QSC K series cabinets, then just as you can EQ it out in them, you should also be able to EQ the e4c's to make them sound even better than they would flat.Or are you saying something I'm missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voicemaster Posted December 5, 2012 Members Share Posted December 5, 2012 Of course you can EQ them. I have SL24.4.2 too and their Aux EQ is pretty neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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