In-ear comparisons

[ajwtaylor]

Currently I am using westone products, mostly because of their price. I really haven't had much chance to try out other products (except for shure e1). What do you recommend and how do you feel about westone in ears.

[Scodiddly]

I haven't tried Westone, but I did recently do a fairly thorough comparison between Shure E4 and Sennheiser IE4 earbuds. The Shure is very good in the midrange, but weak on bass. The IE4 isn't that hifi, but has wonderful low end - great for bass players like myself. The IE4 is much cheaper, too, list is around $90?

 

A co-worker also loaned me his Shure A550 (similar to E5), which sounded great, had good bass, but were a bit tricky to get placed in the ear properly.

[rinkydinkron]

I own E5's and to me,mid and highs are fantastic but like your experiences of the E4's i find they also lack a little bass but this isn't always a bad thing in an in ear mix.

My personal POV is Mid and high's are far more important.

 

I'd love to hear a bit more about experiences comparing different manufacturers in ear monitor systems.

How does the cheaper Nady,Trantec,Db technology,Galaxy stuff compare to the Shure and Sennheiser gear.

[Andier]

any comments on Etymotic-ER4B and UE ?

[rinkydinkron]

Anyone?

[cqc6]

Hey,

 

After tons of research and asking a few friends (in major label bands) the results are- Ultimate ears are the best out there. The only downside said by most is the price. I have UE7pros on the way. They are a 3 driver in-ear with crossover. The isolation is great on them and those are designed for loud stage show. I cant wait to get em. I will be running em with a Shure PSM600 system. They should sound awesome.

 

I had to do alot of research since they are pricey and molds are needed.

Dont wanna have to go through that a bunch of times. I bought the best ones money could buy.- My Audiologist said everyone is amazed at em. He's molded alot of musicians and everyone likes UE's the best. No complaints.

[timmcallister]

I have Shure E2's ($100), Westone UM1 ($100), and UE-7pro ($900)

 

No doubt, the UE7 is a significant improvment over the others.

 

Is it the best? I don't understand how one can say that, UNLESS they've TRIED other high end plugs.

 

I suspect only the top tier players get the chance (have the money) to "try out" different high end custom molded plugs, specifically cause with molded plugs you gotta buy to try em!

 

I am very happy with the fit and sound quality of the UE7pros

[cqc6]

Hey,

 

My decision was mainly based on a few friends who play with Major label bands. They have tried various in-ears and all ended up with Ultimate ears. Trust me I had to be convinced to spend that much $$$ on a set of ear-buds. It floored me when I seen the price. I really trusted what they were saying about Ultimate Ears. And yes- the people I talked to have been on the road forever and had the other brands.

[ear_saver]

As always, Just my 2cents.

As an audiologist that runs a business reselling ear monitors and priding myself on knowing a bit about them...

I choose Sensaphonics as my brand of choice. The softness, the quality of construction and youve got support across the country if you are a touring act.

The triple drivers scare me volume wise. How many dB come out of those three little speakers sealed in your little ear canal. Are we doing more damage?

Ultimately you must like what you hear and consider the maximum output for your hearing safety.

I love my Sensaphonics 2XS, dual driver all soft, and it only costs $750. Take alook at the Active AMbient 3D system too. Its pricey but boy does it sound good! It also makes alot of sense in the world of protecting your hearing and appeasing the needs of the musician.