The IEM (in ear monitors) Bible thread - a guide to help every musician

[kiat]

Any recommendations for my playing situations?

 

Which are (a) pub cover bands, (b) jam nights and open mics, (c) rehearsals and (d) home learning and practices. I'm on a budget and looking at £300 max for systems with no latency issues and reasonable audio that doesn't break up or sound shitty on the low strings. A little hiss would be ok.

 

I'm looking at an XVive type system for (b) and (c) and a rackable system for (a) and (d)**

 

A wireless system might come in handy as I've just got an analogue  splitter/mixer to use as a band IEM mixer and we all need to get feeds from the headphone amp it feeds.

 

**though I've got a wired setup as a backup with a MA400 personal monitor amp fed PRE from my pedal's DI out and POST into a DI box, which feeds my stage amp. FOH can take the PRE or POST from either thru port.

 

I've read mixed reviews of the XVive U4. A sax-playing mate has one, but she doesn't like the cut-outs in a busy gig.

[warwickhunt]

To avoid the drop outs you'd be better off avoiding the 2.4 systems as that is where most of the issues occur, however some folk manage perfectly well with them.  

 

If you want low/no latency you really want to be avoiding the cheapie (sub £60) systems... with the caveat that plenty people manage with the latency (be aware latency is cumulative if you have other digital systems in your pathway; inc radio trans/rec, desks etc). 

[Woodinblack]

44 minutes ago, kiat said:

Could you post a link to your Lekato model?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404205416058

 

[kiat]

Is anyone using this Behringer MX882 mixer/splitter (or similar) at the heart of a band IEM solution?

 

Interested to hear about your experiences with solutions like this.

Mine arrived today and it's very promising for my use case: a cheap, easy to use reliable starter IEM solution for small bands.

 

It provides a split for each signal (vocal mics, 2 drum mics, guitar bass) to FOH and a common mix from it's twin XLR main outs to this simple multi-headphone amp powering 4 x IEMs, wireless or wired.

 

 

When I route the main XLR outs into my Scarlett 4i4 XLR ins I set them to route to the headset out (3/4) and connect that with a TRS cable to the headphone amp.  Because there are 4 line outs on this audio interface I can create two extra stereo pairs for extra IEMs. And can record the whole lot live over a stereo mix to my laptop (Linux with Ardour using Pipewire).

 

Any band member can add more of themselves with these personal monitoring amps that they use to split their own signal before it gets to the MX882.

 

The IEMs we're trying out are the inexpensive KZ EDX Pros, in keeping with the low cost as we are experimenting with our first foray into IEMs, with a view to upgrading everything as and when.

[JPJ]

Re 2.4ghz vs 5.8ghz 

Recently, I did a gig as a sound guy. I had two devices connected to the bands Behringer X-Air XR18 running an external dual band router, one on 2.4ghz and one on 5.8ghz. The 5.8ghz connection dropped out two or three times during the gig whereas the 2.4 stayed rock solid all night. 

 

That said, I see that X-Vive have now brought out the U45 - a 5.8ghz version of the U4

Edited June 10 by JPJ

[kiat]

10 minutes ago, JPJ said:

Re 2.4ghz vs 5.8ghz 

Recently, I did a gig as a sound guy. I had two devices connected to the bands Behringer X-Air XR18 running an external dual band router, one on 2.4ghz and one on 5.8ghz. The 5.8ghz connection dropped out two or three times during the gig whereas the 2.4 stayed rock solid all night. 

 

That said, I see that X-Vive have now brought out the U45 - a 5.8ghz version of the U4

Good to hear about that experience 2.4GHz v 5.8GHz.  I wonder if the costs are higher with the electronics, as Xvive are charging 10-20% more for the 5.8 version in the UK.

[Greg Edwards69]

1 hour ago, JPJ said:

Re 2.4ghz vs 5.8ghz 

Recently, I did a gig as a sound guy. I had two devices connected to the bands Behringer X-Air XR18 running an external dual band router, one on 2.4ghz and one on 5.8ghz. The 5.8ghz connection dropped out two or three times during the gig whereas the 2.4 stayed rock solid all night. 

 

That said, I see that X-Vive have now brought out the U45 - a 5.8ghz version of the U4

IIRC, from what I know about wifi routers, 2.4 GHz has a longer range than 5.8 GHz but is more prone to interference from channel overlap. 5.8 GHz is cleaner in this respect.

 

It's also worth bearing in mind that both frequencies are used by wifi and Bluetooth (in the case of the former), so subject to environmental influences. I always try and remember to put devices such as phones and tablets into airplane mode if there are problems.  I remember playing at one venue that had a wifi extender plugged in next to me on the stage that was interfering with my 2.4 Ghz wireless. I turned that thing off and cured the problem instantly.

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, kiat said:

Good to hear about that experience 2.4GHz v 5.8GHz.  I wonder if the costs are higher with the electronics, as Xvive are charging 10-20% more for the 5.8 version in the UK.

Yes, it does seem quite a bit more than the old version. quite surprised how expensive the Xvives are compared to the newer systems coming along. From experience (my singer) they aren't any more robust or less prone to drop outs (quite the opposite for the second bit).

[JPJ]

So just in from an absolute belter of a gig. Used my Senheiser IEM100’s in combination with my X-Vive U4 and due to getting there nice and early I had time to tweak my in-ears mix as well as eq them better with the result that I think I’ve just had the best gig ever on a difficult stage sound-wise. 

[shoulderpet]

I'm looking at iems at the moment and is a bit overwhelming especially being a bit neurospicy, can you really get decent sound attenuation from a set of in ears? I was looking at a set of Shure SE215 and it says up to 37db of attenuation,  I am sceptical but hoping I am wrong

 

Also do you normally get a selection of different size tips? I am a little reluctant to fork out for iems only to find that they don't fit and are letting in a load of outside noise

 

Thanks

Edited Tuesday at 16:30 by shoulderpet

[JapanAxe]

21 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

I'm looking at iems at the moment and is a bit overwhelming especially being a bit neurospicy, can you really get decent sound attenuation from a set of in ears? I was looking at a set of Shure SE215 and it says up to 37db of attenuation,  I am sceptical but hoping I am wrong

 

Also do you normally get a selection of different size tips? I am a little reluctant to fork out for iems only to find that they don't fit and are letting in a load of outside noise

 

Thanks

I have a set of SE425s and they do give a lot of attenuation, more than my ACS earplugs which are 'up to' 26dB. They also come with a range of tips in different types and sizes - bear in mind you may need a different size in each ear.

[dave_bass5]

46 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

I'm looking at iems at the moment and is a bit overwhelming especially being a bit neurospicy, can you really get decent sound attenuation from a set of in ears? I was looking at a set of Shure SE215 and it says up to 37db of attenuation,  I am sceptical but hoping I am wrong

 

Also do you normally get a selection of different size tips? I am a little reluctant to fork out for iems only to find that they don't fit and are letting in a load of outside noise

 

Thanks

There are a lot of differnt size/types of ear tip available on Amazon etc. It can take a few attempts to get the best fit, but it’s worth it in the end. 

[warwickhunt]

55 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

Also do you normally get a selection of different size tips? I am a little reluctant to fork out for iems only to find that they don't fit and are letting in a load of outside noise

 

Yes as others have said you get different size buds/tips BUT... that isn't the only factor for good fit/isolation.  I tried three different sets of IEs before I found the Senn IE100 was the best fit for me; KZs were too heavy on the outside of my ear and skewed the fit so they leaked (regardless of type or size of tip).  Just saying! 

[dave_bass5]

Yep, i had the same experience. Started with the popular KZ’s but they were never comfortable and put me of using IEM’s  for a while. Also settled on the Sennheiser’s after trying a few other brands. I have flat ears and most that i tried felt like they going to fall out, event though the seal itself was good. 

[Buddster]

If buying different tips, measure the diameter of the 'speaker' part they fit on as the hole in the tip come in different sizes. I've not checked when buying off Amazon and got ones too small. 

[shoulderpet]

Thanks for the replies, as it is presumably the tips that cause the sound attenuation is it really worth spending a lot on iem headphones or should I focus my money on getting a selection of tips? I have not used iems before so this is so completely new to me.

 

At the moment am looking at the Shure SE215 and the Sennheiser IE 100 Pro, I briefly considered the Linsoul KZ ZS10's but I found a mention somewhere of them being mid scooped which is a big no no for me.

 

Edited Thursday at 10:19 by shoulderpet

[dave_bass5]

On 19/06/2025 at 09:07, shoulderpet said:

Thanks for the replies, as it is presumably the tips that cause the sound attenuation is it really worth spending a lot on iem headphones or should I focus my money on getting a selection of tips? I have not used iems before so this is so completely new to me.

 

At the moment am looking at the Shure SE215 and the Sennheiser IE 100 Pro, I briefly considered the Linsoul KZ ZS10's but I found a mention somewhere of them being mid scooped which is a big no no for me.

 

As mentioned already, the size and shape of that IEM can make or break the experience. The tips make a difference but a few of us have found the actual IEM to be to big and heavy or just not able to sit right. 
I use the same tips with my IE400’s that i did for my MEE M3’s, but a totally different experience. 

[JPJ]

So I used my Sennheiser 100’s again last night with a Behringer P2M as it was a sit down gig. It was probably the heat/sweat but I was struggling with the fit of one earpiece. I’m using the largest tip I’ve got, but I think I need a larger tip for my left ear.

Sound / mix wise, the gig had an in-house PA and engineer, and a quick turnaround between bands so I went with bass at unity, everything else at -6db and I had a great sound. 

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, JPJ said:

So I used my Sennheiser 100’s again last night with a Behringer P2M as it was a sit down gig. It was probably the heat/sweat but I was struggling with the fit of one earpiece. I’m using the largest tip I’ve got, but I think I need a larger tip for my left ear.

Sound / mix wise, the gig had an in-house PA and engineer, and a quick turnaround between bands so I went with bass at unity, everything else at -6db and I had a great sound. 

This might sound silly but have you tried a smaller tip? Ive always gone for the largest in the past. Ram it in and it will stay put, only I find it doesn't quite go in as far as it should. When I went down a size I found the tip would go a bit further in to the ear canal, and the fit was more secure. it also meant the IEM could sit a bit more secure in the ear.

[JPJ]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

This might sound silly but have you tried a smaller tip? Ive always gone for the largest in the past. Ram it in and it will stay put, only I find it doesn't quite go in as far as it should. When I went down a size I found the tip would go a bit further in to the ear canal, and the fit was more secure. it also meant the IEM could sit a bit more secure in the ear.

Good shout, no I haven’t tried that but I will. I’m enjoying the IEM experience so much I can see custom moulds in my not too distant future.