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

[Woodinblack]

Tonight at practice my IEM cut out breifly a couple of times, so I was a bit concerned after saying how reliable it has been (and it has). Then it occured to me that the receiver was clipped to the top of my right pocket, and my XVive wireless bass transmitter was right next to it because of that. I swapped it to my left pocket and it didn't cut out again. So it seems it doesn't like touching another transmitter!

[EBS_freak]

13 hours ago, Al Krow said:

 

Smooth-hound wireless, when it was market leader,

 

Umm… no.

[Al Krow]

24 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

 

Umm… no.

 

Yeah, clarification required i.e. in the budget compact format end of the market that the Xvive U4 etc being discussed have muscled into. It was certainly one of the more popular wireless devices on BC a few years back. Seems to have faded from view these days. 

[javi_bassist]

11 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Ordered these bad lads on Sunday. Winged their way over the Atlantic from Canada in four days. What a time to be alive!

 

Plunge Audio Dynamics. They'll get a run out next weekend...

 

 

Let us know what you think of them once they arrived!

[javi_bassist]

11 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Ordered these bad lads on Sunday. Winged their way over the Atlantic from Canada in four days. What a time to be alive!

 

Plunge Audio Dynamics. They'll get a run out next weekend...

 

 

Let us know what you think of them once they arrived!

[Happy Jack]

I've used ACS Custom moulded plugs for so long that I've ended up with a couple of pairs of moulds that are surplus to requirement, one pair not even having filters any more.

 

Stumbled across a Basschat post from a few years ago (which I now can't find again to link to) where someone in this situation had bought some cheap earbuds and glued them into ACS moulds.

 

So I thought "what the heck" and bought pair of £20 buds from Amazon plus some special silicon-friendly glue. @Silvia Bluejay and I then spent a happy half-hour gluing our fingers together, and left the resulting Blue Peter mess to cure overnight.

 

Tried them at rehearsal (on keys) last night and - knock me down with a feather - it worked. 

[Kev]

4 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

I've used ACS Custom moulded plugs for so long that I've ended up with a couple of pairs of moulds that are surplus to requirement, one pair not even having filters any more.

 

Stumbled across a Basschat post from a few years ago (which I now can't find again to link to) where someone in this situation had bought some cheap earbuds and glued them into ACS moulds.

 

So I thought "what the heck" and bought pair of £20 buds from Amazon plus some special silicon-friendly glue. @Silvia Bluejay and I then spent a happy half-hour gluing our fingers together, and left the resulting Blue Peter mess to cure overnight.

 

Tried them at rehearsal (on keys) last night and - knock me down with a feather - it worked. 

 

Intrigued!  But what does it look like??

[Happy Jack]

4 hours ago, Kev said:

 

Intrigued!  But what does it look like??

 

In truth, not as bad as I feared.

 

For a first attempt we deliberately used far more glue than we probably needed, because my main concern was having the whole kludge fall apart the first time I took it out of my ears.

 

Next time, we'll be a lot neater.

 

[Kev]

Nice, good to see that it works, I was considering doing the same with mine, but was worried how much it'd stick out from my ear, didn't want to look like a pillock.  Assume all good?

[EBS_freak]

3 hours ago, Kev said:

worried how much it'd stick out from my ear, didn't want to look like a pillock.

[SimonK]

OK - first trial of the Swiff WX520s today. Two negatives:

 

1) When you turn them on there is a distinct, albeit quiet, white noise hum

2) They need to be line of sight. I had a quick walk round and as soon as there was something between me and the transmitter the signal dropped out

 

But on the the positives they are a really neat, compact, design, they definitely work, and as soon as a signal comes through you forget about the hum. I also didn't realise they accept balanced xlr, 6.35mm mono or stereo, AND 3.5mm stereo - giving all the options. You can also switch between +4dBu or -10dBV or instrument level, the latter triggering a gain control for amp free practice. Finally the transmitter is also rechargable so you don't need to plug it in either.

 

All in all I think I forgive the two negatives as for £150 its a pretty good package.

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, SimonK said:

 I also didn't realise they accept balanced xlr, 6.35mm mono or stereo, AND 3.5mm stereo - giving all the options.

 

As well as a stereo XLR.

 

1 hour ago, SimonK said:

 

All in all I think I forgive the two negatives as for £150 its a pretty good package.

 

For two you mean?

[SimonK]

40 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

As well as a stereo XLR.

 

 

For two you mean?

 

No I just got the single version in the neat little box. I think the double version was £20 more but it doesn't have the robust box.

[Mokl]

With much inspiration/guidance from this excellent thread, I'm now 4 gigs in with IEM, with the last being a silent stage at a venue with particularly tricky acoustics.

 

I'd say that so far the success rate in terms of my experience/sound in my ears is at about 60%. Areas I know can be improved are FOH chap not altering my levels mid set (!), seal of the IEMs (if I insert them just right, then there's a definite improvement, getting better at that), then finally the actual tone in my ears. 

 

The last point is the one I'm after advice on. DI from my amp sounds ok but very dry in the ears. It's not so bad when I've got stage sound as some of that leaks through to a fairly pleasing effect. Last gig and rehearsal before it I tried using my HX Stomp with cab and amp sim engaged to try and get a more pleasing sound to my ears (silent stage this time), but in rehearsal guitarist thought my tone suffered out front with the cab sim on, so I ended up running just the amp model, and it wasn't much really much different to my amp DI. No surprise there really.

 

My question is, what do you all do to get a satisfactory bass tone to your ears?! Would a decent DI with cab sim likely sound better than the Stomp, do I just need to experiment more with the Stomp? Answers on a postcard please!! 

[SimonK]

7 hours ago, Mokl said:

With much inspiration/guidance from this excellent thread, I'm now 4 gigs in with IEM, with the last being a silent stage at a venue with particularly tricky acoustics.

 

I'd say that so far the success rate in terms of my experience/sound in my ears is at about 60%. Areas I know can be improved are FOH chap not altering my levels mid set (!), seal of the IEMs (if I insert them just right, then there's a definite improvement, getting better at that), then finally the actual tone in my ears. 

 

The last point is the one I'm after advice on. DI from my amp sounds ok but very dry in the ears. It's not so bad when I've got stage sound as some of that leaks through to a fairly pleasing effect. Last gig and rehearsal before it I tried using my HX Stomp with cab and amp sim engaged to try and get a more pleasing sound to my ears (silent stage this time), but in rehearsal guitarist thought my tone suffered out front with the cab sim on, so I ended up running just the amp model, and it wasn't much really much different to my amp DI. No surprise there really.

 

My question is, what do you all do to get a satisfactory bass tone to your ears?! Would a decent DI with cab sim likely sound better than the Stomp, do I just need to experiment more with the Stomp? Answers on a postcard please!! 

 

I've also just switched to IEMs and this weekend had one of the best tones I've managed. I think having a really good DI might be quite important - I was going out of my Genzler Magellan pre with a little bit of EQ tweaking to taste.

 

Also, something I don't think anyone has mentioned on this thread yet (although I haven't read all 87 pages), walking around a venue with IEMs around your neck seems like the equivalent of walking around a hospital with a stethoscope in terms of how people treat you!

Edited Sunday at 15:51 by SimonK

[dave_bass5]

3 hours ago, SimonK said:

 

I've also just switched to IEMs and this weekend had one of the best tones I've managed. I think having a really good DI might be quite important - I was going out of my Genzler Magellan pre with a little bit of EQ tweaking to taste.

 

Also, something I don't think anyone has mentioned on this thread yet (although I haven't read all 87 pages), walking around a venue with IEMs around your neck seems like the equivalent of walking around a hospital with a stethoscope in terms of how people treat you!

Must admit i keep mine dangling as well between sets. Does give me a feeling of being more important than i am. 

[Al Krow]

12 hours ago, Mokl said:

With much inspiration/guidance from this excellent thread, I'm now 4 gigs in with IEM, with the last being a silent stage at a venue with particularly tricky acoustics.

 

I'd say that so far the success rate in terms of my experience/sound in my ears is at about 60%. Areas I know can be improved are FOH chap not altering my levels mid set (!), seal of the IEMs (if I insert them just right, then there's a definite improvement, getting better at that), then finally the actual tone in my ears. 

 

The last point is the one I'm after advice on. DI from my amp sounds ok but very dry in the ears. It's not so bad when I've got stage sound as some of that leaks through to a fairly pleasing effect. Last gig and rehearsal before it I tried using my HX Stomp with cab and amp sim engaged to try and get a more pleasing sound to my ears (silent stage this time), but in rehearsal guitarist thought my tone suffered out front with the cab sim on, so I ended up running just the amp model, and it wasn't much really much different to my amp DI. No surprise there really.

 

My question is, what do you all do to get a satisfactory bass tone to your ears?! Would a decent DI with cab sim likely sound better than the Stomp, do I just need to experiment more with the Stomp? Answers on a postcard please!! 

 

Having a good preamp sound is quite key, so finding something that works for both FoH and in your IEMs is definitely worth investing a bit of time on. HX Stomp can be a little harsh from experience, unless you've put the time into sorting the EQ. I've found the IEM tone from my Boss GT1000 Core and same patch on the GX-10 to be excellent for both IEM and FoH.

 

The other big difference can be from the IEM ear pieces themselves. Several of us in my band are using KZ ZARs (£90 Amazon or £35 Ali Express) and I'm sure others on the thread will be able to recommend other models.

[Mokl]

KZ LS10 pro is what I'm using. Find they sound pretty decent, maybe not so strong in the mids as I'd like and capable of sounding a bit boomy, but feel like a reasonable entry point to IEM?

 

Edited for early morning autocorrect!

Edited yesterday at 08:33 by Mokl

[SimonK]

48 minutes ago, Mokl said:

KZ LS10 pro is what I'm using. Find they did pretty decent, maybe not so strong in the mids as I'd like, and capable of sounding a bit boomy, but feel like a reasonable every point to IEM?

 

I was using the same yesterday and was having a problem (well minor annoyance) with the bass tom causing some type of resonance that sounded like a note - I think I worked out F# - which was really annoying, but something unique to my IEM mix as when I popped the ear pieces out I couldn't hear it in the room. I wonder if this was from the ear pieces or something else?

[wateroftyne]

I used my Plunge Audio Dynamics for the first time yesterday....

 

A bit of background: I use my existing IEMs occasionally, mainly under protest. They're KZ ZS10s, but they always sound brittle, fizzy and uninspiring to me, so I stick with my ACS attenuators and a monitor whenever I can. That setup is a bit of a clart on for the band and our engineer, so I promised myself I’d finally make the leap.

 

I did some research (not easy, given the sheer volume of ChiFi IEMs out there muddying the waters) and also looked at more expensive options like ACS.

 

In the end, I landed on the Plunge Dynamics. Handmade in Canada, they’re not custom moulds, but they still offer 15dB of attenuation. There’s also a pricier, non-ported stage version that provides even more isolation, but they Dynamics seemed to suit my needs.

 

They're a single dynamic driver rather than a complex array of dynamics and armatures like most IEMS. I was hoping that would translate into a warmer, more natural sound, and I was right... they’re a genuine revelation.

 

As soon as I put them in, I could tell they're night-and-day compared to the KZs. They're so immersive, with a real sense of air and warmth, without feeling isolated. The bass is round and dynamic. I went through soundcheck and the gig without giving them a second thought.

 

They’re beautifully made and packaged, with high-quality accessories, and they arrived from Canada in just a few days. If you’re in the market for new IEMs, they’re definitely worth a look...

 

[javi_bassist]

8 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

I used my Plunge Audio Dynamics for the first time yesterday....

 

A bit of background: I use my existing IEMs occasionally, mainly under protest. They're KZ ZS10s, but they always sound brittle, fizzy and uninspiring to me, so I stick with my ACS attenuators and a monitor whenever I can. That setup is a bit of a clart on for the band and our engineer, so I promised myself I’d finally make the leap.

 

I did some research (not easy, given the sheer volume of ChiFi IEMs out there muddying the waters) and also looked at more expensive options like ACS.

 

In the end, I landed on the Plunge Dynamics. Handmade in Canada, they’re not custom moulds, but they still offer 15dB of attenuation. There’s also a pricier, non-ported stage version that provides even more isolation, but they Dynamics seemed to suit my needs.

 

They're a single dynamic driver rather than a complex array of dynamics and armatures like most IEMS. I was hoping that would translate into a warmer, more natural sound, and I was right... they’re a genuine revelation.

 

As soon as I put them in, I could tell they're night-and-day compared to the KZs. They're so immersive, with a real sense of air and warmth, without feeling isolated. The bass is round and dynamic. I went through soundcheck and the gig without giving them a second thought.

 

They’re beautifully made and packaged, with high-quality accessories, and they arrived from Canada in just a few days. If you’re in the market for new IEMs, they’re definitely worth a look...

 

 

Good to hear that they work for you. I have to say that, even though I agree on everything you said, in my case, there are two aspects that I am not 100% with:

-They are comfortable, but not extremely comfortable for me. You have to look for proper tips. I find it funny that my "perfect tips" for my Plunge Audios are foam size M. I usually use foam L in all of my in ears. And I could use silicone L with the Plunge as well, but foam, M. The are comfortable and they stay in the ear, but they are not as comfortable as my Sennheiser (for me).

-Soundwise, I think they are a little bit bassy. When I use them to listen to music, they are incredible. However, after some gigs with it, I had some issues having "too much bass" in some gigs and losing some mids. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I would recommend them. And for the price, they are really really good. I tend to favour Dynamic drivers over BA (even if it is only one Dynamic vs various BA). I'd prefer to play with the Plunge Audio than the Westone X30s, which are also really really good.

[wateroftyne]

36 minutes ago, javi_bassist said:

 

Good to hear that they work for you. I have to say that, even though I agree on everything you said, in my case, there are two aspects that I am not 100% with:

-They are comfortable, but not extremely comfortable for me. You have to look for proper tips. I find it funny that my "perfect tips" for my Plunge Audios are foam size M. I usually use foam L in all of my in ears. And I could use silicone L with the Plunge as well, but foam, M. The are comfortable and they stay in the ear, but they are not as comfortable as my Sennheiser (for me).

-Soundwise, I think they are a little bit bassy. When I use them to listen to music, they are incredible. However, after some gigs with it, I had some issues having "too much bass" in some gigs and losing some mids. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I would recommend them. And for the price, they are really really good. I tend to favour Dynamic drivers over BA (even if it is only one Dynamic vs various BA). I'd prefer to play with the Plunge Audio than the Westone X30s, which are also really really good.

All fair comments...

re: fit - I use large Comply tips. I've got big 'ol ear canals, and they're just the job.

Sound-wise.. it's such a personal thing, isn't it? To me, the lows don't sound boosted or flubby - just nice and tight, with lots of natural definition in the mids, and smooth top.

One of the problems with IEM stuff is the inability to try before you buy... it's all a bit of a lottery, isn't it?

[javi_bassist]

1 hour ago, wateroftyne said:

All fair comments...

re: fit - I use large Comply tips. I've got big 'ol ear canals, and they're just the job.

Sound-wise.. it's such a personal thing, isn't it? To me, the lows don't sound boosted or flubby - just nice and tight, with lots of natural definition in the mids, and smooth top.

One of the problems with IEM stuff is the inability to try before you buy... it's all a bit of a lottery, isn't it?

 

About the fit, I forgot to mention that many many in ears are not comfortable for me. I probably have weird ears. And the Plunge are not the most comfortable for me, but they are comfortable.

 

And yes, I agree about the lottery. I have too many in ears that confirm that haha. But I have to say that if I have to recommend one set, the Plunge will be one of the first I would suggest.

[EBS_freak]

Getting a good fit was always the problem with me - hence why I went down the custom route.

[TimR]

On 26/01/2026 at 08:21, SimonK said:

 

I was using the same yesterday and was having a problem (well minor annoyance) with the bass tom causing some type of resonance that sounded like a note - I think I worked out F# - which was really annoying, but something unique to my IEM mix as when I popped the ear pieces out I couldn't hear it in the room. I wonder if this was from the ear pieces or something else?

 

Interesting fact. Everyone's ear canals are different lengths and shapes (that should not come as a surprise) which means everyone hears things differently to everyone else. If you swapped your ears for someone else's, your brain would really struggle to understand what it was hearing.

 

The same is true for eyes. What one person's eyes present to the brain as red is different to what someone else's do. 

 

Which is OK, because we calibrate our ears so that an F# is an F# no matter who you are. It does mean that one resonant frequency for one person would be different for someone else. 

Edited 1 hour ago by TimR