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

[RichardH]

From that Amazon page, KZ SF10s are listed as compatible with the SonicFoam SF1 size.

 

I use Sonicfoam tips, they seem OK. Degrade after a while, but that's the case with all of them I think.

[SimonK]

56 minutes ago, RichardH said:

From that Amazon page, KZ SF10s are listed as compatible with the SonicFoam SF1 size.

 

I use Sonicfoam tips, they seem OK. Degrade after a while, but that's the case with all of them I think.

 

Thanks!

[bassmansam]

Hi all,

My UE6 Pros are almost five years old now so I am looking to upgrade. I play a 5 string on a silent stage and use a BackBeat G2. My main struggle is low mid mud in boomy rooms where my bass and the vocals start clashing.

I am leaning towards Cosmic Ears because they are UK based but also considering UE11, JH11 and 64 Audio A6ts.
 
@EBS_freak Did you use Cosmics with a BackBeat? How do the C6A and C8A handle that clear articulation versus the warmer vibe of something like a UE11?

I am curious if the C8A headroom is worth the jump for a 5 stringer or if the C6A is the sweet spot for clarity. I prefer a clean DI tone over big pillowy warmth.

Any advice would be great.

[Minininjarob]

On 09/02/2026 at 18:54, dave_bass5 said:

My feelings 100%. I do prefer the IE400, but after using the IE100 for almost a year without realising they were swapped with the IE100 by the mistake, id have no hesitation using either and wouldn't look elsewhere except customs. I have very flat ears though. 

I bought some IE100s solely from tour comment plus I didn’t really like some KZs I tried. I got the BT module ones so i can use them for casual music listening too. 
You basically don’t notice they are in, they are so comfy and isolate so well. My wife (a singer) bought the same ones as her ears are really small and these were the only ones that fit. 
I don’t think the bass is particularly strong but the sound is very well balanced across the audio range and detailed too so you don’t seem to need extra bass to hear yourself as long as the IEM mix is good. 

[Muppet]

22 hours ago, bassmansam said:

Hi all,

My UE6 Pros are almost five years old now so I am looking to upgrade. I play a 5 string on a silent stage and use a BackBeat G2. My main struggle is low mid mud in boomy rooms where my bass and the vocals start clashing.

I am leaning towards Cosmic Ears because they are UK based but also considering UE11, JH11 and 64 Audio A6ts.
 
@EBS_freak Did you use Cosmics with a BackBeat? How do the C6A and C8A handle that clear articulation versus the warmer vibe of something like a UE11?

I am curious if the C8A headroom is worth the jump for a 5 stringer or if the C6A is the sweet spot for clarity. I prefer a clean DI tone over big pillowy warmth.

Any advice would be great.

I have just switched from the UE6s to the UE11s - like yours my UE6s were old (six years) and the seal wasn't as good. I didn't think the jump would be that noticeable but it really is - The UE11s are excellent. 

 

The key thing for me was being able to adjust the EQ on each channel of my monitor mix, independent of what is being put out FOH, so I can adjust the FOH sound to accomodate boomy rooms without affecting what I get in my IEMs. 

[EBS_freak]

On 01/03/2026 at 12:16, bassmansam said:

Hi all,

My UE6 Pros are almost five years old now so I am looking to upgrade. I play a 5 string on a silent stage and use a BackBeat G2. My main struggle is low mid mud in boomy rooms where my bass and the vocals start clashing.

I am leaning towards Cosmic Ears because they are UK based but also considering UE11, JH11 and 64 Audio A6ts.
 
@EBS_freak Did you use Cosmics with a BackBeat? How do the C6A and C8A handle that clear articulation versus the warmer vibe of something like a UE11?

I am curious if the C8A headroom is worth the jump for a 5 stringer or if the C6A is the sweet spot for clarity. I prefer a clean DI tone over big pillowy warmth.

Any advice would be great.

Dont really have enough experience of Cosmics to do that sort of comparison I'm afraid. Id recommend getting to the custom iem company to compare them.

[bassmansam]

3 hours ago, EBS_freak said:

Dont really have enough experience of Cosmics to do that sort of comparison I'm afraid. Id recommend getting to the custom iem company to compare them.

 

No worries. Cosmics aside looking also at A6Ts / UE11 / JH11 🙂

[gazhowe]

1 hour ago, bassmansam said:

 

No worries. Cosmics aside looking also at A6Ts / UE11 / JH11 🙂

I'd second the advice to arrange an appointment with the Custom IEM company to try out (universal) versions of the models you are interested in.  I found it really helpful when I compared models, before deciding on the A4s.