Single driver in ear monitors

Just to put out more options for you, I'm a Sensaphonics guy and have been very happy with the 2X-S, which are dual driver and made a monster improvement in my IEM tone. Thanks all for your feedback. Since your really can't try earbuds out before buying them, this really helps. I've checked out the Westones and Sensaphonics and the earphonesolutions website. I like the original clear Westone duals but looks like they've been replaced by the black ones. Anyone see the benefit of the detachable cables?

I checked them out but they appear to be for custom molds only and didn't provide a price list on the website. Any ballpark figures on cost?

The Klipsch's are bass heavy but still sound pleasing and I can dial bass with the Axiom so no worries. I am gonna have to buck the trend and say single drivers can sound real good. The one thing about the Klipsch is that they fit my ear very well, stay put and are very comfortable. I will eventually get some custo m molds for the UE's but for now I have no inclination to do so.

Got mine at Bestbuy. Yup, me too Thanks for the nudge. At least I have 30 days to return them. Not bad They fit very well but the cable is a bit thin. I had to change the EQ setting on my iPod from rock to acoustic to get the highs to pop out more. True test is with the IEM next weekend.

You must log in or register to reply here. Trending Topics C. Everything, from the deepest sub bass through to the chimiest synth notes resonate with ease. So good, you might not want to take them off.

This kit, which includes a transmitter, receiver and set of basic headphones, offers up to 96 UHF channels, with a decent dynamic range and frequency response. Up to eight hour running time is possible via two AA batteries, while a total of five receivers can link up with the central transmitter. You're not going to achieve high class audio reproduction, but as a way to get to grips with wireless systems this one is worth a look. A good place to start when choosing the best in-ear monitors for you is deciding if you want to go with wired or wireless IEMs.

Your answer will depend on what instrument you play. For drummers, in their usually static positions, it can often make sense to have that pure, wired sound as this provides no risk of audio dropout or interference. Singers, guitarists, keyboard players and anyone else front of stage however would benefit from a wireless solution. These comprise a transmitter device, into which you plug the output from the mixing desk, and a receiver pack which takes a radio signal from the transmitter and feeds it into the monitors themselves.

From here you can then decide if you want a full-band mix in your monitors, or selected parts of it. A benefit of using IEMs is that you don't have to play as loudly on stage; often, particularly with drummers, musicians find themselves inadvertently competing with each other in order to hear themselves.

This isn't an issue with IEMs, so you can employ a much defter touch without fear of those nuances being drowned out. Singers will also benefit by being able to much more precisely hear the notes they're hitting or otherwise At the top end of the price range, you'll find the headphone element of the system with all kinds of interesting tech involved.

As with any headphones, the drivers are the parts that convert the electrical signal into something you can hear.

Budget options may feature one or two drivers, but at the pro-level you'll find monitors with up to eight drivers. This offers benefits like extended frequency brackets or wider dynamic ranges, but you'll pay for the privilege.

Custom foam earbuds, taken from a mould made of the individual's own ear canal, are another option. This has superior noise-blocking properties, but ears can change over time so you may find this isn't a life-long solution and you may need to upgrade sooner than you think.

Some musicians have also spoken of feeling a tad left out of the fun with this approach — if the noise-blocking stops you hearing the applause and noise of the crowd, what's the point, and did the gig even happen?

Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar gear and synths, to microphones and music production hardware. MusicRadar The No. Included in this guide: 1. Shure SE Pro. Connectivity: Wired. Drivers: Six. Impedance: 16 Ohm. Sensitivity: dB. Frequency range: 15 — 20, Hz. Earbuds: Many!

Reasons to avoid - Why does luxury have to look so generic? Drivers: Three. Impedance: 39 Ohm. Frequency range: 20 — 19, Hz. Earbuds: Foam and silicone included. Reasons to avoid - Nothing.

Sennheiser IE 40 Pro. Drivers: One. Impedance: 28 Ohm. Frequency response: 20 - 18, Hz. Reasons to avoid - Rather short lead.

Mackie MP The idea of multiple drivers in headphones is much the same as with speakers — splitting the entire broad range of audio frequencies between multiple drivers using an electronic circuit known as a crossover theoretically allows each driver to then be tuned better for a specific range of frequencies — bass, mids, treble, etc.

With speakers, we instinctively understand that the bigger drivers that are able to move more air are tasked with handling lower frequencies, while the smallest drivers, which are able to move quickly and precisely, are used for the highest frequencies. Although the drivers in in-ear monitors are naturally limited in size and can only vary by a matter of millimeters, the theory is much the same — tune certain drivers to perform better at certain frequencies, and then combine them together using a crossover.

At the time, these pricy multi-driver units were definitely the best in ear monitors on the market. Today, manufacturers are still attempting to fit more and more drivers into an earpiece — and charging increasing amounts of money to do so. But as drivers have become more capable over the last 20 years and our understanding of headphone sound tuning has improved, using multiple drivers has become exponentially less important — a fact well-known in the audiophile community, where some of the highest-regarded in-ear monitors use single drivers.

So, if getting the highest driver count you can afford is not the way to maximize bang for your buck, how do you decide which are the best in ear monitors to buy? Perhaps you are a drummer and need to hear all the way down to Hz.