Choosing the BEST In-ear Monitors On Any Budget

In-ear monitors have become a top choice for stage monitoring due to their high fidelity, and for their contribution to lowering your overall stage volume. But how do you go about choosing the best in-ear monitors for your budget? Sweetwater's Nick D'Virgilio sheds some light on in-ear monitors, and how to choose the best in-ear monitors for your application.

#Sweetwater #InEarMonitors

0:00 - Intro
2:28 - Westone UM Pro 10
3:53 - Shure 215
4:48 - Mackie MP 240
5:30 - Westone M Pro 30
6:43 - Custom Made In-Ear Monitors
9:34 - Sennheiser Evolution Wireless
9:50 - Thanks For Watching!

[sweetwater]

If you found this guide to be helpful, please like and subscribe! If you have your own preferences on IEMs or tips for using them, leave a comment 👇

[TalesOfGod]

People seem to be missing a lot of things that was the purpose of the video.

1: This seems to be a company that sells the products so it makes sense that they would focus on these that are very popular and from popular brands.

2: These products are not bad when compared to Chifi, don't fall for the hype train. You should be knowing exactly what you want when buying IEMs, not just choosing from what is popular and hoping it works out for your tastes (along with use).

#3: This was meant to be exploring different types and uses of these along with simple options for IEMs in general. Could have done some work but again, he said that this was only a few samples out of so many.

[shanep]

I really like when a salesman tells about his personal experience. I know I'm dealing with a human being and not a faceless corporation. It's cool that he played for T4F.

[arronclarke]

Very informative. This is one of the few videos I've watched on a topic I truly did not have a good understanding of and this video cleared alot up for me. Thanks Sweetwater

[edubatera]

CCA C10 or C16 that’s all you need...KZas10 pro is good too!!! TIN 3 and 4 are also good!!!

[Livemusic]

I need one of these asap. Need to upgrade my music gear. more Professional.

[SavedPulley]

Great job thank you so much for this video. God bless

[TonyJDas]

Drums like a god, while singing like a demi-god, sounds like Casey Kasem while speaking.. the multi-talented Mr D'Virgilio! 👏👏👏

[mayuravirus]

I'm using IEMs because of 2 reasons listening to music and longevity i might use it to mix some music

[reghoho]

as a singer, how do you deal with occlusion when wearing in ear monitors?

[samlee]

There are so many good chi-fi iem's available, just get the ones that go with the image of your band best. 👍 It's not pretentious and shallow it's smart.

If you're not in a band just spend a week or two browsing reviews until you're totally unsure of which ones to buy then go with the ones you like the look of best 😅👍

We're living in the age of consumerism option paralysis, go with your gut instincts and move on ✊🙏

[Killenmachine]

I would be super interested in a version of this video but done with custom in ear monitors, having used both good pairs of universal and custom, the fit on custom is just unmatchable, but there has to be custom options out there that are affordable for musicians who arent playing big stages.

[davidcurry]

Thanks for a great overview of IEMs. As a newbie to this concept; I would love a simple "menu" that includes all of the parts that a small (3 or 4 piece) group would need to use an IEM-system. In other words, what are the various options (devices) that "feed" the audio to the earbuds. You mention a mixer, but it's not clear whether that is the only device that can be used. (For example, are their devices that attach to an instrument itself that allows the musician to simply hear his/her own instrument better; a sort of stand-alone version of this idea that does not require every group member to "buy in" to a system? Thanks for any advice or links on this.

[Pokey]

Hey great video as usual. I play guitar and sing. Can you advise on an in ear system solution for guitar and vocals at the same time? So i don't have to rely on monitors for my vocals? My stage is generally really quiet UNFORTUNATELY and of course i want my guitars loud so i can have a little more dynamics in my playing and singing. Dont care if its a mono system or not P.S. I REALLY DONT WANNA SPEND A MILLION DOLLARS... LOL

[andym]

do foh have vocals in stereo or mono ? and does singers own iem mix have vocals in stereo or mono ?

[tantaloss]

I really wish you would include prices in these videos so we can actually get a reference to how different features will set us back in budget.

[jjthomas]

After buying the Shure Audio -215's and -425's I learned one thing. Without a solid clip to hold it on your ear, IEM's simply don't work for me. I tried every tip they had, rubber and foam, and the sound was never better than with 3 dollar airline headphones. The problem was the seal, or lack thereof. I ended up going to an "Audiologist" (I believe that is what they called themselves) and got custom molded earpieces with an upper and lower earclip, much like what you see at most big venue concerts. They were held firmly in place and sounded great. It was an extra 200 dollars, but well worth it. I would advise anyone, before they buy, to try THEM ON. What I was told is that for 10-15% of people most IEM's simply don't fit. There are noteable exceptions like Apple or Bose earbuds, but these are Bluetooth and problems with latency and other issues make Bluetooth a non-starter for live applications. Also, make sure who ever you buy them on has a good return policy, because you don't want them to not fit, and get stuck with a 500 dollar paperweight..

[nuthinbutlove]

Nice bit of info in a short amount of time. 👍

[billyhawkins]

Excellent video very well done with a large amount of information and no specific product pushed forward. I always look for Sweetwater videos when researching new gear. I rely on you guys to provide good content.

[gling]

Any shure se215 owner? I have done a bunch of researches but the opinions on their sounds are so different, are they any good for vocals monitoring or daily usage?