Wireless IEM solutions

  • I have to get a wireless in-ear monitoring solution to not disturb the wife and kid at night. What will get me in the ballpark of a FRFR solution like my CLR cab?


    I am considering "Sennheiser EW 300 IEM" or "Shure PSM 300" as transmitter (unfortunately there don't seem to be any digital Wifi based solutions).


    I have Shure SE210 headphones which I do like that much over the KPA headphones. So I will probably have to get a higher-end Shure model or Ultimate ears. Are the Ultimates worth > $/€1000?

  • when i was searching for wireless IEM's solutions a lot of reviews said that you cant turn the limiter off on the Shure PSM300 and the limiter is not very transparent. I brought the sennheiser EW 300 generation 2 off ebay second hand and its very very good, Its robust and really reliable signal wise. I would not scrimp of IEM stuuf its worth paying the extra if you can )

  • I tested the Shure PSM 400 and 900 vs Sennheiser EW 300 G2. The 400 was really easy to hook up but the receiver / transmitter was not that great. The EW has a low but persistent hiss (I tried serveral units in store). I went with the 900 in the end but it did cost more and is not quite as easy to setup as the 400. For the money the EW was great but the hiss though quiet bugged me for some reason. YMMV. Headphone wise I still like using my 1 driver etymotics which are (for me) better than the UE 900's I had before. People here also speak highly of a company that I think is called 1969.

  • I tested the Shure PSM 400 and 900 vs Sennheiser EW 300 G2. The 400 was really easy to hook up but the receiver / transmitter was not that great. The EW has a low but persistent hiss (I tried serveral units in store). I went with the 900 in the end but it did cost more and is not quite as easy to setup as the 400. For the money the EW was great but the hiss though quiet bugged me for some reason. YMMV. Headphone wise I still like using my 1 driver etymotics which are (for me) better than the UE 900's I had before. People here also speak highly of a company that I think is called 1969.


    1964 is the company name and that's what I use, 6 driver ones they sound awesome!!!! With the sennheiser ew300 didn't you mess around with the sqelch feature (I think that's what its called) which is suppose to eliminate the hiss

  • You're planning on buying a wireless IEM rig to keep the noise down at home? Sorry, but this makes no sense to me.


    I've got a wireless custom moulded IEM system for when I gig with my band but I'm also the lead vocalist. I'd gotten fed up of relying on soundmen I'd never met being responsible for the ability to hear myself on stage that I decided to take control of myself - "Can I have more me please? A bit more. Still more please. Forget it, that'll do!!"


    It's brilliant and makes it so easy to focus on playing a great gig but I never use them at home.


    Custom moulded IEMs are great at isolating your eardrums from external noise but they're mostly pointless for home use. A lot of the cost of IEMs goes into making the tiny drivers produce deep, natural bass. This isn't anywhere near as difficult with a pair of large, closed back headphones which (at sensible volume levels) won't be any more disturbing than the acoustic sound from an electric guitar.


    As for going wireless, it's horrible to have your head tethered on stage but I can't see why you'd need to do so at home, especially when factoring in batteries and sound quality. My studio headphones (also designed to produce a flat response) sound far superior to my IEM rig but cost less than 10 times the price. I'd be stunned that anyone else would advise you on a wireless IEM system for home practice to be honest.


    If I've misunderstood your requirements, then my apologies. I'll climb back under the rock.... ;)

  • Thanks for the replies. A cable would definitely be cheaper but I like to move around and it would feel silly to play wireless guitar with wired headphones :) .


    I do not need real flat FRFR, but something that sounds good to me.


    I found a local dealer who will allow me to test Ultimate Ears and I want to get a good noise isolating set for air travel so this would not just be for my guitar.

  • Ok, I'm confused! You play wireless guitar at home?


    I agree completely that if you're playing guitar wireless that having a headphone cable is pointless but I can't imagine needing to use a set up at home with two transmitters, two battery powered receivers for a quiet practice session.


    There are products out there designed for situations such as on aeroplanes but Ultimate Ears IEMs aren't amongst them and there are plenty of off the peg noise isolating earphones out there for a very reasonable price which sound good. It's worth remembering as well that your ears will change shape naturally over the years and all custom mould IEM manufacturers recommend having a refit every few years. Whether your existing IEM drivers can be rebuilt into the new ones isn't guaranteed either so you're not buying into a lifetime investment.


    Ok, I'll stop now. I'm not trying to be rude or a party pooper and we all gotta do what we all gotta do. I just don't want to see someone buy a very expensive sledge hammer to crack a nut.

  • I must admit I'm guilty of playing wireless at home too. I like to move around (as I'm mostly standing while playing) without having to watch that cables don't cause a mess. Therefore I can understand the OP's wish.

    I could have farted and it would have sounded good! (Brian Johnson)

  • 1964 is the company name and that's what I use, 6 driver ones they sound awesome!!!! With the sennheiser ew300 didn't you mess around with the sqelch feature (I think that's what its called) which is suppose to eliminate the hiss

    Just saw this post so sorry for the delayed reply. I messed with all the buttons but couldn't get rid of the hiss so I took it back and had them try at the store to get a new unit to work without the hiss. Maybe just bad luck and got 2 units that had an issue or more likely user error on both!
    I am curious about the 6 drivers - never had that many and I know it is a personal thing as to what people like (whole sites are devoted to arguing about this stuff like we argue here about Kemper and Helix and Axe) but are the number of drivers kind of like the megapixel wars on cell phone cameras? My Etymotics have 1 and I really like them a lot more than the UE I had which had 4 and a couple of other things like balanced armatures or something (I forget). Would 8 or 10 drivers be even better than 6 or is there a limit?

  • On this theme of wireless, l was wandering how bluetooth stacks up? Seems to be a lot cheaper option for transmitting signal, but having never bothered with it, l have no idea of quality, lantency and general viability. Would interested in opinions on this option.

  • I have a bluetooth headset which has more or less half second of delay from my phone.
    It rings way later than my phone, so i think it's not the best solution.


    My IEM are pretty cheap but they work great for their cost: JTS IE6. Two drivers are a good compromise and they sound nice.
    I use them with an LD system MEI 100, but wouldn't call the wireless system "top quality". If i had some money in my pocked i'd buy the Wi Audio Link, which is basically a multipurpose digital system that can be used with instruments or as an in ear monitor too.

  • Thanks for the input Jimmyno. Half a second isn't going to be much help to anyone. Is that (and l mean no disrespect to your bluetooth headset Jimmyno) it for bluetooth or are there slicker set ups out there? Apart from knowing bluetooth exists l am clueless on the subject.

  • AFAIK the bluetooth headset are not meant to have ultra low latency, since they have different applications.
    I read somewhere that some codecs can bring the latency to 40ms, but i think it's still too much for live playing application.

  • You might try to have a look on Amazon. If you look for "low latency bluetooth" you have some results of transmitters and receivers which might be interesting.
    If you don't like them, you can use the amazon policy and send them back with full money refund.

  • Just saw this post so sorry for the delayed reply. I messed with all the buttons but couldn't get rid of the hiss so I took it back and had them try at the store to get a new unit to work without the hiss. Maybe just bad luck and got 2 units that had an issue or more likely user error on both!
    I am curious about the 6 drivers - never had that many and I know it is a personal thing as to what people like (whole sites are devoted to arguing about this stuff like we argue here about Kemper and Helix and Axe) but are the number of drivers kind of like the megapixel wars on cell phone cameras? My Etymotics have 1 and I really like them a lot more than the UE I had which had 4 and a couple of other things like balanced armatures or something (I forget). Would 8 or 10 drivers be even better than 6 or is there a limit?


    When I brought mine I tested the 3, 4 and 6 driver ones I was going to get the 3 driver ones but for an extra £150 I could get 6 drivers and they did sound better. I always try if possible to buy the best thing I can afford when buying musical equipment as I always end up buying twice when buying cheap, well I do anyway especially when I make my living from music :)