Headphones vs in-ears (sound quality)

    I'm considering moving to in-ears and I'm just wondering about the sound quality of headphones vs in-ears. What I mean is, when I plug my headphones into the Kemper, I like how it sounds. So I'm wondering, is the sound/output that the headphone output sends, the same as what I'd hear if I used in-ears? I know the sound quality would depend on the in-ear system that I'd be using, so let's assume for this example that the in-ears and headphones are exactly the same.


    The reason I ask is because as I mentioned, I like the headphone sound. But I don't want to assume in-ears would sound the same, go out and buy them and then hate the way they sound.


    On a related note, my headphones are just a $50 pair of Senheisers. So would Shure single driver headphones be comparable to those? Or would I need to invest in dual or triple driver earbuds to duplicate the headphone's quaility (assuming I didn't want to use the headphones as my in-ear monitoring system for live gigs)?

    In ear can sound as good or better, it all depends on the quality of the product. I use the Westone UM3X and they sound really good. Better than the Shure 315 I had before. I also found them more comfortable to wear.

    You can get quality in- ears but:
    Due to physics in order to achieve the same results you need to invest much more in in-ears than in conventional headphones. Single driver units most surely will be lacking bass response and you'll find them anemic and thin sounding. Try before you buy.

    In my experience it sounds good with in-ears but the issue I had was that unless you are running the whole band through the in ear system it's just not worth it. I tried running just my guitar and using ambient bleed from other stage monitoring for the drums, bass, vocals etc.but it makes you feel disconnected from the band. Not because you can't hear everything but because the stage sound is drastically different than in ear monitoring from the Kemper coming in on in-ear's. I have a nice set of Alclair custom molded in ear monitors but I can't really use them for the limited gigs I play because smaller bars and clubs with in house systems can't/aren't willing to take the extra time and fuss setting all that extra stuff up. If you are playing gigs that are going to allow you to use a full blown band in ear system (in ears, personal mixers, in-ear wireless system, line splitters, etc.) I'd say go for it. It'll sound phenomenal. You just need good gear and have it set up the right way and that's big money for the good stuff.

    Quote from PIZZA

    In my experience it sounds good with in-ears but the issue I had was that unless you are running the whole band through the in ear system it's just not worth it. I tried running just my guitar and using ambient bleed from other stage monitoring for the drums, bass, vocals etc.but it makes you feel disconnected from the band. Not because you can't hear everything but because the stage sound is drastically different than in ear monitoring from the Kemper coming in on in-ear's. I have a nice set of Alclair custom molded in ear monitors but I can't really use them for the limited gigs I play because smaller bars and clubs with in house systems can't/aren't willing to take the extra time and fuss setting all that extra stuff up. If you are playing gigs that are going to allow you to use a full blown band in ear system (in ears, personal mixers, in-ear wireless system, line splitters, etc.) I'd say go for it. It'll sound phenomenal. You just need good gear and have it set up the right way and that's big money for the good stuff.

    Yeah, this is for one of my bands where we're all considering making the move together. In this particular band, we run our own PA at every gig, and our drummer has a V-Drum kit. So everything would be going through the in-ears. I was talking to a Guitar Center rep today. I take what they say with a grain of salt, but he said my cheap $50 Senheisser headphones will sound better than the earbuds that come with the $600 Shure PSM300 system. He said the headphones provide a full range, whereas the standard earbuds are very limited. He said I'd need to get the $300 triple driver earbuds if I wanted something as good as my headphones. I'm thinking maybe I'll just plug my headphones into my wireless pack and use those and save $300!

    Quote from OhG


    I was talking to a Guitar Center rep today. I take what they say with a grain of salt, but he said my cheap $50 Senheisser headphones will sound better than the earbuds that come with the $600 Shure PSM300 system. He said the headphones provide a full range, whereas the standard earbuds are very limited. He said I'd need to get the $300 triple driver earbuds if I wanted something as good as my headphones. I'm thinking maybe I'll just plug my headphones into my wireless pack and use those and save $300!

    The guy is not entirely wrong as I tried to line out before...

    Quote from Ingolf

    The guy is not entirely wrong as I tried to line out before...

    Yeah, I've used in-ears before (not with the Kemper). And I remember not being overly impressed with them. But, that was back when I was still mic'ing a guitar cab on stage. I think the Kemper will make everything sound better since it's all being sent direct. But this was the premise of my original question. Will earbuds sound as good as the headphone out. I'm thinking of buying just the base model for the transmitter unit, and then using my headphones. I'd prefer to not have to wear headphones on stage (but I know some pro guitarists do it). But I'm interested in using what is going to sound the best to me. And if headphones will sound better than ear-buds, I may go with that. I mean hey, I'm a 41 year old married guy. I'm not looking to make a fashion statement on stage. I'm looking for what will give me the best sound at a reasonable price. haha!

    Quote from OhG

    Yeah, I've used in-ears before (not with the Kemper). And I remember not being overly impressed with them. But, that was back when I was still mic'ing a guitar cab on stage. I think the Kemper will make everything sound better since it's all being sent direct. But this was the premise of my original question. Will earbuds sound as good as the headphone out. I'm thinking of buying just the base model for the transmitter unit, and then using my headphones. I'd prefer to not have to wear headphones on stage (but I know some pro guitarists do it). But I'm interested in using what is going to sound the best to me. And if headphones will sound better than ear-buds, I may go with that. I mean hey, I'm a 41 year old married guy. I'm not looking to make a fashion statement on stage. I'm looking for what will give me the best sound at a reasonable price. haha!

    I'm using InEars - stage dive SD-4, which are quite good from the sound quality - pretty much high end - it has 4 drivers buid in. Only thing - regarding ambience - it will be different comparing to a headphone. This InEar eliminates exterior noise by up to 25-26dB. At the beginning, I struggled with a bit, therefore I weared one of the 2 Earplugs less close in the ear canal. But now, I'm used to it and I'm happy with. Finally, with good INEars, you have also to work on your monitor mix to get it sound right in context to the rest of your band.

    Most of the time I am using in Ears on stage. So far no issues. During rehersals with my band I tend to use standard headphones since there is some talk as well... :)

    Using inEars takes some time getting used to.
    Most people start with only one of them plugged in or plugged in completly.
    I personally will try to make inEars happen at every gig I play. For me they are my hearing protection, that also happens to be my monitor.
    I had short term tinitus from too many gigs where the drummer was trying to break his cymbals :D

    We just moved back from InEars to "normal" monitoring... I like it much more. Fells more live and lively ;) You can talk to your band members without a mic and you can hear the audience ;)


    ... Well of course: if you set it up correctly, inEar might be good and maybe better, but WE did not set it up correctly ;) In my opinion it NEEDS an ambient mic in the mix for your inEars. Otherwise, you are "offline"....

    You cannot judge in ears with just a couple of shows and need to commit to it for a while. Here's what I found:


    1 Single drivers are quite good if you play guitar, as you need mainly mid range.
    2 I used to wear ear plugs and am quite happy with just the guitar if a mix is not available.
    3 The sound you get when trying them on your own main be a lot thinner with a band in the background.
    4 Make sure you get a good fit and seal of the headphones, or the quality will be poor.
    5 Budget for a separate pair of in ears and don;t rely on the ones provided with the wireless system.

    Karl


    Kemper Rack OS 9.0.5 - Mac OS X 12.6.7

    Like 1

    In-ears sound very much like headphones to me. My biggest concern with generic in-ears is that how they sound vary a lot on how the plugs are positioned on/in the ear each time you put them on. Custom moulded plugs OTOH do provide very consistent sound, but are much more expensive.


    I prefer open-back over closed-back headphones. Most closed-cans tend towards a "boxy" sound. Likewise with IEMs I prefer plugs that offer some form of pressure relief such as the APEX-series (air-pressure-exchange) from 64audio.com. I'm currently using 6-driver
    plugs from 64audio of their former ADEL-design. (I believe it is just a name-change from ADEL to APEX as the description of how it works is the same)


    For ambient sound I use a set of omni-directional condensers placed above the stage/practise-area, connected to the mix via an inverted gate.