Headphones vs IEM

  • An old friend gave me a pair of AKG K240 headphone monitors that just don't work anymore. I never used them much so I really dont have anything to compare to, but I can't really afford computer studio monitors at the moment. I do have some decent IEM's that I use live but im not that crazy about the IEM sound for lead guitar. Will studio monitor headphones sound different than IEM's? Are they supposed to? Which is better for tweaking my sound that people would hear FOH? Any headphone monitor suggestions? These are the ones I could cheaply replace, but I'd be willing to spend a bit more if the quality was that much better.

  • I trust my studio monitors best for tweaking sounds. Headphones are not ideal in my opinion, but could probably work better than IEM imo. If you use studio headphones, try to get an open back pair that's as flat as possible. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD600 which seem to work well.


    Edit: I can also vouch for the Audio-Technica M50x, they are probably a better value at nearly half the price of my Sennheiser.

  • I trust my studio monitors best for tweaking sounds. Headphones are not ideal in my opinion, but could probably work better than IEM imo. If you use studio headphones, try to get an open back pair that's as flat as possible. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD600 which seem to work well.

    Aren't headphones supposed to simulate studio monitors though? Maybe im just majorly misinformed

  • I trust my studio monitors best for tweaking sounds. Headphones are not ideal in my opinion, but could probably work better than IEM imo. If you use studio headphones, try to get an open back pair that's as flat as possible. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD600 which seem to work well.

    It really depends on the IEMs. My 64 Audio custom IEM's sound better than any headphones I've ever heard but they also cost over $1000 bucks. So they better sound good. You can spend $3500 or more on IEM's with 18 drivers in each ear and it isn’t going to get more detailed than that! But what you're never going to get through your ears is the low frequency that actually moves air and your body like a guitar cab, and big pa speakers and subs at a venue. I too trust my studio monitors to dial in the sound that I will feed to FOH and it translates great. But I also check it through my IEM's, because that's what I'm gonna hear. It's gonna sound a bit smaller and thinner in them. It's just physics, ya know?

  • Aren't headphones supposed to simulate studio monitors though? Maybe im just majorly misinformed

    Simulate, yes - not duplicate. It is an entirely different sound.

    There is a very real reason studios everywhere use near-field and far-field speakers to monitor and fine tune recordings. Just like the feel of a guitar amp moving air, if not even more important.

    I've had good luck with a pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones. But I don't use them for mixing or fine-tuning a recording. They have proven quite good for tweaking KPA sounds for use live.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • It really depends on the IEMs. My 64 Audio custom IEM's sound better than any headphones I've ever heard but they also cost over $1000 bucks. So they better sound good. You can spend $3500 or more on IEM's with 18 drivers in each ear and it isn’t going to get more detailed than that! But what you're never going to get through your ears is the low frequency that actually moves air and your body like a guitar cab, and big pa speakers and subs at a venue. I too trust my studio monitors to dial in the sound that I will feed to FOH and it translates great. But I also check it through my IEM's, because that's what I'm gonna hear. It's gonna sound a bit smaller and thinner in them. It's just physics, ya know?

    I hear ya man. Something about IEM's ( mine are either double or triple drivers Sennheisers) that for the high gain stuff just take a little edge off and that can really effect the way you play and feel. But IEMs are not supposed to sound similar to headphones right? I know solid studio monitors are the move, but i just have to wait a bit more.

  • Simulate, yes - not duplicate. It is an entirely different sound.

    There is a very real reason studios everywhere use near-field and far-field speakers to monitor and fine tune recordings. Just like the feel of a guitar amp moving air, if not even more important.

    I've had good luck with a pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones. But I don't use them for mixing or fine-tuning a recording. They have proven quite good for tweaking KPA sounds for use live.

    Yeah im not doing any mixing or recording at the moment, just looking for a solid pair of headphones so I can turn my kemper volume up and be able to get a closer sound of what im gonna hear FOH and also what's best for tweaking.

  • Any different monitoring solutions will never be 100% plus as said it depends on the quality of each.


    However as a high level principle I think studio headphones are most likely to get you closest.

  • When considering headphones, it's important to remember that they each have their own personality, much like a microphone. For instance, the Sony 7506s have a certain signature on the low end. Others have more high end and less low end, etc. No matter what the frequency response charts from the manufacturers say, each will sound different.


    Also, though sometimes people forget this, "FOH" is a vague and moving target. The room acoustics, PA speakers / subs, mixer, and the way the sound guy dials it all in are huge variable that not only differ from PA system to PA system, but venue to venue (and even night to night depending on the crowd, humidity, etc.).


    If your budget is around the $70 of the headphones you linked to, I wouldn't consider IEMs. The generic type that come with a transmitter, ear buds, and a few different foam cushions (or some such thing) to fit to your ear aren't going to be anywhere close to studio or FOH sound. The real differentiator with IEMs is when you can get custom mold earbuds. I've had both generics and custom (Ultimate Ears in my case, though any custom mold will give you the benefits) and they're not even on the same planet in terms of comparison.


    So, the first real question is, "What, exactly, is your FOH sound?" Do you hire a sound company to bring in $100,000 worth of gear? Is it a pair of $50 bargain basement speakers on poles? Your guitar is obviously going to sound different in each scenario.


    In truth, the only real way to know how headphones, monitors or IEMs translate to FOH for tuning is trail and error. In a perfect world, you could sit in the rehearsal room with the PA, play through it, then mute the speakers and compare to your headphones. But as everyone has pointed out, it's unlikely to find headphones that are going to sound like a live PA system at volume.


    In my studio I use my IEMs when tracking vocals (great to eliminate the headphone bleed getting into your vocal track). When tracking guitar, I listen through my studio monitors. When I just want to play guitar and feel the hair on my arms vibrate, I plug into the DXR-10, crank it up, and just have fun. Overall, for recording I find studio monitors are a better feel than headphones (inexpensive ATH M-50s) or IEMs.


    Given your budget, you'll find a lot of 5" studio monitors in the $100 -$150 range. While better is always better, honestly the quality of stuff on the market these days is all pretty good. If you can stretch the budget a little, I think you'd be happier with monitors than headphones, and until you can get custom mold ears I wouldn't even consider IEMs.


    That said, even though my choice for your situation would be studio monitors, the real trick is to get something and learn it. You'll hear studio guys talk about this all the time in terms of their monitor choices. They'll have the xyz brand, which may be old or new, expensive or not, but the thing they'll say most often is that they learn what their speakers sound like.


    If, for instance, they're just a touch light on bass reproduction, they learn that the best sounding mix for other consumer systems is when they dial back their bass instead of turning it up to compensate for the speakers' deficiencies. That know what the sound "in the room" will translate to in a portable mix. The venerable NS-10s sounded horrific, but the old guys learned what a good mix sounded like on them, so it then sounded killer when played on a set of good speakers.


    This is where the trial and error comes in. Get something that feels good to you when playing guitar (because if it doesn't, nothing else really matters). Then listen to your FOH system, compare the two, and learn how to dial in your profile in your studio to sound the way you want through your PA system.


    I know people usually just want a simple product recommendation, "Buy this and everything will be awesome!" However, life is rarely that simple, so if you give a little more thought to all the moving parts in relation to what you're looking to accomplish, you'll have a much better chance at finding something that will make you happy. And happy is why we play guitar. :)

    Kemper remote -> Powered toaster -> Yamaha DXR-10

    Edited once, last by Chris Duncan ().

  • Great info I really appreciate it. What I might end up doing is selling or trading my Friedman JJ Jr head for a pair of real good studio monitors. I just don't want to cheap out on monitors because I really do think stuff like that makes all the difference. Right now I only play my kemper through my Headrush 1x8" FrFr which just isn't that good and low end headphones. I think Id be in a whole new world with some quality sound potential.


    As for headphones, whats the deal with the Ohms? What Ohms level do I have to buy so it works properly with the kemper?

  • If the purpose is for you to hear the sound pleasing to you, and you don't care if you make some noise in the room, then a good pair of studio monitors would be my advice. The Yamaha HS8 is about the best bang for the buck you can get IMO.


    If you want to spare others your playing, then you will want something nice on your head. I use the afore mentioned ATM M50x which is a "decent" and relatively cheap headset, but it certainly won't hold up to those HS8's or any headphone that is much more expensive.


    I use relatively inexpensive ear buds too for live (Shure E215's). They are horrible monitors with respect to the sound of the actual PA sound.


    For PA sound, you really need the PA. Since I own my own, I setup an EQ for the PA, and then another EQ for my headphones. That allows me to make tweaks to my tone at home on my headphones, then get a reasonable approximation of "good" on the PA when I transfer to the PA. It took a little time to work out those EQ settings for my system, but it works fairly well now.


    Good luck!