Which IEMs (budget level)

  • Hello,


    First of all, hello to all kemper users! Im new in kemper world.

    Atm im on my "home practice" setup, beyerdynamic headphones and kemper stage.


    I want to buy something for live stage situations and I at first wanted kemper power kabinet, but after a lot of reading on forums im really considering IEMs from several reasons..


    Which IEMs you guys use? Which ones sound good with kemper?


    Since im new to IEMs I want to try some budget level ones which sound decent.


    Thanks for Your time!

    Luka

  • Be careful buying budget IEMs. You get what you pay for with these IMHO. I use a Sennheiser IEM system with Shure SE425 earbuds. This setup was not cheap but it performs well. This type of setup is used by touring bands, which is why I went that direction. If it will stand up to the road abuse from being used many times a week and packed an moved around, it will hold up to what I will put it through.


    The earbuds that came with the Sennheiser unit actually sound pretty good and would get you a good idea of whether you are going to like them or not so you could buy a unit and then decide later to upgrade to a multiple driver earbud.

  • Try KZ AS 10, 60 Bucks on Amazon, UE Killer

    Agreed. Can't be beat for the price. They're perhaps a little hyped in the low and high end, but they're worlds better than my Westone UM30s which just tend to sound muffled in comparison.

  • Hi Lukcv88,


    I just got the Sennheiser IE 400 PRO – Dynamic In-Ear Monitoring Headphones and Sennheiser IE 500 PRO – Dynamic In-Ear Monitoring Headphones

    I haven't decided which I like best although I'm leaning toward the IE 400 Pro for critical listening (tracking, mixing, listening to learn) and the IE 500 Pro for monitoring on stage.


    For the wireless connection I'm using EW IEM G4 Twin

  • I've seen reviews that say the KZ AS 10 are better than higher end brands even with more drivers. I might try them out myself for home use since my headphones get heavy and hot to wear after a few hours of practice.

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • Thanks for all the recommendations. I was looking at KZ AS10 alot, reviews from amazon.. Looks great but im just worried about lack of support that they are writing.. and quite some cases that ppl had, when earphones failed after few months or just one.. need to do more research.

  • What about amplifier, do You guitarists mostly use wireless option or wired?


    I really love wireless option, because of no cables but on the other hand, as a electric guitarist who is 99% stationary, maybe I dont see point having wireless option and maybe pay more for better IEMs.


    Actually, I see that Kemper can send monitor mix to the headphone out so it can be used for IEMs, just need maybe extension cable for headphones jack. Any of You doing things like that?


    Thanks for all replys.

    Edited once, last by Lukcv88 ().

  • I use this.

    https://www.sweetwater.com/sto…monitoring-system-a1-band


    It is expensive but works well. I am pretty picky about my wireless units. I won't buy anything that doesn't say Sennheiser or Shure on it. I have had others in the past and had a lot of issues. Once I started sticking with these brands, and paying a good bit more, the problems went away. I run wireless on guitar and IEM. I think the only member of the band that can really get away with a wired IEM is the drummer since he stays seated all night.

  • I've been using Shure SE215 in-ears for about 2.5 years now, both with drumming & guitar. Durable, great sound, long cable, comfortable & pretty inexpensive. The Kemper, to me, sounds best through in-ears.

  • I’ve been using the same $99 set of Shure SE215s for 5+ years. As FearAbsolute says, they are very, very durable and work well.


    I wouldn’t mind upgrading, but until these fail I see no real point in doing so.


    I have yet to see a set of similar-level IEMs get near their durability.

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

  • After a lot of reviews and research I choose KZ ZS10 Pros (newer model). Liked the design with metal alot but not just that, ppl like it more over the AS10 and even shures which are more expensive. Ordered comply foam tips for it but with cable I will wait for now.


    Im not sure about wireless solution or wired. The systems that You recomended me are really expensive.. would like some cheaper options

  • So having being struggling with IEM's for years, I reached these conclusions:


    1) The wireless element has less affect on sound quality, its the headphones that have the bigger impact

    2) IEMS never sound like a live guitar and the sound will always need tweaking - they have loads of advantages though

    3) To me, its about the band mix. I see no point in just having my guitar in my IEM. I've seen too many people with one earpiece out or band mates missing cues because they can't hear the rest of the band. So, I take my feed from a PA ( this is for live). Then, the mix is crucial and you need time at sound check.

    4) If just for home, I'd use a decent monitoring wired headphone.

  • As others have, I would STRONGLY recommend you don't go "budget" for IEMs. For guitar, you need at LEAST triple drivers to get a fairly full sound. I'm currently using the Westone PRO 5-Drivers and they are awesome because they are strong enough to really make everything sound full, guitar, bass and drums. If you go with some cheap single or dual drivers, it's going to sound like you're listening to an AM radio. Your guitar is going to sound really thin. The 5-drivers I have cost around $400-$550 depending on what kind of deal you get and where you buy them.


    Another option you have is to just use a nice set of headphones instead of IEMs. There are a LOT of pro bands that go with this option (Linkin Park's guitarist has done this for over a decade). The sound you'll get out of a $100-$150 set of headphones will absolutely blow away any single or dual driver IEM that you buy.

  • I’ve been using the same $99 set of Shure SE215s for 5+ years. As FearAbsolute says, they are very, very durable and work well.


    I wouldn’t mind upgrading, but until these fail I see no real point in doing so.


    I have yet to see a set of similar-level IEMs get near their durability.

    I'm with you, man. Durability is a huge thing for me...gear needs to work whenever it's needed or it's just a diversion from playing the guitar.

  • I’ve been using the same $99 set of Shure SE215s for 5+ years. As FearAbsolute says, they are very, very durable and work well.


    I wouldn’t mind upgrading, but until these fail I see no real point in doing so.


    I have yet to see a set of similar-level IEMs get near their durability.

    Funny feel the opposite :)


    I have some Shure se215's and I don't like them much. They are OK but I do think multi driver always sound better for IEM's.


    There is no point if you are happy though :)

  • I've used Shure SE215 IEMs several times at casino gigs, and they've always made my guitar sound really thin. It is a boomy sounding room, though, so the FOH engineer may have the bottom end rolled off of everything,


    After seeing many favorable comments, I bought the KZ ZS10 Pros (newer model), and Comply foam tips. As indicated above, the lows and highs are a little over-hyped when listening to streaming audio, but, I like the sound of them much better for IEMs than the 215. If I was going to use them all the time, I would have a spare pair, and at least one spare cable. (I would do that with whatever IEMs, if I was using them all the time.)