Choosing the Right Gear: In-Ear Roundup
In our last Choosing the Right Gear Post we took a look at some criteria for deciding which In-Ear Monitors to purchase. In this post I’ve listed several brands of in-ear monitors that I’ve had personal experience with and a few thoughts on each. I’ve arranged them from favorite to least favorite in each category. Let us know what type of In-ears you love by leaving a comment below!
Universal-Fit, Single Driver
Westone UM1 – $109 – great fit, not as durable, great for personal use – 2 year warranty
Shure SCL3 (formerly e3)- $109-$149 – durable, stick out of ears a little, great for outfitting an entire worship team
M-Audio IE-10 – $99 single – I don’t like the fit of these (bigger diameter) but some of our musicians prefer the fit, have had multiple cable failures.
Shure SCL2 – $99 – big, bulky, mediocre sound quality, big ear canal – these are the least favorite I’ve tried.
Universal Fit, Dual Driver
Shure SCL5 (formerly e5)- $399 – the choice of many professionals and one of the best dual-drivers out there!
Westone UM2 – $299 – great fit, not quite as durable – great sound!
M-Audio IE-20 – $199 – cheapest dual driver I’ve found
Custom-Fit, Single-Driver
Westone ES-1 – about $375 – the only custom single driver I’ve found
Custom-Fit, Dual Driver
Livewires Original – $249 – great fit and sound
Fidelity Duals – $259 – same manufacturer as Livewires – upgraded storage case!
Westone ES-2 – about $650 – great custom-fit monitors
Custom-Fit, Triple Driver
Livewires Trips – $349 – these were not available when I bought my Livewires or I would have bought them!
Fidelity Triples – $379 – same manufacturer as Livewires – upgraded storage case!
Westone ES-3 – about $800 – top of the line custom-fit monitors!
Manufacturer’s Websites
What We Use
Jake:
I have used Livewires Originals for about a year and half now. They have been my favorite in-ear monitors I’ve used so far. They are a great value! The upgrade in moving to custom-fit monitors is definitely worth the added cost. Prior to the Livewires, I used Westone UM-2′s for about 2 years. Our worship team uses Westone UM-1′s, Shure SCL3′s and M-Audio IE-10′s. Most of our musicians prefer the Shures or Westones so in the near-future I will be phasing out the M-Audio’s – they also use a different size ear foam so it will be nice to have all our musicians using the same size!
Will:
I’ve used Westone Um-2′s for the past 3 years and absolutely love them. They fit my ear perfect so I really see no need for Custom Fit Ears. They give me a really well balanced sound which is great for playing on stage as well as just listening to music. I’ve got alot of friends that swear by Custom Fit Ultimate Ears but we purposely didn’t comment on Ultimate Ears because Jake and I don’t have alot of experience with them. I have used their universal fit before and can say I didn’t like the fit very much at all.
Whatever Brand and model in-ears you choose is ultimately up to you. Talk to as many people as you can and if you have friends that have universal fit monitors try them out and see what you think.
What In-Ears do you swear by? What In-Ears have you tried? Which ones did you like and which ones did you hate? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
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My first foray into in-ears was with Westone UM-1′s. As far as universal ears go, the design of Westone’s universal line is really great. The UM-1′s were clearly lacking in sound quality though because of the single driver. I have use UM-2′s in the past although I don’t own a pair. I have friends that swear by them though.
I have recently made the switch to custom molds in the form of the Ultimate Ears UE4′s. I wish I had more experience so that I could compare these to other custom models, but for my experience these are a wonderful product. It is a dual driver that sells at $400 (plus $50 to have molds made). In comparison to UM-2′s these have a a wider soundstage for increased clarity and the low end is a little less boomy. I’m ultimately really happy with the UE4′s and would recommend Ultimate Ears to anyone.
I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Westone early on and get a pair of ES-2′s as my first pair of in-ear monitors; they are quite amazing. I have used UM-2′s and they sound fine, but the fit just can’t compare to Custom Molds. For those looking to purchase in-ears, here are some other things to think about:
UM-2′s are a good way to go for several reasons:
1. They are cheaper then custom molds
2. You can purchase Custom Molded tips for about $80 through Westone
3. Westone just rolled out a new feature for there Universal Fit monitors…removable cable! This used to only be featured on Custom Molded ears. You can only understand the benefit of this feature until your UM-2′s cable goes bad and you have to replace the whole set.
I also do not have much experience with Ultimate Ears, but a lot of my friends have been getting them. They seem to like them, but I’m biased. Westone’s Customer Service has been amazing and I appreciate that just as much as a good product.
@Justin,
Thanks for the input on the post! Your one of the many people I know that loves their Ultimate Ears. I know from my experience their Universal Fit isn’t great, but I’m sure the quality of their Customs is awesome!
Thanks for sharing!
@Robert,
Thanks for sharing! I didn’t realize that Westone updated to the removable cable, thats awesome! I haven’t talked to anyone who has seriously used UM2′s that doesn’t love them. If they’ve upgraded they’ve upgraded to Custom Molds. The UM2′s by far have the best feeling Universal Fit I’ve Found.
Thanks for Sharing!
I have used my UE-7′s for almost a year now and I can honestly say, of all the things I have bought for my performance musically, they are my favorite. The drivers are picked specifically for live performance, with a Low, low-mid, and a high driver, they really deliver everything that I could possibly want. I haven’t had a bad mix since I used them. I was treated like a total rockstar by my rep, Bill Davis. He is a stand up guy. Knows his product, and really loves what he does. I still get calls from him monthly asking how I like my ears, and I always say I love them!
I would recommend UE to anyone. Great company, who controls about 80% of the custom market with a client list a mile long. Everyone from musicians, to athletes, to engineers. Great products, and great service!
Ultimate Ears UE7!!!! There super clear and clean!!! If I lost mine, I would purchase another pair! Cant go wrong!
@Dave,
Thanks for sharing! I’ve heard very similar stories from people being treated extremely well by the Ultimate Ears Reps. They definitely have the client list to back up their claims!
@Sam
Thanks for your thoughts! Thats a big statement, and proves UE-7′s must be solid Ears.
I have been using UE-7′s for a little over a year now and I love them! Prior to the Ultimate Ears I was using Westone ES-2′s, and the switching to the UE7′s was like a breath of fresh air! Don’t get me wrong…the ES-2′s are great buds, but like some of the other guys have mentioned on here, the UE-7′s are so clean and clear…fantastic for live performance. And Jeanette at UE was super friendly and fantastic to work with! (As a side note, UE has some universal fit ears that I would not recommend because of durability issues)
I have also used Shure SCL5′s (and the previous E5), SCL3′s, and various other universal fit phones and I prefer the SCL5′s. Our worship team all use the SCL5′s right now.
@Travis
Thanks for the Comment! UE-7′s seem to be the crowd favorite for sure!
I use the older model Shure E5′s (now the SCL5). I do like them and I’ve been using them for about 6 years now. I would like to move to custom in-ears just to have a better fit, but I’m nervous about cost (which seems to be going down all the time) and how flexible the fit is. Do any of you with custom in-ears have them open up a bit if you smile too big or open up your mouth really wide? Those are just some things that I’ve heard that I’d love to hear your feedback on.
dustin
Dustin,
Sometimes if you don’t have a perfect fit you can open your mouth in a weird way and they will open up. This is called “breaking the seal”. This is the very reason that most musicians have molds made while they are biting on a 1″ bite block. This ensures that a quality mold is made and that you won’t break the seal when you open your mouth to sing. Also, if you have trouble with the seal breaking sometimes, Westone carries a product called “Oto Ease” that comes in the larger protection case. This can be applied in very small amounts to the exterior of the in ears to create an even better seal.
Basically if you have custom molds they will fit perfect. If they don’t you can usually send them back right away and have another set of molds made. Both Westone and UE have excellent customer service.
@Justin,
Thanks for your input on the subject and for adding your voice to the conversation!
Hey guys you may be interested in http://www.alienears.com I have used them for a year now and they are amazing. They are a like 395 for the triple (no hardcase
) but they send you your own ear mold kit and ship super fast. They also have some really interesting options where they will make your current headphones (universal type) custom fitted. So you can pick your sound you like and have the perfect fit to. They guys are really nice and great to work with.
caleb.
Hey, I have been trying to find out if the UM2′s minimize ( if so how much) the “occlusion effect”. This is the main obstacle in getting our band members to migrate to IEM’s. Well, money is an issue too which is why one reason (other than the great reviews on UM2′s) that I went with these IEM’s. Your comments are appreciated. Thanks!
Rev Ron in NC