New Strategies for Improved Live Sound - In Ear Monitors

Started by Elantric, January 23, 2008, 07:30:44 PM

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Toby Krebs

I make cables like that with some cable ties/ small velcro ties a Synth guitar cable and a 1/8 in headphone ext. cable from radio shack.
Work great for IEM use.

s0c9

Having been completely wireless IEM for some time now - with my Carvin EM900 system/1964 Ears Quads - I recently started looking at upgrading.
After much research - including which wireless IEM "band" (A, B, D, G, etc.) is best for my area - I decided to go with the Senn EW300 G3 IEM system.
I found a used system on eBay, calling the Atlanta, GA based vendor to inquire if the unit was a customer return or an open box.
They said they were out, but if I purchased the eBay unit, they would send me a brand new unit instead. (must be a nice markup!)

So.. I bit, and order a "G" band unit.

3 days later, a box arrived with a brand NIB factory-sealed unit!  for 25% OFF normal retail !!  Killer deal.
I set it up.. and have used it on 6 gigs (4hr type) since.
Quality audio, no dropouts (I scan for available frequencies and sync to xmitter), fully stereo, adjustable limiter and other features. Not cheap, but the quality is awesome.

Majiken

Hey, I have a new practical issue: based on a recommendation here, I bought a set of RHA MA750i earphones which I tested on a flight to Australia and back.  Great sound, comfortable over a long period, so far, so good.  I also finally got a TC-Helicon VL3X, which is a huge advance over my beloved VL Play GTX. Both TC devices feature the in-ear friendly wired cable (my electrinics guru put a decent plug on the guitar side, so it is now robust), and that is absolutely where I want to go. Problem is, the sound through the RHAs is distorted- the RHAs are not broken, they work on anything else. The VL3X is okay, the sound is fine through my Audio-Technica ATH M20.... I suspect an impedance mismatch: the VL3X signal is 50 ohms, the ATH M20 is rated at 40-47 ohm, the RHA at 16 Ohm.  Is my suspicion correct? If not, what might the problem be?  If so, is there a quick fix to match the impedance, or am I better off to get a different set of earbuds?  Thanks in advance for advice!
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks

Majiken

Afraid my question has gotten lost in the shuffle.... advice anybody, please?
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks

admin

#229
Quotethe RHA at 16 Ohm.

Correct  - RHA @ 16 ohms  = too low impedance  = distortion.

Many headphones today are running 50-100 ohms

http://www.head-fi.org/t/482942/low-impedance-high-impedance-iem-which-one-is-harder-to-drive/15
QuoteMost people get this wrong. Amplifiers (including small ones in portable devices) have no problem providing the required voltage. Their limitation is current. If your amplifier isn't capable of providing enough current, the voltage sags, compromising the sound. Because this happens preferentially at certain frequencies, this affects your frequency response. Typically, but not always, it craps out first in the bass.

So the best answer is, low-impedance headphones are harder to drive.

For high-impedance headphones (those that are 300-600 ohms), you need to look at sensitivity; impedance is irrelevant. If the sensitivity is high enough, it will play loud enough, and that's all you need to worry about. High-sensitivity, high-impedance headphones are very easy to drive.

Jim Austin


Majiken

Thanks! Too bad, both sound and especially fit are great.  Back to the drawing board......
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks


vtgearhead

Below 30 Hz??  What is he smoking?  Any audible output at that frequency would be almost pure second harmonic.


Brent Flash

Thanks for resurrecting this old thread Steve! I had to go back and read all the way through it's twists and turns through the years. Had a few chuckles along the way. How things change in the world of the musician. The struggle with gear is real!  :o


slh2536

Anyone know much about in ear monitors? Looking to buy a set. Not sure how they are set up to the board. Do they go into channels or plugged into the Aux send where the monitors get plugged into. Need help on setup... Thanks!


RolandG

Quote from: slh2536 on November 01, 2021, 09:18:09 AMAnyone know much about in ear monitors? Looking to buy a set. Not sure how they are set up to the board. Do they go into channels or plugged into the Aux send where the monitors get plugged into. Need help on setup... Thanks!
A year late in replying, but this might help: We use IEMs in a five piece band. Three of on the front line, vocals, guitar, and bass, have wireless, and this allows us to move around without worrying about cables. Our drummer and keyboard player keep it simple and use wired IEMs. This minimise the number of radio signals flying around.

Our mixer is a Behringer XR18. It has six Aux channels which can be used for personal IEM mixes. Each of us can control our personal mixes using iPad, iPhone, or Android apps. Another big advantage of the XR18 is that we can save mixer settings for each venue. So we turn up, plug in, and both venue and monitor settings are (almost) ready. In a small or medium venue we use our own PA. For a venue with its own desk, but no engineer, we can give them a left/right mix from the XR18. For a venue with an engineer we can give them the 12 channels we use, pre-EQ and pre-fader, from the XR18.

The wireless transmitters are all wired into a rack with the mixer and the singer's mic receiver.

I still use a guitar monitor to add a bit of life to the guitar signal. How else am I going to get feedback when I want it? This also means that anyone standing in front of the band, with the PA behind them, can hear the guitar clearly. Our keys player does the same.