Best earphones for a drummer

jon86

jon86

jon86

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Hi.

I'm a drummer in a band and I'm looking at getting some in-ear phones for monitoring purposes. I currently use a pair of earplugs coupled with some good hi-fi headphones. I was looking at the Ultimate Ears website and found that their earphones attenuate up to 26db. I have also found out that Shure e3cs are rated at over 30db!? What earphones would you suggest? The level of attenuation is much more important than price.

Thanks.
Jon
 
I would suggest the senn hd-25-1 headphones. Not in ear, but used throughout the music profession by Djs, studios, and drummers.
 
westone UM range is targetted as IEMs for musicians.

i own um2s, not really that amazing sound quality i have to say, but comfiest ive ever had and pretty decent as monitors
 
I am definitely going to get some IEMs as the rest of the band has Ultimate Ears. I'll have a look at the um2s, thanks. I am very disappointed that the custom ue's don't attenuate more than 26 db.
 
Not interested in price? Rest of the band has Ultimate Ears? Custom UE 10 Pros it is for you then sir!
 
MidnightLamp said:
westone UM range is targetted as IEMs for musicians.

i own um2s, not really that amazing sound quality i have to say, but comfiest ive ever had and pretty decent as monitors
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Wow you are the first person Ive ever heard of who has said that - Many people actually perfer the UM2's over the far more expensive Shure E530's! I have a pair and think they are superb. Have you tried using different tips... I can say foams sound terrible... try sony EX tips.
 
interesting,

comparing them to beyer DT880s open headphones they really sounded tosh to my ears - much more muddy, plasticy sound on cymbals, but the DT880s are near perfect for me

i liked the foam tips because i use the UM2s for gym and am really blown away by their comfort, am also using them as on stage monitors. for comfort they're second to none
 
MidnightLamp said:
interesting,

comparing them to beyer DT880s open headphones they really sounded tosh to my ears - much more muddy, plasticy sound on cymbals, but the DT880s are near perfect for me

i liked the foam tips because i use the UM2s for gym and am really blown away by their comfort, am also using them as on stage monitors. for comfort they're second to none
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Using my UM2's in the gym too. For me sillicon tips seal better and give a better sound. A tip like the Sony EX is far more comfortable than foams and seals just as good. Treble and bass really open up.

Have you also tried tri-flanges that came with the UM2's? Try cutting off the stem and smallest flange... they sound quite good. An IEM should not go any ferther into your ear than sticking your finger in your ear!

Foams sound dull.... They just dont suit the UM2.
 
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After much research, I think I have decided on either Etymotic ER-6i with custom ACS sleeves or ACS T3 with custom sleeves. Would the T3s be much better? They're about £150 or £200 respectively.

Thanks again for your time.
 
Vegetarian said:
Wow you are the first person Ive ever heard of who has said that - Many people actually perfer the UM2's over the far more expensive Shure E530's! I have a pair and think they are superb. Have you tried using different tips... I can say foams sound terrible... try sony EX tips.
Click to expand...

Which Sony EX tips do you mean? I wouldn't mind trying this out, I have my old EX71 tips, but as you are probably aware they don't fit! How do you make them fit on the UM2?
 
150 quid is a little expensive for the er-6i, should be a little less. I have a cheaper pair of etymotics. I guess they do the job but if you're paying that much you might as well go for the acs with fitted sleeves, they'll probably be more comfortable.
 
I used the Shure's for a few years until my singer crushed them with his stupid clumsy boots. Were around £80 if i remember correctly and worked like a charm.
 
pby said:
150 quid is a little expensive for the er-6i, should be a little less. I have a cheaper pair of etymotics. I guess they do the job but if you're paying that much you might as well go for the acs with fitted sleeves, they'll probably be more comfortable.
Click to expand...

My mate paid about £70 for his. Cable came loose on one of the drivers, and they arn't the best made to be frank.
 
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