# Recommend Wireless In-Ears or an Alternative



## fnDan (Oct 8, 2015)

Our group has started shifting people positions in our practice room and some of those configurations have left deaf to my vocals. Even more so as the drummer gets into it and starts hitting hard.
I've tried a wired in-ear and like it only because it helps me hear the vocals and prevents me from losing my voice/key tying to sing over the group. I'm not a fan of having another cable tied to me other than the guitar.
Right now we are working in a circle, guitar & bass are running through amps (the amps are either elevated or in my case angled on a stand and the keyboards and vocals are running through a board and out to a Bose LS1 and large cab (both behind the drummer right now) that I've never looked to see what it actually is.

Hopefully start a discussion around IEMs and experiences with Taskar cheap up to Shures.

Or.... is their something else!
Reconfigure the room?


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## WhiteFalcon (Jun 9, 2015)

We rehearse and perform using in-ears, and like you, I would prefer not to, but there are many benefits, we use Shure 215 I think is the model. I often end up taking the left one out, so I can hear my amp on stage left, and I leave the right one in, which blocks out the other on stage guitar amp and some of the drums. This works, and I think our vocals have improved since we started to use IEMs.


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## Zifnab (Dec 1, 2017)

I use Shure Se215's in the studio to practice with. Never used them on stage, we have monitors for that. In our studio it is way too loud to hear any vocals decently with the drums and guitar rigs going. I use an extension cable for my 215's that is taped to my guitar cable so they are essentially one cable with two ends. I put the guitar on, put in the 215's then taped the extension to the proper length so the 215's do not interfere with me moving around. It seems to work pretty good and I do not notice the extra cable at all.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I use Westone earbuds with a wired system that we use in our church. The cable has a 1/8" TRS female jack that I attach to my guitar or bass strap and I just need to remember to disconnect my earbuds from the cable on the guitar before taking the guitar off. Wireless would be sweet, but it's expensive.


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## fnDan (Oct 8, 2015)

Wireless is very expensive. It's very tempting to try a cheaper alternative.
I've read good reviews on the Analeon.
Our bass players board lost the right side and he picked a replacement and we have to figure getting the wired in-ears going again.
I'll bring up the question about monitors and what everyone expects when we start performing live.


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## ShredRexGuitar (Jan 2, 2018)

I have tried a few things....even Bluetooth....but I am sure you know how that played out  I have been experiencing hearing issues, like tinnitus after years of just playing too damn loud. I found no matter what I did I could never hear my guitar live or at rehearsals. I got used to playing blind as I call it...lol

Once I had a chat with my doctor about the tinnitus I started to realize I have been suffering with hearing issues longer than I realized, and in watching us play on video I always looked angry or like I was concentrating really hard on what I was playing. Turns out what I was doing was struggling to hear, and in a pain. I started ear buds meant to filter out noise, the ones made by Planet Waves and they really helped. But dulling the overall volume didn't really solve my other issue of not hearing my guitar in the mix.

I rented a Shure system a few weeks back to try with the 215s buds I had picked up on Amazon prior. It worked great and for the first time in a long time I loved playing at rehearsal, I could hear myself in the buds, and it cut out some of the noise as well. That particular system retails at $899, which is ludicrous. No idea why old technology like a UHF wireless system is so expensive.

I took the plunge after searching Amazon and bought a XtugaBK-510 system. Was looking at some Galaxy systems but they didn't look to be any different on paper. The goal was to go cheap as possible and use better buds, so needless to say I never tried the ones that came with the Xtuga. But for $222 CDN I was very pleased with the all metal construction and most importantly the sound quality. Even though I had the Shure 215s I decided I would also try a cheaper Chinese set of IEM made by MEE Audio the M6 Pros. They look identical to the 215s a cheap imitation....but they do the trick. The total price for both the Xtuga and the M6 Pros was $292 CDN. It works, and sounds good enough for me to monitor my guitar which alows me to get some degree of protection in the isolation provided by the in ears, as well as the ability to hear every nuance of my playing. It has helped me immensely. I do not think I could do any better for such a small investment. Maybe I will look at upgrading in the future, but I mean why pay more for something when you dont have to?

I would suggest any one looking to get an entry level tasts of IEM systems check those two items out on Amazon.


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## fnDan (Oct 8, 2015)

Thanks for the advice!
I did buy a pair of M6 Pros locally from Memory Express. Good price, no shipping and no waiting. The best part of buying locally - the first pair only had sound on the right side. I know one cable is mono and neither worked. I was to exchange them right away. Normally I try to save a buck and order online but I'm in a rural area and packages being delivered is becoming a 50/50 chance of getting here or being sent back.
I'll look into the Xtuga.


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## ShredRexGuitar (Jan 2, 2018)

I ended up going back to using my Shure 215 buds. Better low end and not as harsh high end. A few buck more but worth it...fit wise I find they are better too.

Happy experimenting


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