I'm looking to get back into In Ear Monitors for listening instead of using over ear headphones, and sadly an absurd number of companies have cropped up making them. When I was listening to them 20 years ago, about the only names in the business I knew of were Shure and Westone. I've been looking at the Fiio FH range to get the bass impact from a dynamic driver and multiple balanced armatures to cover the mids and highs. I'm more of a warm mid bass sound signature that also likes diving into V and U shaped tunings.

Anyone have any ideas to help out the search. I'm trying to stay under $350 since I also bought a Fiio UTWS5 bluetooth adapter to go wireless.

Pick a price point and you'll get more specific recommendations. Look at the Etymotic line of IEM's. I have a set of them, fantastic sound quality in the better versions and when mowing I just hear a low hum. For air travel also very quiet, even with volume all the way down I typically have to remove one to hear the flight crew. The brand is popular with mixers/producers and musicians. I have listened to Bose and Beats, did not care for the sound signature at all. One of my daughters that is a musician bought a set of the Beats, was also disappointed. She offered them to me and I said 'No thanks.' She actually said 'damn, I can't give these things away!' Another daughter listened to my Ety's and her response was "OMG, he is standing in front of me singing to me".

If I were you I wouldn't go too crazy price wise. If you use bluetooth, it doesn't matter how good your amp or DAC are (like hi-res quality) or the quality of the headphones sound quality capabilities as the signal will be compressed. I'd find a compromise unless you also plan on using wired IEM's for quality. Shure and Westone still make good IEM's, obviously the more you spend the more features and better components.

I have several sets of IEM, 2 for wired hi-res use, and 2 for bluetooth. Different uses call for the need for the different sets. As you mentioned, the sky is the limit and selection is almost limitless. Part of the fun is making a selection. Read lots of reviews and look for reports that mirror or come very close to your needs. Unfortunately finding IEM's to demo can be tough so you have to rely on reviews probably more than other items unless you have friends that are willing to let you listen to theirs as long as you bring your own ear tips. Which by the way can make differences in sound/fit. You can go nuts with the options out there.

Good luck in your journey. I was looking around recently at wired IEM's (yea, I'm one of THOSE guys). I was checking out the Astell & Kern / Jerry Harvey collabs and Campfire Audio.

I am certainly not an expert, but I am a hobby musician and have tried a bunch of different in-ear monitors.

The MEE brand sound very good to me. They are hardwired with the 1/8" plug, not bluetooth or USB etc. They have a thin over the ear loop to keep them secure. Note that true IEMs are intended for stage use, though lots of products are now labeled as IEM. IEMs should provide good quality audio and excellent passive noise reduction while not coming loose. Water resistance is not a big factor on stage, hopefully! Thus you may not get as good sound from an IEM as from a similarly priced earbud due to design goals.

I find two fitment problems with many brands. One is the shape of the part just outside the ear canal. For whatever reason, many products are too fat at the opening to the ear canal, so they don't properly seat or insert, which allows noise to leak in as well as not having good fidelity. The seal in the ear canal needs to be good to have good sound. The second problem is the rubber tip itself. Aftermarket tips just never seem to fit right. The MEE IEM never comes loose, unlike many earbuds I've tried.

The MEE works for me. The version I have are now quite cheap, much less than $100. That's a bargain.

headphones.com is a great resource. Good company to order through also. Ive bought from them a multiple times. Couple brother started it. texting them is easiet for any questions, quick to reply

I have had two different FiiO iem’s. Bass is not something I would say was their strong suit. My go-to iem’s are from Campfire Audio. They have a pretty broad lineup but do get pricey.

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Originally posted by Tonydec:
Pick a price point and you'll get more specific recommendations.

Like I said, around $350.

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If I were you I wouldn't go too crazy price wise. If you use bluetooth, it doesn't matter how good your amp or DAC are (like hi-res quality) or the quality of the headphones sound quality capabilities as the signal will be compressed. I'd find a compromise unless you also plan on using wired IEM's for quality. Shure and Westone still make good IEM's, obviously the more you spend the more features and better components.

That's also why I'm looking at IEMs over regular earbuds because of the replaceable cable. Use the UTSW5 for when I'm at work and get a few minutes to listen while being able to wire up if I'm on a long trip. I've also got a MMCX to 2 pin adapter as well so hooking up won't be an issue.

The Shure Aonic 4 is an option because it's the only Shure/Westone that's a hybrid driver. Going all balanced armature leads you to the opposite problem of going with just a dynamic driver.

Fiio is the main brand I'm looking at with something like the FH7S at the top end, and I also like how at this price range they're metal IEMs instead of plastic or resin. I also hear good things about Thieaudio with the Hype 2 having two DDs and 2 BAs.

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headphones.com is a great resource. Good company to order through also. Ive bought from them a multiple times.

I've looked over there and pretty much everything in that range is either preorder or sold out. The Moondrop Blessing 3s look interesting, but out of stock doesn't help me at all.

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I have had two different FiiO iem’s. Bass is not something I would say was their strong suit.

Which ones were they? From things I've read, their Hybrid line seems to do quite well in bass, unless you're talking about detail. I'll have to checkout Campfire Audio.

Does anyone have any experience with Planar Magnetic drivers? The only experience I have is with a THX Drop Panda that broke shortly after I got it and didn't get much time to experience that different sound they produce.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DanH,

Dohh, missed your price point, my bad.

Planers do mids and vocals extremely well, but tend to the larger size. Depending on your ear canal size you can have issues keeping them in.

Jump on over to headfi.com if you haven't, lot of reviews, sponsor links etc. I learned a lot there.

There is someone in Vancouver BC that is selling a TON of stuff, over ears, IEM's, DAP's, DAC's, etc. I get the impression it is/was a store due to the amount of inventory. If you are interested email me. I can send you the list. He does have some FiiO, FA5 being the best he has, no FH7 that I saw. He also has Campfire Polaris that are hybrid. Some good pricing too.

The set I remember for sure were the FH7. I was very underwhelmed with them. Sold them on eBay.

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Etymotic

I will second this suggestion.

RMD

Part of the success of IEM is the fit to the ear. Be sure you are aware of the fit you need and the unit you buy gives you that satisfaction.

I looked at the Etymotic and with the exception of the EVO, all of their stuff is pretty much 30 years old and single BA designs.

Since I had a $100 gift card at Amazon, I decided to try the Kwie Ears Quintet and Orchestra Lite IEMs while also ordering Comply Foam eartips because they're my preferred tips. I'll figure it out from there and send the one I don't like back.

I also found this site on YouTube that helped me figure things out here called Glenn Gane Audio. These are the two in looking at:

https://youtu.be/cRdtfVYxXZo?si=X_UR25ByvLvsq7ha

I dipped my toes into this world back in 2015-2017 and ended up with IEMs from Trinity Audio, Puro Sound Labs, Vsonic, Ownluxe and a few others. Most expensive was $80 with coupons and discounts applied. Not sure about what these brands now offer and undoubtedly the prices, given inflation, are higher now.

I found that price among these inexpensive IEMs was not the determining factor when proper fitting tips (I ended up preferring Auvio medium silicon tips after trying a ton of others) are used. The $35 Trinity Audio Techne and $40 VSonic VDS3S are my favorites for their sound reproduction, etc. Many of those I have employ tuning filters. The $80 Trinity Audio Phantom Master came with 7 undamped and 7 damped filters for each earpiece allowing response tailoring.

As an aside I also have some great headsets (Sennheiser HD600, HD580 w/HD650 drivers, Philips SHP9500). IEMs give a different experience that I don't feel matches headsets. But when portability (like with a DAP) is needed they are quite satisfying.

I’ve been using Shure for years. Not really for listening but when I play (drums) and sing. I don’t consider myself an audiophile but I know what good sound is and I’m happy with them. I think they’re the second step up, not the cheapest. They fit me really well with the foam but they come with rubber as well.

I finished the weekend fairly impressed with the Kiwi Ears Quartet. For the massive sum of $109, it came with 2 DD and 2 BAs with a very warm, bassy sound. Other brands with this layout were usually $300 and up. The biggest problem is I had to buy Comply 500 Foam Tips in order to get a good seal.

I'm shocked I was able to get away and be happy with something that cheap.

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Originally posted by bald1:
I dipped my toes into this world back in 2015-2017 and ended up with IEMs from Trinity Audio, Puro Sound Labs, Vsonic, Ownluxe and a few others. .

First time I've heard that name in a LONG time. I've still got a pair of Trinity Audio IEMs I picked up from them. Right as they went bust. I think mine had to be one of the last shipped. I was surprised when they actually showed up. A couple of the filters wouldn't stay seated. Some issues with the threads on them.

But I remember I really enjoyed them. Haven't listed to them in years. Worlds gone mostly Bluetooth.