From superior sound quality to less stage clutter, and increased musician mobility to reduced stage volume, the benefits of in-ears over traditional stage monitors are numerous. Here are 10 excellent options to consider.
ULTIMATE EARS
UE 7 Pro
Boasting a big and bold sound signature with additional midrange details, these handcrafted monitors are digitally modeled and 3-D printed for perfect fit, comfort, and strength.
$899 street
pro.ultimateears.com
JERRY HARVEY AUDIO
JH16v2 Pro
These IEMs have a 10-driver configuration to bring clarity to a very broad range of sounds, from the crash of a cymbal to full-volume bass with no distortion.
$1,499 street
jhaudio.com
STEALTH SONICS
U9
The company’s flagship 9-driver model is housed in resilient, acoustically optimized composite material, and covers a frequency range of 18 Hz to 40 kHz.
$1,099 street
stealthsonics.com
SENNHEISER
IE 500 PRO
This compact and ergonomic design is intended to sit securely and comfortably in every ear canal, and its 7 mm driver delivers a distortion factor of just .08 percent.
$599 street
sennheiser.com
AUDIO-TECHNICA
ATH-E70
Packaged with four sizes of silicone ear tips for a comfortable fit, the housings for these IEMs were designed to provide enhanced isolation while offering extended frequency response.
$399 street
audio-technica.com
SHURE
SE535
These IEMs have a detachable cable system that enables multiple connectivity options, and triple high-definition drivers in its sound-isolating design for spacious sound and rich bass.
$449 street
shure.com
ZILDJIAN
ZIEM1
Built with a dual dynamic driver for a smooth frequency response for all listening applications, these IEMs include two sizes of silicone ear tips for increased noise isolation.
$149 street
zildjian.com
FENDER
IEM TEN 3 Pro
A precision 3-D printed housing provides a custom-like fit for these IEMs, which have a 10 mm high-density dynamic driver and a total driver configuration of four.
$799 street
fender.com
WESTONE
UM PRO 50
The flagship model in Westone’s universal-fit line features five proprietary balanced-armature drivers with a 3-way passive crossover for impressive sonic detail.
$649 street
westone.com
64 AUDIO
A2e
These customizable IEMs are handbuilt using players’ uniquely shaped ear impressions, and feature the company’s apex technology for relieving ear-canal air pressure.
$499 street
64audio.com
Revv G3 Purple Channel Preamp/Overdrive/Distortion Pedal - Anniversary Edition
The Revv G3 revolutionized high gain pedals in 2018 with its tube-like response & tight, clear high gain tones. Suddenly the same boutique tones used by metal artists & producers worldwide were available to anyone in a compact pedal. Now the G3 returns with a new V2 circuit revision that raises the bar again.
If 3 Were 6
With six times the controls found on the 1 and 2 versions (if you discount the original’s on/off slider switch,) the LPB-3’s control complement offers pre-gain, boost, mid freq, bass, treble, and mid knobs, with a center detent on the latter three so you can find the midpoint easily. A mini-toggle labeled “max” selects between 20 dB and 33 dB of maximum gain, and another labeled “Q” flips the resonance of the mid EQ between high and low. Obviously, this represents a significant expansion of the LPB’s capabilities.
More than just a booster with a passive tone, the LPB-3 boasts a genuine active EQ stage plus parametric midrange section, comprising the two knobs with shaded legends, mid freq and mid level. The gain stages have also been reimagined to include a pre-gain stage before the EQ, which enables up to 20 dB of input gain. The boost stage that follows the EQ is essentially a level control with gain to allow for up to 33 dB of gain through the LPB-3 when the “max” mini toggle is set to 33dB
A slider switch accessible inside the pedal selects between buffered or true bypass for the hard-latch footswitch. An AC adapter is included, which supplies 200mA of DC at 9.6 volts to the center-negative power input, and EHX specifies that nothing supplying less than 120mA or more than 12 volts should be used. There’s no space for an internal battery.
Power-Boosted
The LPB-3 reveals boatloads of range that betters many linear boosts on the market. There’s lots of tone-shaping power here. Uncolored boost is available when you want it, and the preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.
“The preamp gain knob colors and fattens your signal as you crank it up—even before you tap into the massive flexibility in the EQ stage.”
I found the two mid controls work best when used judiciously, and my guitars and amps preferred subtle changes pretty close to the midpoint on each. However, there are still tremendous variations in your mid boost (or scoop, for that matter) within just 15 or 20 percent range in either direction from the center detent. Pushing the boost and pre-gain too far, particularly with the 33 dB setting engaged, can lead to some harsh sounds, but they are easy to avoid and might even be desirable for some users that like to work at more creative extremes.
The Verdict
The new LPB-3 has much, much more range than its predecessors, providing flexible preamp, boost, and overdrive sounds that can be reshaped in significant ways via the powerful EQ. It gives precise tone-tuning flexibility to sticklers that like to match a guitar and amp to a song in a very precise way, but also opens up more radical paths for experimentalists. That it does all this at a $129 price is beyond reasonable.
Electro-Harmonix Lpb-3 Linear Power Booster & Eq Effect Pedal Silver And Blue
