Best In-Ear Monitors for Drummers: Top 10 Expert Picks

Customer Review: “This is an excellent company to deal with. They are not some obscure brand. It’s world class. They have a whole line of various quality and price items. The in ear monitors sound great and they will fix any issues if any. Highly recommend trying these over the expensive name brands and the two letter china copies. These are excellent and affordable”

Customer Review: “There certainly are a lot of name brands (?) available to the consumer, and in just about every category; I bought a set of silicone scrapers a while ago with the brand ydealpi. How do you even pronounce that? No matter, they turned out to be a very good quality of spatula/scraper. These earbuds, according to their writeup on Amazon, have many things going for them – five stages of sound reproduction, plus this, and that. Wow. It gets overwhelming. Anyway, the BASN Bmaster5 earbuds are simply amazing. The clarity of sound reproduction is prolly as close as you could get to perfect, which sometimes you achieve, but mostly, it gets missed. My test track for checking out the bass response of earbuds/headphones is about a minute into ‘In Your Eyes’, the video of it available on Youtube, when the bass player starts in. If you’re wearing a good quality pair of ‘phones, you can distinctly hear (and feel) the bass lines as he plucks the string, and it makes all the difference in the world when the root has kicked in, you’re doing your best just to chill, then there it is, boom, boom. I found the quality of playback to be vastly superior to many of the other phones I’ve tried – this pair will NEVER give you ‘Listener’s Fatigue’ – that point where you just can’t listen to that crappy reproduction, and you simply have to shut the music OFF. These beautiful babies take the prize home. The Home Free and Pentatonix and Josh Groban/Celine Dion concerts just sound fantastic. If you can, get a pair of these. A very classy company, they pack it in a little metal box that’s neat as all get-out. These are the way to go to get much more expensive sounding…..sound out of your equipment without having to spend a fortune to do so.”

Customer Review: “The bass really is tight. The fit with the foam ear tips is excellent and comfortable. These IEMs are worth the price and a bargain until 3/31 at 20% off. They are excellent for monitoring the mix as you record bass.”

Customer Review: “These are fantastic. I’m hard of hearing and have used other IEMs, and these sound better and fit better. The sound quality is markedly better than my cheaper IEMs. I sometimes forget that I have them in. My only wish is that they weren’t so expensive. I’m getting custom IEMs done and can’t wait to hear those.”

Customer Review: “I frequently serve on my churches worship team and these work great for me as a vocalist and acoustic guitar player! I have tried many different Amazon pairs because I cannot get myself to buy custom molds, and these really held their own! Feel good in my ears with a somewhat molded feel. The sound quality is great and I’d say they are made very well. Overall a great value!”

Customer Review: “i’ve been using this for almost 1 year for live streaming, love the color and the quality. I haven’t had any problem with it so far.”

Customer Review: “Incredible Universal fit IEM’s. I wanted to wait a couple of weeks before writing a review, if nothing else, just to get past the ‘honeymoon stage.’ These are absolutely incredible. They are comfortable to wear for long periods of time, sound AMAZING, and have a great, strong cable. I have been using them exclusively now for almost a month and am very satisfied with everything”

Customer Review: “I’m a working musician, it’s what I do for a living. While these IEMs did not end up working for me personally, I wanted to provide a review for these since all the ones I’d seen were by folks who’d received them for free. Let me be clear, I’m a professional bassist, and while these IEMs did not give me the bass response I’m personally looking for, they really are a solid choice for someone on a budget. I would like to say, I think these would be perfect for a vocalist, or a guitarist. Really anyone that doesn’t demand a pronounced bass response. If I wasn’t specifically looking for a set of IEMs that could handle a fair amount of bass-heavy signal, I would have held onto them. These ears are really a good value for the $179 they run at the time of this review. If you’re a musician that doesn’t demand a really punchy bass presence, consider these. The Good: • Neutral sound stage. Very ‘natural’ sounding, no sharp coloration on bass or treble, and for someone who is seeking that, they’d be perfect. • These In-Ears are a solid upgrade for someone who wants a more articulate sound than a single driver, but doesn’t want to drop a ton of money. I was able to pick up a lot of nuance in the tunes I ran through. • Quality Packaging/Extras. The aluminum case, leather pouch, and accessories are honestly really nice. The two cables that were included appeared to be of nice quality. • Pro Look. These are a really ‘professional’ looking set of IEMs, from the cable to the actual construction of the earpieces themselves. The Bad: • The bass response isn’t anything to write home about. This entirely subjective to my preferences, and I wouldn’t honestly consider this a ‘bad’ thing, it just wasn’t what I was looking for. I wouldn’t even characterize the bass response in these ears as ‘bad,’ just more flat than what I’d like. There isn’t a way to figure out how they sound without actually trying them out, and I took that gamble. I would even recommend these to bassists that want more headroom for their mix. I can’t stress enough that these are a killer budget ear, and are a markedly better sounding IEM than your typical 1-2 driver KZ brand offering.”

Customer Review: “The bass really is tight. The fit with the foam ear tips is excellent and comfortable. These IEMs are worth the price and a bargain until 3/31 at 20% off. They are excellent for monitoring the mix as you record bass.”

Customer Review: “These are fantastic. I’m hard of hearing and have used other IEMs, and these sound better and fit better. The sound quality is markedly better than my cheaper IEMs. I sometimes forget that I have them in. My only wish is that they weren’t so expensive. I’m getting custom IEMs done and can’t wait to hear those.”

Customer Review: “I moved from wireless headphones to IEMS recently from a few friends that recommended these. As a musician that have used High end IEMS for performance and shows, I was very skeptical on the quality and the sound that would come from these. After reading the reviews I pulled the trigger on these and got them. Paired them with a cable extension to my Pc and I am absolutely surprised at how great these sound. For the price the drivers inside these IEMS really put out some work, the unit gives a great seal with the ear tips that were included inside the box. The cable is hassle free and durable. I am pleasantly surprised at how great these fit around my ears and the comfortability using them in long gaming sessions. Bass is great, highs and lows are really good as well, from playing music to video games, to editing videos, and much more these are definitely a great bang for your buck if your looking for good quality IEMS and good sound. These are definitely not on par with any professional IEMS that are used for specific professional purposes, but Id take these to a gig, or run them in practices if im not using them on a pc as a back up. !”

Customer Review: “These in-ear monitors work great, sound super clear and balanced, and last a good while. I have bought multiple pairs. My only criticism is that one of the pairs got to the point where the rubber piece kept coming off in my ear, and another pair eventually the left side quit working after a period of extended use. This could just be from wear & tear. Overall, well worth the money.”

Customer Review: “Disclaimer: I bought these solely to use as in-ear monitors during live music performances, and not for listening to music. I’m sure they are great for listening to music, but if that’s what you’re interested in, then this is probably not the review you want to read. I was initially skeptical of these earbuds because of their low price-point compared to some of the major competitors (Shure, Sennheiser, etc). However, I just used these during a gig for the first time the other week and they were great! My setup was using a Roland V-Drum electronic drum kit, with a monitor mix running directly into the drum controller. The sound in the BASN earbuds was crystal clear, and did a very nice job of suppressing most of the external sound in a loud room. Not noise canceling necessarily, but not too far off either. Because the earbuds did such a good job and minimizing external noise, I didn’t have to crank them up super loud. Having primarily used traditional wedge speakers for my entire live music performance career, I could definitely tell a huge difference at the end of the night, when my ears were NOT ringing! Because I could hear myself, and the rest of the band, much more clearly than I’m used to, I felt like I was able to play more relaxed and didn’t wear myself out as much as I normally do after a few hours of drumming. The earbuds were very comfortable. They stayed in pretty well, even once I began to sweat. I adjusted them 1 or 2 times during the performance, but nothing major. If there is a downside with these earbuds, it’s that the suppression of external noise makes it more difficult to verbally communicate with the rest of the band during a performance. If you play in a band that likes to use verbal cues as a way to communicate during performances (which I often do), these earbuds could make that more difficult. However, the tradeoffs are well worth it. Final verdict: Great in-ears at an amazing price.”

Customer Review: “I use this product for in-ear monitors playing with the worship team. These ‘in ears’ help to reduce the ambient noise and chatter while providing clean and crisp sound. They are also very comfortable to wear. They also come with little extras that help you to customize exactly what you need. The only draw back for me is that both cables that were included in the package have the in-line microphone included which prevents them from cinching properly if you are going to wear the cords behind your head. Although, this is probably not going to be difficult to remedy. Overall, excellent value and quality!!!”

Customer Review: “I use these for my home studio and I have to say I love these things. The quality is spot on, the sound quality is amazing. They’re not clipping or they don’t cause spikes in tone, they don’t sound tinny. I like the fact that they come with additional ear foams for larger or smaller ear sockets. They connect very well, they’re nice and snug. They’re durable. But they do tend to tangle pretty easy. That’s easily dismissed. Well worth the money. I was today years old when i realized these also had a microphone.”

Customer Review: “I’ve always preferred wired earbuds to use with my pc/laptops, whether gaming or working, listening to music, watching videos. Everything. I’ve typically only used the freebies that come with Samsung phones, I also had a semi decent pair of skull candy ear buds for a few years. Wanting to treat myself to a new pair, I went with these because of the raving reviews for the price. I’m a ‘bang-for-the-buck’ kinda guy and these do not disappoint. A little tricky to figure out the cables & routing, but in maybe just a few minutes you’ll have it squared away. I did also pick up (on a whim) one of those little amplifier chingas that plugs inline with the earbuds for about the same price as the earbuds… And holy cow!!! Even as a long time wired-earbud user this is one impressive little combo. The earbuds fit so well, like premium fitment on a budget, and the sound is incredible, full spectrum, and only starts to muddy up a little bit if you REALLY crank on both the input volume AND the amp volume. I can see how a cable upgrade may be a good idea, the provided cables aren’t the best, but they work, for now. Overall a great purchase. Kinda bummed they didn’t come with any little pouch or case, but not worth docking a star over, either. I have others.”

Customer Review: “For the cost the clarity, quality, and comfort are great. they are easy to use and good durability. noise cancellation is good as well. very easy to assemble and use.”

Customer Review: “These in-ears are an amazing value. Clear sound, comfortable fit, and they hold up well for regular use. Perfect budget-friendly option that still delivers great audio quality. Highly recommend if you want something solid without spending a fortune.”

Customer Review: “The media could not be loaded. I created an unboxing video for this item to show just how small and handy it really is! I used it for the next Worship Team set on a Sunday and it did not disappoint!! We rehearsed for 3 hours with music and vocals. The batteries in this thing were strong the entire time. No dropouts, or fading of sound. U4 performed flawlessly. There was no interference from the many other wireless systems in use! I used IEM headphones that plugged right into the receiver and clipped the receiver to my pocket. As expected, the clip held fast and the receiver did not move or slip during the performance. The transmitter was used with the adapter, and it too performed flawlessly. Again, no interference and no dropouts. It was quick to plug in, and while the footprint with the adapter was a bit on the long side…it still didn’t get in the way. On a soundboard, it would not need the adapter, so the footprint would be that much less. This was a very simple setup. it was truly ‘plug and play’. The build quality is amazing. Buttons, slides and lights are all tight and sturdy. I would say that this unit will last for years. The price for this unit was far better than any other IEMs I’ve seen, and much much smaller…yet…it delivers a beautifully crisp, quiet audio experience. It has a gain control which is nice and comes with a LINE/AUX switch, and 8 channels to select from in the unlikely event you do get some interference. This unit operates on the 2.4 ghz frequency which is very quiet. It is a MONO only unit. In short…the unit is extremely well made, performs flawlessly and provides a true ‘plug and play’ experience. Xvive Unboxing for Amazon.m4v”

Customer Review: “Dollar for dollar and pound for pound, you WILL NOT find a better in-ear system than what you’re looking at right now. I’ve used virtually every brand on the market and, for the money, these are miles ahead of the competition. The have a reasonably flat response (where many are bass-boosted thinking that everyone wants to just hear the thump). But not here… these are much more balanced and offer the whole range of sound in your ears to provide a quality, flat response, with good volume control on the belt and interference-free connectivity with the base unit. It’s exactly what you’re looking for as a musician… you want to hear EVERYTHING. Including the click. And, this is your best route to go. Well made. Well designed and thought out. And sounds great. All at an unbelievable price!!!”