64 Audio - A6t

I used these for 6 years before I got some custom molded IEM’s from 64audio. IEM’s are insane but expensive unfortunately. If someone’s on a budget the 990’s are a solid option too

IEMs from 64 audio (A6T) blow any over the ear headphones out of the water Ive experienced

These KZ’s are super standard for entry level in-ears. I know some pros who use them and actually prefer them to $$ custom molded ones, just because they don’t have to worry about babying them compared to the super high dollar stuff. I’ve used them a little and i think they’re great; it’s a great stepping stone until you can afford some real nice custom stuff from a company like 64 Audio. My daily drivers for in-ear gigs is the 64 audio A6t, and I love them - and man oh man do they sound good plugged straight in to synths too. Just be careful with that gain 😬

KZ in ears are the standard affordable ones, sometimes listed with their parent company Linsoul. [Here’s one of their models.](https://a.co/d/hFhN4YO) They work great if you’re one of the lucky people that can wear regular earbuds, and their models range from $40-$100ish. If you’re like me and pulled the lucky straw of having weird shaped ear canals that don’t agree with standard earbud fittings, get a custom molded pair from [64 audio](https://www.64audio.com/pages/design-customs?model=A6t) and try not to cry at the price. And just so you’ve heard it - *be careful with volume with in ears!!!* You can do real damage with sound getting pumped right into your ear, especially over long periods of time. Please keep the volume low.

Hear me out. I have the 64a A6t customs. From Crinacle’s recommendation (IEM reviewer) I bought the Moondrop Chu II for $20 from Amazon. Believe me when I tell you these IEMs are amazing! The clarity in them is insane and the main difference with my other pair is that the the A6ts are a bit warmer overall. I was SUPER doubtful of another cheaper IEM pair but the Moondrop is truly the exception (the contruction is not even plastic). Just make sure with all IEMs you clean them every so often to avoid blockages.

we've made a semi-open back IEM called Duo, but it has since been discontinued. A very warm tone, with a fairly laid back pinna gain. Something that may interest you is our IEMs that are built with the interchangeable apex modules. You can go from the m20 modules which is almost fully occluded to something like our mX modules which really feels and sounds like an open back when you're wearing and listening to them.

Just get some CIEMs from 64 Audio and call it a day.

I have a 1964 Ears CIEM, a Sony Z1R but all replaced by FatFreq Scarlet Mini. This tiny IEM brings joy listening countless hours. I revived my Cayin N6II DAP bcoz of it.

That’s 64 audio’s whole thing. They built a port with filters into their iems. Essentially acts like having a molded earplug with set db filters (believe they have 12, 15, 20, and solid) that passes signal through it.

If you don't practice with IEMs, it would be better to not play with them either. The difference in volume perception, cue mix, and dealing with human interactions is pretty significant compared to the relative ease of sliding down your 'phones. Side note: most people see the visual cue of 'headphones on' and hold back on coming up to the booth - not so with IEMs. They just don't see them! I'm fortunate to have universal ear holes ?!!! so my set of 64Audio are great. Tried the Sennheiser HD-25 and they're good, also but actually did hurt my ears after a long gig. They also seemed to be tuned to clip certain frequencies but that could have just been my perception, Found that the bass was almost always too rich, when I really needed the mids to be in my sweet spot. The other gotcha with wearing IEMs, whether you get a custom fit or get away with the universal fits, is that you have to absolutely know, trust and believe in your FOH music management. You obviously don't need a booming booth monitor but if you're also controlling your own FOH on the fly, IEMs are not good for keeping your overall volume balanced. If you have to manage your own sound, I wouldn't trust my IEMs to not get in the way.