Ear buds where the cost goes to quality and isolation as opposed to gimmicks/Bluetooth/functionality.
Airpods are amazing for casual use.
IEMs (with a cable, of course) are amazing for music.
It’s what musicians use on stage to hear what everyone is doing (iems and individual mixes are so accessible these days, used to be super $$$$ per iem mix).
They range from budget (1 driver per bud) to decent (3-5 drivers per bud) to esoteric (like 16 drivers per bud).
Most have modular cables that disconnect at the earbud (so when the cable breaks you are paying thousands for a new set. Or to get custom cable lengths).
And all decent brands can be custom moulded to your ear, so you go to a hearing specialist, they will cast your ear, and you send that to the manufacturers and they will send you moulded IEMs. They are very comfy.
Some brands have a DIY moulding process, but I wouldn’t trust myself!
If you are into live music & loud gigs, even loud clubs, I really strongly recommend you get a moulded set of earplugs with 10db attenuation. They are for musicians and have as flat a response as is possible, and will take the edge off any hearing damage.
As others have said, “in-ear monitors.” However, it’s not technically about the quality. Earphones sit in the outer ear, while IEMs go at least a little bit into the ear canal. They do better with blocking out sound, which is better for audio quality, but sometimes you want to be able to hear things around you, so it’s a matter of context.
Also, while audiophiles can get wild with it (and there’s a lot of snake oil in that area), I just got some Salnotes Zeros for <$20 and they’re great.
Basically earbuds, but if someone uses the acronym outside the context of stage or studio work, they are trying to tell everyone that they only use earbuds that are qUaLitY
I used to be a stage and studio musician, and I still use customs outside of that context. I’m just saying that if I’m talking to someone about casual listening, there’s no way I’m specifying “IEMs” over “earbuds”. IMO same kind of energy as saying “I used my Arch desktop” when you could say “I used my computer”
IEMs?
Ear buds where the cost goes to quality and isolation as opposed to gimmicks/Bluetooth/functionality.
Airpods are amazing for casual use.
IEMs (with a cable, of course) are amazing for music.
It’s what musicians use on stage to hear what everyone is doing (iems and individual mixes are so accessible these days, used to be super $$$$ per iem mix).
They range from budget (1 driver per bud) to decent (3-5 drivers per bud) to esoteric (like 16 drivers per bud).
Most have modular cables that disconnect at the earbud (so when the cable breaks you are paying thousands for a new set. Or to get custom cable lengths).
And all decent brands can be custom moulded to your ear, so you go to a hearing specialist, they will cast your ear, and you send that to the manufacturers and they will send you moulded IEMs. They are very comfy.
Some brands have a DIY moulding process, but I wouldn’t trust myself!
If you are into live music & loud gigs, even loud clubs, I really strongly recommend you get a moulded set of earplugs with 10db attenuation. They are for musicians and have as flat a response as is possible, and will take the edge off any hearing damage.
In-Ear-Monitors. I envy your ignorance. I was once like you. Now I’m broke.
As others have said, “in-ear monitors.” However, it’s not technically about the quality. Earphones sit in the outer ear, while IEMs go at least a little bit into the ear canal. They do better with blocking out sound, which is better for audio quality, but sometimes you want to be able to hear things around you, so it’s a matter of context.
Also, while audiophiles can get wild with it (and there’s a lot of snake oil in that area), I just got some Salnotes Zeros for <$20 and they’re great.
Basically earbuds, but if someone uses the acronym outside the context of stage or studio work, they are trying to tell everyone that they only use earbuds that are qUaLitY
The shape is significantly different than traditional earbuds, they generally isolate sound better, and they almost always have a removable cable.
You can get really cheap ones, but the name actually does tell you stuff.
I used to be a stage and studio musician, and I still use customs outside of that context. I’m just saying that if I’m talking to someone about casual listening, there’s no way I’m specifying “IEMs” over “earbuds”. IMO same kind of energy as saying “I used my Arch desktop” when you could say “I used my computer”