What are In-ear Monitors?
In-ear monitors (IEMs for short) are earphones that sit within the structure of the ear, covering the walls of the ear canal, providing more isolation. The internal build sets the difference as compare to regular earphones. It usually contains one or more drivers to create wider frequency responses. Hence more details can be heard in lower volume, protecting your ears and also preventing ear fatigue. With a recent trend of Chinese IEM (ChiFi) manufacturers introducing very good products at competitive prices, consumers are definitely spoilt for choices.
Let’s take a look at the different types of in-ear monitors.
Different Types of In-ear monitors
DYNAMIC DRIVER
Dynamic driver is the most common transducer type used. It converts electrical signal into acoustic signal. They are able to deliver punchier bass without consuming too much power. As their design is required to move air, ambient isolation is minimized. The quality of the sound is more coherent, often describe as “warm sounding” and the soundstage is generally wider due to venting and sense of space. Some of the IEMs may contain one or more drivers. Prices are economically friendly.
Below are some examples of dynamic drivers iem:
Tin Hifi T1
Pictures taken from https://www.oardio.com
Tin Hifi T1 has a single dynamic driver and it delivers a warm and natural sounding. The bass, mids, treble and highs are well balanced. It has an inbuilt mic, which allows the user to handle calls or voice messages without much hassle. Sound resolution is average and noise isolation can be improved.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver: 12.5mm overclocking wide cell ring
Impedance: 16Ω
Frequency range: 18-25000Hz
Plug: 3.5mm
Cable: 1.3m TPU
Tin Hifi T2 (Pro)
Picture taken from https://www.oardio.com
The Tin Hifi T2 Pro features dual dynamic drivers (10mm woofer & 6mm tweeter) that presents a wide overall soundstage. It has a detailed bass that is not overpowering. The treble and mid has nice clarity, giving it a well-balanced, authentic sound signature. The T2 Pro is able to present great amount of details true to its authenticity. The earphones can be worn straight or over ear. Cables are detachable allowing consumers to easily change out faulty cables.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver: Dynamic 10mm woofer, 6mm tweeter
Impedance: 16Ω
Frequency range: 12-40000Hz
Plug: 3.5mm
Cable: 1.25m 5N OFC Silver plating
BALANCED ARMATURE
Balanced armature earphones are generally more expensive than earphones with dynamic drivers due to its complexity. They are also much smaller and able to generate louder sounds by using lesser electricity, therefore are commonly used and are perfect for use in hearing aids. Being smaller also means there is space for more than one drivers to be installed in a single earphone, expanding on the audible frequency range. In general, balanced armature delivers more clarity, neutral on bass and there is more presence on the treble.
Below are some examples of balanced armature iem:
KZ AS10
Photos taken from KZ official Website
This bold looking AS10 is the first fully balance balanced armature iem from KZ. The cables are detachable, giving you more choices of cable preferences. KZ developed new plug in structure with very durable and high-end 0.75mm gold plated 2 pin that will lengthen the earphone’s lifespan. Sound wise, AS10 gives high definition sounds with low distortion. The highs roll off slightly earlier making the sounds more intimate, less warm with a narrower soundstage. Overall, the sounds are still quite balanced. They fit comfortable well, therefore providing more isolation at the same time.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver: Fully balanced armature (5 on each side)
Impedance: 14Ω
Frequency range: 20-40000Hz
Plug: 3.5mm
Cable: 1.25m, high purity oxygen free copper headset silver-plated wire
BGVP DM7
Photo taken from BGVP official website
The DM7 is made up of 6 balanced armatures with certification for “High Res Audio”. It uses Knowles and Sonion drivers, which are quite often used in American brand iems. The price is mid range and its form factor is designed to fit most ear canals, giving user perfect sound isolation experience with zero ear fatigue. Although it’s rather big in size but fitting is comfortable and suitable for long wearing. The DM7 is so precisely calibrated that the wide soundstage gives a very balanced, clear and detailed sound. The high, mid and low frequencies are nicely separated, giving you an intoxicating high-definition, hearing experience!
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver: 6 balanced armature
Impedance: 13.5Ω
Frequency range: 10-40000Hz
Plug: 3.5mm
Cable: 1.25m, Ohno continuous casting (OCC) + silver silk
HYBRID
If you would like to have the best of both worlds of a dynamic driver and balance armature (BA) in an earphone, hybrid IEMs will be your choice! Combining a mix of both technologies, hybrid iem gives the ultimate good sound resolution - a warmer and more intimate sound, deeper bass and timbre but able maintain a balanced and neutral sound overall. Another good news is, hybrid iems are not as expensive as BA iems.
Below is an example of hybrid iem:
KZ ZS10 Pro
Photos taken from KZ official website
Thr KZ ZS10 Pro contains 10 units of hybrid technology, which is better than traditional high-end acoustic hardware configurations, resulting in fuller and more powerful sound quality output. The dynamic driver drives the lower frequencies creating brighter and warmer qualities for the sound.
Reference Level Acoustic Data Performance of KZ ZS10 Pro:
Chart taken from KZ official website
The ultra wide frequency range allows more details to be delivered to the ears, enhancing a more enjoyable hearing experience. The self-developed 0.75mm gold-plated 2-pin cable adds on to expand the richness of the sound and it is replaceable. The ZS10 Pro also does a good job in noise isolation. It is able to directly isolate up to 26dB of noise (when wearing the earphones), allowing you to hear any music with great details even in noisy environment.
It comes in 5 beautiful colors, with the option of having a mic – glare blue, glare gold, black, blue and purple.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver: 1 dynamic driver & 4 balanced armature
Impedance: 30Ω
Frequency range: 7-40000Hz
Plug: 3.5mm
Cable: 1.3m, silver-plated wire
PLANAR MAGNETIC
Planar magnetic drivers are commonly used in headphones. It combines the operating principals between dynamic and electrostatic drivers, delivering even, smooth and precise sounds with full details. It gives very fast response times with minimal transient sound. For having access to a higher level of fidelity, the ear buds do cost higher than the rest. This technology has found its way into in ear monitors.
Below is an example of planar magnetic iem:
Tin Hifi P1
Photos taken from Oardio.com and Tin Hifi official website
Tin Hifi P1 is made to excel. Pair this with an external amp (if you prefer not to pump up the volume significantly) to immerse in the smooth and superb sound quality, packed with details. It uses an ultra-thin 10mm super nano-diahragm for higher resolution in sound. Sound is generally clean, smooth and accurate, with the ability to provide decent isolation too. The soundstage in the head is extremely wide and impressive you can almost pick up the directions of each instrument or sound in your ears. Overall the listening experience is pretty wonderful with this outstanding pair of Tin Hifi P1.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver: 10mm planar diaphragm
Impedance: 20Ω
Frequency range: 10-40000Hz
Plug: 3.5mm
Cable: 1.2m, 5N oxygen-free copper plated MMCX cable
Conclusion
IEMs are traditionally used for performers and musicians to wear during performances. Due to their advantages, more consumers have chosen iem to engage in leisure music listening too. They are much smaller, lighter, better isolation as compared to headphones, without the need to sacrifice on the audio quality. IEMs can be worn comfortably for long hours. With so many different types of iems in the market, there is really no wrong way to listen to any music of your choice!