If your in-ears sound thin, quiet or bass-light, the problem is almost never the drivers. It is the seal. This takes about two minutes to get right, and it changes everything.
Why the seal matters so much
An in-ear monitor works by sealing the ear canal and turning it into a closed chamber. Break that seal by even a fraction of a millimetre and low frequencies escape instead of pressurising the canal — so the bass disappears, the mix sounds thin, and you turn the volume up to compensate. That is how people end up with in-ears far louder than they need, which is the actual hearing risk on stage.
A proper seal also blocks outside noise. On a loud stage that means you stop competing with the drummer, stop pushing your voice, and can hear pitch properly at a much lower volume.
Wear them over the ear
Every set we stock is designed to be worn with the cable looped up and over the top of your ear, not hanging straight down. There are three reasons:
- The pre-formed ear hook holds the earpiece in place so it cannot work loose mid-song.
- Cable movement stops transmitting into the earpiece as thumping noise — what audio people call microphonics.
- The cable runs down your back rather than swinging in front of an instrument.
The left earpiece is marked L, the right R. If it feels wrong, you have them swapped — that is the single most common mistake.
Finding your tip size
Every set includes small, medium and large silicone tips. Most people assume they need medium. Most people are wrong.
- Start with medium. Insert with a slight twist, aiming slightly forward and up, not straight in.
- Play something you know well with real low end.
- Is the bass full and does the room go quiet? That is your size.
- Thin, tinny, or you can still hear the room clearly? Go up a size.
- Pressure, soreness, or it pops out? Go down a size.
Your two ears are often different sizes. It is completely normal to run a medium on one side and a large on the other — do whatever seals.
The talk test
With both in and nothing playing, say a sentence out loud. Your voice should sound noticeably boomy and internal, like you have a head cold. That means the canal is sealed. If your voice sounds normal, you do not have a seal yet.
When silicone will not seal
Some ear canals are oval, or angled enough that silicone cannot get a grip. If you have tried all three sizes and still cannot seal, foam tips are the answer — you roll them thin, insert, and let them expand to fill the canal. They seal in ears that silicone cannot, and they add a couple of dB of isolation. They wear out every few months, which is why they are not the default.
If foam does not do it either, you are a candidate for custom-moulded tips taken from an impression of your ear. Ask us and we will point you at an audiologist in the Bay of Plenty.
Setting your monitor level safely
Once you have a real seal you will need far less volume than you expect. Set your level at soundcheck with the full band playing, not on your own — a mix that sounds right in an empty room will be far too quiet once everyone is going, and you will crank it mid-set.
If you find yourself pushing the level up through a gig, check the seal first. It has almost certainly worked loose.
Looking after them
- Wipe the tips after every gig. A damp cloth is enough. Earwax in the nozzle is the number one cause of a “dead” driver that is not actually dead.
- Coil the cable loosely. Tight wraps around your hand kill cables at the connector.
- The cable is the consumable. Every set we sell has a detachable 0.75 mm 2-pin cable. If one side goes intermittent, it is nearly always the cable — replace that, not the earphones.
- Do not share them. They go inside your ear canal. If someone else must try them, put a fresh pair of tips on.
Still not right?
Email info@bandfactory.nz or come into 40 Hewletts Road in Mount Maunganui and we will fit you properly. We do this every week with the bands we manage.