Hello! I was looking through the sidebar's list of recommended earphones, and after clicking through some of them, I've realized that I actually don't know if that's a list for me, a consumer looking for something to jack into my phone.
I've tried quickly looking for differences between IEMs and headphones, but didn't managed to reach a conclusion. I've vaguely familiar with the term "monitors", since I do help out from time with band shows, but I never actually dealt with audio equipment or audio setup (aside from carrying it to the stage). From what I assume based on what I've seen, monitors are the the speakers that play on stage, so the band can hear what they play. And IEMs are earbud versions of monitors that the band uses instead.
I've always assumed that they are basically headphones/earphones, just connected to some kind of transmitter, and calling them IEMs just makes it easier to find earbuds focused on audio quality, because the term is not as mass-marketed as earbuds are. But judging by the cable connector I've seen on some of the IEMs I've looked at, it's probably not a jack.
So, what are the differences? Is it a different tech all-together, or are they really just a higher quality earphones with better connector? Would looking for IEMs instead of earbuds make it easier to find better earbuds for regular use, or are they meant only for studios and I'll have a hard time even connecting them without aditionall equipment?
Thank you for any reply or explanation. I realize this question may seem pretty basic, and I hope it's not too out of place - I have almost zero experience with audio, but I did start recently DJing (where all I needed so far was to be able to connect RCA into a mixer) and helping out with setting up band shows, so I'm asking this question not because I'm shopping for earbuds, but because I'm honestly interested in learning something new about how different tech around music work and what's the common language around it.
Headphones have a band that goesyour head (or some go around the back of your head) and sit on or over your ears.
Earphones go in your ears, but not into your ear canal. Think of the old school Apple earphones that came with their phones/iPods etc. (on the right in this pic: https://media.wired.com/photos/5932a9a458b0d64bb35d3252/master/w_1280,c_limit/09122012-IPHONE-NEW-EARBUDS-040edit.jpg)
IEMs go in to your ear canal with a little nozzle. These, for exmaple: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61HketTXYcL.jpg The black bit goes in to your ear canal.
To expand on this, there are a few subcategories:
Headphones can be split into two main styles: open-back and closed-back.
Closed back headphones are probably what most consumers will ever see, like the Airpods Max, Sony WH1000XM5, Beyerdynamic DT770, AudioTechnica M50x, etc. They form a seal around your ears, and do not leak sound to the outside. If you are DJing or studio monitoring, you probably would want this type of headphones.
Open back headphones like the Sennheiser HD600, HD800, and Hifiman HE400 expose the back of the driver to the outside, which means sound gets in and out of the headphones, but what they provide in return is better soundstage than closed back headphones. Higher-end heaphones are usually open backed.
IEMs also have a subcategory called CIEMs, C stands for custom.
Typical IEMs have a rubber eartip that you stuff in your ear canal to form a seal. Usually they also offer multiple different sizes of eartips to fit different sizes of ear canals, but for some, they still won't fit or don't provide the best seal.
Custom IEMs on the other hand, provide custom molds of your ear canals, so when you receive your CIEM, it would have the shape of your own ears to give you the best seal. They are typically used on stage for the best sound isolation and have the benefit of not easily falling off. Brands like 64 audio, FitEar offer these types of IEMs, and are usually very top of the line. Also good for DJing I would imagine.
Thank you. Is there any difference beatween earbuds and IEMs? Or is it just based on what they are used for, i.e casual music listening, and monitoring (is that the right word?) during stage performances? I suppose that the IEMs also have a different connector that isn't a jack, but at least something like RCA, or the larger jack.
Both can be used for casual listening. IEMs are just the style of earphones which has the rubber eartip that goes into your ear canal, they are not limited to stage use.
You are right that IEMs may have special connectors, but you confuse them with something else. So lets break down the audio chain: your output device -> headphone cable -> headphone.
Connecting the output device to the headphone cable are RCA jacks or TRS connecters.
RCA jacks are usually reserved for speakers to connect to amplifiers. Typical heaphones, earphones, and IEMs do not use them. What they use are TRS connecters. The most common one is the 3.5mm headphone jack, you know, the ones that you plug into the hole that phone makers nowadays decide they don't need to exist? Some higher end headphones would also come with 6.35 mm (AKA quarter inch) headphone jacks, which are much larger than 3.5mm plugs. Then there are 2.5 and 4.4mm plugs, and they provide balanced audio, which is another topic worth its own thread.
Connecting the cable to the headphone unit is another connector, which definitely is not RCA. Most consumer earphones wire the cables straight to the driver inside the earphone unit, but headphones and IEMs may let you separate them. On heaphones, they may be another TRS connector that connects the cable and the headphone unit. On IEMs, you have two main types of connectors: MMCX and 2-pin. Of course, some IEMs and even headphones would also have their own proprietary connectors, but those are just the main ones.
You are right, I saw the MMCX on one of the pictures and though that it's the connector that goes to the device you're using the IEMs with, since I've never seen earbuds that don't have the cable wired directly. Hence the confusion
Hey no problem! Glad I could help, and welcome to this hobby!
Nah not really different use cases, just preferences afaik. Some people don't like things going in to their ear canal. I suppose IEMs would also block out more external noise than earphones.
They'll all use the same connector, save perhaps for headphones which sometimes come with a 1/4" connector, rather than the standard 3.5mm