In-ear monitors are just a fancy word for “headphones”. As a musician, I’ve been wearing Shure in-ear monitors almost every time I play out. It saves my hearing from further damage.

But as time goes on, better and cheaper devices come out. In 2007, things changed as we added TRRS (Tip/Ring/Ring/Sleeve) 3.5 mm connectors from our phones. With podcasters and musicians making content, not all monitor system comes from the rack mount and mixer.

And as we make smaller and more complex electronics, we can add cool tech to our in-ear experience. For example, most ear buds nowadays comes with more than one speaker packed in the ear. 2 or 3 driver (aka speaker) systems are not uncommon.

And there is even a 5 driver in-ear monitor!

Add to these facts that a no-name company will make, and sell on Amazon ear buds that can rival the $500 or better pro models. If they break, another pair can be on your doorstep in 2 days.

As we get into this era of COVID-19, I looked at these monitors not only for musicians, but anyone thinking of using them in a podcast or webinar situation. I bought 4 different headsets that ranked well on Amazon.

Quick Definitions

* TRS vs. TRRS – This is the 3.5mm connector to the device. T=Tip, R=Ring, S=Sleeve. A phone headset with microphone is a TRRS, whereas a stereo headphone is TRS. * Hz & kHz – This is the frequencies where sound is produced. 10,000 Hz is also 10 kHz. * ohm – This is Impedance via the amount of power that is supplied to the headphones. Most headphones are passive in power (meaning you need no extra battery to run them).* dB – Decibels. This is how loud the ear buds can get. ASHA states that a safe level to avoid hearing loss is under 70 dB. In a live environment, I try to stay under 85 dB.

BASN BSinger BC100

This is a Dual driver headphone with a design that fits in the inner-canal of the ear. The buds are detachable to change cables between TRS and TRRS using MMCX cables.

The ear buds weigh around .7 ounces per ear.

As a 2-driver headphone, I am impressed how they work. In sound tests, I hear response around 20 Hz to 14 kHz. It fits in the ear easy, and doesn’t clip in my ear.

BASN Website

BASN on Amazon

AS Triple Driver Earphones 6D Sound

This in-ear headset is TRRS only. I added these because of the ratings, and the unique design. It touts to be “6D’, whatever that means.

One of the bass drivers actually hits the ear wall, most likely using the ear as an extended bass.

The biggest issue with this pair was the left and right ears were flipped. They really didn’t fit my ear too well,