Budget IEM System That Works for Me

Several years ago I looked into IEM and found the commercially available systems cost more than I wanted to spend. So I designed my own system using bluetooth (BT). I learned not all BT are created equal! Most BT systems have significant latency problems, so much so as to render them useless for playing in a band. The answer that has worked for me for the past few years is Apt-X Low Latency BT transmitter/receiver (Tx/Rx) pairs that can be had for well under $100 for both from Amazon.

I use BT Tx/Rx with Apt-X LL from Avantree (no association except as a consumer) which states their Tx/Rx pairs have no more than 40 mSec latency. A year or two ago I tried putting this forth here on TB and I was lambasted by audio techs who said 20 mSec is barely acceptable. Fine. I continued happily on my way using my budget system but thought it was a shame more people didn't know about this. Thus I decided to test my system and provide the results for my fellow TBers to decide for themselves. My test layout is below.

Apt-X LL Test Setup.JPG


My bass signal was fed into my Zoom H4 digital recorder in 2 separate paths: direct into the recorder by MIC-ing my amp; using the XLR output from my amp to go into a MIC input on my mixer which was then directed to the Apt-X LL transmitter connected to the headphone jack. The Receiver was connected to the other channel of the recorder. Using the PAN control on the mixer I ensured the 2 signal paths had no cross over.

Importing the recording into Audacity I confirmed the 2 channels exhibited a 35 mSec latency relative to each other. The audio track is below. I can't perceive a lag between the L and R channels and neither do I when I'm gigging with this setup. Give a listen and judge for yourselves if 35 mSec is tolerable. If, like me, you find it is, you can save yourself a bundle :hyper:!! Hope this helps some of you :thumbsup:.

Joe
 

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Sounds like you've gone dubly. Seriously though sounds like you have a doubler on it, much like vocals do.
Thanks for giving it a listen and for your feedback. Whatever imperfections it has, I don't notice them. Just want to share with TBers an IEM "system" that costs under $100 which I've found acceptable for a few years. And rather than just taking my word on it, the sound track can speak for itself and people can judge for themselves whether it's acceptable to them or not.
What works for one may/may not work for another:thumbsup:

Happy Holidays to All!
 
I can perceive the 35ms latency and it comes across like a mild chorus effect to me.

Not a dealbreaker in terms of intelligibility and probably not noticeable when combined with other instruments, but I'd be concerned if the latency got any worse due to interference, etc.
 
congrats, OP: if you've got a system that works for you = you're way ahead! :thumbsup:

i don't think the latency i'm hearing is too messy. but i'm not sure what the 'in-ear' experience, on the gig, would likely be so i don't have an observation/opinion to add. my bottom line: if it works for you = it's all that counts! ;)
 
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I can perceive the 35ms latency and it comes across like a mild chorus effect to me.

Not a dealbreaker in terms of intelligibility and probably not noticeable when combined with other instruments, but I'd be concerned if the latency got any worse due to interference, etc.

In the 4 years or so I've used this I haven't noticed interference problems. That being said, I don't know what might happen if several transmitters were connected to adjacent aux outs on a mixer. I have a small mixer sitting on top of my amp head. I feed it the XLR out from the amp head and my mic input. So my system is pretty isolated from the rest of the band.
 
congrats, OP: if you've got a system that works for you = you're way ahead! :thumbsup:

i don't think the latency i'm hearing is too messy. but i'm not sure what the 'in-ear' experience, on the gig, would likely be so i don't have an observation/opinion to add. my bottom line: if it works for you = it's all that counts! ;)
Thanks for your reply and input. I've found it works well in gigs. I usually wind up playing in very cramped settings and, with the other guys on top of me, have a hard time hearing myself. This way I can set my volume to suit myself and let others guide me on how loud my amp needs to be in different venues.

Cheers :bassist:
 
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