BES AUDIO LLC -

My first impression of BES Audio was their willingness to work with touring artists and to expand their brand identity by resourcing artists with their products. This approach provides BES Audio with real world results of their products and brand recognition in controlled environments as well as out in the field. BES Audio made it easy to be a part of their sponsorship program and provided us with equipment that met our specific needs. As an eight piece band and a live event outreach, our requirements are more strenuous then the average band allowing us to be a diverse resource for BES Audio in both product testing and brand awareness.

Men As Trees Walking

For the band specifically we went with six IEM600T+R allowing us to have six mono mixes or three stereo mixes.

For someone that has been performing live for over 20 years in every possible live situation imaginable and to have never seriously used In Ear Monitors, this would prove to be a challenge and I was excited to see the results.

We have three lead vocalists, one male and two female - depending on the song, and one consistent female background vocalist. If a lead vocalist isn’t singing lead then they are also singing backgrounds sometimes having up to three part harmonies on some songs. Because of this we have some unique needs in regards to microphones and especially monitor mixes.

We use AKG-D5’s on our vocals instead of the traditional Shure SM-58 because the AKG-D5 provides a clearer and “brighter” vocal whereas the Shure SM-58 provides a darker vocal response. Because we have multiple vocals going on at any given time, it’s important that the clarity of the vocals comes through and that there is little to no competition with these vocals. This is why we use the AKG-D5’s instead of the Shure SM-58’s.

Due to the brightness of the AKG-D5’s we have experienced quite a bit of feedback in our monitor mixes in various live concert situations with a multitude of various sound reinforcement configurations. Needless to say this can be frustrating and hamper the volume of the vocal signal coming back to any one of the four vocalists through the monitoring system. Because of this we were eager to eliminate this problem by going with In Ear Monitors and we were hoping that BES Audio would be the monitoring solution we were looking for.

The first impression of BES Audio’s IEM600T+R was how easy it was to setup and configure at rehearsal. We started off with running two mono signal mixes into the IEM600’s and ran an iPod into the system as various members walked around the upstairs and downstairs of the house with their ear buds in determining the strength and clarity of the wireless In Ear Monitoring system.

Our house is large and we are running wireless internet with various wireless laptops and cellphones as well as flatscreen televisions yet the IEM600 wireless signal was clear, consistent and very strong. We ventured outside onto the backyard deck and out into the driveway where our tour bus is parked never losing signal clarity or strength. So far so good and we were very optimistic for a real world test.

I tested the IEM600 with my recording studio headphones and the signal quality was very good. I could very easily see us using the IEM600 from BES Audio as our headphone monitoring system in the recording studio as we finish our new CD this November and I look forward to offering that product review in that environment.

Overall, in the controlled environment of our rehearsal, the IEM600T+R not only met our expectations but the signal distance, signal strength and signal clarity exceeded my personal expectations. The easy setup configuration was also appreciated. The average ear buds that come with the system will suffice until we can afford a custom high end solution.