The ESP Guitar Company

i would love to use a monitor but i have no idea on any of that stuff.

And stiff the drummer , who cares about them

he doesnt need one

Thats funny! I was thinking the same thing..HA HA

Ultimate Ears FTW.

i have nothing to add but that never stops me.

i've never used in-ears but i'm pretty sure i'd rather have them than wedges.
i've used wedges and was going to migrate to in-ears,

but then i got 2 bose PAS systems, and it negated the need for any monitors, it is that clear. it improved our entire mix sound, and allowed us to lower our total volume, i've never been happier ever with a live sound as i am with these.

fwiw here's our config:
- electronic drums, 1 voc, into one PAS
- bass, 1 voc, into other PAS
- guitar through regular amp in center

it also eliminated mic feedback problems.

those are the 2 big things the PAS did for us: kill feedback problems and eliminated need for monitors.

Good info, so far, but there's one thing I feel should be added.

NEVER NEVER NEVER USE ONLY ONE IEM!!!!

You risk destroying your hearing in one ear doing so, and there are some artists (I believe Seal is one) who are partially deaf in one ear because of it. What happens is that your in ear monitor is competing for volume with what comes in the other ear, so as the ambient noise gets louder, you crank your in ear louder, and louder, and louder. Your best (imo ONLY) way to use in ears is using custom molded plugs in both ears to isolate as much outside noise as possible so you don't have to crank your in ears too hard.

One danger from too much isolation comes when musicians decide to “fix” the problem by wearing an earpiece in only one ear. “When players take one out, their brain loses its ability to do binaural summation, where two ears together add up to a 6dB increase in your perception of loudness,” Santucci explains. “If you're hearing 90 dB in both ears, your brain thinks it's hearing 96 dB. If you take one ear away, then that one ear has to go from 90 to 96 to sound like 96. And now the other ear is open and getting bashed by the band, the P.A. and the crowd. So this loud sound coming into the open ear causes you to turn the other ear up even more. In terms of ear safety, using one earpiece is a dangerous practice — it could actually be worse than using none at all.”

Mix Online - The Quiet Stage

Bringing your own mixes for you in-ears is actually very simple, inexpensive and consistent. Just need a Digital Mixer that can save presets and voila, you have the same mix night after night.

Yeah, but those mixes have to get input. That input comes from either a mic or the sound board.

lots of extra gear/wiring/troubleshooting.

I have the same mix night after night, too. ME. I've had to yell at soundguys because I say "Hey dude, can you turn my monitor off?" and they're like "sure" and turn it down, and then I have to tell them another time or two before they realize I'm being totally serious. There's almost NO stages (certainly none that we play) where you can't hear the drums' natural stage volume, so as long as my amp's loud enough that I can hear myself we're good to go. I don't need vocals, bass, or the other guitarist.

For a touring band it's the greatest thing in the world. Pretty much the same mix every night, and NO FEEDBACK! Unless the front of house guy is a complete and utter moron that is.

Again, I get the same mix without feedback every night by unplugging my wedge. ;) My in-ear system is cheap, and highly effective. They're called earplugs. :p

I love the nozzles of Shure SE846. Yes, could be a great choice for sure.