Wireless earbuds through your phone as IEMs � doable?

[Josh Paxton]

Forgive me if this is common knowledge that I've just missed out on, but... With all the options for wireless earbuds made to pair with your phone, it seems like it should be fairly simple to get a set, connect them to your phone, run an audio feed (from a mixer or what have you) into your phone via your interface of choice, and effectively use the phone as a hub to give you wireless in-ears rather than spending $$$ on a Sennheiser wireless system or what have you. Are people doing this, and if so, is there particular software that's made for it? I realize it wouldn't have anywhere near the range of a "real" wireless system, but if you don't need that kind of range, it seems like a potentially viable alternative. Thoughts?

[eric]

Seems too easy. I"m thinking probably not. I can"t say I"ve tried.

[bfields]

I think the main obstacle is latency. I don't know if there's any prospect of getting typical bluetooth latency down to the point where this would work.

[Joe Muscara]

I think the main obstacle is latency. I don't know if there's any prospect of getting typical bluetooth latency down to the point where this would work.

I wondered that as well. Is it because the other systems use a different mode of transmission than Bluetooth?

[RudyS]

Even if the latency was no issue (which I think it will) what would be the gain? The Bluetooth only works steady for a few meters in my experience. Might as well have a cable for that.

[eric]

I'm a fan of the Shure PSM wireless IEM solutions and have used them now for over a decade since I got my first IEMs around 2010-2011. I'm on my second Shure rig after the FCC allegedly took over the frequencies from my first one. That first one still works just fine and is at the rehearsal space, while my newest one is in my gig rack. These are a worthwhile investment.

[Stokely]

Latency and just bugginess (bluetooth, if involved, has been iffy at best for me from my phone and other devices).

 

I don't dance around much so I just run a cord (in my stage snake) to a wired belt unit.

[bfields]

I'm no expert, just googling around; https://www.shure.com/en-US/performance-production/louder/shure-whiteboard-digital-wireless-latency-explained looks like a good explanation, and says "For in-ear applications, 5 milliseconds and below is recommended to avoid compromising performance." Sounds like the absolute lowest latency bluetooth latency manages about 34ms, and latencies up to a few hundred milliseconds aren't unusual (so now we're talking about a significant fraction of a second, definitely nothing subtle.) Doesn't sound promising.

 

No idea what the technical reasons are. I suppose there are just engineering tradeoffs against power usage and other priorities. For just listening to music, latency doesn't matter much. It probably matters more for video conferencing, and even more for gaming, but I don't know if gamers' requirements are as strict as performers'.

[Reezekeys]

To me it seems simple: keyboard players who don't use keytars stay in one place, so using wired earbuds is less tech, cheaper, no latency, less chance of dropouts, etc. I don't get why we would need wireless, though I understand the allure of the "clean" look of not having a cable coming off you. Still, to me, the potential negatives outweigh that one positive by a large margin. To each their own of course.

[EscapeRocks]

I'm a fan of the Shure PSM wireless IEM solutions and have used them now for over a decade since I got my first IEMs around 2010-2011. I'm on my second Shure rig after the FCC allegedly took over the frequencies from my first one. That first one still works just fine and is at the rehearsal space, while my newest one is in my gig rack. These are a worthwhile investment.

 

This right here

 

Love my wireless IEM. Never a problem.