Gigging every week
Shure PSM300
A rugged UHF in-ear system that sets up fast and holds its link; 1/4-inch-only inputs and hungry batteries.
Photos: Shure
of 7 reviews recommend itand 73 owner reviews
Choose it once in-ears are part of every gig. Its transmitter inputs are 1/4-inch TRS only, which matches the booth outputs on a DJM-750MK2 or DDJ-FLX10 but needs adapter cables from XLR sends. Get the metal P3RA bodypack if you are hard on gear. A minority of owners report dropouts at a distance; if that would end your show, look at the ew IEM G4.
- Best for
- Bands and singers gigging weekly who want a dependable stereo monitor mix.
- Skip it if
- You play a handful of gigs a year; cheaper systems cover occasional use.
What people praise
- Clear, full sound, with a lower noise floor than the cheaper systems owners came from
- Quick setup: scan for a free channel, then infrared sync to the bodypack
What to know first
- Expensive, though most owners who say so call it worth the money
- Transmitter inputs are 1/4-inch jacks only, so XLR monitor sends need adapter cables
Video reviews
- Scott UhlApr 2022Recommends
- ChurchfrontMar 2020Recommends
When dropouts are not an option
Sennheiser EW IEM G4
A rugged, dropout-free analogue IEM system with clear sound; pricey, and the bundled IE 4 earphones hold it back.
Photos: Sennheiser
3 of 3 reviews recommend it30 owner reviews read
Choose it over the PSM 300 if you play big or crowded stages often. Its transmitter takes XLR or 1/4-inch cables, tunes across a wider range than the Shure, and can be monitored over a network in Sennheiser's Wireless Systems Manager when you run several systems. Only three professional reviews exist, so most of the evidence comes from owners. Budget for better earphones than the bundled IE 4, and set the squelch to remove the hiss owners mention.
- Best for
- Musicians gigging often who need a stable, dropout-free stereo monitor mix.
- Skip it if
- You play a handful of gigs a year or won't budget for better earphones.
What people praise
- Clear, detailed sound
- Stable radio link: owners report no dropouts on small and festival stages
What to know first
- Expensive, though most owners who say so call it worth the money
- Bundled IE 4 earphones are the weak link; owners advise upgrading
Video reviews
- The PulseJun 2024Recommends
- Chris Mutch-JonesSep 2020Recommends
Also considered
- Phenyx Pro PTM-10, PTM-10 GEN2 and PTM-20. The cheap way to find out whether in-ears suit you. All 13 reviews found recommend the PTM-10 as a first system, but every one is a video, at least seven from units Phenyx Pro sent or sponsored, and no retailer owner reviews were available. It isn't a pick because on 5 November 2026 Amazon in France and Spain offered it only for later dispatch, at a mark-up, and no other shop tracked here sold it there. Phenyx Pro announced the GEN2 and PTM-20 in September 2026 as direct replacements, both in the 555–575 MHz band: the GEN2 carries one mix, the PTM-20 two independent mixes for two performers. Neither has a record yet.
- Xvive U45. A mono system on 5.8 GHz with rechargeable packs. A sound engineer who owns a PSM 300 found it good enough for most gigs, but it has no record or product page here yet.
- Sennheiser XSW IEM. Sennheiser's cheaper system. One reviewer who compared it with the G4 found the G4 never dropped out and scanned better. No product page here yet.
- XTUGA IEM1200 and Listener Pro. Both were picks on an earlier version of this page. Neither has a record: the XTUGA's product sheet has no manufacturer source for its specs, and Listener Pro's specs come from a 2021 archive of its website, so neither can be compared with the picks on equal terms.
- Shure PSM 900. Shure's professional tier above the PSM 300. It has no product page here.
How to choose an in-ear monitor system
In-ear monitors for DJs
Most DJs cue on headphones, and for a booth that is still the simpler choice. An in-ear system earns its place when you move: a wireless transmitter sends the booth mix to a bodypack on your belt, so you hear the same mix at the decks, on a festival stage, on a mic in the crowd or beside a live musician, at a level you set yourself. Sealed earphones also shut out the room, which is why some DJs with tinnitus switch to in-ears; the DJ headphones guide covers monitoring on in-ears as a technique. If you only ever play from one spot, spend the money on headphones first.
How much to spend
The table above shows today's price for each pick in your country. At the end of October 2026 the PTM-10 was about $90 on Amazon in the US, the PSM 300 about $990 (£715 in the UK) and the EW IEM G4 about $1,120 (£880). The gap is the evidence as much as the hardware: the PTM-10's 13 reviews are all videos, at least seven of them from units Phenyx Pro sent or sponsored, and they warn of a plastic bodypack and bursts of static, while the PSM 300 has 73 owner reviews behind its stable link and the G4 a metal bodypack that owners say survives touring. All three come with earphones that reviewers and owners advise replacing, so budget for a pair; the bodypacks take any wired in-ears on a 3.5 mm plug.
Check the band is legal where you play
Each system is sold in versions for different radio bands, and the band is fixed when you buy. Shure says some of its bands may not be authorised where you are and to check with your national authority. In the US, the FCC allows unlicensed wireless microphone equipment at up to 50 mW in 470–608 MHz, which covers the PSM 300's G20, H20 and J13 bands and the PTM-10's 555–575 MHz version; anything in 617–652 or 663–698 MHz has had to stop since 13 July 2020. In the UK, Ofcom allows mics and in-ear monitors licence-free only at 173.8–175, 863–865 and 2400–2483.5 MHz, and 470–702 MHz needs a licence. Among the picks, the PSM 300's T11 version (863–865 MHz) and the G4's E version (823–865 MHz), tuned to 863–865 MHz, fall in the licence-free band. Neither PTM-10 version is on Ofcom's list, though Phenyx Pro sells both with UK power adapters. The wireless microphone guide covers the same rules for mics.
One mix or two
Each transmitter carries one stereo mix, or two mono feeds. With the PSM 300 the performer blends the two feeds on the bodypack using MixMode; the PTM-10 bodypack switches between stereo and mono, and the G4's offers stereo or a Focus mode. Stereo uses two sends from the mixer, so on a small mixer two performers may each have to settle for mono. For a second performer you add a bodypack to hear the same mix, or a second system for a mix of their own.
Connecting it to a DJ mixer or controller
The usual feed from a DJ setup is the booth output. The DJM-750MK2 and DDJ-FLX10 booth outputs are 1/4-inch TRS jacks, which plug straight into any of these transmitters. The DJM-250MK2 has no booth output, so the feed has to come from its master outputs, for example the RCA pair while the XLRs go to the PA. For mixers with a booth output, see the best DJ mixers.
Earphones
All three systems here come with earphones, but owners and reviewers advise replacing the Sennheiser's IE 4 and the Phenyx Pro's bundled pair. The Shure and Sennheiser bodypacks have a 3.5 mm output, so any wired in-ear earphones fit. Sealed earphones also cut the sound around you, which is part of protecting your hearing; see how to avoid tinnitus and the best DJ earplugs for the rest.
Batteries
All three bodypacks run on two AA cells. The makers rate them at 5 to 7 hours for the PSM 300's P3R pack, 4 to 6 hours for the G4 and 8 hours for the PTM-10. PSM 300 owners report two to three hours on weak or some rechargeable cells, so start every gig with fresh or fully charged ones. Shure and Sennheiser sell rechargeable packs for their metal bodypacks.
How these picks are made
Each pick is the system with the strongest evidence for its situation. The evidence is what professional reviews conclude and what owners report on retailer sites, compiled for each product, with every source linked on its product page. No system here was tested in a lab. Prices come from daily tracking across the retailers we link to, and the status beside each one compares today's price with the lowest recorded. The methodology explains the whole process.
