Category: news

Brisbane alternative metal outfit The Local Romance are back with their claustrophobic new single, Ecdysis, out today, and they’ll celebrate the release with a hometown show at Tomcat Brisbane’s Halloween Party Night on Saturday 31 October. Tickets are on sale now. Ecdysis digs into the uglier side of heartbreak; resentment, obsession, withdrawal and the emptiness […]

The brand new single from legendary guitarist Tony Iommi is out now. Entitled Stormwatcher it rides on a signature guitar riff from the man who was the driving musical force behind Black Sabbath’s garlanded career. Stormwatcher has a maritime theme, based around a ship stuck in a storm, accompanied by a dramatic animated video, bringing […]

Nashville alternative emo rockers Free Throw are heading back to Australia in January 2027, announcing a seven date national tour with support from Oklahoma emo outfit Ben Quad, making their Australian debut, and Brisbane alt rockers Sunbleached. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, October 7 at 10am local time via Destroy All Lines. The upcoming tour […]

Sunshine Coast trio Nana’s Pie bring their Till The Morning Tour to The Triffid on Thursday, November 12 as part of Live Nation’s Next On series. After touring Australia and New Zealand and sharing stages with Boy & Bear, The Dreggs, The Vanns, Pacific Avenue, Sons of the East and South Summit, Nana’s Pie are […]

Words and interview by Aysha Swanson On Sunday, October 11, Sunshine Coast hardcore outfit Human Condition will return to Nambour Bowls Club for the launch of their debut EP S.C.H.C., bringing TwoSeventy, No Harm, Blatant Saint, Asbestos and Doping Control to the stage. Best of all, the whole thing is free and all ages. For […]

Ready .

The post Ready To Strike unleash remixed version of track “Screwdriver” featuring JeongJeong first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.

STARSET formed in Columbus, Ohio, in 2013 under the direction of vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Dustin Bates. From the beginning, the project was designed as more than a conventional rock band, combining cinematic hard rock, electronic textures, orchestral elements, science-fiction storytelling, visual media, and an expanding narrative connected to the Starset Society. That concept helped give the band a distinct identity while songs such as “My Demons” introduced STARSET to a wide international audience. The band’s first full-length album, Transmissions, arrived in 2014 and established the large-scale sound that became central to the STARSET catalog. Vessels followed in 2017 with

The post Complete List Of Starset Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Most in-ear monitors try to seal you off from the world. The Westone AM Pro X10 does something a little rebellious: it deliberately lets some of the room back in. It's a single balanced armature driver; it's aimed at performing musicians, and it uses a passive vent system Westone calls StageSense to keep you from feeling like you're playing inside a bubble.

So does it work, and is it worth your money? Here's the honest breakdown, based on what we found and what the spec sheets actually say.

A Quick History of Westone

Westone has been around since 1959. According to published company history, it was developing balanced armature drivers for custom earpieces in the 1980s and produced what's credited as the first in-ear stage monitor. Universal-fit earphones followed in 2002, and Lucid Audio acquired the company in 2020, which brought a new custom lab. That stage-first DNA is exactly why the AM Pro X series exists.

What Is the Westone AM Pro X10?

The AM Pro X10 is the entry point of Westone's three-model ambient in-ear monitor range (the X20 has two drivers, the X30 has three). It uses one full-range balanced armature driver per ear and a passive filter called StageSense built into the housing. The idea: you hear your monitor mix at full quality while a bit of the stage, the band, and the crowd bleeds through naturally.

Westone's own pitch is that traditional open-vent ambient monitors wreck frequency response, and that its filter avoids that trade-off.

Unboxing

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Build Quality and Design

The shells are clear plastic, so you can see the driver and internal wiring, with a red sound tube leading to a long, narrow nozzle and a black Westone badge on the faceplate. They're tiny and very light. Westone also includes their impact-resistant case that is tough enough to hold up for years.

The included T2 cable is silver-plated copper, fairly thin, with a chin slider and rubberized Y-split. T2 is similar to MMCX but smaller. It's secure for most, though T2 cables are far less common than MMCX or 2-pin. The box also includes five pairs of silicone tips, five pairs of foam tips, a wax tool, and a cleaning cloth.

Westone AM Pro X10 Sound Quality

Overall Sound

Think neutral, detailed, and a touch cool, with a forward midrange. It's surprising how big and coherent a single BA can sound with the X10. Single-driver designs can have that classic "BA timbre," but the X10 mostly avoids it. The big caveat is low-end weight, which is polite rather than punchy.

Bass

Balanced armatures can't move air like dynamic drivers, and the X10 doesn't pretend otherwise. What you get is fast, clean bass with good attack and texture, plus a smooth handoff into the mids with no bleed. The sub-bass is slightly reduced in level and is lean with its sense of depth and weight. Fortunately though, the ambient vent doesn't gut the low end, which is what you'd normally fear from a vented design.

Mids

This is the star. The midrange is slightly forward, detailed, and natural, with vocals rendered well and lots of space around instruments. The tonality is neutral with a hint of coolness. It's a great fit for vocalists, acoustic work, and anyone monitoring their own performance.

Treble

Smooth, extended, and clean, with good air and fast transients. I had no trouble with harshness or sibilance. Westone lists a 16 kHz upper limit, which is lower than the X20 and X30, but this can be hard to hear a difference in live listening.

Timbre, Soundstage, and Imaging

Timbre is natural, and using one driver keeps everything coherent across the range. The Soundstage is spacious with width, height, and depth in rough proportion. Imaging and layering are strong for a single BA. Don't expect open-back headphone scale, but the stage is bigger than the tiny shells suggest.

Does StageSense Actually Work?

This is the feature that defines the X10, so it deserves its own section. Westone's launch materials quote roughly 10 dB of ambient reduction. Importantly, it's passive, meaning it's a tuned, filtered vent rather than a microphone system.

During a full-band performance, the ambience effect isn't super noticeable, but between songs, when nobody is playing, the X10 makes conversations possible without pulling an earpiece out. If you play on loud stages and run your mix hot, expect StageSense to matter less. If your levels are moderate, it's a useful quality-of-life feature.

Comfort, Fit, and Isolation

The low-profile shells and deep-insertion nozzles make for a comfortable, snug fit once seated, and these are all-day wearable. Fit does matter here: find the right tips, and you'll keep your bass; get the wrong ones, and you'll lose low end and possibly your earpieces. The long nozzles do limit 3rd party tip-rolling.

Isolation is intentionally moderate. It's good, but outside sound is still discernible. That's the point of the design. If you want a full seal, look at the non-ambient Pro X10 sibling instead.

Westone AM Pro X10 vs the Competition

vs Westone AM Pro X20

The X20 adds a second driver and extends the range to 18 kHz. The dedicated bass driver adds a balanced, slightly warm presentation and sufficient bass power despite the vent. It also costs noticeably more at around $399. If bass weight matters and budget allows, the X20 is the natural step up.

vs Etymotic ER3SE (around $200)

Another single-BA IEM with a flat, accurate sound and a 20 Hz to 16 kHz range, but the philosophy is opposite: the ER3SE targets 35 to 42 dB of isolation, while the X10 lets the room in. The ER3SE also uses MMCX cables, which gives you more upgrade options. Read our full Etymotic ER3SE review if you're deciding between accuracy-first and awareness-first.

vs Sennheiser IE 200 (roughly $130 to $150)

A dynamic-driver IEM that Sennheiser markets as neutral with impactful bass. It typically gives you more low-end weight than a single BA can and costs less, but it offers no ambient feature and isn't stage-focused. Pick it if you want a bassier all-rounder on a budget.

Who Should Buy the AM Pro X10?

It's best for singers, acoustic players, and musicians who run moderate monitor levels and want some stage awareness. It's a good pick for anyone who values midrange clarity and a natural tone. Skip it if you need heavy bass, a fully sealed experience, or maximum durability in a cable connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is StageSense technology?

It's Westone's passive filter system built into AM Pro X housings. It provides linear attenuation of outside sound so you can hear your surroundings while keeping your monitor mix intact.

Are ambient IEMs good for casual listening?

They can be. The X10 allows you to be able to pause music and talk to someone nearby without removing an earpiece. Just know you'll get less isolation than a sealed IEM on a loud commute.

Do you need a headphone amp for the AM Pro X10?

Its specs are easy to drive, but a decent DAC or dongle helps.

Final Verdict

The Westone AM Pro X10 is a thoughtful, well-tuned stage monitor with a genuinely useful idea and a balanced, natural sound. It's not a bass cannon, the ambient effect is subtle, and the prices can vary significantly depending on the retailer, but for vocals, acoustic work, and moderate-volume performers, it's an easy recommendation.

Technical Specifications

• Driver: single full-range balanced armature (per ear)
• Sensitivity: 114 dB @ 1 mW
• Frequency response: 20 Hz to 16 kHz
• Impedance: 19 ohms
• Ambient technology: StageSense passive filter (quoted around 10 dB attenuation; one source says 12 dB)
• Channel matching: +/- 3 dB
• Cable: proprietary detachable T2 cable with 3.5 mm plug
• Tips: 5 pairs silicone (XS to XL), 5 pairs foam (XS to XL)
• Accessories: Mini Monitor Vault case, wax removal tool, cleaning cloth

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After more than four decades of sobriety, Alice Cooper has spoken about how his addiction to drugs almost killed him.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph to mark the release of his new memoir, Devil on My Shoulder, Cooper says his struggles with narcotics came after his well-documented problems with alcohol and only began after he was misleadingly told that he could safely smoke cocaine without becoming dependent.

“This was at the very beginning of crack, and crack is the most addictive drug there is, by far,” says Cooper. “That was really the thing that almost killed me.”

Cooper first entered rehab in 1976 to address his issues with alcohol – a four-week stay that inspired his From The Inside album – but lapsed after a year, before finally conquering his addictions in 1983 after his wife, Sheryl, gave him an ultimatum: clean up and reaffirm his Christian vows, or leave.

“So I did,” says Cooper. “And that put us back together, you know. And it was almost a relief to get back to church.”

Cooper also reveals how modern musicians live very differently from those in the 1970s.

“If you’re in a touring band, nobody gets high, nobody ever drinks, because now it’s a big business and you can’t afford to have a guy that’s doing that,” he says. “In the Seventies, you didn’t hire the guy unless he got high, so everybody was on the same level.”

Alice Cooper begins his Devil On My Shoulder book tour on October 11 in Cardiff, UK, before kicking off the latest leg of his Alice Attic tour at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, FL, on October 27. Cooper has also just added some more dates to his upcoming Welcome To My Nightmare Las Vegas residency with magician Criss Angel. Full dates below.

Devil On My Shoulder is published on October 8 via Ebury Spotlight in the UK and Da Capo in the US.

Alice Cooper: Devil On My Shoulder UK book tour 2026

Oct 11: Cardiff New Theatre
Oct 12: Cambridge Corn Exchange
Oct 13: London Palladium
Oct 14: Brighton Dome
Oct 16: Manchester Opera House
Oct 17: Stockton Globe
Oct 19: Glasgow Pavilion Theatre
Oct 20: Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Alice Cooper: Alice’s Attic tour 2026

Oct 27: Clearwater Ruth Eckerd Hall, FL
Oct 30: Richmond Altria Theater, VA
Oct 31: Atlantic City Tropicana Casino & Resort, NJ
Nov 01: Bethlehem Wind Creek Bethlehem, PA
Nov 04: Hershey Theatre, PA
Nov 06: Windsor Caesars Windsor – The Colosseum, ON
Nov 07: Kalamazoo Wings Event Center, MI
Nov 08: Waukegan Genesee Theatre, IL
Nov 10: St. Louis Stifel Theatre, MO
Nov 11: Park City Hartman Arena, KS
Nov 14: Indio Fantasy Springs Casino, CA
Nov 15: Prescott Valley Findlay Toyota Center, AZ
Nov 17: San Diego Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, CA
Nov 18: San Jose San Jose Civic, CA
Nov 20: Wheatland Hard Rock Live at Hard Rock Hotel + Casino, CA
Nov 21: Reno Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort + Casino, NV

Find Alice Cooper tickets.

Alice Cooper and Criss Angel: Welcome To My Nightmare residency

Nov 27: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Nov 28: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Nov 29: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Dec 03: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Dec 04: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Dec 05: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV
Dec 06: Las Vegas Criss Angel Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, NV

Find Alice Cooper and Criss Angel tickets.

Photos by Paul Miles Melbourne’s premier symphonic metal powerhouse ANA have returned home from tearing the United States a brand-new one. In what can only be described as a monumental, career-defining milestone, our homegrown champions landed the coveted support slot for the legendary, unmistakable icon of the dark arts himself: Danzig for a run of […]