I've used in-ear monitors before and I hate the separation from the room. I feel like a studio cat trying to "zone out" during a performance. This is the biggest reason that I cannot get excited over any keyboard that won't allow me to monitor in my face. It's simply too important to me.

I also have a comfort factor with ear buds ... they just don't sit well in my ear. They fall out when I turn my head, the cords get pulled on my collar sometimes ... it's a bloddy mess ....without the blood.

I knew you'd get speker withdrawl, Scott. In the small, intimate venues thay we do - there is a lot to be said for the stage volume. If I had to rely on my sound system for all the tone ... I'd quit playing out. I need to hear it right where I am, and headphones are not a viable option for me because it takes me out of the room. I can't feel connected that way, and the show suffers. Not to mention ... one bad feedback and you're deaf for life.