Sony Enters In-Ear Monitor Market with IER-M500s

Sony has entered the in-ear monitor market with its new IER-M500 model.

San Diego, CA (July 8, 2026)—Sony has long served studio pros with technologies like its 360VME Virtual Mixing Environment platform, MDR-MV1 mixing headphones and the de rigueur microphone of hip-hop, the C-800G studio tube condenser mic. Now it’s eyeing the live sound market with today’s launch of its new IER-M500 in-ear monitors.

While they carry an entry-level price, Sony is positioning the IER-M500s as a serious professional stage monitoring tool, underlining that it is not a crossover consumer product. Accordingly, the IEMs have been developed in collaboration with monitoring engineers to provide a secure, stable fit, and attain additional sound isolation onstage with a thin polyurethane wall inside the IEM itself.

• Inside The Audio of the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular

Within the IER-M500s is a dynamic driver and a large acoustic chamber, shaped to help produce deep, controlled bass; meanwhile, the internal structure has reportedly been optimized to aid high-frequency reproduction.

The new IEMs are available in three options—red & blue; black; and clear—and come with four different eartip options to provide a secure fit. Flexible ear supporters are also provided to help with stability as needed so that the IER-M500s don’t fall out at a crucial moment. Connecting the IEMs to the RF pack of your choice is a 1.6m detachable cable.