IEM Longevity Poll / Discussion

This is a question I have had for a while.

The poll can include both IEMs and CIEMs.

I really enjoy IEMs but I'm hesitant to spend $1,000+ on them due to my concerns about longevity.

I am curious about your experiences with IEMs, tips/tricks, dehumidifiers, storage recommendations, ect.

From what I've read (outside of this thread) this is my understanding:

- IEMs will last one year, and likely are covered by a warranty for this time.

- IEMs should last two years but most manufacturers won't warranty IEMs past a year.

- After two years, you should consider any extra time you have with a perfectly preforming pair of IEMs gravy.

- Depending on you (weight gain/loss, some natural change) your CIEM shells might no longer fit your ears. Some CIEM manufacturers will charge a fee for you to have your CIEMs reshelled, some won't.

 

Where this post idea originated:

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/focal-elegia.6898/page-3

 

- Many reputable IEM brands do offer two or more years of warranty service. Campfire is 2 years standard and Vision Ears is 2 years with 3 on internal components, 64 audio customs also come with a 2-year warranty but their UIEMs only get a year.

- My experience is that manufactures are generally willing to help customers out with repairs after the warranty expires, since issues are rare and they earn a lot of goodwill from standing behind their products. I would be absolutely shocked if Jerry Harvey or Campfire denies service on a pair of IEM right after the warranty period ends. I've purchased more than a dozen pairs of CIEMs in the past 10 years, and aside from a refit fiasco with JH, my experiences have all been quite positive.

- I buy IEMs with the expectation that they'll stay alive until the drivers themselves deteriorate (5 years for DD's, 10+ years for BA's) or when I outgrow the fit on CIEMs (usually more than 5 years depending on many factors). I have not had a single pair of high-end IEMs completely fail after less than 2 years. The most common point of failure is the 2 pin or MMCX connector and many companies are happy to service those free of charge. When my ES3's developed a failed connector Westone quoted me $350 for new MMCX connectors, a refit to a color of my choice and a new MMCX cable. Not too bad on a pair of IEMs that were originally $850. They told me that if they found drivers that were out of spec, they would replace those free of charge. Keep in mind that this was ~4 years after I got them. They were stolen shortly afterwards, though.

- The dehumidifier is crucial if you live in the tropics. Earwax buildup can damage drivers on IEMs without a nozzle filter. Otherwise there's not much to it, sunlight can break down the acrylic and cause clear IEM's to develop a yellow tint, but that's just a cosmetic issue.

 

One pair of IEMs I still have is 7 years old with no issues. I’ve actually yet to have a pair of IEMs stop working in the 13 or so years I’ve been using them outside of a few cables going bad. Easily replaced.

 

I had a pair of JHAudio JH11s that I owned from 2009 till about 2018. I think the trick is to just keep them in their case, clean them regularly and use a dehumidifier. One of my favorite purchases was a hearing aid dryer, which I used to dry my CIEMs every once in awhile. It even had a UV light function I used on my universal IEMs.

I only ever stopped using it because of a really sketchy repair JH did that rendered them unusable as a set. Ended up selling them to a friend who reshelled them and is still using them till this day.

 

My JH13's from 2011 are still with me, and I live in a very humid climate.
Caveats are that I don't use them everyday--just can't be bothered to be plugged in, sometimes--and my earwax is the dry kind, and I do check them often for gunk or dirt.

 

• I have my brother's Ety ER-6's somehwere, probably more than 10y old now. A cat chew through the cable, otherwise these refuse to die.
• ATH-CK10 would probably be still with me, had I not tangled these into a bus radiator and walked out holding bare cable in my hands.
• TDK IEMs seemed to last and last, until I fried these in an amp build test.
• Everything from China have failed within 2 years or look like falling apart soon.

Takeaway is that, shit is shit, IEM or full sized. Reputable, solid manufacture will make long lasting IEMs.
More care is needed to not abuse these than big cans, then they will last. I'm careless, so that's why I like big cans more.

 

This is going to be so relative to use and abuse tendencies. I take care of my stuff fastidiously, so it tends to last. A chuck it in your bag daily commuter pair owned by someone who is hard on gear will have a very different lifespan. You might want to set some parameters for use?

 

Example of normal use scenarios. 1. Listening IEMs while walking/jogging. 2. Listening while laying down. 3. Keeping IEMs in the pocket of a jacket/clothing item at times. 4. Not intentionally harming/destroying the item. 5. Storing IEMs in the case/pouch provided by the company (Obviously if they are stored 100% of the owning period, then they are funtionally unused)


Example of low quality: Hifiman RE-400 do not last because of plastic strain relief clued to the aluminium housing.


V-Moda testing lab is a good example what a company might do for improvements in quality.

 

Debating on what might be objectively weak design on re400. It is easy.. Why design realitively long & hard/nonelastic strain relief perpendicular to the housing & also clue it with some subpar product. When you have moderate force on the end of the strain relief then enough torque will be created at the base that the connection with housing will wear down..

Compare this to Shure IEMs that have proper connectors on the housing, but are still in the price range of RE400 class iems.