Filter-less alternative to Etymotic?

[GanChan]

When I upgraded from the old Shure E2C to the Ety ER-6i, I was much happier with the sound signature and the improved isolation -- but NOT with the filters.

I use these phones at work, where I need super isolation from noisy cubicle-mates 8 hours a day, and for a few weeks they were perfect. But as the tri-flanges loosened up and I had to start fishing them out of my ears constantly, the extra exposure, I think, has made the filters overly vulnerable, so that they now require ridiculously frequent changing. And the frequent changing, of course, only loosens the earpieces further. I can't afford to be constantly buying replacement filters (or replacment earpieces), so my only real solution is probably a filter-less phone. (The E2C had filters, sort of, but they never seemed to need changing.)

So, what are my options? Any earpieces that go deep enough to provide super isolation will resist removal to the point where I'll be back where I was with the Etys. Shure's "filter-less" canalphones, if they still even make them that way, don't seem to isolate as well and can't provide Ety's level of detail.

To cap it all off, I have budget constraints that may limit me to the lower end of the price scale.

You can see why I'm kind of stumped. Any recommendations for alternatives?

[ClieOS]

Tri-flange will need to be replaced once they start to show sign of aging (usually every 1~2 yrs), but not the filter. Go to the local pharmacy and pick up some peroxide solution, remove the filter with your fingers and submerge it in the solution for 10~15mins, rinse and you get yourself a new set of filter.

[Il Mostro]

I also had to change filters frequently with the ER6i's, but much less so with ER4's. It gets old, not to mention costly over time.

[NiceCans]

there is another side of that coin . . . . . earwax, perhaps it can be reduced maybe ask your doctor?

[GanChan]

Originally Posted by ClieOS

Tri-flange will need to be replaced once they start to show sign of aging (usually every 1~2 yrs), but not the filter. Go to the local pharmacy and pick up some peroxide solution, remove the filter with your fingers and submerge it in the solution for 10~15mins, rinse and you get yourself a new set of filter.

I'll try the manual-removal method next time. I know that once you've stabbed the filter with the removal tool to pull it out, it can't be used again.

I've temporarily replaced the tri-flanges with the foamies, which still grip the tubes pretty well. I just like the tri-flanges better, so I'll have to order a new pair....these got all loose after only a couple months....

[GanChan]

Sorry, double post.

[Bilavideo]

I don't know how you're going through filters like toilet paper but Etymotic says they're not replaceable after being removed. Whether that's true or just a way of getting you to buy more filters, there are alternatives to using Ety's filters. I have a shipment of 680 ohm KA filters coming my way and would be happy to send some your way. PM me if you want to try these KA filters. I won't charge you for them. I'd be curious about your experience with them.

[yumigator]

Originally Posted by NiceCans

there is another side of that coin . . . . . earwax, perhaps it can be reduced maybe ask your doctor?

If you use cotton swabs every day after you shower, while your ear canals are still wet, you'll have fewer problems with earwax and IEMs. Cotton swabs are cheaper than filters and tips and are good for hygiene anyway. Just be careful not to go too deep.

Originally Posted by Bilavideo

I have a shipment of 680 ohm KA filters coming my way and would be happy to send some your way.

How can filters have an impedance rating?

[ClieOS]

One of the beauty about ER6i (but not the other Etymotic) is, they designed it in a way that they have to put the filter on the tips on the nozzle, instead of inside the nozzle (as in the case of all the other Ety). This makes it very easy for user to remove the filter just by pulling it with fingers.

I bought my ER6i back in 2005 along with a pack of filters. Since then, I replaced the tri-flange, recable then reterminate it, but not once that I replaced my filter.

[Bilavideo]

Originally Posted by yumigator

How can filters have an impedance rating?

I know it sounds odd, but that's how they measure these filters (acoustic dampers). I do need to revise and extend my remarks, though. I mentioned the white filters (680 ohms) when the filters needed for the Etymotics are green (1500).

[nc8000]

To prolong the life of the filters I cut tine squares of nylon stockings and put them over the filter/stem before putting the tip on so the stocking bit protects the filter. Often I also go filterless but still with the stocking.