Recommended in-ear brand replacement for Shure (RE: long term build quality)

Durability or sound quality.

You can easily take better care of your IEMs, put them in a zippered hard case of some sort, instead of just wrapping them up and putting them somewhere.

If you just want a rugged IEM, try Dunu Trident DN-12

try the klipsch s5i

At this point, your avoiding a brand that has the best solution to the issues you've had by offering replacement cables and making them heavier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PreachingLlama 

Thanks for the response some1.

 

Durabiilty was indeed was I was after (particularly in the area of cabling/connectors). Out of interest, how long have you had the Dunu's and what do you do with them when they're not in your ears?

I have no clue about Dunu Trident as i do not own a pair, they are built like a tank and quite cheap though.

I store my IEMs in the cases that came with them when i am not using them.

And Goodvibes has a point, you coud look for Shure IEMs or other makes with removable cabes.

I dunno.  I'm a frequent flyer though (read: on a plane at least twice a week) and found my Shure SE210s to be some of my most durable earphones I've ever used.  But I always put them in their hardcase.  I moved onto the SE215s because I love the sound and my SE210s while collecting some dust are still in fine shape.  I have a friend who has been happily using a pair for well over a year.  The newest line of earphones is most certainly far more durable though than the previous.  If I was falling off a cliff I think I might be ok using the cable as a lifeline!  Its pretty heavy duty. That said, I would never think of not putting them in their case.  Since you put them in your pocket you may like the newest case Shure has as its a soft case so far more pocket friendly.  Not trying to convince you to stick with Shure but if you like their sound, I think you'll be happy with the durability of the latest line.

But put them in their pouch.  Portable doesn't mean indestructible.  Pockets are pretty hard on things and the constant motion is constantly flexing the cables and causing them to rub together.  That's just going to accelerate the wear and tear.  Not to mention, the thought of dust and lint getting in the tubes and all over the earpieces is kinda gross to me ;)

i love the shure built quality.. not sure if the 215 is the same as the 425 but i use mine for lots of extreme sports with constant tugging on the cable.. after 1 year they still look almost new :D 

and most of the time i just stuff them in my pocket knowing nothing will happen to them!

Quote:

Originally Posted by PreachingLlama 

Thanks Codefox, I might have a look at the latest generation 2xx. To clarify, though: I keep them in my pocket plugged in and wrapped around my phone (they're actually wrapped around it twice even when I'm listening as the cable is too long).

 

Thanks again for your help.
 

 

Its worth a look at least.  The SE215 has a totally different sound than the SE210 (I like it more but its a DD rather than a BA so its a totally different beast).  The removable cables should solve any real long term cable wear.  Before I got my Shures I always used to just wrap up headphones and that always killed my cables.  That moment I take to put them in the case helps because I can make sure to be gentle on the easily strained areas.  I would be going crazy too though if I'd been through several pairs in 2 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fir3dp 

i love the shure built quality.. not sure if the 215 is the same as the 425 but i use mine for lots of extreme sports with constant tugging on the cable.. after 1 year they still look almost new :D 

and most of the time i just stuff them in my pocket knowing nothing will happen to them!

Cool thing about the newest line of SE earphones is they're all the same housing and cables.  Just different innards.  My 215s would be hard to pick out from your 425s unless they were both clear.  So, um, don't leave yours next to mine.  I'd hate to walk away with yours :D

Your problem doesn't lie in the actual brand of headphone you are using; that isn't the problem.  Your actual problem lies in the way you protect your headphones.  Any headphone will break without proper care.  That said, use the included pouch, case, etc.  This will remove the headphones from any of the elements and keep them safe as well.  You really are asking the wrong question.  You don't need a new IEM, you need to know precisely how to take care of your current one.

The problem of leaving them in your pocket is that movements will bend the cables (and with the cables bending also leaves the chance for the strain reliefs, contacts and headphone jack getting bent as well).  This will eventually lead to your headphones breaking.  Even a carrying pouch will absorb some of the movement (if not all) which is better for the headphones.  A case will protect all of this (and only costs 5 bucks).

I had Shure E4c where the cable frayed a couple years in.  I used the pouch pretty regularly too.  Luckily I'm not getting any audio loss and still use them as a backup pair.  I've since replaced them with TF10s as my main pair.  The TF10 wire has gone out on me a few times, but they've been covered by warranty.  And when not, it's $20-30 to replace and takes 30 seconds.  I'm never buying IEMs again that don't have replaceable cords.