Are Custom Earphones really all that fragile?
Mar 28, 2011 at 12:07 PM Post #16 of 68


Quote:
Says who?
 

First off, I didn't say all professional musicians, I said most in my first post - go back and check -, then I said (professional) musicians. And of course some musicians do use universal musicians' IEMs like the UM2 & UM3X, but I was originally talking about professional musicians, most of whom I doubt would prefer the UM2 or UM3X.
 
Yes, "logical fallacy" in quite, quite, quite a few points. Absolutely.
 

Uh common courtesy, and if you want to nitpick on language I could tell you the post which I responded to contradicted your first one, going by your logic. And I could go on about this current one but I shan't because it's pointless.
 
Anyway most of the posts here don't exactly answer the question of the durability of customs, dealing more with the implications of would happen if such and such were true. Any customs owners with experiences/opinions?
 
And @Rawrster given the assembly videos of custom IEMs, the lack of any glue marks in the translucent shells and the fact that the shell is an outer casing rather than a solid piece of acrylic with drivers suspended inside, I simply assumed they weren't. But that's the reason behind my question, how exactly are they secured? :)
 
 
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 12:21 PM Post #17 of 68
I know for a fact that normal acrylic sheets crack when a force is exerted on it...Like it you tried to drill a hole through it, the thing cracks like glass. If you drop it it'll likely crack. Acrylic's not going to dent but it'll shatter since its so hard.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 12:34 PM Post #18 of 68


Quote:
And @Rawrster given the assembly videos of custom IEMs, the lack of any glue marks in the translucent shells and the fact that the shell is an outer casing rather than a solid piece of acrylic with drivers suspended inside, I simply assumed they weren't. But that's the reason behind my question, how exactly are they secured? :)
 
 


I believe it is glue actually. There is what I believe to be glue on the dual bass driver in my 1964-T. I guarantee you that if I shake the custom I will not hear the drivers rattling inside.
 
 
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 12:39 PM Post #19 of 68


Quote:
I know for a fact that normal acrylic sheets crack when a force is exerted on it...Like it you tried to drill a hole through it, the thing cracks like glass. If you drop it it'll likely crack. Acrylic's not going to dent but it'll shatter since its so hard.



I guess you didn't read that I dropped one of my acrylic shells on a hard uncarpeted floor and it DIDN'T CRACK. Guess I just have a lucky magical acrylic shell, huh? LOL.
beerchug.gif

 
Mar 28, 2011 at 12:41 PM Post #20 of 68
Haha well, i was interested to know about the durability of the drivers (since they essentially pump out the music) instead of the acrylic. Because i've read so many threads which describe how very fragile these BA drivers are , and considering i have 8 of them each side, dang the risk of one getting damaged because of some impact is pretty darn high heh, and when one is damaged, good bye incredible sound :) Thats the reason i baby mine.

I still get a very disheartening feeling whenever they clank together in their casing and wonder if the impacts are possibly damaging the drivers, or when my fingernails tap-knock the acrylic surface. The sound they give off...its real loud lol due to hardness of the acrylic. Which leads me to wonder if the acrylic provides any kind of shock resistance at all to the drivers, and if not, why isnt there any form of inner protection for the drivers?

Sometimes i feel like the earphones are more fragile than an egg....i mean seriously , no shock protection for the reputedly fragile BA drivers which are just glued on to a plastic surface? The earphones cost thousands and theres nothing to prevent damage like that ? :O
 
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 12:47 PM Post #21 of 68
Where is the idea coming from that BA drivers are delicate? I don't think I've read any post where someone's damaged their monitors (custom or universal) by breaking the drivers. Shells, yes, cords, way too often, but not the drivers.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 12:55 PM Post #22 of 68
A balanced armature is a sound transducer design primarily intended to increase the electrical efficiency of the element by eliminating the stress on the diaphragm characteristic of many other magnetic transducer systems.It consists of a moving magnetic armature that is pivoted so it can move in the field of the permanent magnet. When precisely centered in the magnetic field there is no net force on the armature, hence the term 'balanced' . When there is electric current through the coil, it magnetizes the armature one way or the other, causing it to rotate slightly one way or the other about the pivot thus moving the diaphragm to make sound. The design is not mechanically stable; a slight imbalance makes the armature stick to one pole of the magnet. A fairly stiff restoring force is required to hold the armature in the 'balance' position. Although this reduces its efficiency, this design can still produce more sound from less power than any other.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 12:59 PM Post #23 of 68


Quote:
Where is the idea coming from that BA drivers are delicate? I don't think I've read any post where someone's damaged their monitors (custom or universal) by breaking the drivers. Shells, yes, cords, way too often, but not the drivers.


A number of people have reported ba driver failures of their customs. The reports are buried in the JH and, most recently and maybe easier to find, Westone ES5 threads. So, whether manufacturing defects or wear and tear, it does give a sense of possibility of driver failure.
 
 
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 1:04 PM Post #24 of 68


Quote:
A number of people have reported ba driver failures of their customs. The reports are buried in the JH and, most recently and maybe easier to find, Westone ES5 threads. So, whether manufacturing defects or wear and tear, it does give a sense of possibility of driver failure.
 
 

 
Oh, I had no idea.  I'll have to take a look at those threads.  Thanks.
 
 
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 1:13 PM Post #25 of 68
well, I'm ashamed to admit that I've dropped the darn things once, onto wood floor in one case, and the pavement in the other (not that I'm that careless or clumsy with good equipment, other factors were involved, namely my dog) - but I'll post it here anyway, because there's no visible damage whatsoever on my IEMs
 
EDIT: nor audible damage, good catch
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 1:25 PM Post #27 of 68
I've dropped my customs once although not very far. It was from my lap to the floor so a couple of feet and onto a wood surface. It showed no physical damage to the acrylic and no sound differences.
 
You would have to do some serious damage to break the acrylic and damage the drivers. I think youare worrying too much unless you like to just throw them into your bag during the day.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:06 PM Post #28 of 68
I've dropped my custom TF10s from several feet plenty of times, I'm not all that gentle with them, and I've never seen or heard any signs of damage. They're portable, they're intended to be worn on stage, they're not going to explode if you look at them the wrong way. Don't be afraid of knocking them together, or tapping them with your finger. That is absolutely ridiculous.
 
 
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:14 PM Post #29 of 68
Crazy thread, full of suppositions and assumptions. Hard to know where to begin.
 
1. BA drivers are, in fact, extremely reliable.
2. BA drivers ARE affixed to the shell in hollow-shell acrylics.
3. Acrylic shells are not especially fragile, though this is obviously something that varies by manufacturer and design. That said, they are more susceptible to breakage than silicone, which acts as a shock absorber.
 
Failure modes of custom earphones:
1. 80-90% of custom earphone failures are cable-related (based on years of product returns at Sensaphonics, which does not make acrylics).
2. BA driver failure is far more likely to be due to wiring issues than death of the driver itself.
 
The important thing to remember in caring for custom IEMs is never to pull them out by the cable. That is the fastest way to failure. Removal should be accomplished by grasping the shell to pull the earpiece out. Other than that (and regular cleaning of earwax), no special care is required.
 
Some notes on touring sound:
 
Pro touring musicians will not use products that don't meet their needs; the stakes are too high. The most important of these needs is reliability. Yes, they love free gear, but they won't use it on stage if they can't rely on it surviving the performance. IEMs are very different from instruments, amps, etc. Some IEM companies give a lot of product away for the marketing advantage that accrues (not naming names; should be obvious). This is more than a bit ironic, as it's usually the monitor engineer who makes the call on IEMs and, obviously, the big-name bands can afford anything they want. But there's a certain status in being endorsed to the hilt, and a lot of bands go that way. Similarly, the artist's management company may get involved, usually trying to save a few thousands by getting an endorsement. As a result, many of these artists are singing the praises of a product while never having experienced an alternative. So when they are told this is the best IEM ever, they tend to accept it as gospel unless/until there's a problem.
 
In my experience, there are a lot of people on Head-fi with more hands-on experience across IEM brands, even in customs. But the differences in application (on stage vs iPod) are significant, and should not be ignored.
 
FWIW, Sensaphonics doesn't play they endorsement game. Our endorsers speak on our behalf voluntarily, because they love the product and service we provide. They all pay, and they all pay the same price you would.
 
So my answer to the OP question is: No, custom IEMs are not especially fragile -- provided they were designed for the pro touring market (Sensaphonics, Ultimate, JH, Westone). I can't really extend that argument to other brands, most of which are designed for the consumer/audiophile market.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:45 PM Post #30 of 68
Hmm thats interesting, I often hear that BA drivers are far more prone to damage as compared to their dynamic cousins and most people recommend taking very good care of them. I understand that reliability is indeed a factor in custom earphones but wouldn't musical accuracy and the form factor be the main one? I doubt a pair of high end IEMS in the 300-500 dollar range would be much less reliable than a pair of 1000+ dollar customs, since they both use the same "quality" of BA drivers right?
 
 

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