common for iem silicon sleeves to lose fit?

[vrus]

I use soap and water to wash the sleeves and I do clean my ears of excess wax. Is it common for the sleeves to lose fit after awhile of normal wear and tear? This is what has been happening to my vibe sleeves. I wonder if I should just buy foamies instead?

 

[navmau]

Yeah, its common. Not sure how long it took for yours to lose fit, but my silicon sleeves generally need to be replaced every 6 months. I wash them with soap and water every 2 weeks.

 

[jsmithepa]

Everything wear out... a new pair every 6 mos of daily use not unreasonable eh.

 

[navmau]

6 months of heavy use is actually quite good IMO.

 

[fredman22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vrus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use soap and water to wash the sleeves and I do clean my ears of excess wax. Is it common for the sleeves to lose fit after awhile of normal wear and tear? This is what has been happening to my vibe sleeves. I wonder if I should just buy foamies instead?

Yes. They get coated with wax and oil over a short period of time and ideally should be wiped down every session, but I wipe mine with Wal-Mart (generic) glass cleaner on a rag about every other session or when I simply have to readjust them too much (and usually clean out my ears, too) and that does the trick. I'm then hassle free for an entire session or two. I have also noticed that over time, the softip surface will smooth out a bit more from wear, but as long as they're clean and tacky, they should work just fine - I've continually rotated my original 5 pair for almost a couple of years w/heavy use on my UM2s. Good luck.