[skiflyer]

I have a pair of relatively cheap IEM's... the old school Sony EX51's before they used the self-dismantling cable. I think if you shop around you can pick them up for $15 or less now a days.

I've long since given up on the rubber tips and much much prefer the comply foam tips... but I use these for the gym and daily commuting so they have a relatively short lifespan for me. Paying the price of the headphones over again every year + shipping is starting to seem a little silly.

Any one know of a similar technology that may be more durable? Or do I just need to suck it up and stock up?

 

[dura]

If only Shure would make Olives with a wide center hole.
I've used the same pair for over a year over 2hours+ a day.

 

[bcpk]

Try the Monster hybrid foam things that dfkt reviewed.

 

[skiflyer]

Looks intriguing, I'll have to track down a pair... thanks much for the suggestion!

 

[Aevum]

i had the Comply "rent a tip" expiriance with my Triple.fi 10, at around 3-4$ a pair, and with the pairs lasting 10-14 days each, it wasnt a nice one,

 

[Punnisher]

Radioshack sells black comply tips. The problem with gray tips is discoloration, but the black ones should last a while longer.

 

[skiflyer]

I could care less about the discoloration, but the foam gets less pliant (not really a big deal) and then actually starts to tear and fall apart relatively quickly if I use them at the gym.

Even in regular use it happens over the course of a couple months... but with the gym it seems to happen in a week or two. I realize if I'm going to sweat into them rubber is probably a better choice, but I was hoping some kind of hybrid existed and it looks like it does.

 

[TheGame21x]

You could try Shure's black foams (AKA Olives) and de-core them to fit whatever IEM you're using. I use a pair of decored olives on my RE0s and MEElectronics M6s and the fit is snug, isolation is great and they're very comfortable to wear over long periods.