[Ruahrc]

I have a pair of ER-4P's and lately I have found that I have not been listening to much music (shame, I know). I would estimate that I have not used my etys in about 4 months now. I was just wondering if there were any special things I should do to take care of my etys if I have not used them for a long while, like should I bust them out and work them a little every once in a while, or is it ok to just leave them? They are in the little pouch and are sitting on my desk, not really exposed to any direct sunlight if that makes a difference too.

Also when I do get back to using them a lot, will they need re-breaking in? I have had them for a year now (actually very close to exactly one year hehe) and so they were plenty broken in before, but after sitting for a long time do they need a re-breaking in period?

Thanks

Ruahrc

PS I recently got myself a 15" Apple Powerbook and when I tried my etys with them I found that there was a lot of hiss on the headphone port of my PB. Is this normal, or do you guys out there with PB's and even iBooks have nice quiet headphone jacks? KSC-35's on them sound fine because I think the 60ohms impedance filters out the hiss?

 

[Pov]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruahrc I have a pair of ER-4P's and lately I have found that I have not been listening to much music (shame, I know). I would estimate that I have not used my etys in about 4 months now. I was just wondering if there were any special things I should do to take care of my etys if I have not used them for a long while, like should I bust them out and work them a little every once in a while, or is it ok to just leave them? They are in the little pouch and are sitting on my desk, not really exposed to any direct sunlight if that makes a difference too. Also when I do get back to using them a lot, will they need re-breaking in? I have had them for a year now (actually very close to exactly one year hehe) and so they were plenty broken in before, but after sitting for a long time do they need a re-breaking in period?

Send them to me and I will make sure that they do not atrophy from non-use

 

[Ruahrc]

Hehe yeah it is kind of bad that I have not used them in such a long time... Just haven't been listening to music as of late. And I don't feel like busting them out just to listen to an online streaming video or game audio. I almost thought about selling them (along with my iPod which has seen more use lately as a backup HD than a music player) but I realized that if I did I probably would not buy another pair of nice headphones for a long while. So I figured since I have gotten over spending $200 for them already I may as well keep them. I do worry about ruining them from non-use which is why I ask...

In all honesty, the last times I have used my etys I got a little annoyed with the fact that the tips get all ear-waxy after even just one use and so they are kind of gross. I have been kind of obsessed with cleaning the tips and so I remove them like every time I listen to them and let them soak overnight in isopropyl alcohol to loosen up the earwax. Then I just rinse them in water and let them air dry. I'm curious as to whether simply storing my tips in isopropyl permanently would damage them. Any other tips on beating the earwax-caking of the ety tips?

And again, do headphones "un-break" themselves if left unused for a while?

Ruahrc

 

[JeffS]

I'm not sure that alcohol on the tips is good for long term use. I recall reading on here that it can dry them out over the long term. So I wouldn't recommend storage, but for cleaning (and assuming occasional replacement) it should be fine.

with my first set of canal phones I had a major wax problem. What I found made a difference was paying more attention to aural hygiene. Even when you don't think you need to clean your ears, you may be wrong

Pick up an earwax removal kit, or at least the drops. It makes it easier to keep your ears clean, and can get to the stuff that is past the reach of a q-tip. Yes, I use q-tips and Yes I know that I shouldn't. Of course standard disclaimer, don't stick anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. If you do, it's at your own risk

Seriously though, once they're good and clean, you won't have the waxy problem you're experiencing now.


Break-in.
I have bad news for you. They never broke in, and they never will. I've spoken with people at etymotics at length about this, and the fact of the design is there is nothing to break or burn in. What DOES hapen, is you get used to the feeling in your ear, the sound signature of the drivers, and best of all better at inserting them easily and comfortably. In a sense, you break in to them, not the other way around. It takes a few days to a week, maybe longer depending on how often or how little you listen to them.

Also, if they've been sitting for a while, along with the earwax issues you mentioned, I'd highly recommend getting some replacement filters (and tool if you don't still have yours). The filter does a good job of blocking wax from the drivers, but it's a two way street, it can block sound from your ears. You might find a whole new, better sounding pair of etys if you freshen them up.

Good luck
-Jeff

 

[Ruahrc]

Thanks for the tips I should try those earwax removal kits sometime. I heard that they could be dangerous though (read: pouring hydrogen peroxide in your ear), and that the only real "safe" way to do it was to have a doctor do it?

Luckiy despite my large gaps in ety-usage I do clean them if they have been sitting idle for a long time. So they have not been sitting there caked in earwax for a few months, which is good I guess. Interesting comments about the break-in, makes sense I guess, and in the long run it doesn't matter to me as I was just worried the cans would get physically damaged or altered somehow. I have no problem re-breaking myself into the phones (although I have been using canalphones for a while now so I am quite accustomed to their feel)

And yeah I actually did change the filters maybe 6 months ago (but remember I have probably only listened to them a handful of times in those past 6 months). To be honest I could not tell the difference between the old and new filters, I guess either my ears are not trained enough or there was not sufficient earwax buildup in the filters to significantly alter the sound.

Ruahrc

 

[pedxing]

Everyone's mileage is different with the frequency of filter replacements.

If you haven't use the ety's for a while, I recommend cleaning them before using them. Also, you should store them in the pouch or in a clean container. Do not leave them lying around unprotected in a dusty environment. You can accidentally clog up the filters if you set them on a dusty surface.

 

[hackeron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruahrc I would estimate that I have not used my etys in about 4 months now

WOW

Have you been in a coma? -- seriously, what possible reason do you have for not listening to them for that long?

And get yourself a transmeta lappie with that rockwell or whatever it was onboard sound. It has digital optical out (so you can plug it to a receiver with no quality loss) and has the least amount of hiss I heard from a laptop.

The 15 hours battery life is also a plus, and with enlightenment or a slightly customized KDE you wont tell the difference between mac or linux

 

[KYTGuy]

over the two years I have had my ety4Xs, i have found that the filters (original or homemade) will seal off completely every time I leave them in the sunlight, killing the filters. All it takes is one nearly invisible flake of earwax to melt...

Don't store (or use) them in high-field environs - will weaken the magnets...

MODIFY the tips, if they are not comfy...

sell them if you don't use them...

 

[hackeron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYTGuy Don't store (or use) them in high-field environs - will weaken the magnets...

Whats a high-field environment?

 

[JeffS]

following up on hackerons question, I'm guessing you mean like a high magnetic field. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

If I'm not wrong, would this include metal detectors? I walk through one
every day wearing my er6is and always hear a high pitched buzz/whine, kinda hard to describe exactly, but I'll try if it makes a difference.

Anyway, I was worried that it was damaging my phones. someone else on here said that all headphones will make that noise from the magnetic field
that the detectors use, but it shouldn't cause any problems. true/false/depends?

my only orther choice besided walking them through the metal detector would be to stuff them in my bag and let them get x-rayed.

Keep in mind this is at least once a day, 5 days a week. I don't know if that limited exposure is bad, or worse if it's cumulative.

any thoughts?

-Jeff

ps. feel free to slap me if I'm just being paranoid and rambling

 

[KYTGuy]

Yeah, I meant a strong magnetic field...like on or near a woofer magnet structure, or on or near welding cables, on or near a starter for an engine (that uses electricity), in or near a cat scan magnet/nmr etc...Machine tool relays, starter solenoids or cables...

Going thru a scanner is ok, some may make big noises and hurt your ears, but this is not common...X-raying won't hurt them...

On or near a CRT/TV when starting up can be a strong field also, but is not of the strength of the things listed above...

Demagnetizers like are used in shops, or tip demags like used in tape recorders can be pretty strong in small concentrated areas...

The magnets are small, and the structure of the etys is so small, it allows magnets to get closer to the ety magnets than in headphones, so it is easy to do more to the etys...