How Many Pairs of IEMs Do You Own

[ryder78]

I'm trying to justify the purchase of another pair of IEMs costing $400 although I think I currently have enough. For people who own many pairs, do you often swap them, or the best sounding pair gets the most listening while the rest are untouched for a long time, months or years.

I'm just curious. Thanks.

 

[zlayde]

Sigh.

Here on out, this thread is hereby called The Thread of Shame.

Yes - it’s fun to swap bc if pick right you can have a collection that nicely complements each other. Different sounds signatures in iems can really create different experiences. Sometimes you want something intimate with texture and sometimes you want to go to a club, etc.

Also, it’s a hobby. The journey is fun.

 

[Knale]

I have 15-20 total sets and I switch between stuff all the time(while favoring probably 3-4 at any given time), and I also own a bunch that I only get out for comparisons. This is fine. In the grands scheme of hobbies I'm spending an amount that doesn't strain my finances, and the things I'm buying don't use an enormous amount of natural resources to produce or ship.

I like experimenting and trying new things and I love music/games/movies. I think if you own 1 pair of IEMs that's great, and if you own 100 pairs, that's great too. Like any hobby it shouldn't negatively affect other aspects of your life, and if it does, whether financially or otherwise, then it's time to take stock, otherwise, we have a limited time on this earth and people should find the things they enjoy and communities to enjoy them with.

 

[mochill]

10k plus and always growing

 

[DaveStarWalker]

5 pairs :

2, top tier, for the outside use, only music. Spare parts relative to each other.
2, mid and low tier, for the outside use, radio podcasts. Different sound styles.
1, top tier, for the in house use, only music. One of its kind.

Pure bliss

 

[BS5711]

I have 5 sets and have sold, given away or thrown out about 10 others thinning down to what I enjoy the most.

For me, I enjoy each set more when I have the others (as well as a few sets of headphones) as options. That is I appreciate the strengths of each set more when I use the others (that are different but complementary) in rotation.

If I listen to one set for a long time I get stale with them and overlook their strengths because the sound, regardless of how much I might enjoy it, becomes normal. If I rotate between various sets that I individually enjoy but each brings something slight different I am reminded of the strengths of each and therefore get more enjoyment out of each set more than I would if I only owned one set regardless of which set it was.

 

[ryder78]

If I listen to one set for a long time I get stale with them and overlook their strengths because the sound, regardless of how much I might enjoy it, becomes normal. If I rotate between various sets that I individually enjoy but each brings something slight different I am reminded of the strengths of each and therefore get more enjoyment out of each set more than I would if I only owned one set regardless of which set it was.

That's surely a good point which I experience as well. No matter how good or how costly a hifi is, whether it's IEM or a loudspeaker based system, if you spend considerable time with it, the sound becomes "normal" although it may sound mighty impressive at first. You listen to it every day for many months or years, no matter how good the sound quality is, one may eventually get bored. It may not apply to everyone but just stating my own experience. It's more practical to swap IEMs than swapping large speakers though.

 

[Redcarmoose]

The thing is our taste in tone can always be changing a little. And a total assessment of an IEM is never totally complete. Meaning sure there is the new toy phenomenon, then you may move on, but coming back to set will at times bring joy. The older IEM may or may not sound like you remember. Also using a new cable may help you alter the sound more to your liking. Different DAP, Dongles and ear-tips can also affect end sound. I have way too many IEMs, and some I haven’t seen for a year. But it’s always a leaning experience to try to fathom the goals of these manufacturers and to interface a new product into the reality of use. No IEM is perfect but many are closer to perfect. Being correctly tuned, being evenly tuned and holding a style of completeness is important. Yet it is this character that sets IEMs apart and helps each one shine holding uniqueness....this is what the game is about. Most of all though it’s to have fun and enjoy music!