[mr_superlove]

Just asking for some opinions here. I've had my Ety's for less than two weeks now and already I've gotten them hung on drawer pulls and door knobs about 10 times. Aside from pissing me off and hurting as they are yanked out of my ears I'm concerned about their welfare. Are these things pretty sturdy? No problems yet, but I'm just asking for trouble by not being more careful.

 

[kyrie]

Well, anything breaks eventually, and the more abuse it gets the faster it breaks.
But to be honest I'm more concerned about your eardrums than the Etys. Why are they being yanked out so often? You may want to tie up the extra cords so that they aren't just dangling there, waiting to hook onto something. Instead of worrying about the Etys breaking, I suggest you worry about how best to minimize those accidents that might one day break them...if your eardrums don't break before!

 

[Mr.PD]

Which Etys do you have?
The ER-6 are fairly tough little buggers, but I am not so sure how much abuse the cord can take.
The ER-4 used to have a real tough cord, but the plastic body of the phone seems a bit fragile. I am not familiar with the new cord they use on the ER-4. The old one had a thread of material running through it that would keep the cord from stretching out and breaking the tiny little wires inside.

I wouldn't think your Etys would take too much more being jerked out of your head with out some kind of damage.

 

[JohnRich]

Are you using the clip? can take a bit of the sting out of any tanglements if you realise what's happening in time as you have to pull that loose first before the ear pieces get mercilessly ripped away

My ER4Ps (old style cable) lasted about 3 years of daily use on public transport before the wire to the right hand transducer wore out, which of course isn't a huge worry as etymotic will replace the cable for $50 plus shipping. The ER6 don't seem as tough but then again the wire seems not to get tangled on things as easily so perhaps doesn't need to be.

 

[Heidshade]

Use the crocodile clip as strain relief. If you tug the newer thin braided phones - to - barrel wires too much you will probably damage the connection inside the barrel. My ER4Ps have developed a slight intermittent poor connection on one side in this way (I have to squeeze the barrel and cord to make it go away sometimes)

They are quite flimsy wires, you just have to look after them carefully.

 

[KenW]

My 4P's have held up well. Having said that I'm a bit of a freak with protecting my gear so I may not be the guy to ask. About the only time I get a bit worried with them is when I'm changing the foamies. Just scared to death that I'm gonna break that tiny tube. I read somewhere that someone was having problems with those breaking and another poster said the ety's were fragile. I haven't seen it. They've been fantastic with normal use....at least that's been my experience with them. One thing is certain...if they do break/wear out, I'll order another set immediately.