[parajba]

Hi everybody,

About 6 weeks ago I purchased a pair of Shure ES420, it's been love at first 'sight'.

I've been using the foam sleeves since then...I'm starting to notice some lack of isolation recently...is it already time to replace the sleeves? If so, I still have a spare pair...where can I buy just the size 2 sleeves in the UK? I don't want to buy the entire fit kit...

Thanks!

 

[roxxor]

The best place to buy them is here. Free international shipping 4tw. And the best online price AFAIK.

 

[dookiex]

Preferably, you should replace your foam sleeves when they get dirty due to sanitary reasons. It's relatively easy to tell if they are dirty (they literally will look dirty). Some brands of the foams stay cleaner longer (UM2s foams are excellent, they are relatively resilient compared to the orange Ety foams I've had before). You can't really clean foams either. Rule of thumb though, when they start showing signs of deterioration, you should definitely replace them.

 

[ClieOS]

To the OP, since you are using Shure, you should get some of their black foam sleeves ('olive' as we call it here). Olive is washable, you can take them out and give it a quick rinse (or may be a bit of mild soap), but don't squeeze it when washing. If you take care of them, they will last months. I have read people actually keep using the same pair after a years under regular cleaning.

 

[Stevie B]

To OP: I was thinkin' about picking up those shure's, How's the mids and highs sound on them?

 

[GreatDane]

I clean my foamies until they fall apart, usually the foam separates from the plastic tube part. I soak them in hydrogen peroxide for a few minutes them rinse. Warm water & hand soap also works for me.

Some of my ER6 foamies I've reused/washed over 6 times and they still fluff up pretty good.

 

[roxxor]

Anyone tried washing comply's before? They don't seem to be too compatible with it (perhaps I'm too harsh).

 

[parajba]

Thanks everybody for the replies!

The thing is that my olives (shure es420 foam sleeves) are only 6 weeks old, I use them for 2 hours a day from Monday to Friday. I take extremely care of them, they are not dirty and they don't even look bad...

Today I swapped them with a new pair (the headphones came with a few spares) and...wow, what a different story! the isolation is back, the magic percussions are back...the music is louder, deeper and clearer. It seems another headphone!

My theory is that I'm doing something wrong...maybe I press the olives too much before wearing them? do you think that if I wash them as described above I can fix them? I'm a bit worried that it's got nothing to do with the dirt in my case...as they are squeaky clean...but it is (maybe) something to do with the structure...

Thanks for your help!

 

[ClieOS]

New olive is much tighter than the used one, that's for sure. This is probably why you get a much tighter seal on a new pair, thus results in better bass perception.

 

[cougar_hook]

I'm getting the Etimotic HF5. Because I was told it has the cheapest(price) BEST sound isolation.

Now, I also heard that the sleeves/ear tips suck and are super stiff.



How can I get the the softest and most durable and most noise blocking sleeves?

Remember this, I wear earphones 17-20hrs per day, every day.

 

[nc8000]

Most durable will be a silicone sleve followed by the black olive. Most comfortable is so individual but my guess would be that most would choose comply

 

[ClieOS]

Personally I don't find Etymotic eartips to be stiff or suck. As said, comfortability is very personal and you should try it first (and it will get softer after a couple of days) before buying eartips that you might not need.

 

[Young Spade]

Meh, my Comply's last about a week and a half of constant usage every day. I don't think you could wash those though; after a while they stop expanding and feel sticky and nasty.