[thegrudge]

Hi guys
 
I've been buying cheap (up to 20 euro) in ear headphones for years, and they always start losing proper connection after some time. In the past 3 or 4 months, I went through 3 pairs and I've just had it, so now I want to go for quality.
 
But aside from quality, how do you guys make yours last long enough to make them worth the (small) investment over the cheaper ones, considering I'll use them while commuting?
 
Putting them back into their case will probably help a ton, but you still wear the cable on your body into your pocket most of the time, so I assume it will still wear down fairly fast?
 
Any tips here are welcome
Thanks

 

[kmhaynes]

It's not the normal use of IEMs in you ears that compromises them -- it's the yanking the cable to unplug, the wrapping them around the player and stuffing it all into pants pockets that destroys the cables.  I use a small soft camera case.  To store everything, I unplug the phones and gently wrap them around 4 fingers, and put my player and phones separately in the soft case.

 

[Young Spade]

I always use the included case or whatever case will house the phones comfortably. I always roll them around my fingers before putting them up, never stuffing them in a case.
 
Not throwing them around and dropping them helps as well; oh and be wary when leaving a room quickly so you don't snag the cord on door knobs, I have done that way too many times :/

 

[mootookang]

The main ways that I take care of my IEMs:

- Wrap the cable with the over-under technique, it lesson the memory build on wire.
- Use case when not in usage.
- Rotation, continuous usage will shorten the life all expendable products, limiting usage through rotation will help expand all of our inventory's lifespan.

 

[thegrudge]

mootookang, what exactly do you mean by rotation? turning and twisting the cable, or something else?
 
Anyway, thanks for the help, I guess I'll just get it over with and order those inears for when I'm on the move, and try to handle them with more care than with the crap products I've been using in the past

 

[TheGomdoRi]

I used to have the same problem but 2 solutions that worked for me were:

1. Purchased IEMs with detachable cables
2. Learned how to recable/reterminate

Problem is solved and more time to enjoy music

 
EDIT: I just thought of a good example which was pretty recent. One ear of my workout IEMs would get no sound for some reason, so I just split open the one side's housing carefully and snipped like 1cm of cable and resoldered to driver + and superglued the housing back. Saved like $20 lol right there.

 

[thegrudge]

Quote:

I used to have the same problem but 2 solutions that worked for me were:

1. Purchased IEMs with detachable cables
2. Learned how to recable/reterminate

Problem is solved and more time to enjoy music

 
EDIT: I just thought of a good example which was pretty recent. One ear of my workout IEMs would get no sound for some reason, so I just split open the one side's housing carefully and snipped like 1cm of cable and resoldered to driver + and superglued the housing back. Saved like $20 lol right there.

Do you reckon most IEMs (the RE0s I ordered in particular) can be opened to fix the cabling?
Any guides or tutorials would be appreciated. Can you buy these kind of audio cables for IEMs ? I assume it's not always just the connection that becomes broken

 

[TheGomdoRi]

Unfortunately, I have never seen the RE0s in real life, but by searching, I found they use dynamic drivers: http://www.head-direct.com/product_detail.php?p=38. Resoldering dynamics is really straightforward, I haven't attempted doing anything with BA drivers.
I am not sure how the RE0s are constructed but I'm pretty sure you can open the housing up [cleanly - this is relatively difficult depending on how they are constructed] and if you can, you can:

1. Shorten/modify stock cable
2. Reconnect driver to the stock cable
3. Re-cable the IEM all together
4. Re-terminate the cable (replacing the stock plug)
5. Replace drivers
6. Etc..
 
I don't have any links for reference at the moment but search around, there are tons of knowledgeable users here and great guides better than anything I could ever write.
Good luck

 
EDIT: It appears from the pictures the construction is 1-piece metal? or maybe 2-pieces? I cannot really tell, but perhaps some RE0 owners can step and share the info. But it's important you figure out how the housing is constructed and open the housing cleanly/carefully for a good final finish, instead of using muscles and prying/butchering the housing.

 

[rank08822]

Quote:

mootookang, what exactly do you mean by rotation? turning and twisting the cable, or something else?
 
Anyway, thanks for the help, I guess I'll just get it over with and order those inears for when I'm on the move, and try to handle them with more care than with the crap products I've been using in the past

I think he just meant rotating between your different IEM's so you give each of them some "resting" time.

 

[hojomojo96]

Seriously, just take care of them, and save the warranty papers.
 
I wrap them around 3 fingers, put them in whatever case was included or whatever I can find. Don't put them in your pockets, don't yank at the cable, and don't leave too much slack on the cable, so that it can't get caught on things while you walk.

 

[mootookang]

I think he just meant rotating between your different IEM's so you give each of them some "resting" time.

This is exactly what I mean. Try to not just search for one "be all" IEMs, instead search for maybe three IEMs that does things differently, you'll maximize your enjoyment and understand Hi-fi a lot better.

Of course, correct budgeting decisions are also very important, so try to do more research is very important.

 

[Young Spade]

I think he just meant rotating between your different IEM's so you give each of them some "resting" time.

This is exactly what I mean. Try to not just search for one "be all" IEMs, instead search for maybe three IEMs that does things differently, you'll maximize your enjoyment and understand Hi-fi a lot better.

Of course, correct budgeting decisions are also very important, so try to do more research is very important.

However jnow what you are buying before hand; in most cases it is better to have one good phone over 3 crappy ones.

1 Top tier iem > limitless number of mid or low tier iems that have different sound signatures.

If you dont have the money to shell out for more than one top tier, then spend that money and get the best you can get. Dont waste it on multiple "ok" IEMs or amps or anything like that. The headphones come first.

 

[thegrudge]

Thanks for the input. I will probably be sticking to one good IEM, and one good set of cans for now. I ordered the Head-Direct RE0's with some FiiO amp (I believe it was the 5), would you say this is a good idea? The IEMs will be used on my android phone (HTC Desire) while on the move. My VISA is currently maxed out, so I could still cancel the order before it gets through if I should get other gear
 
How does letting them rest help lifespan though? I mean, will rotating 3 pairs last you longer than 3x the lifetime of a single one?
 
I posted in the other gear advice thread for the actual headphones, the RE0 sounded like a pretty straightforward choice being ranked so high here on headfi...

 

[hojomojo96]

Simply put, the less often you use a pair, the longer it will last. So, if you rotate 3, and use them 1/3 of the time, then they will last "three times as long".

 

[Inks]

Use common sense when inserting and detaching (as in not pulling or pushing what may become prone to damage) and use the 2, 3 or 4 finger technique and place it in a solid case when not used. If you're on the go, I like to wrap it around my neck and leave the shells under my shirt when not in use.