[F700]

Hello everyone,

Do you own a DAP, a pair of headphone/earphone, speakers, a CD-Player, etc... that you want to take good care of? I mean, something that is important to you in your audio chain? Yes? I am here to help you taking good care of your beloved equipment.

Even if this thread seems odd at first sight/read, I am here to give ideas and tips about how to preserve the "precious" one(s) of yours. Yes, I am an auto-proclaimed expert in "taking extreme good care of audio equipment", almost in a fetishist way, even if I cannot guarantee that faulty electronic or piece of mechanic might not appear sometimes. No-one can do anything against it. These are the rules and so is life also.

Don't hesitate to contact me, it's completely free of charge. You take no risk, because no dangerous substance will come into play. All of your gears can be cleaned and maybe improved via simple yet regular maintenance (done by yourself, of course). This is what I am offering. Advice and easy-to-apply solution for everyone.

The only thing I am not covering with advices are vinyls, turntables and very specific gears I have no experience with. I have vinyl and a turntable, yes, but I let that to my 77 y.o. audio-specialist based in my village.

Please apologize for my somewhat broken english, this is not my mother tongue. My name is Julien Fardel, I am 40 y.o., living in Zurich, Switzerland, audio fanatic since 1987 (yes, it's true, I was 7 y.o. back in the days) and I learned from my father that taking good care of what/who we like, human or object, is the second step to respect ourselves. The first one is being sure we are feeling well ourselves. We all know where charity starts from, do we?

I am not expecting this thread to get much attention, but if I can help just one person, yes, just one, then it has been worth it.

Last but not least, people like me, lurking around on HF, please join me if necessary. We share the same hobby, the same passion for music. Why not sharing expertise about how we take good care of our gears?

This thread is for everyone who needs advice and who want to give advice in taking care of audio equipment.

With my best regards,
Julien

 

[F700]

First basic advice. Get some professional tissue to protect DAP, amp, dac and/or to clean greasy fingers marks from IEM, daps and other devices. These kind of tissues are just amazing: https://www.digitec.ch/de/s1/product/doerr-101036-microfaser-tuch-kamerareinigung-5806345 There are other kinds of tissues worldwide, but be sure to get the ones that are not leaving scratches on any kind of surface

 

[F700]

Obvious maybe, but owners of headphones with leather pads, don't forget to take good care of them. I used to own Audeze products and their cleaning solution gave me satisfaction.

 

[F700]

So, from now on, I am at your disposal for any request or question. If someone has interesting inputs, please post them in here. One can be surprised as question, which seems basic at first, can lead people to think again and then inspire others, and so on... this statement is valid for proactive input as well.

Yes, I am a crazy audio guy, deal with it

Happy week-end guys and girls

 

[baskingshark]

Thanks for this post. Hope we can all learn from each other, would be keen to learn from some of the others here too on how they care for their gear.

Just to give my 2 cents, YMMV:
1) I always keep my IEMs in hardcases/pouches when not in use (and the cable coiled up). I ever kept one IEM in a pants pocket when I was young and noob, and the cable died a few weeks later after I had an awkward sit on it. I left another IEM on a table once, and when I came back, I found my dog chewing on it like a toy sigh. So when not in use, they all go into a box of some sorts.

2) I also try not to use IEMs when in a humid or sweaty environment, especially for BA type drivers. They seem a bit sensitive to humidity compared to DDs. DDs seem a bit more hardy in my experience, but I'll still try not to use them when sweaty. On the same vein as humidity, I try to keep my desktop amps and DACs well cooled and aerated, to try to improve heat dissipation as an expert once told me that electronics hate heat.

3) Maybe also I would recommend not to charge and use DAPs at the same time.

 

[dogtagkz]

Would like to share too. I used to be a roadie, and if you are the kind of enthusiast that spends a lot of dollars on cable, cable care is important.

Here is a technique to properly wrap (roll) you cable. I do this for anything cables that I have in my household.

Note: Small diameter cables maybe a tad hard to roll, practice makes perfect.





Good luck!

 

[F700]

@baskingshark and @dogtagkz Thank you for your valuable information, that’s the spirit!

 

[noplsestar]

Here a link to a product that might come in handy for the stacking guys. I use this gel pad called nano cling adhesive for years to „put together“ my DAP and my portable amp as I am using them without protective case or leather case. Works wonderfully. No problem with temperature and it’s very easy to cut it in smaller pieces too if needed. Also, and that’s why I post it here, the two surfaces don’t scratch together when in the pocket!

https://www.clingadhesives.com/

 

[F700]

You are making my day guys! In just a few posts you already have contributed to make this thread very useful for a lot of HF members. Thanks!

I am posting something special in a few hours. Some of you will laugh, thinking I am out of my mind, but others might learn something, who knows?

 

[F700]

Today, I would like to talk about a very basic yet essential topic. It regards the maintenance of the most important piece of gear ever...your ears. Yes, I see some of you raising eyebrow and ending the read here. Fair enough. You might know how to take good care of your ears, that would not be surprising

For those who want to gather information about a proper way to keep their ears clean and, by extension, keeping their IEM tips and stem tidy, feel free to read these lines. Please share your opinion, positive or negative, or ask questions afterwards.

I could post a youtube video and call it a day. But, hey, I am not that kind of guy. I will tell you how I take care about my ears, on a daily basis, but also in special occasions, the old-school way.

1) Q-tips are ok to clean the outer ear, but not the inner ear. I have stopped pushing the wax/cerumen with Q-tips deeper in my ears since 15 years, after I had a conversation about it with my doctor. Believe it or not, I don't have any issue with wax/cerumen since then, but my audition has been improving over the years. I am maybe more focused on sounds due the hobby of ours, but I doubt this is the only explanation. I have been through a professional and extensive audition test in March 2020 and the result was clear, perfect audition like a 20-years old individual. The guy running the test told me that this is not something exceptional per se, but it's not something he sees everyday. A bit of luck (DNA)? Yes probably, my 63-years old father also has a very good hearing, but this is not the only explanation. I am also quite myopic, -7.5 dioptre on both eyes, since 1996, and I tend to believe that other senses improved over time, in order to bring balance in the whole spectrum. I cannot prove that, and I am not trying to, it's just a feeling.

2) Wash your ears with water and a bit of neutral soap under the shower. Just a bit of soap, ok? Rub the external ear, especially the "scapha" and the "cavum" and slowly, carefully massage the entrance of the inner ear. Then wash the inner ear with the shower on the softest possible mode. If you cannot do it because the pressure is too high, do it with your hands, but gently. Be sure all of the soap is gone. Then, tilt your head on both sides and be sure the water inside your ears is gone. Use your fingers if necessary.

3) Use your towel to dry your ears. Do it gently, but don't hesitate to go inside your ear to dry it as good as you can, without forcing too much.

4) Take your hair-dryer. Set it up on the lukewarm indicator and choose the middle power output. Start with a 20cm distance and adapt if necessary. You need to feel the "heat", but not too much. It's not about drying the inner ear at its maximum, but to have your ear-canal properly washed and drying by itself in the following hour. In your ear, there is skin (obviously) and this drying process requires approx. 45 minutes. Not need to say, that it would suboptimal to insert any IEM in your ears during the drying process.

5) Fine-tuning: make a slow and delicate circular movement with your little-finger around the ear-hole, so that you take all potential residues away.

What a process you might think. This guy is mad, it's not worth the time, etc... Yes, it takes time and dedication. I like the statement about the fact that your audio chain sounds as good as the worst element of it. Well, start with your ears and get busy with the rest afterwards.

Alright, that was about daily care. Now, I very briefly would like to talk about bi-annual "ear-maintenance". It's very easy. Go to the pharmacy and ask for a wax/cerumen removal solution. Within 15 minutes and following the instructions from the solution you got, your ears should be perfectly clean by now.

Last but not least, take care of your tips and stem. Remove cerumen on a weekly basis. You can even remove the tips and apply a lukewarm humid-tissue on top. Never wash your tips, just moisten them just a bit and dry them right away.

Important reminder: Cerumen is a natural substance generated by our body in order to protect the inner ear. Trying to remove it in full is 1) impossible and 2) not a good idea, because cerumen exists for a reason. Some people suffering from excessive cerumen secretion might need to consult an audiologist.

Thanks for your time reading this. I am leaving you tonight with a song from an incredible french artist:

 

[F700]

Problem with removing MMCX connectors? Get this in order to not destroy your connectors.

I use it myself and it works.

 

[baskingshark]

Problem with removing MMCX connectors? Get this in order to not destroy your connectors.

I use it myself and it works.

Yes this is the best investment i made. I generally had more problems with mmcx in terms of longevity than 2 pin connectors. This removal tool is a godsend for tight mmcx. Though it can't remove certain mmcx connectors that the device can't reach into eg westones where the connector is blocked by the shell design.

 

[doushi]

@F700 Thank you for the post about ear cleaning. I just got fearless audio S8Z iem that got no mesh! Need to keep my ear clean to prevent damaging the iem.

 

[baskingshark]

@F700 Thank you for the post about ear cleaning. I just got fearless audio S8Z iem that got no mesh! Need to keep my ear clean to prevent damaging the iem.

I would recommend some mesh cover to prevent wax and other debris from entering the shell. It's a few cents on Aliexpress and on many other stores, something like this:

It doesn't change the sound signature and costs a few cents only. Good insurance in case crap falls into the IEM shell. Just measure the diameter of the IEM nozzle before hand as they come in various diameters. And just get from the cheapest shop, they are about the same, search for something like "dust network".

 

[doushi]

I would recommend some mesh cover to prevent wax and other debris from entering the shell. It's a few bucks on Aliexpress and on many other stores, something like this:



It doesn't change the sound signature and costs a few cents only. Good insurance in case crap falls into the IEM shell. Just measure the diameter of the nozzle before hand as they come in various diameters. And just get from the cheapest shop, they are about the same, search for something like "dust network".

Thank you! Didnt know these thing exist. Do I stick it to the opening with some kind of adhesive?