[qscq]

My little story,

I had used my e4's for several months, maybe 5, just using the wax cleaning tool. But then sound faded on the left monitor and it produced much lesser amount of sound.

I took off the nozzles, put them into a glass of water with non-alcholol based dish washing liquid (ie. fairy, stir it in the water, not in the nozzle) for few hours (remember to pop out the air bubbles with toothpicks that are inevitably appearing in the nozzle so that the water/fairy can reach the filter). Then I "shot" warm water through them for couple of minutes from both entrances to remove the fairy and wax. After that I dried them with paper and toothpicks carefully from inside ( Using toothpicks you can actually dry the filter with paper for faster drying time, but be careful not to brake the filter).

I tried them after few hours and the sound came with low volume. I waited all in all about 8hours and then... Both monitors produced same amount of sound, more then either one of them did before (as I can recall). This makes me happy of being a shure owner. I have done this three times and I think it needs to be done once for every two months at least ( for me anyway ).

And I was shocked about the sound quality difference, before and after cleaning. Lesser volume was enought, the sound in general became much more open and pleasing.

EDIT: I had to repeat this process yesterday as the sound didn't open up and balance in the middle properly after cleaning at the day before yesterday. Rich man would maybe buy new nozzles every now and then but not me! I find this sound position(left,middle,right ear)/volume differences to be the worst con of IEMs' with the significant loss of SQ.

I wonder why I hardly noticed any mentions about shure earphones' nozzles becoming an issue. Everyone just buy new ones?

I have read that cx300 ( and others? ) doesn't have removable filters/nozzles. How have its designers solved this situation which accured with my shure E4's? ( for E4 you can buy new nozzles of course, but I would have to order them from abroad = expensive and hard work ).

EDIT: PS: This is cleaning trick for shure E4. I don't know which other earphones can be treated same way. Maybe they should all be posted here.

 

[zerodeefex]

Hmm, this is really interesting. I don't produce very much earwax, and if I do, it's more of the harder, more consistent kind, but I just got a pair of E4g's and I am going to bookmark this thread so I can try it out in a couple of months

 

[qscq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zerodeefex /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmm, this is really interesting. I don't produce very much earwax, and if I do, it's more of the harder, more consistent kind, but I just got a pair of E4g's and I am going to bookmark this thread so I can try it out in a couple of months

I have never had any visible wax in the nozzle that I couldn't have removed with wax cleaning tool (which I lost recently, using toothpicks now, does the trick).

 

[Shurado]

Everytime I use the wax cleaning tool, nothing comes out and I've own my Shure for about three months now. I'll probably take it apart and wash them like you did to make sure.

 

[Lpe_91]

.

 

[Lpe_91]

A tip (maybe unnescessary) would be to carefully clean your ears before use so that you don't fill upp them poor phones with wax!

 

[Shurado]

Well, some people could use some reminding.

 

[Ahobaka]

Thanks for the cleaning trick, I'll try that out tomorrow.

About cleaning your ears. There's something called "ear-candles" here in Sweden that you can buy at some healthcare stores. Basically they're just a pipe made of some sort of wax/paper-combo and have a filter in them a bit above one of the ends inside the pipe itself.

So you lit up one end and put it in your ear while laying down on your side (be sure to get a good seal or it won't work that well ) and let it burn slowly till it reaches a red mark on the pipe (about 5cm from the end) and just put it into a glass of water afterwards. Works wonders as it creates a chimney-like effect, taking out pretty much any earwax you may have. If you want, you can unfold the pipe and see what treasures you've dug out. You're in for quite a suprise to say the least

They cost quite a bit (100 SEK for 2. That's about $15) though but they sure do their thing. One ear-candle per ear/month works quite well for me.

 

[srozzman]

those have been proven to be both dangerous, and not work

 

[qscq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lpe_91 /img/forum/go_quote.gif A tip (maybe unnescessary) would be to carefully clean your ears before use so that you don't fill upp them poor phones with wax!

If you didn't notice from my previous messages, "visible" wax isn't the problem.

I don't believe that anyone but some person who doesn't generate earwax at all wouldn't have this "problem". Problem it is, whatever it's identified or not. Some people may experience it in a lesser degree. But throught months the chances to SQ happen slowly.

Once I wondered was this sound the one I used to hear, was my hearing damaged because I had to raise volume bar up few steps compared to the time when I got them. Ultimately I discovered the problem by chancing nozzles because my left monitor produced lesser amount of sound then the right one. After chance, both produced the same amount of sound and LOUDER.

I refer to this matter as a problem because that's how I experience it. Of course there are solutions ( new filters, nozzles ).

You know the rest.

 

[RasmusseN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by srozzman /img/forum/go_quote.gif those have been proven to be both dangerous, and not work

I've heard this

 

[pentachris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahobaka /img/forum/go_quote.gif There's something called "ear-candles" here in Sweden that you can buy at some healthcare stores.

Here in America, we have a similar product for a different application, which I've heard is just as effective at what it does(n't do) as the ear candle is at what it does(n't do).

 

[Ahobaka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by srozzman /img/forum/go_quote.gif those have been proven to be both dangerous, and not work

Ear candles? From my expirience they seem to work pretty well. They're only dangerous if you're alone and not careful. Surely they're overpriced, but if there's any easier and/or more effective way of doing it, I'm all ears (no pun intended *cough*

).

Edit: Haha, wow... that link in your post pentachris. "ButtCandles™ are an exciting, and time honored, device for internal cleansing." Oh god.

 

[TonySunshine]

Hey just a heads up
Theres a little green filter in the nozzle, so when you guys are cleaning be careful not to dislodge it as it affects the sound significantly if you don't have it

 

[Shurado]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonySunshine /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey just a heads up Theres a little green filter in the nozzle, so when you guys are cleaning be careful not to dislodge it as it affects the sound significantly if you don't have it

Yea, I think that's what happened when I tried to clean it earlier today. Good thing Shure includes two spares.