IEMs...How long do the tips last? How often do you replace the wax guards (Shure E2C)

[Canon]

I just got some Shure E2Cs for use on my daily commute on the BUS. They are great and are a real step up from the Sennheiser MX400 earbuds that I was using. Now I don't have to listen at dumb volumes.

Anyhow I was just trying to get an idea of how long the tips and wax guards last. I found the small ultra-soft flex sleeves to be the best fit for me.

Also on a somewhat related note... Will that shure level attenuator effect the sound? I'm using a Palm Tungsten E PDA as the source with Aero Player as the playback software. It is hard to adjust the volume since the PDA is in a case and thus innaccessable (especially in the winter months when I have a big coat on etc.)


Also is this site a good place to buy these accessories in Canada? http://www.sfm.ca/ears/accessories.html
I don't want to get ripped off.

Thanks for any advice you guys can offer. This place is awesome!

 

[BST07]

SF Marketing is the official Shure distributor for Canada. I bought a pack of foam sleeves from them and was charged at a reasonable price. I couldn't find any other stores that is within Canada that has it for the same price. I couldn't buy it from a US based store because the shipping and the possiblity of customs are not worth it.

 

[Nights_85]

if you're using any of the non foam tips, they should last essentially forever... unless you give them some really rough treatment. As for the wax guards, well I guess a good few months, keeping your ears clean will extend the life of those.

Its not really anything to be worried about because unlike the Etymotics (which will sound like you've killed the earphone if the wax filter is dirty) you'll still hear everything if there's a little bit of wax on the wax guard.

 

[Canon]

Ok. That's good news then.

How about the volume attenuator? Will this change the sound significantly?

 

[Nights_85]

volume up... volume down... I suppose thats significant.

Other than that Im not really sure, I suppose it would change some characteristic of the sound (changing the impedance of the load, in this case the earphone) but I doubt it's going to turn the sound of your e2c's into tin cans if thats what you're worried about.

all it is, is just a variable resistor put inline with your earphones. It'd be a MUCH cheaper DIY job if you wanted to do a little soldering, but if you're not into that sort of thing try looking at ebay you can usually find a better deal than retailers on the street or on the internet.

 

[Kenny12]

u went though a pair of wax guards every 2 mth or so

 

[ArcTeryx]

From my experience with the E2's and E3's.. the tips will last longer than the headphones, both of which developed cable problems in about 18 months but was quickly replaced under warranty by Shure.

 

[Canon]

Ok, thanks for the information guys.

So far i'm enjoying these e2s quite a bit. They have a very different sound than my Sennheiser HD570s without a doubt. I find the bass to be much tighter than the 570s but the highs seem a bit less (airy?) than the 570s. I'd have to say the midrange seems to be more up front than the 570s. It's not a bad portable solution though since I would never use my 570s away form home. The isolation is a godsent when riding on the bus though, I really enjoy that more than anything because now I don't have to have the volume as high and I can hear the details of the music much better than when I was using the Sennheiser MX400s.

I wouldn't reccomend the MX400s to anyone to be honest. They lack any real bass response unless your player produces a ton of bass (which my PDA does not). They come out of my ear all the time (especially in the cold winter months when the cord gets stiff). I'd describe the sound as somewhat shrill.

I'm glad I got these E2Cs, it's a huge step up and having the cord routed behind my back is really nice as it keeps the cord completely out of the way.

 

[etherealbeats]

I use Etymotic ER-4P's and the eartips are of a similar material which last pretty much forver. The only time they should be changed is when they kind of go yellow after like months or even years.

I've heard that the wax filters on the ER-4P's block sound more then the Shure filters, in that case you should hardly ever have to change the Shure filters, because I change the ER-4P filters about every 6 months and even then they are not really blocked. You should only have to change them once a year or at most twice a year.