lifespan of ety eartips?

[lucien]

okay, so here's the deal.

as some of you have read, i got some er4ps lately, and love them. i was using the white tips at first, but they hurt, so i eventually tried the foam ones, and they are perfect. much more comfy. frankly, the white ones were so bad i probably would have to return the phones if the foam ones weren't an option.

so i've been using them a lot, since i am overseas, and away from my normal stereo. and i notice that the foam tips i've been using, for only about a week, have permanently compressed at the end, and no longer seal very well in one ear. i swapped them for new ones and the problem is gone, but it seems to me that if i have to change the tips every few weeks with more normal use, these things are going to get mighty expensive.

any comments? can i buy the tips in bulk? will headroom take pity on me and ship me 100 pairs just for the hell of it? what do i do? i don't want to spend AUD$30 plus shipping on tips three times a year, especially after how much the phones cost in the first place. i love 'em and all, but the maintenance cost seems a bit outrageous. is there some way to extend the life of the foam tips, or soften the white tips so they don't dig into my ear canal?

what do you guys think?

lucien

 

[utdeep]

Keep trying to use the plastic tips. They hurt like hell for me for a while, but since I never even tried the foamies (sold them to JMT

) I had to adjust. I love them now! I've had mine for three months and the same tips are as good as new. I don't think they need to be replaced often (I don't think I'll replace mine for another 3-4 months).
The foamies are simply not cost effective IMHO. Especially with you being in Australia!!

 

[chych]

You can try heating the foamie like under a heatgun or a hair dryer, makes them last a little longer. Still, force yourself to use the white tips, they get softer over time and get more comfortable.

 

[tracylynn]

hi everybody

do filters for the ety such as black tips, green filters, white eartips and foam tips.. do they effect SOUNDS QUAILITY or just for different comfort levels

 

[Peddler]

Yes - the foam tips allow for a more 'airy' sound whereas the rubber tips offer more punch and dynamics in my opinion. Even the green filters have an acoustic property and you can tell if one gets contaminated suddenly.

Now I have my Ety's encased in custom earmoulds I'm hoping I won't have to change the filters anymore as they are more recessed now and unlikely to get contaminated with gunk.

I would definitely recommend trying the rubber tips again - they definitely produce a better sound once you get the fit right.

 

[chych]

Eh, I'd say it depends on how you hear... I really do not notice much difference between the rubber and foamie. I like the foamie more since it is more comfortable letting me relax more to the sound I guess, but I cannot tell a difference in sound quality.

 

[Tim D]

Depends on the ear I'd figure...but with rubber tips you want to make sure you don't smudge or bend the tip. The tube on the foam tips are rigid letting the full response of Ety's through.

The rubber tips can be just as good, but if you cram them into a corner or tilt them somehow or other, you can definitely malform the hole of the tip.

Likewise your bass and seal just depends on wheter you can get a good seal with either.

 

[lucien]

thanks - i'll keep trying with the white tips and see how i go.

 

[meithkiller]

In my case, the Ety foamies as well as foam earplugs tend to last longer if I keep my ears clean. Wax buildup seems to shorten the life of the foamies considerably. I always use Q-tips (cotton swabs) after I shower to clean out my ears (but not too deep!) and seldom get any wax out. If I don't shower for a couple of days (like when I'm backpacking or camping) I'll use a little bit of rubbing alcohol to moisten a Q-tip to clean out my ears. Maybe if you use a Q-tip moistened with a little bit of alcohol before you insert your foamies they might last longer. My foamies seem to last forever, I seldom change them.

-Keith

 

[Wes]

Don't overlook kwkarth's suggestion that products for cleaning earwax out of ears (I believe he mentioned Debrox by Bausch and Lomb.) can not only help keep those ear canals clean (the intended purpose of the product for hearing aid users, I suppose) but also soften, clean, and lubricate the white tips when used sparingly on them.

I'll also second the suggest that you persist with the white tips, lucien, because I too had some small discomfort that disappeared after a little time presumably because of desensitization of the skin inside my ears. I live far from the source too and was motivated to reduce the frequency of tip replacement.

If you must buy foamies, they are cheaper in bulk packs directly from Etymotic instead of in Headroom's smaller sales units. Of course, Headroom might be negotiable on this, too.

 

[sberger]

you might wanna try the large yellow foamies from etymotic. i find them incredible. i really didn't have any trouble getting a seal from the white tips, but the bass was somewhat dissapointing. i tried the black foamies, and could immedietetly hear improvement. then i read post about the larger foamies from etymotic, and for 10 bucks, decided to try 'em out. well, as far as im concered, it don't get better than this. and i don't think that my ears are all that large. but you crush these babys up and stick 'em in, and well, the sound is all that you expected and more when you decided to spring for these cans. so try em out, and see if that makes em cry for ya.

 

[bubbaj]

Peddler,
Where did you get your custom earmolds made?
How much did they cost?
Do they block outside noise better?
Do they sound different?
How long can you wear them before they become uncomfortable?

Thanks
bj

 

[BDA_ABAT]

RE: Tips: if the white silicone tips are causing you pain, check to see if they are the large white tips. I believe the large size is what is provided from Ety on the cans. But you can order smaller silicone tips from Etymotic for $14/5 pair (plus shipping).

Good luck!
Bruce

 

[Peddler]

The custom moulds cost me £50 but I'm having problems with them - one headphone refuses to stay in it. I'm currently waiting for some replacements which will hopefully resolve this problem. They do completely block out external noise to the point where when music is playing you wouldn't hear a jet taking off 50 yards away.

You do feel more bunged up with them than you would with the standard tips though.

They do improve the sound and certainly offer a more consistent sound quality - whether they are really worth the money is subjective as the Ety's do sound good without custom tips anyway.

I hope you find this useful.