Lifespan of IEM's

[redshifter]

so for a high end iem we're talking about ~us$250/year.

is this the same for the cheaper offerings from super.fi & ety?

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redshifter is this the same for the cheaper offerings from super.fi & ety?

I assume all IEM's are capable of a lifespan of 4 years. So a Superfi 3 is only $24 per year.

 

[LBC]

I was using my E3's during heavy interval training on my indoor bike - a very sweaty affair. Obviously sweat got into them and one of the drivers started working intermittantly, then stopped altogether. They were still under warranty and Shure sent me a new pair. But I won't do that again! And I certainly wouldn't do that with my ety's and my (soon-to-arrive) UE-10's! So they *say* you can use these when excercising - but that obviously has a limit. Word to the wise...

 

[warpdriver]

So it's definitely settled....excercise will prematurely shorten the life of your IEM's

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula I do agree on care being important with any product. However, I can only tell you what both UE and Sensa confirmed, 3-5 years. Some will fall out of that range on BOTH sides of the equation, which I'm sure they weren't real keen on pointing out. Given that neither has a warranty over one year, I'm assuming the figure they quoted is accurate.

I am pretty sure that sensa and UE get asked that a lot by people about how long the iem is going to last them. They sell a very expensive custom product and people want to know. If you twist their arms, they will speak. When I asked Jerry, he could not give me a definitive answer. They can only provide a guesstimate based on normal use. Normal use includes abuse to the product as well as neglect of proper maintenance. 3-5 years under those terms is exceptional.

I think 1 to 2 year warranty for headphones is pretty standard across the board. The warranty really does not give you a good indication of how long the product is going to last. Koss provides lifetime warranty. None of their stuff is really built like tanks. My MDR-V6 is a tank of a headphone and it had 1 year warranty oslt. My technics turntables came with 90 day warranty...yet in average they last more than 10 years. It really comes down to how long a company is willing to support the product.

It does not change the fact that Jerry Harvey told me that he still have one of his first iems in working condition and this is no rarity. This is why he hesitates so much to give an answer on how long IEMs last. Call him.

 

[UAndy]

For almost 12 years I use the Ety4s. Only once - after 3 years one channel became distorted. A matched one was sent from Ety at a reasonable price. I changed the green filters first once a year - which is much too often. I keep my ears rather earwax-free before inserting them and estimate a lifetime of about 4 years for the filters under these conditions. I don´t do sports with them so I have no experience how long they last then. Meanwhile my UE10 are 1 year old (under rather heavy use) and they work like on the first day. The issue of ear-canal changes hit me when I decided to get a custom mould for the Etys. I used these for about 4 years when I found out that the seal in one side wasn´t working anymore. Since then I use the 3-flanges. I must say however that the impression wasn´t done perfect from the beginning. So a guess might be that a minimum of 4-5 years is valid - depending on the age of the person. Probably with older persons changes are not due so often? So I will post you in 10 years from now to tell you if the UE10 still works

So until then
Greetings from Germany
uandy

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper994 Though it would be wise to be somewhat cautious when using the loop. I accidentally knocked the filter out in my E5s. Shure fixed it under warranty and had it back to me in record time, but it still sucked to be without them for a week.

I have never liked the "loop" cleaning tool. Either a replaceable filter is better or, being able to completely clean out the interior of the IEM.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UAndy So a guess might be that a minimum of 4-5 years is valid - depending on the age of the person. Probably with older persons changes are not due so often? So I will post you in 10 years from now to tell you if the UE10 still works So until then Greetings from Germany uandy

LOL, now that would be a real long term review.

-Ed

 

[BRBJackson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UAndy So I will post you in 10 years from now to tell you if the UE10 still works

Keep in miond that we'll all be getting direct brain transducer implants by then, so be sure to post your review in the 'Antique Equipment' section of the forum

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT It does not change the fact that Jerry Harvey told me that he still have one of his first iems in working condition and this is no rarity. This is why he hesitates so much to give an answer on how long IEMs last. Call him.

I've already spoken to both companies directly and had the 3-5 year typical life time confirmed. And I trust what the company actually says and will stand by more than anecdotal citations and consumer claims.

I think there's real danger of being a sunny optimist when it comes to product lives, particularly expensive ones that people want to last a long time. You can't just look at some IEMS being around a long time and assume that yours will last that long. There may be just as many that were meticulously maintained and died in less than 3-5 years. So again, I rely on the company to know what the true average is.

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula I've already spoken to both companies directly and had the 3-5 year typical life time confirmed. And I trust what the company actually says and will stand by more than anecdotal citations and consumer claims.

I have spoken with Jerry Harvey, founder, engineer, the guy who makes the custom stuff at UE. I also spoke with Dave @ Westone. With proper care and maintenace, your IEMs can last way over 6 years, even 10 years or more. Even if the lifespan is rated 3-5 years, the actual lifespan is something totally different. Let's not turn this into a flame war. I have heard this from my sources and they are credible. One thing to keep in mind that head-fiers will likely take better care of their IEMs and subject them to less abuse because they won't be used in a professional application and this will help with the life of the IEMs.

 

[Kurt]

My Sensas ProPhonic 2X lasted 8 months.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showp...50&postcount=4

Cheers

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT I have spoken with Jerry Harvey, founder, engineer, the guy who makes the custom stuff at UE. I also spoke with Dave @ Westone. With proper care and maintenace, your IEMs can last way over 6 years, even 10 years or more. Even if the lifespan is rated 3-5 years, the actual lifespan is something totally different. Let's not turn this into a flame war. I have heard this from my sources and they are credible. One thing to keep in mind that head-fiers will likely take better care of their IEMs and subject them to less abuse because they won't be used in a professional application and this will help with the life of the IEMs.

Great, when he offers a warranty comminserate with this great lifespan, let me know. He also might want to tell Mindy Harvey (which I assume is his current or former wife, and listed on the website as the co-founder of UE), as well as Mike Dias, to quote higher than a 3-5 year life. I won't hold my breath for the longer warranty or higher quote.

I've tried to discuss the concepts of lifespan, and the idea that while some may last longer then the stated life, some may last shorter, even with great care. It seems as though you're unwilling to look at both sides of the equation and dismissive of both Mindy Harvey and Mike Dias' (as well as Sensaphonics') statements on expected life, so this post is for others considering such a purchase. Don't expect a life greater than what a company promises and warrants. It's great if it happens, but I certainly wouldn't plan on or assume it.

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood I have never liked the "loop" cleaning tool. Either a replaceable filter is better or, being able to completely clean out the interior of the IEM. -Ed

That's probably why the E4 has replacable filters...

 

[Jasper994]

Just a few thoughts to add:

1) Most people buy a car and expect to only keep it for 3-5 years. On this purchase, they spend $$$$! This of course is not the case with everyone, but is true for a good many people. Consider also, how much more people spend on their car than is absolutely necessary for getting from point A to point B. If you look at a custom IEM in this light, then an expected life of only 3-5 years is not completely unreasonable. You're paying for the experience over a period of time.

2) Consider products in general: Many products fail shortly after their warranty period. Many on the other hand do not. In any case, you do the best you can to buy products that you think will last for a certain length of time, and hope for the best.

3) I have a pair of SR60s that crapped out (left driver) very shortly after the 1 year warranty period ended. I have a HD280 Pro that has a very cracked headband... I don't think the life of IEM's are necessarily less than that of regular headphones. I'm sure in either case (headphones or IEMs), there will be many that far surpass their warranty periods, and many that will not. In the case of IEMs, the scare here is that very few have been in the hands of an average consumer (if you can really call us average) for any real length of time. One thing that's really neat about Ultimate Ears is that they are fairly small still and are far more likely to just fix a product even if it's out of warranty than say Sennheiser.

4) Consider how much most of us spend in upgrades...

I'm sure a good number of people here lose more than $1000 in 3-5 years in upgrading, even if they're reselling the items.

These are definately expensive items, and as such, I'm sure we'd all like them to last a lifetime, but expecting them to is a little ridiculous. If the manufacturers are telling us they average 3-5 years, then you need to decide for yourself if the cost is worth the benefit... You'll get 3-5 years of excellent sound (hopefully more) for a certain price. If that price is too high, don't buy.