Interesting perspective. My Traillii comes with me places, so it's used in a portable fashion without issue.
I'd like to look into photopolymer and how it ages in more detail. Do you, or anyone else for that matter, have any sources of information on this?
I have resin-shelled IEMs that are 7 years old and still hold up perfectly fine, so I think cracking "simply because of age" would be an exaggeration. But, I think all of this really boils down to a matter of perspective. I agree with
@Liberatus's points that it's healthy for the market to want more and demand more for your money. It's why I tend to be fairly harsh on brands for their packaging and build quality - their higher-end offerings, especially - if it isn't up to snuff. The last thing I'd want is for companies to feel comfortable compromising and giving consumers the bare minimum. But, at the same time, there's your perspective where maybe the consumer doesn't want those extra bells-and-whistles.
Personally, what's most important to me is that we all enjoy the purchases we make and feel happy about them, but I think that can (and should) be done without letting their shortcomings slide. It wasn't too long ago that I basically yelled at Eletech to better the packaging for their Iliad (which 100% of its buyers, to my knowledge, had no issues with), and they did just that with their new Aeneid. So, I think it's good for the consumer to be vocal and not just defend the brands' decisions all the time. Critique can range from
valid to
unrealistic, and so can credit. Most of the brands I've talked to even welcome it, so they know where to improve. On the other hand, though, it's also dependent on what the consumer values and cares about. So, it's still very much subjective at the end of the day. But, I do feel it's important to have that balance; hover around it, at least.
Hey no argument here.
I am an artist and I work with many materials including resin. I can confirm it is expensive, not easy to work with, you need a high level of skill, and attention to detail. It is a process that involves many steps, including making molds, using a vacuum chamber, and afterwards machining.
By my definition of Artisan that process checks all the boxes.
The thing about the processes you described, though, is that every reputable IEM brand can pretty much do that. Of course, there are varying degrees of quality, but being able to make resin shells is pretty much a given in this industry; the
bare minimum I'm describing above. What
@Liberatus is talking about with his definition of
artisan is going above-and-beyond what everyone else can do, because you're also charging above-and-beyond what everyone else is. The common consensus is that the Trailli is the best-sounding IEM on the market, so it ticks that box there. It ticks the
cable box too with the 4-wire 1960s. But, again, just like it is when handing out critique, I think it's important to be realistic when giving credit as well.