[defbear]

you better not risk clogging the bass port with dust, like the used one I purchased. then again as long you don't take them to the beach or something you should be ok

I treat my ie800's like camping gear. Yank them in and out of bag, pockets. Wear them everywhere. If I take them out of my ears I might tuck the earpieces under my shirt, against my chest. No problems. No changes.

 

[0rangutan]

I treat my ie800's like camping gear. Yank them in and out of bag, pockets. Wear them everywhere. If I take them out of my ears I might tuck the earpieces under my shirt, against my chest. No problems. No changes.

Same here - they hold up just fine.

 

[loveiem]

Agreed tho they are the tanks of the iem world but I don't find the included silicone earbuds hold up. They get loose over time and no longer stay on the nozzle and the buds can get stuck in the ear canal!? However, I have found that Sennheiser has custom comply foam buds that fit the nozzle peefectly.Havent tried em tho!?

 

[audio123]

Agreed tho they are the tanks of the iem world but I don't find the included silicone earbuds hold up. They get loose over time and no longer stay on the nozzle and the buds can get stuck in the ear canal!? However, I have found that Sennheiser has custom comply foam buds that fit the nozzle peefectly.Havent tried em tho!?

snugs?

 

[AlexMills]

Agreed tho they are the tanks of the iem world but I don't find the included silicone earbuds hold up. They get loose over time and no longer stay on the nozzle and the buds can get stuck in the ear canal!? However, I have found that Sennheiser has custom comply foam buds that fit the nozzle peefectly.Havent tried em tho!?

 
They're not tanks at all. Saying this just to help. Put your fingers over the two tops bass ports, and see how the sound changes. Now look at those two bass ports and ask yourself how easily that will get clogged if you're not careful. Once it's clogged it's over. If you use a needle to unclog them you'll puncture a membrane making them bassy and ruining them. I purchased a used and completely real ie800 (took it apart to confirm) which had the clogging problem.
 
Mods please don't censor this comment. It's designed to help, and it's objectively provable. The messages saying the ie800 is a tank are dangerous and wrong.

 

[AlexMills]

P.S. my se846 and Roxannes actually are tanks. Literally regularly wear them in the drizzling rain with no problems, because they don't have any holes exposing their guts to the air.

 

[yangian]

  P.S. my se846 and Roxannes actually are tanks. Literally regularly wear them in the drizzling rain with no problems, because they don't have any holes exposing their guts to the air.

 
Your point can be well accepted. Build of IE800 is really not good, even not bad.
But even if it built like a tank also, for me, I'll not use a it in the rain or when I mow lawn etc.

 

[Dobrescu George]

  P.S. my se846 and Roxannes actually are tanks. Literally regularly wear them in the drizzling rain with no problems, because they don't have any holes exposing their guts to the air.

 
I'm 100% sure there is no headphone with zero opening, otherwise it would compress the ear membrane. Letting no air flow means that the eardrum is compressed by the air trapped inside the IEM body, would lead fast to hearing problems. 
 
So you're just trolling again. 
Another note, No one who wears SE846, Roxanne or ie800 in the rain isn't to be taken seriously, or ever considered fully in understanding over technology. 
 
I was curious if ie800 is safe to take outside of my room, not to do anything extreme with them. It's a IEM. A very expensive one. 

 

[HiFiChris]

 

  P.S. my se846 and Roxannes actually are tanks. Literally regularly wear them in the drizzling rain with no problems, because they don't have any holes exposing their guts to the air.

 
I'm 100% sure there is no headphone with zero opening, otherwise it would compress the ear membrane. Letting no air flow means that the eardrum is compressed by the air trapped inside the IEM body, would lead fast to hearing problems. 
 
[...]

 
Well, there are - CIEMs, most BA IEMs, Shure SE215, Logitech/Ultimate Ears UE200, Etymotic ER-4 series, ...
 
The key is just that one inserts them slowly and takes them out slowly (while simultaneously breaking the seal) as well in order to avoid physical damage of the ear drums.
Especially with deep fitting IEMs, a careful hand is required, as the seal is much deeper and stronger than with normal fully closed IEMs that have a "short" nozzle that usually seals before the first bend of the ear canal.

 

[Rob80b]

  I was curious if ie800 is safe to take outside of my room, not to do anything extreme with them. It's a IEM. A very expensive one. 

I've been pondering the same thing now that I'm using an authentic pair valued at $999 Canadian and not my $50 Chinese copy...not strictly pocket change as we say.

 

[Dobrescu George]

   
Well, there are - CIEMs, most BA IEMs, Shure SE215, Logitech/Ultimate Ears UE200, Etymotic ER-4 series, ...
 
The key is just that one inserts them slowly and takes them out slowly (while simultaneously breaking the seal) as well in order to avoid physical damage of the ear drums.
Especially with deep fitting IEMs, a careful hand is required, as the seal is much deeper and stronger than with normal fully closed IEMs that have a "short" nozzle that usually seals before the first bend of the ear canal.

 
That must be horrible... I mean... Really horrible. 
 
Imagine how one mistake, one wrong movement could break the ear drum, or leave bad hearing damage in that case. 
 
I imagines they have very small vent that would equalize the pressure. Imagining they would have absolutely no vents, is painful to imagine how they go inside.
 
I've never had a IEM without holes in it. Am quite happy with it this way. Would not want a IEM that can break my hearing, like if, say, I wrongfully get the cable and they are forced out of ears, thing that can happen while staying at desk and just browsing and doing a more brutal movement of mouse 

 

  I've been pondering the same thing now that I'm using an authentic pair valued at $999 Canadian and not my $50 Chinese copy...not strictly pocket change as we say.

 
Oh, those are the right questions 
 
It seems that for most people, ie800 is fine to be taken outside. 
 
I was most concerned about dust particles, air humidity, and heat / sun. Romanian summers are awful. 40 degrees Celsius on shade. imagine the temperature under direct sun light. 
 
I would also avoid exposure to cigarette smoke. Cigarette leaves a film on any surface, a slimy yellow-gray film made out of some fat acids, that can thicken the membrane, and affect the SQ severely. 
 
This is something to be avoided on any IEM / headphone. Cigarette smoke will destroy anything, even circuits, because that film is electrically conductive. 

 

[HiFiChris]

 

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 
Well, there are - CIEMs, most BA IEMs, Shure SE215, Logitech/Ultimate Ears UE200, Etymotic ER-4 series, ...
 
The key is just that one inserts them slowly and takes them out slowly (while simultaneously breaking the seal) as well in order to avoid physical damage of the ear drums.
Especially with deep fitting IEMs, a careful hand is required, as the seal is much deeper and stronger than with normal fully closed IEMs that have a "short" nozzle that usually seals before the first bend of the ear canal.

 

 
That must be horrible... I mean... Really horrible. 
 
Imagine how one mistake, one wrong movement could break the ear drum, or leave bad hearing damage in that case. 
 
I imagines they have very small vent that would equalize the pressure. Imagining they would have absolutely no vents, is painful to imagine how they go inside.
 
I've never had a IEM without holes in it. Am quite happy with it this way. Would not want a IEM that can break my hearing, like if, say, I wrongfully get the cable and they are forced out of ears, thing that can happen while staying at desk and just browsing and doing a more brutal movement of mouse 

 
 

 
Well, they are fully sealed and without any vents or de-pressuriser holes, mate. 

 
Sure, if you insert and take your IEMs out too quickly, damage can appear, but also keep in mind that the ear drum is much tougher than you might think (when diving and landing/starting a plane, the ear drums are also strained) and when the IEMs are normally deep fitting (before or at the ear canals' first bend), there is still an air buffer between the IEMs and the ear drum, so the likeliness of a damage is reduced.
And even with some deeply fitting IEMs (Etymotic as well as some CIEMs, if you are doing it slowly, the air has still enough time to escape (and get back in again when you take your IEMs out).
 
Sticking your fingers into your ears or removing listening protection (that is by the way also inserted past the 2nd bend) isn't that dangerous either if you are using common sense doing it, is it? 

 

[AlexMills]

lol @ breaking the eardrum by putting in a Roxanne or SE846 too quickly. I guess it's theoretically possible if you ram it in but no one has ever put an iem in like that.

 

[audio123]

will opening one's mouth helps during insertion? same logic as taking ciem moulds

 

[james444]

 
They're not tanks at all. Saying this just to help. Put your fingers over the two tops bass ports, and see how the sound changes. Now look at those two bass ports and ask yourself how easily that will get clogged if you're not careful. Once it's clogged it's over. If you use a needle to unclog them you'll puncture a membrane making them bassy and ruining them. I purchased a used and completely real ie800 (took it apart to confirm) which had the clogging problem.
 
Mods please don't censor this comment. It's designed to help, and it's objectively provable. The messages saying the ie800 is a tank are dangerous and wrong.

 
I'm 100% sure there is no headphone with zero opening, ...

 
I know you didn't mean it that way George, but since the most obvious opening in an IEM is the nozzle, you're 100% correct. 

 
Speaking of which, virtually all nozzles I've seen have some kind of filter / mesh protection which tends to get clogged over time by earwax. And any clogged nozzle filter in front of the driver has pretty much the same adverse effect as a clogged port or vent at the rear side of the driver, it changes the damping and hence the sound.
 
Now, would we call a nozzle filter "failed design" because of that? Certainly not, as users are supposed to keep it clean to ensure unimpaired operation of their earphones over time. So, why the huge fuss about a rear vent that might get clogged? Simply check it every time you check your nozzle filters and clean it carefully in the rare case that you'll find some dirt in there. Who says you'd have to use a needle for that and risk puncturing the membrane? Just handle it like you'd handle any other sensitive technical gear (e.g. a camera) and use a fine brush or a compressed air duster. Problem solved.