Working out and sweating on your IEMs?

[SnailsAndSlugs]

This sounds crazy, but for the last couple weeks I've been working out while wearing my SE-846s.  The manual says to keep them as dry as possible.  During the course of working out, I'll feel a few drops of sweat slide around the tips into my ear.  When I pull them out, the tip will be wet, but I'm pretty sure no moisture is actually getting into the sound hole.
 
I probably should not be doing this right?  
 
Has anyone ever damaged IEMs by sweating on them?

 

[Selenium]

I used to work out with my Sony MH1Cs, and eventually moisture getting into the housing resulted in one of the channels nearly completely going out. Happened to others here too. Drying them out brought the driver back though. So yeah, it could effect something. IMO they should just design these things knowing we're gonna be sweating on 'em at times.

 

[Spyro]

No, you SHOULD be doing that.  That's the whole point of IEM's/portable on-the-go listening.  I worked out with my $1,300 JH16's all the time.  That's why I bought them.  You just have to take some precautions and understand a few things.
 

1. Our ears do NOT sweat so as long as you have a seal, you cannot harm a BA driver.
2. When you are sweating....try to keep the IEM's in your ears.  The seal keeps the moisture OUT!   This is wear the problems arise.  When you take them out...sweat bleeds down towards your ear canal and when you re-insert the IEM you have a higher probability of introducing moisture into the drivers.  This is KEY.
3. Use a thick headband.  It will catch the majority of the sweat.  Just another precaution.   I do a 40-45 aerobic type workout with IEM's and have never had an issue with sweat.  And if you know working out and aerobics you know that after about 12 minutes you will start to perspire.  I have a Stairmaster and stationary bike so low impact, low microphonics.

 
I suppose dynamic drivers could be a bit trickier with open venting but I suspect it would not be that much different.

 

[SnailsAndSlugs]

  No, you SHOULD be doing that.  That's the whole point of IEM's/portable on-the-go listening.  I worked out with my $1,300 JH16's all the time.  That's why I bought them.  You just have to take some precautions and understand a few things.
 

1. Our ears do NOT sweat so as long as you have a seal, you cannot harm a BA driver.
2. When you are sweating....try to keep the IEM's in your ears.  The seal keeps the moisture OUT!   This is wear the problems arise.  When you take them out...sweat bleeds down towards your ear canal and when you re-insert the IEM you have a higher probability of introducing moisture into the drivers.  This is KEY.
3. Use a thick headband.  It will catch the majority of the sweat.  Just another precaution.   I do a 40-45 aerobic type workout with IEM's and have never had an issue with sweat.  And if you know working out and aerobics you know that after about 12 minutes you will start to perspire.  I have a Stairmaster and stationary bike so low impact, low microphonics.

 
I suppose dynamic drivers could be a bit trickier with open venting but I suspect it would not be that much different.

 
 
Thank you!  Those are my thoughts exactly.  F it, I bought these IEMs for precisely this sort of activity.  I have my Senns for the office.  And that's what I was thinking about the seal too: keep the seal, and sweat stays out.  But like I said, occasionally I'll feel a drop of sweat creep past the seal into my inner ear, but even then, the driver is keeping pressure  pushing outward, so I don't see how the sweat would creep up into the driver against the pressure.