IEMs/Earbuds for the rain/snow?

Submitted by Deucerobin2 t3_10n1iuw in headphones

I'm having a bit of a dilemma.

It's been snowing a lot lately and so I wanted to buy some IEMs so I could listen to music on the go. My logic was that IEMs wouldn't be affected by the rain considering that they're... y'know... in your ears...

I scoured various threads on the topic and there seems to be absolutely no consensus. Half of the threads are "Definitely do not do that EVER, you will regret it for the rest of your LIFE" and the rest are "yeah dude it's totally ok" so if someone can give me an idea on if IEMs are safe in bad weather I would be thankful.

I'm eyeing up Arias and Katos to be specific.

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Meeerc t1_j67k4lb wrote

I can't recommend Arias and Katos for cold weather. Their metal shells make them very prone to condensation issues. Clogged filters from moisture is already a common issue even in room temperature. Snowy weather might chill the metal shell enough for condensation to form internally, and who knows what damage that's gonna cause.

Rain/snow is going to be risky for any IEM not build for active use, so just get some budget IEMs you can afford to break. The budget market is moving really fast these days and you can get Aria quality IEMs for less than half its price.

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vext01 t1_j67mxc3 wrote

Agreed. Also inserting cold metal into the ear isn't nice.

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David_1276 t1_j66g1rc wrote

From my own experience, some IEMs are susceptible to liquid damage, but most aren't, at least to a realistic degree. You hear stories of people damaging their brand new $800 pair with a little liquid but I've used more than 10 different pairs, all from different manufacturers in fairly heavy rain for relatively short periods (30 minutes or so) and they've been unaffected. Heck, I once put a pair of SE215s in the wash by accident and they still work today, albeit they are 10 years old and have had a little tlc over the years lol. Some come with IP ratings, so if you want to be on the safe side I'd look for a pair with a similar sound profile to what you're looking for with that added protection if you do need to use them all day in bad weather.

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Capid1 t1_j66fmze wrote

Considering the 2 pin or mmcx connection isn’t rated for weather/water resistance I’d say look at TWS with an IPX4 (minimum) rating.

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FastGecko5 t1_j66jzoe wrote

I've been using IEMs in all sorts of weather for years lmao

I even work out in mine and never had a problem. The concerns are overblown.

I mean an absolute downpour? Probably not a good idea. Light to moderate precipitation? Probably fine.

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CrusaderNINE t1_j66vgbn wrote

Presumably, you'd be wearing a hat and/or hood? Can't imagine a stray drop or two would ruin everything.

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vext01 t1_j67mv9c wrote

Some iems have vents that would allow moisture in.

Moondrop iems are also known to have a spongy filter that is a moisture magnet.

I'd get something really cheap for snow usage, the if the snow breaks them, no big deal. It would be a shame to ruin an expensive set of katos.

One of the £20 offerings like salnotes zero, trn mt3 etc.

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