Just got inspired to ask after someone mentioned considering used IEMs. But would you consider them? It’s just, with IEMs the guck from your ear depending on how used really gets in there. Really stuck, more than being unhygienic it seems a bit yucky. Headphones makes sense as nothing goes inside and you wash the pads, but IEMs are a weird gray line
Sure why not… I’d use only new tips though… or my own tips. I always wipe down anything I buy used even if it looks clean with a cloth and isopropyl alcohol I guess maybe ask for photos of the nozzle if they seem suspect.
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I have before…but I’d never use the tips. I have a shoebox full of my own tips. I also go through a ton of hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, Q-tips and paper towels thoroughly cleaning them before I ever wear them.
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I’ve got a weird OCD about things like this, I’ve considered getting used headphones before but I’d really rather not unless the price was significantly marked down.
I mean, I wipe down my car’s steering wheel or console controllers after someone else uses them, so I might be an odd case. Lol
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I would buy used iems if it was from someone I know, but otherwise no
Although I would buy used customs and then send them off to go get reshelled
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right, the nozzle is the real concern
lol, yeah you are a bit of a even more unique case. how bout 200 dollars down? the iems
understandable, do you actually in general buy used headphones annd stuff?
Yeah, buying used is a great way to save some money, and with high end gear the risk is low because people tend to really treat that stuff well. Just depends on the product at hand and where you buy it from
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I mean, if they were $200 and marked down by $200 so I’d take them for free. Sure I’d take them. But I don’t think I’d be comfortable enough to use them. Lol
really? that much? where if you bought lets say an 800 dollar one and it could be bumped down to 600 you wouldn’t feel like you could buy them used?
Well, I don’t think I’d spend that much on IEMs anyway. At that price, I’d be considering headphones & would probably do some serious cleaning, and if new pads are 50 and headband another 50 or so, I’d rather just get a new set.
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The two iems which I’ve bought for myself and a friend were both technically obtained from the Facebook Marketplace, but both were either completely or 99% brand new–i bought my lyra iis at basically less than half the price while the previous owner never opened the seal of the box, while I bought a pair of Sennheiser IE40 Pros with it almost brand new. The owner literally bought it a day before and bought another pair of iems which suited his tastes more. The price wasn’t a substantial difference but since it was a day old I didn’t mind much.
But yes if you’re gonna buy used iems which are like used for a year or sth, the two main concerns for me would be hygiene and any hidden issues. You wouldn’t want to buy a second hand at a cheaper price only to realize later it had faulty issues.
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Boom. This^
Especially high end gear. Usually it’s taken care of, which is great. Sometimes, there’s a serious hidden issue, like intermittent driver cutout, a loose connector, channel imbalance, etc., that the seller doesn’t communicate and at that price, people are usually OCD, so they sell it.
I would, as others have said, just make sure it’s in good condition, from someone trustworthy if possible, clean it, then swap in new ear tips or ear pads.
It’s a good way to sample and save.
If you know what you absolutely want and like, buy new and bask in the warranty.
At this point I buy from people face to face with really high end stuff, but it can be pretty easy to get a really good deal online too. It just makes sense, and with most stuff anyway, you can’t even tell it’s used if it was taken care of for stuff like dacs and amps, and some speakers as well
Buying new also makes sense, as I would say buying lower end used is more of a risk for sure, and also if you plan on keeping something for life, go and buy new for sure (or if you think it would need warranty soon lol)
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