Other maintenance tools
Cleaning, brushing and vacuuming probably seems like far more maintenance than you’ve ever done – and are likely to do in future. But believe it or not, there’s even more you can do to keep your IEMs clean and healthy for the long haul.
If you live in hot, humid climates, or take your IEMs to the gym, or use them for performing, or use them in the shower (just kidding, but if you do, don’t!), then there’s every chance moisture will find its way inside the shells and potentially damage the internals through corrosion.
The first and most obvious defense against moisture build-up is to keep your IEMs stored in a cool, dry place, inside a sealed container or case, with a bag of silica desiccants to wick any excess moisture away. This may or may not suffice, however, especially if you have multiple IEMs to look after. In that case, there’s this…
FIR Audio IEM Dryer and Dryer Pro. For the same price as an IEM Vac ($199) and IEM Vac Pro ($299) respectively, FIR Audio also sells the IEM Dryer and IEM Dryer Pro. Both of these products, which resemble clear Pelican cases, are essentially mini dehumidifiers, working with a small powered heating fan to extract any moisture from the IEMs you seal inside.
The Pro version is larger, and has a battery-powered digital display on the lid showing temperature (in Fahrenheit and Celcius) and humidity percentage. Both versions are supplied with a USB-C charging cable and inline timer so you can pre-set the amount of drying (two to three hours recommended), and a USB travel charger for power. You can also use both devices with a 2A power bank if you’re travelling somewhere without a power outlet.
The other big difference between the regular and Pro versions is the number of IEMs (and attached cables) they hold. The regular version holds a maximum of two IEMs and cables, while the Pro version holds up to seven. Anyone with a larger collection of IEMs, say more than five, will find the extra $100 on the Pro version to be money well spent, not just in time saved but also in the useful digital display.
In my experience, the IEM Dryer Pro is exceptionally well-built, as you’d expect from a FIR Audio accessory. The case is very robust, the interior is lined with a soft rubberised coating to prevent any scratches to your expensive gear, and while I can’t vouch for how effective (or necessary) IEM drying is in practice, I’m happy to take Bogdan Belozhonko’s word for it – he’s never let me down.
Closing thoughts
Cleaning and maintaining your IEMs is the least you can do to protect what for most people is a sizeable investment. If you think you’re one of those ‘special people’ who don’t need to maintain their IEMs, do yourself a favour and use a UV light to look inside the nozzle…
The good thing is that maintenance is really easy to do, and not too expansive – relatively speaking – to do it really well. The same cleaning and drying tools covered in this article are used by touring musicians, who make up the bulk of business for both 64 Audio and FIR Audio, so you can rest assured they’ll be more than good enough for casual users and enthusiasts like us.
The hardest part, as with everything in life, is to find the discipline and get into a routine of regular maintenance. If you do so regularly, even just basic cleaning with the pick tool and alcohol wipes, you’ll be most of the way there to keeping your IEMs in good shape. For those heavier users, or those with wax build-up, or those living in hot and humid places, taking the next step to vac and dry your IEMs makes sense.
Any maintenance is better than no maintenance, and even if you opt for cheaper cleaning products than those mentioned here, that’s better than nothing at all. If you want guaranteed, proven quality, however, I’d highly recommend buying these tools from the professionals who use them every day for a living.
