Klipsch X1 (S2) review

[astroid]

I got these the other day , out of the S4 and these i liked the 'bullet' design of the X1 better.
I havent heard the S4 so i cant compare but i do have the Custom 1 + 2. I could tell straight away that the X1 were no match for the Custom 2, they didnt have quite the detail or the smooth tight bass so i will be comparing mainly to the C1s.

Just so no one is confused the X1 i bought from Amazon is the S2 but in different packaging and exclusive to Amazon. It is £24.99 at the moment and i can say already that this is a major bargain.
Also the cable is mich better than the custom series , no microphonic issues and no fraying!
On the comfort front the S2 also fair better with my ears, the custom series have a habit of changing sound with jaw movements but the S2's seal in much more stable.

I will be doing my A-B in the next 3 hrs so i will update very soon, so far im impressed!

[astroid]

Update :

3hrs of my favourite tunes and the X1 has impressed me a lot.

Soundstage on the X1 is pretty good, on a par with the C1 at least maybe a little wider.
Rather than assesing the usual hi/mids/low I choose tracks that cover the genres I listen to.

For acoustic stripped down music I listened to two gallants and Emmy the great. The X1 didn't fair as well as the C1 here, the C1 has a crisper presentation with more detail, the reverb on guitars is a little long and thick on the X1.
Vocals are equally balanced with the X1 having a slightly warmer tone.
Both the C1 and the X1 are perfectly adequate with this genre but the C1's more detailed delivery wins out.

For Rock I used Holes 'live through this' and White lies.
This was easy , the X1 destroyed the C1.
The X1 really reminded me of my SR80i but with a wider soundstage, it has I similar warmth and timing was spot on.
Courtney loves gravely vocals on violet were alive and growling on the X1 , the C1 were unconvincing on this genre , there is a distance in the sound that stops it from really moving you, the bass is also quite weak on the C1 and bass lines on some tracks was barely audible.
The X1's rock hard.

Next up was some electronica and hip hop.
First up was daft punk's discovery, on one more time the bass on the C1 didn't have the impact required to really drive this tune and I quickly swapped to the X1. Ahhhhh that's better , bass kicks on these!
Bit of Eminem next and the C1 is frankly rubbish at this , again the lack of bass is killing the pace of the track.
X1 wins easily.

I already knew that the C1 was not good at certain genres and I use them mainly for acoustic / jazz and classical but it wasn't until I heard the X1's that I realized just how much bass is simply missing!
The X1 is not perfect , bass is a little flabby and some high freuency detail is masked by the forwardness of the mids, but I am sure this will improve a little with burn in.
As they are I would pick up the X1's 9/10 times over the custom 1's as they are more comfortable and suit my tastes better.

[mark2410]

interesting review

[astroid]

These have now had over 20 hrs and the bass has tightened up nicely, these things are really good, i tested them today with some classical and they performed much better than the day i bought them , the high end has extended and i think i may have to buy a back up pair while they are still cheap.

[astroid]

Guys these are down to £19.99 now, this is a major bargain IMO.

Klipsch Image X1 Headphones: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

[ChroniCali]

Thanks for the review, maybe some good work out buds.

[timmyGCSE]

Originally Posted by astroid

Guys these are down to £19.99 now, this is a major bargain IMO.

Klipsch Image X1 Headphones: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

aww I'm a sucker for a bargain..what do I dooooo?

edit: order them of course! Order place

[mark2410]

argh i know ill never use them but i want to buy them anyway

[timmyGCSE]

Originally Posted by mark2410

argh i know ill never use them but i want to buy them anyway

I'll probably get them, hold on to them for a week, and offer them to you for a tenner haha! naa we'll see how they fare..for £20 I couldn't resist

[mark2410]

lol

[CENTRAL]

For 30 euros, I think I' ll give these a try, expand my experience a bit and get hold of the Klipsch gels to use with my etys, he, he!

Thank you Amazon!

[timmyGCSE]

I just got mine and had a 10 minute listen..quickie impressions.

comfortable, though oddly I had to use the large flanges when always I've used medium..god knows what someone with bigger canals than me would do. isolation is excellent, really excellent - the oval tips work well for me and provide better isolation than the SE530's. Most comfortable worn over the ears but thats the case with all my IEM's so YMMV.
They look very sleek and the build quality is good, they look alot more expensive than they actually are. You get 3 sized flanges (which for me appears to be medium, small and tiny but I'm sure klipsch will say large medium and small) and a little cloth bag to put them in.

well perhaps my impressions were tainted by the fact that I'd just had a 2 hour blast on my SE530's before listening to these but immediately I noticed the mids recessed, lacking in energy I would say - the detail in the mid range is muffled too and its hard to pick out instruments sometimes. Bass is good, the best attribute of these phones..goes nice and deep and slams pretty hard, perhaps a bit boomy but I'm guessing they will settle down with burn in. Treble doesn't feel harsh, gives a bit more sparkle than the SE530's.

Overall I quite like these phones..there is no comparison between them and the SE530's but then there is a £200 price difference also. The cheapest rival I own is the Goldring GX200's which were £15, I haven't listened to them in about a month but from memory the X1's win on comfort hands down but the Goldrings sound better, there is much more to the mid range with better detail and seperation. Am I pleased with my purchase? yes, for £20 they are worth it. Would I spend more on them? for the build quality yes, for the sound no, I feel in the £30+ price bracket there would be better offerings..the SF3's were £55 with a discount but sound in a different league. though give me these over SE210's any day..I recommend anyone thinking about buying the shure's buy these instead, just as comfortable, better isolation, 10x better sound

I'm expecting some Meelecs M6's sometime next week so I will be able to compare them to these also

[astroid]

Small update :

It's been a long time since an earphone has surprised me , the pk3 was the last one I think. The x1's detail and imaging are truly fantastic , burn in has calmed the over zelius bass and the treble has come forward nicely but it is the width and precision of the soundstage that makes me smile.
I have been listening to the new beatles masters a lot this last few weeks and abbey road really loves these iems, let it bleed has imaging I didn't even notice before and my live brian Jonestown tracks sound stunning!
Best £25 I have ever spent.

[Marcos]

You're positivity about these has really sold me on them, i dont need new headphones but i think i'll give these a go, maybe they'll just make me want to listen more

[tstarn06]

Originally Posted by astroid

Small update :

It's been a long time since an earphone has surprised me , the pk3 was the last one I think. The x1's detail and imaging are truly fantastic , burn in has calmed the over zelius bass and the treble has come forward nicely but it is the width and precision of the soundstage that makes me smile.
I have been listening to the new beatles masters a lot this last few weeks and abbey road really loves these iems, let it bleed has imaging I didn't even notice before and my live brian Jonestown tracks sound stunning!
Best £25 I have ever spent.

This is how the S4s (the X1's more expensive cousin) are shaking out for me as well. I tend to grab them more than my UM3X these days. I think Klipsch is onto something with their dynamic driver IEMs. I can say I favor the S4s over the X10s when I had both, which is saying something.