-- My Klipsch Custom 3 review -- (pics included) Cable bursting at connector after 7 days

[ka-boom]

History:
I had always been one to scoff at the notion of paying more than $20 for in ear type of headphones. I use my IEMs for working out, mountain biking, and for listening at work. I just figured nothing so small could reproduce a large enough sound that would satisfy my tastes. So like many people I kicked around with junk for years, really missing out on good sound. I came to discover head-fi when looking for reviews on my Panasonic RP-HC500 over the ears and was amazed to find so many different types of IEM's available. So naturally I became intrigued and thus began my journey into quality sound. My progression goes as follows:

From stock Cowon earbuds -> Sony MDR J10 -> Skull Candy Smokin buds -> V-Moda Vibes -> Klipsch Custom 3 (purchased 2/23/09)





First impressions:
My very first thought was how could Klipsch be so pompous to jump into the IEM market and right away offer a $300 product?! Who do they think they are!? Fortunately I was able to listen to the Custom 1 and Custom 2's at the local Guitar Center as part of their live demo. I knew I liked the fit, and I knew I liked the level of isolation, I just wasn't happy with the warmth and bass from either. The asking price for the Custom 2's was $199 USD and I knew if I liked them I would buy them online for a lot cheaper at $124. I knew if I "settled" on the Custom 2's I would always be wondering how much better the Custom 3's were.

So thankfully the local Apple store has a 2-week return policy so I was able to return my Vibes with no problem. I started reading more and more about the Custom 3's, and how much better they were than their siblings, how they have a very deep warm sound, etc. Finally, after reading dozens and dozens of reviews until I was blue in the face I tied off, grabbed the bull by the horns, and decided the Custom 3's were the only thing for me.

The Custom 3's themselves are packaged very well, in 2 different clear plastic sleeve type shells that come apart nicely. You don’t have to use industrial scissors to cut around the box to get them out (*cough* Vibes *cough). The Custom 3's come with a variety of silicone tips, both bud style and flanged. I find that for my ears, the large flanged tips create the perfect seal.

I'm not totally sold on the cable on the Custom 3. I think it kinks more than any other cable I've ever used. It's surrounded by a protective nylon type mesh, and although it IS different, I don't see the logical point. The actual in ear part of the phone is rather small, and is very comfortable to use, even for extended amounts of time. The "flexible" wire that goes around the ear is a brilliant idea, and really secures the unit to your ear. Great move.



Fit & Isolation:
For me, and my ears, they fit well. The flanges are not round they are OVAL and need to be inserted vertically into your ears to provide the correct fit. Once in, the outside noise isolation drops considerably. I don't have scientific decibel levels, but there is a vast decrease in ambient sound. I can wear these for 90 minutes at the gym and never hear the radio crap they're blasting over the intercom and TV's. I don't listen to my music insanely loud, usually between level 13-18 on my Cowon i7 while at work in the data center or working out, and all I can hear is what's coming from my player. I work in a rather noisy environment (large data center) where I am surrounded by huge mainframes, hundreds of servers and switches, you name it - and while the Custom 3's do not block out all of the machine noise - it does a great job. I find the best fit when I insert them into my ear dry. I used to "lube" them up so they would slide in better by licking my finger then rubbing a small bit of saliva on the tips but realized this just makes them slide around once in me ear. When inserting them in DRY, the only time they "move" is when I smile big, and after that they go back into place nicely.


Sound:
This is the real meat and potatoes of the review. This is what seperates the men from the boys. The Custom 3's are without doubt, the best sounding IEM I have ever heard. Granted my list of previous IEMs isn't as thorough as most, but I have also listened to my brother in law's new apple ear buds and my wife's stock ipod ones for what it's worth. The Klipsch Custom 3 represent everything RIGHT that was wrong with my previous purchases, and give me the bonus of a comfortable fit. The highs are super clear as if someone on stage was right in front of you 10 feet away, not distant or offset. I could hear guitar string reverb in classic Neil Young tracks that I never knew existed. Vocals are pure, crisp, and replicated very well across the board from beginning to end. From Fiona Apple to Damien Marley, it all sounds beautiful and natural. Top heavy songs like "Welcome Home" by Coheed & Cambria came across nicely, and not distraught and strainded.

The mid bass is also pure and accurate and NOT garbled and muddy like the Vibes were. It's a balanced mid bass that I think makes these sound so much better compared to others. "Propane Nightmare" by Pendulum never sounded better, good mid bass that does not over shadow the highs OR the vocals - IMPRESSIVE! You hear the individual sound ranges; not one blended noise of highs, mids, and lows. Very, very good seperation. In comparison, the skull candys completely blew the mid bass and everything just sounded a mess. Still, for $30, they're not that bad of an upgrade from stock ibuds.

Not to be out done, on the low end, the Custom 3's deliver exactly as I hoped they would. Low end bass on tracks like "Army of Me" by Bjork are luscious and not overblown or exagerated. "Money" by Pink Floyd delivers notes that I could literally feel in the back of my neck. Someone commented that you could feel the bass from these "in your chest" and this is true. It's a good bass, that doesn't totally drown everything else out, rather a quality balanced sound that compliments the highs and vocals. Even when cranked up deafening loud, the sound never sounded bad, only louder. The treble still sounded good and not scratchy, and the bass still was pleasant not garbled. I can't imagine anyone listening to music at that volume, but it's worth mentioning.


Conslusion:
I do admit to feeling a little guilty paying so much for IEMs, but I have a feeling this is IT. These are all I've ever wanted in an IEM, and I cannot imagine a better sounding package (sound + comfortability). I'm not even going to waste my time and money trying & selling/returning other IEMs from Shure, UE, or Phonak. My only hope is that they are durable over time, and the cord straightens out and becomes smooth. I am also concerned that the flexible part of the cable around the ear does not begin to crack since it moves regularly, but I don’t think it will. It's nice knowing that I can return these within 2 weeks of purchasing at the local Apple store. This is really convenient.

I hope this review helps those considering this purchase, I know when I was doing my research every detailed review I could find on the Custom 3's was read at least twice because there are so few. If you have any questions, please ask.

[Bonus material]: I got a free pair of s-jays in the mail yesterday so I will be writing a review for them in the next couple weeks also. Initial thoughts - they are no where clean and clear as the Klipsch. More to come on these later.

Edit: After less than 1 week of owning these Custom 3's, the crappy nylon weaving has started to fall apart at the connector. I don't know why Klipsch chose to use a stupid L-shape connector and couldn't use a standard STRAIGHT plug. I dont even know why they used the nylon mesh? It serves no practical purpose, and just makes noise when it rubs against my shirt during workouts. What a stupid idea.

[astroid]

Congrats on your purchase, i have been listening to the custom 3 for the last few weeks now (borrowed). I have the 1 + 2s and i think the 3s are a large enough improvement to merit the extra moolah!
I think the C3 are like Super-Uber C1s , i think they sound more like the C1 than the C2.
I am stuck now though, i am going to get some higher end than my C2 and am stuck between Custom 3 , Phonak and ER4P, what to do?

[ka-boom]

For kicks and giggles, I am going to go back to Guitar Center to do a 3-way comparison. You're not the only person I've seen who has said the C3's sound more like the C1's than the C2's. I've seen the C1's for $125 online and the C2's for $124 on the same website! If in fact the C1's sound better this time around, I may reconsider taking the C3 back because $175 is a good chunk of money difference.

When I first listened to the C1's I thought they had ZERO bass and no depth.

[astroid]

Originally Posted by ka-boom

For kicks and giggles, I am going to go back to Guitar Center to do a 3-way comparison. You're not the only person I've seen who has said the C3's sound more like the C1's than the C2's. I've seen the C1's for $125 online and the C2's for $124 on the same website! If in fact the C1's sound better this time around, I may reconsider taking the C3 back because $175 is a good chunk of money difference.

When I first listened to the C1's I thought they had ZERO bass and no depth.

I have been told that balanced armatures dont need burning in but i swear that the signature of the C1 changes after 5 - 10 hrs , the bass becomes more apparent and the highs become less sibilant.
They are not as warm as the C3s and the C3s do have deeper bass , so dont expect them to sound exactly the same.

Ps I paid £18 for my C1s, yeehaa!!!

[walkingman]

C3 does sound a lot like the C1, more so than the C2 (which has an entirely different sound signature). It is warmer and there's more bass.

I think the lack of bass comment on the C1 is more to do with getting a better fit. The Customs do take some time getting used to.

[mark2410]

really? i feel the c1 is really quite light on the bass, but i love those things mids right up there clear as a bell and screaming in your face, just stunning value for £18 (thank you amazon and your crazy pricing)

[ka-boom]

Pictures added, also notice the crappy mesh falling apart.

[mp3]

Am I right in thinking the Custom 2's are less warm sounding than the Custom 3's? And how would the s-Jays copare to the 2's?

[ka-boom]

Yes, the Custom 2's do NOT sound as warm as the Custom 3's. The difference is big, and very noticeable.

I would say the s-jays are on par with the Custom 2's. I will do a review for those later this week. Im still having problems getting ANY good fit wit the Jays.

[mp3]

Ah, bugger, I was sort of set to decide between the C2, £67 from amazon uk, or the s-Jays, £45 from ebay, but now I'm not that sure...
Still, at least both of them would be a major upgrade in warmth over my present Shure SE110.

[thechungster]

Woah... they broke after a week? But about the bit with the L plug and straight plug... what's wrong with a L plug? I like them since I feel you could snap the plug off (Bit like the Shure extension cable, I can feel I could snap that off by accident)

[walkingman]

I had three Customs and none of them had the same problem you had. Personally I prefer a straight plug for DAP use, but L plug for listening on my ThinkPad (due to the location of the headphone jack).

[ka-boom]

Originally Posted by thechungster

Woah... they broke after a week? But about the bit with the L plug and straight plug... what's wrong with a L plug? I like them since I feel you could snap the plug off (Bit like the Shure extension cable, I can feel I could snap that off by accident)

Yep dude, only had them 7 days and they're falling apart. The L-plug creates an unnecessary bend in the cable, because no matter how you use it the cord coming out of the actual "L" is bending one way or another. It makes no logical sense.

[dookiex]

Never liked the Customs. I have to give them credit that they were both warm and detailed but at the expense of having a congested and slightly muffled SQ. They aren't horrible by any means but for the money, there are much better in-ears available. The entire Klipsch line is super comfy though.

[GooWiz]

Congratulations on your purchase! I've had these for a few months now and yes, I too have the very same problem, at the connector and now in the middle of the cord as well...
I honestly felt that the trebles had a quite a bit left to be desired... but then again that's just my preference. The mids sound very nice though. I'll probably send these in for a replacement (I think I read that someone sent them in and got them replaced for the same issues..) and then upgrade to maybe the SE530 or maybe even the AT CK100.. we'll see. Enjoy your phones!