klipsch image v q-jays? especially re durability...

[royhendo]

anyone compared these?

I have the images and like them a lot, but they're starting to annoy me for one single reason - lack of durability.

it seems like you'll have to handle them with kid gloves, or the soft rubber connectors will wear and fray. if your ear canal is loose, and you insert them deeply, the connectors develop little splits. GRRRRR


anyway - are the q-jays more durable? and is the sound quality comparable?

[uberstuber]

I don't know about how comparable the sound quality is but they seem quite durable to me.
When Kramer was testing them he said he threw them around in pockets/backpacks etc. with no problems.

[Sovkiller]

What rubber connectors are you talking about, are you sure you have the Image. The images as far as I know, unless I have missed something are just one single piece...no connectors of any kind....

[royhendo]

i'm talking about the rubber sleeves that join on to the aluminum buds. this thread shows what I mean - it starts out as a little notch and develops into a full-scale 'tear' (not pictured).

<meta name="description" content="Klipsch audio systems provide the true audio/video lover a wide variety of high performance loudspeakers and loudspeaker systems for music and home theater entertainment centers, including iPod speakers, multimedia s

anyway - the q-jays - are they durable?

[Sovkiller]

Originally Posted by royhendo

i'm talking about the rubber sleeves that join on to the aluminum buds. this thread shows what I mean - it starts out as a little notch and develops into a full-scale 'tear' (not pictured).

<meta name="description" content="Klipsch audio systems provide the true audio/video lover a wide variety of high performance loudspeakers and loudspeaker systems for music and home theater entertainment centers, including iPod speakers, multimedia s

anyway - the q-jays - are they durable?

But those are not connectors, they are strain relieves, you can not remove them, mine has no problems yet, but if that were the case, I would not hesitate to ask for a replacement, that is not cceptable in a 350 headphone.

[royhendo]

strain relievers, connectors... at least you know what I mean.

anyway - am not gonna return them - I might clip the rubber back a touch more and give them to my nephew. BUT i'll only do that if I can check the q-jays are as good and won't tear, fall apart, or scuff.

the klipsch images are great and the seal amazes me, but this 'strain reliever' fragility annoys me. silly I know.

if they could fix that one issue... until this irk developed, they were as satisfying as any product purchase i'd ever made. beautiful to look at and everyone wants to know more about them.

BUT... are the q-jays as good sound-wyse, and are they durable?

[Sovkiller]

Originally Posted by royhendo

strain relievers, connectors... at least you know what I mean.

anyway - am not gonna return them - I might clip the rubber back a touch more and give them to my nephew. BUT i'll only do that if I can check the q-jays are as good and won't tear, fall apart, or scuff.

the klipsch images are great and the seal amazes me, but this 'strain reliever' fragility annoys me. silly I know.

if they could fix that one issue... until this irk developed, they were as satisfying as any product purchase i'd ever made. beautiful to look at and everyone wants to know more about them.

BUT... are the q-jays as good sound-wyse, and are they durable?

I will be more concerned if the q-jays sound similar or at least are in the same league soundwise...

[royhendo]

that's exactly what I want to know. these will be my travel phones, but as well as sound quality, durability is paramount for me. no point them looking nice if they get frayed and tatty within a few months, you know?

[royhendo]

having done a lot of reading over the course of the day, it looks like the images are probably better on balance, so i should keep them. but this durability problem is bugging me. I think i might get a set of fitted custom tips done cos that would remove the problem - the stress relievers would then sit outside my ear a little (at the moment the tears seem to be caused by the way they sit in my ear - the cable doubles back on itself as described here: <meta name="description" content="Klipsch audio systems provide the true audio/video lover a wide variety of high performance loudspeakers and loudspeaker systems for music and home theater entertainment centers, including iPod speakers, multimedia s ).

The q-jays seem good but the descriptions of the sound as analytical and the 'precise' bass doesn't appeal to me as much as the image. The image has a nice balance for me whatever the source I use (and I'm only on an ipod, a mobile phone, and a laptop/PC), and the bass (along with the seal and comfort) is tremendous - i suppose it outweighs the durability issue. I'd like them to take the feedback on board for future development though.

[asacks]

So here is my two cents on the Images vs. the Q-Jays (a bit long)--both of which I've recently tested:

About two weeks ago I purchased the Image X10s directly from Klipsch (with the 25% off mastercard discount, a fairly good --looking for an upgrade to my Super.fi 5 pros--mainly for comfort more than anything else (the supers we're also a bit bright for my tastes). After about 10 days of use, I decided the images weren't for me--despite being the most comfortable IEM I've ever used and having the best bass, I was just missing too much detail (especially in direct comparisons with the SFs).

So I returned them (Klipsch, by the way, was GREAT about the return, e-mailed me a fed-ex label, made it really easy, so I would definitely by direct from them again; although I haven't received a refund yet, but I assume I will soon enough and just sent it back a couple days ago so they may not have even received it yet). I purchased the q-jays from soundearphones.com and received them wednesday. I'm very happy with my choice. The q-jays are MUCH more detailed and have significantly improved instrument separation and treble over the X10s. They are not quite as comfortable/easy to get a seal, but still hugely more comfortable than the SFs, and I would say close to the images. The bigger design plus over the images is the ability to wear over the ear to reduce microphonics for running (I used this yesterday, worked perfectly), but still wear straight if you're just sitting around. I also can't believe how small these are; maybe just a TAD larger than X10s, but for dual armature, amazing--so much smaller than the SFs, which makes the comfort difference (no plastic on your ear, just the silicon/foam, since the actual phone is smaller than the plug--I think that's the biggest difference for comfort.

As far as the sound, I would say the q-jays, while losing a bit in bass to the X10s, beat them in every other way. More detailed, more neutral response, but NOT overly analytical (I've also owned the ER-6i, and just found the ety sound not quite to my liking). There is a natural warmth to them, and the bass is still very solid--I prefer the bass to my SFs in the way it's presented, which isn't to say there is "more" but I do think it's more musical--which is I guess how I'd define the overall presentation--musical, not harsh (even the great highs are really never harsh, no matter how loud I turn the volume up). So, just one guy's totally subjective opinion, but I'm, for now, totally in love with the q-jays. Can't understand why anyone would buy the SFs now (except that they can be had a bit cheaper now that the Jays have gone up due to exchange rate issues), especially given how comfortable these are. If you're absolute top concern is bass, I would lean towards the images, but for anyone looking for a more balanced presentation, I would definitely recommend the q-jays (or, better yet, try them both and return the one you don't like.
), and I'm definitely sticking with them personally.

I'm now fairly convinced the only way to get better than these sound wise would be to step up to TFs or SE530s, and even then, while JoyEnergizer has convinced me the TFs are prob. better, and I'm guessing the SE530s are as well (although I doubt either is more comfortable), but for phones below that level I'm extremely pleased with the Q-Jays.