I'm pretty sure I've read statements from other IEM manufacturers stating that no burn-in is required for micro-armature drivers.
Micro-armature drivers do not need a burn-in period.
-or-
Micro-armature drivers do not need burn-in, period.
As you prefer!
Perhaps Prof. Thump could weigh-in on the issue?
Folks, I don't want to discourage anyone from doing things that they feel improve their sound. It's a free country and a partially free world. On the other hand I haven't personally experienced this phenomenon in balanced armatures.
As a well defined process Klipsch exercises every "moving coil" transducer it baselines for design work. If the compliance is not naturalized your Thiele Small Parameters are compromised. The driver is the heart of the system. If it is not characterized properly every thing down stream is compromised... Box Tuning, Crossovers... EQ. So "burn in" I can understand and measure in a moving coil. This being said it is very subtle to the final outcome of the response in time and frequency.
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Professor Thump
Crank It!
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Not 1 But 2 Ears
Last edited by Professor Thump; 02-15-2008 at 01:06 AM.
[quote=PeterDLai;3772501]How does the sound of the IMAGE compare to your other IEMs?[/QUOTE
I like it better than any of my other IEMs. The overall sense of realism seems better. Imaging is also excellent for an IEM, which tells me that the L&R phones are very well matched. I would say that the sound is closest to my Atrios, except with a little more midrange warmth and body.
I'm not sure how much the sense of realism is influenced by the comfort, but since much of the perceived sound of an IEM is influenced by psychoacoustics, I am sure that comfort subjectively improves the sound of the Image.
It is, hands down, the most comfortable phone I have owned.
It does take a bit of time to select the right gel, and to fine-tune the orientation of the gel on the device.
The Image seems to be very nicely balanced, with accurate fundemental bass when it is present in the recording, and highs that are able to reproduce the complex harmonics that make snares sound like snares instead of white noise.
While the Image sounds great when amplified, it performs very well when plugged directly into a player with no external amplification at all. They also seem to be more tolerant of poorer source material than many other highly detailed IEMs.
Rather than being highly analytical, as are some of the other noted IEMs, they sound warm and lush. I can listen to them for hours without fatigue, either from the sound or from a physical comfort standpoint.
I guess this is the long answer to a short question!!!
Folks, I don't want to discourage anyone from doing things that they feel improve their sound. It's a free country and a partially free world. On the other hand I haven't personally experienced this phenominon in balanced armatures.
As a well defined process Klipsch excersizes every "moving coil" transducer it baselines for design work. If the compliance is not naturalized your Thiele Small Parameters are compromised. The driver is the heart of the system. If it is not characterized properly every thing down stream is compromized... Box Tuning, Crossovers... EQ. So "burn in" I can understand and measure in a moving coil. This being said it is very sutle to the final outcome of the response in time and frequency.
I think that is very roundabout way of saying: "Burning in armatures is like burning in CPUs: they either work as intended or not at all, but if you feel it's making its sound better - knock yourself out."
Sorry guys, but I think I have changed my mind. The Image are staying and the C3's are going back.
I had a chance to really test them out on my travel from Chicago to Atlanta. I tested them on the train, then the plane. Here is why I have changed my mind:
I just can not get a good fit on my right ear with the C3. I have tried and tried but at the end I only ended up with a sore right ear. I tried all the different tips and kind of wish Klipsch had some foams as well as the silicon tips. I also have a little more difficulty getting a good fit on my right ear with the Image, but no where the kind of difficulty I have with the C3. The C3 are also a pain to put on and take off when you compare them to the Image. The Image are just too comfortable and easy to take on and off that I think the slight sound advantage in the highs is not worth the extra hassle for me.
The C3 have less bass than the Image. Even though I could not get a proper fit with the C3, there where a few times I did get a proper fit and the bass was not as good as on the Image. Also, I was able to get alot more isolation with the Image than the C3s.
The Images sound really really good for how comfortable and easy they are to put on.
Right now, I am on my way to Fry's to pick up some SE530 to compare to the Image. Will post more impressions later on.
Right now, I am on my way to Fry's to pick up some SE530 to compare to the Image. Will post more impressions later on.
Wow, hardcore. Go onlychild!
It's funny because I've found that I'm having more difficulty with my right ear than my left as well. And I can definitely see where the IMAGE would win in comfort and insertion/removal.
@ onlychild: I have the same issue with my right ear. The Shure black "olive" foamies solved this for me. YMMV, but it's probably cheaper trying them out than trying out SE530s. On the other hand I'd love to hear a Custom-3/Image/SE530 comparison.
I just can not get a good fit on my right ear with the C3. I have tried and tried but at the end I only ended up with a sore right ear. I tried all the different tips and kind of wish Klipsch had some foams as well as the silicon tips. I also have a little more difficulty getting a good fit on my right ear with the Image, but no where the kind of difficulty I have with the C3. The C3 are also a pain to put on and take off when you compare them to the Image. The Image are just too comfortable and easy to take on and off that I think the slight sound advantage in the highs is not worth the extra hassle for me.
The C3 have less bass than the Image. Even though I could not get a proper fit with the C3, there where a few times I did get a proper fit and the bass was not as good as on the Image. Also, I was able to get alot more isolation with the Image than the C3s.
The Images sound really really good for how comfortable and easy they are to put on.
I need more time to evaluate but I can see what you are saying and totally agree with some of it. But, I THINK I finally got a good fit with the big gels on the C3 so I need to test more for comfort. The flanges on both were just nasty to me - I think I'm not a flange user. The funny thing was the medium gels that came with the Image fit perfectly right from the start.
The only thing left to figure out is the comfort difference (if there is one) and the sound difference. I think the gap between the Image and C3 might be bigger than you think but if you can't get a good fit then it's really not going to matter. I can hear improved sound with the C3 as expected, it's almost like trying a headphone with and without an amp. Is it good enough to beat the Image? Not sure yet.
I do totally agree with you on the ease of use for the Image. It's going to be hard to pick against that. They just are so easy to get in and out and that is important for me at work where I plan to use them mostly.
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5th gen iPod Video -> Turbodock IV -> PA2V2 low gain mod -> Klipsch Custom 3
Misc gear: vintage Senn HD420, Senn HD580, Grado SR60
Burn In?
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