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S4 v. Apple in Ears

post #1 of 20
10/14/09 at 3:17am
Thread Starter 
So I hear some mixed stuff on Apple's "In ears" which cost the same retail as the Klipsch S4s. Some say the Apple cans sound pretty good, tonally balanced, someone else said it sounds like FM radio.

Either way, how does the S4 compare with the Apple in Ears?

In terms of Sound? I know the S4 wins hands down in the comfort department.
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post #2 of 20
10/14/09 at 4:55am
Pretty sure the S4's would kick the ADDIEMs' butt. The ADDIEMs are a good deal if you can find them for around $30-40 used/refurbished, but I doubt they would be close to as good as the Image S4's. I'm just going off of reading reviews/research here, but I'd say for $80, go with the S4's...
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post #3 of 20
10/14/09 at 6:00am
Thread Starter 
sorry, I know what the IEM stands for.. what does "ADD" in ADDIEM stand for in that acronym?
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post #4 of 20
10/14/09 at 6:02am
Apple Dual-Driver In-Ear-Monitor
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post #5 of 20
10/14/09 at 12:43pm
I've tried both, so here are my impressions:

Bass/Mids: s4i is superior, but the AIEM's aren't bad.

Treble: AIEM is superior. The s4i sounds very harsh in the higher ranges. In fact, this is such a glaring weakness with the s4i, that I cannot recommend them because of it. Now, many have stated that these IEM's need a great deal of burn in time to loosen up, so I have given them another chance. Out of the box, the new ones are harsh once again, but I'm in the process of breaking them in. We'll see if it improves.

Tap Control: s4i easily wins - there are little buttons to help with the tactile feel.

Wire: I hate the 'rubbery' feel to the apple wire, so s4i wins there as well.

Comfort: there's no debate on this one - the s4i is EASILY the most comfortable pair of IEM's I have ever tried! That being said, the Apple's might be second, but they are second by a wide margin.

So, in summary, the s4i's are just about perfect and would be a great deal at $99, if not for the fact that at any reasonable volume, the harshness in the treble makes them almost unbearable. Many have agreed with me on this, but there are some who disagree, and still others who agree, but who say it gets much better with burn-in.

I hope this helps.
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post #6 of 20
10/14/09 at 1:21pm
I have both and the s4i's to my ears sound better with a very wide soundstage sometimes I forget that I'm listening to a set of iem's. The ADDIEM do sound good and are very comfortable but don't have the same impact as the s4i's do. I think that the s4i's are the best value in the iem market I like them more then the much more expensive sleek audio sa6's that I have.
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post #7 of 20
10/15/09 at 11:00am
I also have both, and the S4s are the better phone overall. And I always have liked the ADDIEMs. I agree, S4s best value as they definitely sound better than their price tag, a lot better. But as most have noted, they NEED 100 hours on the burn-in trail out of the box to tame the treble. They are not quite as good as the UM3X (esp with the UM56 custom sleeves on the Westones), but when I use the S4s, I really never mind not using anything else I own.
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post #8 of 20
10/15/09 at 11:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by glheadfi View Post
I've tried both, so here are my impressions:

Bass/Mids: s4i is superior, but the AIEM's aren't bad.

Treble: AIEM is superior. The s4i sounds very harsh in the higher ranges. In fact, this is such a glaring weakness with the s4i, that I cannot recommend them because of it. Now, many have stated that these IEM's need a great deal of burn in time to loosen up, so I have given them another chance. Out of the box, the new ones are harsh once again, but I'm in the process of breaking them in. We'll see if it improves.

Tap Control: s4i easily wins - there are little buttons to help with the tactile feel.

Wire: I hate the 'rubbery' feel to the apple wire, so s4i wins there as well.

Comfort: there's no debate on this one - the s4i is EASILY the most comfortable pair of IEM's I have ever tried! That being said, the Apple's might be second, but they are second by a wide margin.

So, in summary, the s4i's are just about perfect and would be a great deal at $99, if not for the fact that at any reasonable volume, the harshness in the treble makes them almost unbearable. Many have agreed with me on this, but there are some who disagree, and still others who agree, but who say it gets much better with burn-in.

I hope this helps.
As you know, I also had sibilance issues with the S4. But now, post-100 hours of use, it's gone (I also tried a new tip, see my post above). While it is an issue, I don't believe it has anything to do with volume. I think most owners on HF who have burned in the S4s seem to agree the harshness departs.
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post #9 of 20
10/15/09 at 11:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moosehead View Post
I have both and the s4i's to my ears sound better with a very wide soundstage sometimes I forget that I'm listening to a set of iem's. The ADDIEM do sound good and are very comfortable but don't have the same impact as the s4i's do. I think that the s4i's are the best value in the iem market I like them more then the much more expensive sleek audio sa6's that I have.
yeah, I also own both of them, and I have to say the S4i is actually superior to the Sleeks. the Sleeks are good but you have to listen to them to higher volumes to trully enjoy them, where with the S4 I can actually enjoy the music at lower volume.
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post #10 of 20
10/16/09 at 10:39pm
Exactly metabaron the sleeks have to be cranked up and amped to truly reveal their sound they sound fantastic through my fubar 3 dac headphone amp but with ipod classic not so great. The klipsch s4i's sound fantastic with my ipod they are very easy to drive and sound great at low volume with a very full bodied sound
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post #11 of 20
10/16/09 at 10:42pm
Just tried the ADDIEM tips on my s4is and they fit perfect and are very comfy and add a little bass even though they have thunder bass already these are truly fantastic earphones they just get better and better with burn in.
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post #12 of 20
10/16/09 at 11:11pm
So, you all would agree that they're a step up from the ADDIEM? I bought my pair for $30, and have been very happy with them, but have been feeling some upgraditis

I'm considering the S4s, and the Ety ER-4P, which are completely different beasts, I know. I know the ER-4 will be an upgrade, but I'm not so sure if S4 is worth the money (as in, will I be able to appreciably tell the difference?).

Thoughts?
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post #13 of 20
10/17/09 at 12:03am
Yes, you will be able to tell the difference. The bass extension and impact on the S4 dwarfs the ADDIEMs, which I do like. But to me, it's no real contest. The Ety ER4P is a different animal, and I owned them too once upon a time. I just felt then needed an amp with a good bass boost, and I got tired of carrying an amp around.
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post #14 of 20
10/17/09 at 4:51am
Ah, thanks for the insight. I realize the ER-4 is in a league of it's own, but don't have the money for them at the moment. One day, I'll buy them (sooner if I get a good deal), but for now, I think I'm going to get the S4s, something which can run fine out of an unamped source, without lacking something.

Out of curiosity, how does an amped (Fiio E3) ADDIEM compare to S4? I notice a lot of interesting things after plugging these IEMs into the E3, most importantly, a significant bass boost (something I was starting to miss, as my previous main cans were PortaPros)! Would an amped ADDIEM be somewhat equivalent to the S4? (or should I shut up and buy the S4 already? )
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post #15 of 20
10/17/09 at 5:11am
Do you guys consider the ADDIEMs being a bit veiled compared to the s4i?
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