here are my recommendations:
Klipsch Image S4 - For those with smaller ears, these are about average in volume, and are for thosewho prefer a brighter sound, mids are forward and a bit distorted, highs are a bit sharp, bass is a curious aspect of these, I don't have them on hand, but what i remember is a really low mid bass hump with a large quantity of bass in general, good clarity, the separation seemed to be about average, but detail was lacking to other models. Other than this, I can't describe these for you, I just didn't like them.
UE Superfi 4 - For those with larger ears, these are moderately loud, about on par with the S4, and have a more natural and neutral sound, the separation is slightly below average, these headphones seemed to lack detail, and clarity was also below average, but I liked the sonic signature which was darker, somewhat laid back, and removed the edge from highs, which I appreciated as a mental rehabilitation after maxing out my ipods volume with my S4, so if max volume is your thing, don't go with the S4, they distort and get very harsh.
Shure E2C - For anyone with ears, the E2C come with nine different sets of tips, three foam, hard, and soft plastic. I found the small hard plastics to be surprisingly comfortable and sonically proficient. The E2C have proved louder than either of the above, I keep my volume on 10 with these, as opposed to a 15-30, but I barely notice when I increase the volume because these distort so little, bear in mind I'm not using as much power as i did with my other earphones because this is the first set I've purchased online, and I don't want to deal with the warranty people. The sound is generally more accurate than either of the above, presents mids and highs in a neutral manner, but the bass seems a little powerful, I might start turning the low end of the EQ down, the bass is moderately clear, I here reverberation that seems like it doesn't belong in the recording from time to time, but as long as the bass isn't as processed and sterile sounding as the S4, i'm fine. Separation is above the SF4, and should be above the S4, but I haven't owned those in three to four months. The detail is phenomenal, particularly while watching TV, I can hear all sorts of elements in my audio that I never noticed before, background conversations and music in family guy, squeaking chairs, smacking lips, gasping for air, etc. etc. The clarity is good, but not at the level of the S4 which I understated to make sure I don't get your hopes up too high if you go that route, a lot of people have gone that way and enjoyed the S4. Comfort wise, the E2c are great if you know what you are doing, make sure you spend some time doing research on fitting the E2C before you put them in, I jumped the gun, spent 2 days struggling with how to put them in, and rubbed my ears raw, so it hurt to put them in and remove them, but the still felt phenomenal once in. As for the proper way to insert, identify left an right, hang the wire over each ear. Then, grab the right bud with your right hand, pull your right ear out and forwards with your left hand, and push the bud in. Once the bud is in, twist it in all of the way, then, wiggle it and try and relieve the air pressure in your ears, push in further, I find that the buds should protrude a it from your head to achieve maximum insertion and comfort. Repeat this on the left ear, then slide the plastic tube up far enough that you can't pull the wire over your chin, but not so tight that the wires behind your ear become painful
Edited by ffdpmaggot - 6/13/10 at 6:10pm
