Newbie review: Klipsch Custom 3

Hey, this is my first review so be easy on me haha

I just got the Custom 3's for $100 on amazon and Ive been listening to them for about an hour or so. First I want to say that the microphonics really arent as bad as I thought they would be, sure the mesh can make some noise but I generally wear really soft shirts so they dont really create too much friction for the cable to rub across. Out of the packaging I gave the cable a little "massage" to get out the kinks and it feels great and works great.

Now for the sound, my last headphones were $100 sonys which I got on a blackfriday sale for half off, that was a great deal but it was nowhere near the deal the klipsch were. The klipsch are a lot more exciting and fun to listen to, they have a great soundstage which I compare to be near the same soundstage as the Bose noise-cancelling over-ears. The bass is rich and deep but doesnt overpower, everything seems to level out. Compared to the sony's I would say that the mid is a little bit more forward. The treble is clear, crisp and not shrill, I havent noticed any sibilance at all. Every frequency feels very smooth and nothing seems to overpower each other. I can pick out instruments very well which will help with transcribing music.

The headphones came with some great accessories too. With it there are multiple tips, a carrying case that can hold an ipod and some adapters for different plug sizes. I havent tried all the tips yet but the ones that came on it isolate very well and fit very well so I might just keep these on. I believe they say the ones that come on it are medium size and will fit most people.

Now I also got a biosciencegeek Cmoy amp and I tested the headphones with and without on the same songs and I notice that it adds more soundstage and makes the bass even more deep and allows the trebles to come out slightly more.

Overall I think these are some of the best headphones I've ever heard even against some good over ear headphones. The cable is the only minus since Im not a fan of mesh but if I ever have problems with it I may just get some custom molds to put these drivers in.

Edit: I will test them later tonight with my guitar effects to see how well they work for some quiet practice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucozade 

The wire is very thin and were it comes out of the right angled plug it can bend up at a right angle splitting the mesh covering the cable,if you carry your player in your pocket  this can be avoided if you put your player in your pocket upside down so no unnatural bend is formed in the cable . i have no problem with my cable ,had them 11 months now .

I already carry my player upside down in my pocket because it allows the cable to be more manageable when Im walking to class so lucky me haha
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvw2 

It's a shame Klipsch gave up on them before they ever became popular, haha.  Frankly, they're a killer product and at the price they're going for, they're an outstanding deal.  The Custom 3 has one of the best sound stages I've heard from an IEM for size, linearity of space, and being able to both portray proximity and distance well.  I wasn't a major fan of stock tips, although some folks go ga-ga over them.  I prefer stepping to the Shure Olive tips instead.

I was going to buy some Shure Olive tips just to try them out so maybe I'll revive the thread if I decide to get some.

As for playing guitar with them they are much more natural sounding than the sonys, with the sony headphones sometimes a distorted tone or even a clean tone would be too harsh (possibly because it is all patched out to go with some celestion v30 speakers) but with the klipsch the tones sound almost as if it is a guitar mastered in a studio, it is really great.

I know the brand comply but Im not sure what you mean with comply core. I know these but they dont have anything to do with monster.

http://www.complyfoam.com/Product/Tx%7B48%7D100-/Model/Custom-3

I just listened to Charlie Parkers "Just Friends" with the orchestra and man I am even more blown away! The orchestra sounds so rich, the Cello had great tone! (even though as a gigging bassist I prefer to act like cello doesnt sound good compared to bass, as a joke of course =P). Charlie's Sax is so smooth and rich, even with an older recording these things just shine!

As a side note I listened to piano reductions of Steve Vai music and the piano sounded amazing, of course it just might be a well voiced piano and good mastering; however, the klipsch are 10x more clear than my sony's with the piano and the depth of the soundstage feels like I'm right next to the piano, it gives me chills! (I am a stickler for piano tuning and tone since I grew up with a piano technician father)

Btw for reference I have been listening to all styles with these such as : funk, jazz, rock (geared more toward steve vai, p. gilbert and satch, Zappa, but also some pink floyd), r&b (new and old), listened to some Outkast, classical music, Blues, and also some progressive metal (dream theater is really it). So my views aren't really genre bias, they all sound great.

Small Edit: Forgot to say that I also play 7 string guitar and the sonys seem to lose some sort of tone with the low B string but these are fine. Also just a little bit ago I decided to sit in some silence and read and I completely forgot they were on, I had to feel the sides of my ears to see if they were in or just hanging on my ears.

If I can get rid of this guitar pickup Im trying to sell maybe I'll do that then, atm without it sold I only want to pay for one batch of tips (Unless I can somehow just buy the cores). So maybe I will start with the comply's then get some foam hybrids and try it out. Also how are the comply tips compared to the shure or the monsters? I like the wax gaurd since sometimes I have those days where allergies make me really waxy and memory foam seems like a good idea. But if I go the monster route I may just buy the cheaper comply's here. Then I can just get the more expensive monster tips later to fit over the cores.

Well is there a way I can just get the cores or do I have to buy the tips to get them?

Btw why does this say they are compatible with the custom 3? http://monstersupertips.com/compatibility.asp