Klipsch S4i lacking bass, looking for alternatives, please advise - Page 2

Ok, this is EXACTLY what I thought at first, but trust me, these need A LOT of burn-in. The bass now is pretty powerful and they sound nice and warm.

I'm not too sure as I haven't really been measuring, but I've basically listened for an hour almost every day for 8 months I believe. I only noticed the drastic change in August so maybe at about 200-250 hours they become alive? Yes, I am talking about the S4. The hard part about these is that you think you're listening to mediocre sound, but you just gotta stick with them and that work will eventually pay off. I'm having trouble leaving them for my MTPCs as the Coppers are brand new while the Klipsch's have been around for a long time. Adjusting to a different sound signature is not exactly a pleasing experience

 

In conclusion, I can say that you should burn in for about 200-250 hours to feel the music the way it should be felt (at this price range and a bit higher price range of course).

Yeah, I just got my MTPCs and I love them but the bass is unbalanced. I'm going to have to send them back for a replacement.
Edited by caliskimmer - 10/19/10 at 7:15am

Are you using the right size ear-tips?  Just tried the pair of S4i that I bought for my girlfriend... the bass was overwhelming, I couldn't hear much else esp. on tracks that's big on "thump", must teach her to burn them in...

 

And this is comparing with Weston 3's that are my main iems.

Yeah, nothing worked so I got Sony hybrid tips. The left speaker has good bass, but the right seems a bit lacking. If I reverse them, I now get better bass in my right ear. One thing that might be wrong though is that I have a cold now, so nothing really sounds right. If this thread is still going in a few days, I'll post back with how they sound when my ears aren't plugged.

That definitely has a big effect on your listening experience, your cold, it's strange that one ear sounds different than the other, which... leads to a few humbly offered possibilities...

 

- the shape of your left/right ear canal/opening is different, and you're not getting a good seal on one or the other

- one of the earphones (right side) is dying or malfunctioning, or the wires on one side is dying 

- bad connection (like how a semi-plugged in headphone sometimes only passes sound through one side)

- nasal blockage causing pressure on mid part of your ear canal (I had this earlier this year, the doctor gave me some medicine to clear it) which affects what you're hearing

 

The white S4i's my gf is now using (since today) has large quantity of bass, a bit bloated to my ears (imagine that, coming from a Westone 3 lover), I'm instructing her to burn them in as I type this, hoping things will balance out...

 

p.s. could you explain a bit about the unbalanced bass on your MTPC's?  that's curious too~

Edited by dragonfyra - 10/19/10 at 8:09am

Yeah, so you hear the bass on the left speaker, right? Just imagine a rich and somewhat warm sound. On the right speaker, the bass seems a bit recessed, but the treble appears to be slightly more forward. When I use them, it's pretty good and I don't notice too much. My ear canals are definitely different sizes and I really would like to get custom tips eventually to take care of this problem. The Sony Hybrid green work very well. However, like I said, I think nasal blockage has a lot to do with it. I'm gonna wait till I feel completely healthy before judging if the right speaker is dying. Thanks for the help! I really appreciate it. Luckily, Monster has that lifetime warranty if things go way south.

Lifetime warranty... Reminds me of all Koss headphones and earphones I have ever used!

 

If neither one seems to satisfy you, I am quite confidant that my Koss KDE/250 (which has 2 dynamic drivers, both of which can move more air than the smaller single driver in most other IEMs) has a larger quantity of bass than the MTPG... Tried this at CanJam 2010, the MTPG was rather plain, and a huge dissappointment to me because of the unimpressive balance across the spectrum, and its inefficient responce to the EQ on my S9. The KDE does not isolate, and is larger than your typical IEM, but smaller than most clip ons. If you want thumping bass, the only other 'phone I have heard that can trounce the KDE/250 for under $300 when it comes to bass quantity is the Shure SRH 840, a full size headphone.

 

Conclusion: I feel the KDE may have the quantity of bass you require, you will however sacrifice all isolation, and it is unlikely to fit you. Worth looking into though, especially since you seem to be the type to take advantage of the 30 days you get to return them... I also subscribe to this behavior.

Well, I decided to ship these back for a replacement. I'm not giving up on the MTPCs as I've read to many stellar reviews to know that they are not problematic. As for the Klipsch's, I will have to use them at the moment. The only problem I found for these is that getting used to another sound signature is a pain.

I read from users in my town (hong kong) that amping is a must for MTPC, not sure if this is true or not.
As for the different size ear canals....if this lack of bass happens on one ear happens to all iems you use, I guess customs are in your destiny, hehe, sorry about your wallet, happy for your ears though!

If you can up the budget by a moderate margin, Grab the Miles Davis Tributes, Those have very good bass that is more balanced than the MTPGs, Plus it has better treble and timbre than both Coppers and Golds, Possessing the Virtues of Both =) And i believe you won find anything to be really picky on the tributes even though they may not be the universally perfect IEMs ^_^

They are brand new, unopened earphones. I have heard that Monster has honored the warranty even if it's not from an authorized seller. Anyway, I have a brand-new pair of Monster Coppers coming next week, will let you know how they sound against my regular Monster Turbines.