Yashu, and anyone who uses j-cord type earphones:
Put the cord to the right ear behind your neck, not under your chin! I think that is how they are intended to be used, and it is MUCH more convenient and Much less annoying that way. Now that I've made that discovery, I've actually come to prefer the j-cord to the standard split.
Just for anyone else deciding between these two models, my strong preference is for the Sonys.
I'm a noobie, so take this with a grain of salt.
The sound:
I strongly prefer the sound of the Sonys in spite of their one weakness. Both are very bass heavy, but I think that the Sonys cover this area a little better. I feel like the Klipsch just give a lot of volume in this area, whereas the Sony's bass sounds heavy, but really good. The mids I would give to the s4s, as I think that the sonys kind of short change you here (just barely). The highs, I would give to the Sony's. I've seen someone else complain about sibilance in the Sonys, but I just don't hear that, where I definitely do in the S4s. (Sibilance in the S4s is bad enough to annoy me pretty quickly).
I've recently started listening to music that has some Irish instruments in them. With the sonys, everything stands out and sounds wonderful. I can easily pick out one of the guitars and follow it, or the banjo, fiddle, whatever. I've never experienced that kind of separation. (like I said, I'm a noobie) Everything kind of fuzzes together with the S4s. (it's weird, the S4s kind of sound overwhelming with this kind of music. I can't describe it any better.)
Cables and other noises sources:
Hands down, Sony wins. Once I understood that the j-cord goes behind the neck, it completely changed my perspective. The Klipsch cables are awful in my opinion; if I move around with them at all the Highly porous surface of the cables generate a great deal of noise. (and can even drown out the music) The Sonys, if worn properly A) don't rub together much because of the j-cord {the cables don't run parallel to eachother} and B) if they do rub together, they are very smooth (as opposed to porous) which reduces noise AND eases detangling. I can probably start a fire by rubbing the s4 cables together.
One minor problem with the j-cord is that I think it makes it harder to wear the cable over the ear. This is really only a bummer because I want to try it, as for the most part, I don't think that it is necessary because of the lack of microphonics.
Wind noise IS a minor issue with Sonys. I don't know if the S4s have the same problem, as I can't bring myself to wear them outside because of the horrible microphonics!
Fit/Comfort:
Maybe this is unfair, but I never got any of the Klipsch tips to fit properly. They seemed flimsy and cheap. The Sonys fit instantly with the "default" tip. Keep in mind that the Sony tips are probably the exact same ones that come with their higher end models like the ex1000, there are just fewer to choose from. They had a much more substantial feel to them, they weren't flimsy, weren't too firm, they were just right (like mama bear's soup). I eventually bought some comply foam tips for the S4s. They are actually really nice, but the fact that the S4s stick better in my ear is not a good thing in my opinion. It only serves to highlight everything I loathe about them. I think that I will be picking some up for my Sonys.
I was very disappointed in the S4s. I actually have Klipsch speakers at home, and I really enjoy them. I think if I hadn't invested in the Sonys, I would probably enjoy the S4s just because I didn't know any better.
Remember j-cord behind your neck!