Tom22
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2012
- Posts
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- 941
Good questions. You're making me work here.
First off, the X7i (50 Ohms) is harder to drive than the IM03 (34 Ohms), and yet my Galaxy does just fine. Plenty of power and dynamics. There really aren't any IEMs that can't be driven sufficiently by smartphones. You have to get up to around 100 Ohms before they even struggle.
The FiiO X5 delivers, yes, a lot more power, but it's in the quality of the sound that makes it worth getting off the smartphone for your music listening. It's a lot smoother, more musical, with a much wider soundstage. Of course, the iPhone sounds better than the Samsung Galaxy, but even the iPhone fails to compete against a good DAP. Though, some will argue that fact.
In terms of IEM quality, the IM03 honestly mops the floor with the X7i. The Klipsch is dead flat neutral. Some folk love that. You, being a BEATS fellow, probably won't. I quite like the X7i. It sounds amazing for a single driver earphone. The IM03 has three drivers. And friend, let me say, you can bloody well hear it. Also, it's less neutral than the X7, sounding warmer, thanks to a lot more bass. The three drivers create a layering effect to the music which washes over you, immersing you in the audio. I'd never heard anything like it before.
The airy quality refers to a balance of treble and bass that opens up the mids so they breathe and feel properly exposed. I'm not sure you'll ever understand until you hear this phenomenon yourself. I know I struggled with it until I had a really nice set of headphones. Transparency is kind of a meaningless word we all use way too much.All it means is the gear renders a sound that's so unobtrusive that the equipment simply disappears, leaving only you and the music. There are many degrees of transparency.
The most profound praise I can give the IM03 is that I am still enraptured by them, whenever I get a chance to use them again. I've since moved on to the JH Audio Angie, which is a $1099. Angie is certainly better in every way, however... there ain't nothing wrong with my IM03.
mann I bought the x7i a while back, but had to return it cause the flat cable was ridiculously microphonic, and there was a lack in strain reliefs all over.... (heard a lot of issues in terms of build (which seems to be consistent with all klipsch products.... sighhh even the s4s (which was so widely regarded everywhere else had a ridiculously flimsy straight angle jack... it was honestly a joke.....
plus I didn't care for the remote, I thought it was oddly placed and was kind of bulky.
but those ceramic shells omg... I got the black/ onyx colour (and I'm usually a sucker for white) but those x7i.......
they were a bit lacking for me in the bass (back then, which was 3-4 years ago I think) at least in comparison to the s4s I had then
but they had a nice liquid midrange which was quite mesmerizing....
Would like to grab a pair again someday (once they get rid of that flat cable, and the ios remote (or at least come out with a version for *non apple* compatible devices, and those strain reliefs)
anywaysss after that little rant! @PinkyPowers I would love to have a listen to the Im03s (they seem to be right up my alley), the im02 sounded interesting, but I don't like that its so picky with players, and being that neutral... well it just didn't seem as interesting as the im03 which seems to be slightly warmer...
ahhh why so expensive though.... I know its a triple BA but still.....
