[kjk1281]

Quote:

The Denon and Creative have conflicting technical specifications so I'm not exactly sure. A picture of driver would be more assuring.

 
Creative Aurvana Live! by VR-Zone.com
 
Recabling Denon AH-D1001 (&D1000) - Head-Fi.org Community
 
Now all we need is a pic of the Image One drivers.

 

[shnitz]

Quote:

The Denon and Creative have conflicting technical specifications so I'm not exactly sure. A picture of driver would be more assuring.

That the Denon and Creative are the same has been indisputably and exhaustively established.  Sorry, it's an indisputable fact.  They are the same OEM Foster headphone.  There are TONS of threads and websites that have shown the Foster drivers in both headphones.

 

[roker]

Quote:

roker, it's not fair to compare online periodic deals/clearance prices to a newly-released product's in-store price.  

 
You're right, but it doesn't make sense to buy a product with equal specs when there are cheaper alternatives out there.  I'd say with one exception, I've never paid MSRP for a set of cans.

 

[Shaggy-FOO]

I listened to these new headphones pretty extensively at a friend's place and personally I don't think they are better than the HD 25-II.  I agree that they are extremely light and comfortable and pretty well built but in terms of sound quality...i don't know, HD25 is better. 
 
First off, the klipsch one have monster bass.  I'm not a basshead, but I do like a good amount of punch in my headphones and these were a bit overpowering even for me.  While the bass is relatively tight and clean, it doesn't extend as low as let's say the M50.  And I noticed that at higher volumes, the bass became a bit loose and was slow to degrade leaving a slight muddling sound, but again for the most part it was very crisp.  Now the mids were a huge huge disappointment to the point where it completely turned me off.  It was amazingly recessed as well as veiled by the powerful bass and the vocals were just very dim and lackluster.  The highs were alright and was clean and present but against slightly veiled by the bass.  The highs were present but lacked the PRAT of the snares, cymbals and hi-hats and again was wishing for more.
 
 
The main gripe I had with these is definitely the overpowering bass.  The bass was always there being at the forefront of every song even if you didn't call for it.  Rock tracks sounded muffled because of this, and jazz just lost its lushness due to the lack of mids and highs.  Forget about classical music or anything with instruments. These aren't bad by any means, but I would easily go with the ESW9 or the HD-25.  If you are an extreme bass head, then perhaps these are for you  There was no sibilance or harshness and you could probably enjoy hours of unfatigued listening sessions if you don't mind the bass.  There was so much potential for these...I just wish it was more balanced and Klipsch didn't fall into the "more bass is better" syndrome of the main stream audience. 

 

[MarkyMark87]

   I currently have the Image S4s which I bought very recently this month and they ARE my first set of quality headphones (used iPod and blackberry headphones previously).  Once they are sealed properly, I find them to sound very good.  I love the bass but also the fact that it is very clear overall which makes the music sound "alive". 
   Now my issue is that I work at my computer for 2-3 days a week and stay there for 6-12hrs (with only A 5min break every hour).  Now music is VERY important to me while I work.  The issue I am having is that the S4s tend to bother me after 4-5 hrs as it gets a little itchy and irritating (they are clean, no dirt issue).  Now I will still want to keep the S4s (I sometimes have gel in my hair) but I think I need a over-the-head pair of headphones to suit my needs.  So I have narrowed it down to three options: the Audio Technica ATH M50s, the Beats by Dre Stuidos (not Solos) and these ones.  Now I live in Canada so with shipping the AT will cost me $138, the studios I get a really sick price of $145 after tax (friend of a friend is manager at MAJOR retailer; this is 100% real with receipt, no fake!) and the Image Ones will cost me $180 from Apple.  I know the ATH M50 sound as good or better that the Studio but at half the price, but since price is the same for both, comfort is what would seperate them and from what I hear the ATs get very hot and uncomfortable after a while which would then be a problem like the S4s.  I heard the Studios are very comfortable for long term use.  What do you guys think? 
 
Sorry for the length

 

[Mariusz22]

What tips are you using with the S4s?  Those clear gel tips are literally the most comfortable tips I've ever used.  I think the obvious choice out of your options would be the M50s as far as sound quality is concerned, however, they do clamp quite a bit which can be uncomfortable for your extended listening sessions.  I preferred the HFI-580s to the M50s, and they clamped a little bit less, so maybe you can consider those.  The Image Ones are extremely comfortable and are great for office use (that's where I use mine), but are not going to give you that M50/580 sound quality.  
 
Regarding the Dre Studios, they really get a bad wrap because of their price.  They are really comfortable and do not really clamp at all.  You're obviously not getting hi-fi sound from them, but it still is a "fun" consumer sound that some people enjoy.  For the price you can get them for, they might not be a bad option all things considered. 

 

[FragViper]

For those curious:

 

[tongson]

Thanks Fragviper. That confirms it. It's not using the Foster drivers.

 

[MarkyMark87]

Quote:

What tips are you using with the S4s?  Those clear gel tips are literally the most comfortable tips I've ever used.  I think the obvious choice out of your options would be the M50s as far as sound quality is concerned, however, they do clamp quite a bit which can be uncomfortable for your extended listening sessions.  I preferred the HFI-580s to the M50s, and they clamped a little bit less, so maybe you can consider those.  The Image Ones are extremely comfortable and are great for office use (that's where I use mine), but are not going to give you that M50/580 sound quality.  
 
Regarding the Dre Studios, they really get a bad wrap because of their price.  They are really comfortable and do not really clamp at all.  You're obviously not getting hi-fi sound from them, but it still is a "fun" consumer sound that some people enjoy.  For the price you can get them for, they might not be a bad option all things considered. 

Man EVERYONE keeps saying they're the most comfortable things ever but I don't see how, well atleast not for extended periods of time.  I'm using the clear gel ones that came with them, the large ones don't give a good seal so bass is low, so I'm using the mediums ones.  I'm wearing it the way Klipsch described to form a proper seal on their website (insert, slightly rotate, then slightly pull back a little) and it creates the perfect seal so it sounds good, but after a while the inside of my earls feel itchy or I can feel that something is in my ear so I have to take it out briefly and re-insert them.  Anyone else having this problem?  Am I wearing them incorrectly?  I love them and if they were comfortable I wouldn't need to consider over-the-head headphones at all.  I would try the double flanged tips but they would go too far into my ear and I'm sure that would bother me more, and the large feels like its not sitting right and it definitely doesn't sound as good as the medium tips cause of the weaker seal.  I prefer not to have to buy other tips for them, anyone know how to fix it?
 
To the topic at hand, so would you then pick the Dre Studios or the Klipsch Image One?  I ruled out the M50s now due to their clamping, their weight, the fact that they cause the ears to get hot and the fact that the cable is either too long or you get a telephone wire (loll at whoever initially said it).  And whats the other headphone you mentioned as I'm not familiar with it.  I'm willing to spend around $150 (I know its a little more for the Klipsch but I don't mind because I like the S4's sound and these are said to sound like them), any other options.  I want something comfortable to wear and something that doesn't look like crap.  So far the Studios and the Image Ones are the only ones that meet the criteria.

Thanks 
 

 

[rhythmdevils]

what about SQ? 

 

[MarkyMark87]

Sorry, I thought that was a given, I definitely want good sound quality, but its not gonna do me any good to buy a over-the-band pair of headphones if its going to be uncomfortable for long periods of use, no matter how good they sound, which is the case with the M50s

 

[Shaggy-FOO]

Klipsch Image One vs. Beats Studio at the price your talking?  I would go with the beats in terms of sound quality.  The Beats are more balanced than the Klipsch I found in terms of bass while both headphones have recessed mids and decent highs.  Note that the Beats are bigger and heavier than the Klipsch though.  Have you considered Phiatons or ATH-ESW9 or Senn HD25?

 

[MarkyMark87]

Quote:

Klipsch Image One vs. Beats Studio at the price your talking?  I would go with the beats in terms of sound quality.  The Beats are more balanced than the Klipsch I found in terms of bass while both headphones have recessed mids and decent highs.  Note that the Beats are bigger and heavier than the Klipsch though.  Have you considered Phiatons or ATH-ESW9 or Senn HD25?

No I haven't considered those, what about the Shure SRH 840 or the 440s?  Im pretty sure I can get a discount on those as well.

 

[Shaggy-FOO]

I haven't heard the 440, but I bought the 840's and returned them.  For one thing they are a monster of a headphone.  Very well built, but big, bulky and heavy.  It has the typical shure sound in that it has amazing highs and vibrant mids, but being very lackluster in the low ends.  If you only listen to rock, then the 840's are good, but if you are like me and listen to a wide variety of music, then stay away from the 840's. 

 

[FragViper]

After having these headphones for a few weeks I am going to have to return them tomorrow. After being a huge fan of the S4's and Klipsch, I can't really justify this purchase. These headphones look really nice but sound like garbage. I can't recommend them to anyone that's serious about listening to music.
 
IMO, they really only sound good on really well produced Hip-Hop, and as a movie headphone. Neither of these are very common listens for me and I don't think they're up to the 160$ price tag in terms of sound quality at all. After extended periods they're even uncomfortable to me, and this is a complete deal breaker.