Intro:
First things first, I have owned these lil' ear-torpedoes for well over 2-years and I bought them new as my obsession for non-functioning swatches. The burn-in period has passed long long ago in a time when I was still in school and the only thing keeping my studying was that gorgeous voice of Madam Bjork. So at least one thing can be said already, these buds have been durable and my loyal IEM companions.
Fit:
Even as I wear them writing this review I still continue to forget that music has not been drilled into my head from years of continuous playing...the Klipsch are just that comfortable and light. The silicone eartip inserts are extremely soft and exhibit Klipsch's special oval eartip technology which just keeps the silicone from pushing itself out of your sound holes, however it is very effective and comfy. I would not recommend these as a buy for a workout pair, as I would often find myself re-adjusting after every action. The acute triangle like way they stick out of your ears can be bothersome at times as they can easily be pulled out by face hugging objects. This can be quite a big issue if you plan on sitting in that bush opposite your ex's residence while listening to "Hello" by Lionel Richie on repeat. If you have the need to shy away from human acknowledgment then the Klipsch will do an adequate job at isolating you from those heathens...as long as you don't move too much or the vibrations of the wire on your soft bellied body will start to bother you a bit. Overall the S2's are very comfortable for casual listening, but not TOO casual, i.e. don't sleep in these or those eardrums you find so important may get pierced by the .22 cal sized earbuds. Comfort for the Klipsch S2 gets the all important two-thumbs up and a slight grin rating.
Build Quality:
They are light plastic, rubber, and the cable is too thin. They've lasted me more than 2 years so this might be the recipe for future cars...well maybe they beat me to that awhile ago. But Ive had no issues with them regarding quality of components. Although the tiny air-channel hole on the bottom of the base of the phones is slightly gunked up with something I can only guess is from my filthy ears. Build quality gets a one-thumb up and a generically uninterested expression.
Sound Quality:
Okay here it is, if you didn't read the sections regarding fit and build quality and don't care about a duct-tape ridden needle in your ear then this part will make up for it. The Klipsch S2's have been properly burned-in and during this period of time a more than slight difference was made and gave the S2's a more sparkly highs. Now with the bad news...the mid-range is not well presented with these, in fact in songs with three or more guitars it becomes hard to differentiate what that wailing is. So rock(Metal) is not advised with these. Instrument separation is not clean but not awful, it can be fun even. Sub-bass can overpower vocals but these are advertised as bass-heavy so that is expected. Bass is fun but not "great". Vocals! What? Oh yes...these are my favorite headphones for MALE Vocals for example The Cure would be a great listen with these buds, and more specifically "Underneath the Stars" by The Cure. More examples you say? How about some of Maynard James Keenan? A Perfect Circle's (His Experimental Band) "Emotive" album will be a good shining point for these Klipsch. But I thought you said rock wasn't good Mr. Man?! Well I should rephrase that as my mental image of rock is of three long haired Finnish men beating their digits into frets. So the S2's are NOT suited for metal or any variation of guitar shredding. The reason I say Male and not Female vocals is simple...those shrieks of Bjork's start to distort at the very peak of her Icelandic shout. However it is unfair to say that as I only listen to two female vocalists regularly, the lovely Bjork and Portishead. But treble and highs are warm so don't let me contradict myself as I have a love/hate with my buddies. The sound is more accurate than most sub 40 dollar IEM's. And if you're coming from skullcandy or any variation of trend setting earhole wear, then these might as well be the piece of concrete before your first step into audiophilism. They are not the best or the cheapest or the coolest, but they are so undeniably "engaging" I just can't stay mad at them. They continue to make you connect to your music and if that's not what headphones are supposed to do then I don't want those $1,000 plus headphones (But just in case don't cross anything off my list Santa). Let's go over the bases again shall we? The mid-range is weak, the low-end is of common bass heavy IEM dynamic drivers, instrument separation and sound stage leaves something to be wanted...but the sparkly treble and sweet highs often make me care much less about the issues of these. They're fun and that's what matters to a lot who just want a IEM for travel and leisurely strolls. I'm giving a giddy smile and a thumbs up on these...so a 3.6 / 5 for audio quality.
Value:
Although I bought these for $60 I still find that to be a reasonable price. Considering I have found them around town for $30 and below and taking into consideration their potential they are a great bargain at this time. If you want some cheap throw around music replicators or headphones for stalking that cute girl that lives 5 blocks away, you can have more fun doing it. Give em a try, if you don't like them and disagree with me just remember that disagreement is subjective and you're most likely wrong. Two-thumbs up and a deer in the headlights look for these.
Conclusion:
Get em'. They will at least be a pair to fall back on if anything happens to those pricey Customs. Thanks for Sitting through that dear Head-fi community member.
-Christian
