Nice! I was waiting for a review of these! I guess I would look somewhere else if I wanted a more V-shaped presentation =/

Nice review. Being a Klispch IEM  and speaker guy I was very interested in hearing about them. They will be on my radar untill price comes down. Do you know how they compare to the X7 or X11 comfort wise. I have always felt they make excellent IEMs as opposed to there not so good headphones and some of the finist full size speakers if you go back so years to the Heratage sreies.

wish they would not focus on "i"-versions. They cutting customer potential by focusing on obscure niche products!

@Feilong4, Ha, yes...  no V-Shaped presentation here.  For that you most definitely have to look elsewhere.

@bikerboy94, Unfortunately I can not compare it to the X7 or X11 as I have not have the pleasure of using those.  Though I am going to see if I can get my hands on one as a lot of other members are asking the same question.


@BartSimpson1976, I'm wondering if there is going to be an Android version because of the detachable cable?

I'll have to check with Klispch.

Great and detailed review. Very helpful!

I have to differ in opinion. Having used the X20i for the last couple of weeks, while I have no issues with its highs, I don't believe it is "neutral" --- to me, the entire low end to mids have been lifted on a shelf --- it's nothing overboard and it fits in with Klipsch's typical warm tone, but neutral is not how it should be described IMHO, if we are to adhere to products of precedent on what "neutral" means.
 
More importantly, I find the build quality quite underwhelming for something that is supposed to be $550. First, there's the smell of the un-exhausted polyaromatic hydrocarbons when you open up the package that lingers for a week or so --- the stereotypical "fresh from the China factory" smell. Then, the microphone has thin, unsubstantial plastic that doesn't fit the $550 price tag. I've seen $199 earphones with better built microphone/control units. The brushing of the aluminum housings isn't as fine as I expect it to be for a $550 unit, and the silkscreening isn't either. The cable is thick enough, but if you've been around enough VSONIC earphones, you'll know this cable is nothing special. Let's compare this with other products of similar price range --- the Westone W series has some great cables that feel better polished, and the Nuforce Primo 8 has an awesome feeling cable. At $550, one can also buy something like a Dita Answer, which has more solid, polished build quality and a more robust feeling cable (though worse-feeling ergonomics).
 
For these reasons, I feel Klipsch has not improved their manufacturing quality when it should have attempted to raise the bar in a field that has become extremely competitive over the past five years. Yes, the oval ear tips are still very comfortable, and the earphones are still small and fit well, and the treble is smooth and nicely composed. But nothing else about the X20i really stands out IMHO.

By comparison, at $400, the new q-Jays has a similar "neutral-esque" sound, but a MUCH BETTER build quality, with the exception of the cable. The packaging feels commensurate to that of a $400 product. At this point, I feel the q-Jays is a better buy. The Klipsch has smoother treble, but that's it. It's not more detailed, and it's not more accurate.

@tomscy2000, I appreciate your opinion.  It seems we agree on somethings and differ quite a bit on others.  That is why I love Head-Fi, all the members chiming in on products, helping others to find the best products.

For me, I did not notice any smell at all, it is unfortunate that your did have that odor.  As far as build quality, I have personally never tried the q-Jays, but I am very interested in their products and would love to see the two side by side for both build and sound.

q-Jays are amazing.  Quite possibly my pick of the best IEM release for 2015.  I ended up actually buying my review pair off Jays. I'd be interesting in a side-by-side comparison of the 2 dual BA's.  Tom - any chance of you doing a side-by-side with measurements?

How is this compared to JH13FP, Noble K10, SE5 or Shure 846 ?

@Brooko, well now I must try the q-Jays.  I will see what I can do to get my hands on one, I really want to try them both at the same time.

@gearofwar, unfortunately I have not tried any of the earphones you have listed, but maybe one of the other members has and can answer.  I can only compare it to my now updated list here:  http://www.head-fi.org/u/193679/bloodypenguin

Hmmm, at $520 I'd expect both regular and mic'd cables to be included. Not sure why they would screw in as break-away would be a good feature in case of tugging instead of getting yanking out of your ears and maybe scraping against the ground. At least they are a much improved over the old kinky cables they used to have. At least the price will drop on these and we will get the 50% deals eventually.
 
Great review!! How's the microphonics?? I'd assume the hefty cable helps it not jump around too much due to the weight.

Any one having flc 8??Please compare.

@jant71 I know Klipsch will be mixing up what is included in the package, so maybe that will be changed up as well.  Not sure.  I agree that another cable would be great to include.  I also mention in my review that I am confused about the screwing cables.  Though the cable itself i think is VERY nice.  Super soft and flexible with NO Microphonics to speak of.  You are correct, the heavy cable does not move around much at all, though it does pull slightly at the earphones because of the weight.

Excellent review. I own the x20i's and agree on all the points that you made. I also auditioned the q-jays as part of the tour. In comparing my memory of the q-jays to these, I would say that I am much more impressed by the x20i's for my taste. I'm not an audiophile, but felt that the highs on the jays were a little too bright and somewhat shrill at times for my taste, and there was a lacking bass. The fit on the x20i's was much better for me. I use the double flange tips, which I had also tried on the jays. Overall, I was just underwhelmed by the jays and impressed by the klipsch's. Also, in regards to the build quality of the microphone control, I believe that using plastic (guessing-maybe it's aluminum( was intentional to keep the weight down. I think if they used steel or similar materials it would pull a little at the headphones. I'm betting that they will make a non-mic version anyway.

p.s. these can be had for a discount with negotiation from authorized dealers. I was able to get 25% without much haggling. PM me for details.

So how do these compare to the X11i?? My impression of this x20i seems to be a similar sound signature of "little meat on the bones" IEM. The X11i almost felt like it was a lateral replacement of the earbuds from my Apple iPhone 6+ or even the S4 they produced. I certainly hope to test the x20i to see if Klipsch has jumped the SQ level compared to the x11i.

I do love the fitment of the Klipsch earbuds but when I was comparing many other earphones in the $200-600+ range the Klipsch IEM truly lagged in SQ/Price point ratio.