[iAJB]

Okay so this is my first post on head-fi, I've been lurking this past week just gaining knowledge and information on headphones/IEMs etc as I was looking to buy a decent pair.
 
After a lot of reading and browsing I decided to buy the Klipsch Image S4's, they were well in my price range and after all the good reviews I bought them off Amazon for £59. At first I was very disappointed with the harshness and sss sound (sibilance? - i'm no audiophile btw) and how I found that I had to turn the volume up high to get good bass response, but as a consequence the highs were piercing my ears and very harsh.
 
On to my question, I bought them from Amazon and they have a 30 day return policy, however I read they only accept items that have been opened/unboxed if they are faulty in that 30 day time period, well of course I have opened the box and used the headphones. I've read on here people saying they have returned them once opened, is it possible to return them to Amazon within the 30 days if I do not like them?
 
I'd like to add that I have been burning them in for 14-16 hours now with a mixture of pink and white noise plus the music which I listen to above normal listening level and the harshness has toned down noticeably and the bass seems a lot clearer, whether this is a placebo affect or not I don't know but they definitely sound different to me.
 
Thanks in advance 

 

[dlbernau]

I had some of those headphones also, and ended up returning them after 2 weeks. If you feel you are not getting all the bass you may want to experiment with some different tips to insure you are getting a good seal. In the end though I found them a bit bloated and "uncontrolled".

Amazon, in the US at least, is very liberal about returns. As I recall, they even paid for the return shipping. UK may be different tho.

Good luck!

 

[iAJB]

I went through the 'return item' steps on Amazon UK and I believe it is the same as the US store, has all the drop down options to select reason for return etc and also has the print label for postage.
 
If I have 30 days then I may hang onto them for a few more days, I'm using the large oval tips btw to ensure a good seal although I find the medium ovals more comfortable but do not create any bass which must mean they don't give me the correct seal..
 
thanks for the reply!

 

[iAJB]

just rang amazon UK, yes I have 30 days to return the headphones and will get a full refund. Apparently they even get a courier to pick them up, is this real life? lol

 

[JoeyRusso]

Quote:

Okay so this is my first post on head-fi, I've been lurking this past week just gaining knowledge and information on headphones/IEMs etc as I was looking to buy a decent pair.
 
After a lot of reading and browsing I decided to buy the Klipsch Image S4's, they were well in my price range and after all the good reviews I bought them off Amazon for £59. At first I was very disappointed with the harshness and sss sound (sibilance? - i'm no audiophile btw) and how I found that I had to turn the volume up high to get good bass response, but as a consequence the highs were piercing my ears and very harsh.
 
On to my question, I bought them from Amazon and they have a 30 day return policy, however I read they only accept items that have been opened/unboxed if they are faulty in that 30 day time period, well of course I have opened the box and used the headphones. I've read on here people saying they have returned them once opened, is it possible to return them to Amazon within the 30 days if I do not like them?
 
I'd like to add that I have been burning them in for 14-16 hours now with a mixture of pink and white noise plus the music which I listen to above normal listening level and the harshness has toned down noticeably and the bass seems a lot clearer, whether this is a placebo affect or not I don't know but they definitely sound different to me.
 
Thanks in advance 

Are you inserting them deep enough in your ear canal??  These are not meant to be worn in ear, they are meant to be inserted into your ear canal for best sound.  I found that turning them up and wearing the cables over my ears allowed for a deeper insertion and optimal sound.  Give that a try before you send them back.

 

[meltie]

I agree with the others: Are you sure you inserted them correctly? Doesn't sound like S4 to me at all.

 

[HappyFi]

Amazon is very good with returns, in my experience. Yeah, they even pay for shipping. I've returned open earphones to them that I just didn't like. They came in "hassle free" packaging though, so the repackaging was identical to how they arrived (no damaged packaging or anything).

 

[iAJB]

Quote:

I agree with the others: Are you sure you inserted them correctly? Doesn't sound like S4 to me at all.

Yes I am aware they are to be worn inside your ear canal, would of thought that was obvious? lol. I'm wearing the Large oval tips and have even looked on Klipsch for how to ensure a good seal.
 
Okay I have 34 hours on them now, the only problem I have is the sss's in the music are very harsh and sound bad. I take it this is sibilance?
 

 

[HappyFi]

 
 
Quote:

Yes I am aware they are to be worn inside your ear canal, would of thought that was obvious? lol. I'm wearing the Large oval tips and have even looked on Klipsch for how to ensure a good seal.

 
Ha. I think he just mentioned insertion because some IEMs are sensitive to depth, and people will sometimes cram them in too far, or not enough. As you point out, you aren't one of those people, heh. Sometimes it's good to mention all possibilities anyway. Are they plugged in? I kid. I wasn't impressed with the S4.

 

[iAJB]

Quote:

 
 
 
Ha. I think he just mentioned insertion because some IEMs are sensitive to depth, and people will sometimes cram them in too far, or not enough. As you point out, you aren't one of those people, heh. Sometimes it's good to mention all possibilities anyway. Are they plugged in? I kid. I wasn't impressed with the S4.

lol, good one.
 
I have tried many different fits, from 'cramming' them in with medium ovals, to resting them in etc. I have the large ovals and they fit nicely but I just find the sibilance a big issue, and they just don't live up to what I read.
 
Idk...maybe my expectations were just to high for a under £100 headphone, but multiple reviews said they were worth twice or three times the price. No harm done anyway I can return them like I said so I'll burn them in over night and see if the sibilance has toned down.
 
Can you even 'burn in' sibilance? 

 

[HappyFi]

The S4 are considered by many people around here to be overrated. In fact they're almost famous for it. Mileage varies of course and some folks love them. I wouldn't rule out the sub $100 market. Especially recently, there are quite a few IEMs in that range that have garnered much respect. I don't know if sibilance can be burned in/out. I think burn in response is a varied and less-than predictable thing.

 

[iAJB]

Okay I think I'm going to send them back, I was very disappointed when I first tried them, actually pretty gutted. However, the sound has got noticeably better but the sibilance is very noticeable even to me, I'm no expert at all.
 
@Happy-Fi, without completely changing the topic what other IEMs under £100, which is 156 dollars would you recommend? I listen to alot of bass heavy music, if that helps, but don't want it to overwhelm, but who does.