Klipsch Custom-3 Review:
All of this is out of my 6G 160 GB iPod classic, unamped. Most of my audio test tracks are 256 AAC, high quality. I did add a couple that are not, just to see how forgiving a set of phones are. I'm using the Comply foamies, mostly
because I've found they have the best sound overall, adding a bit of strength to the bass and slightly attenuating the occasionally bright and harsh highs.
Screenwriters Blues [Soul Coughing] -- The bass just doesn't come anywhere near the Atrios -- it's just as strong, but not as natural sounding and not as well defined. The mids and highs sound more forward, but I don't know that they're really any cleaner or more detailed.
When the Saints Come Marching In [Oscar Peterson Trio with Lionel Hampton] -- Again, the mids and highs definitely stand out better than they did on the Atrios. It's hard to say whether the sound is actually better, though. Hamp's vibrophones do sound cleaner and more textured than with the Atrios. I'd have to say that these are a little more detailed, at least on a simple/low instrument count song like this one.
Moten Swing [Bennie Moten Orchestra] -- This is a recording from the 30s. It's had a good attempt at remastering, but it's still from the 30s, which means the range isn't that good, and the separation just isn't there at all. That said, it definitely sounds different than any of my other phones. The guitar and mid section sounds really good at times...until this nasty distortion/remastering artifact starts showing up. The limited low end on this recording actually plays to these phones' strength... except for the extra resolution showing up the nastiness in the recording, I'd call these a good match.
Frankie and Johnnie [Sam Cooke] -- This song works very well with these phones until the orchestra comes in. The orchestra sounds just a bit too muted for me. The bass sounds really really good, but that's one of the best recorded parts of this song. Again... these phones seem just a little too sensitive and resolving -- I'm hearing echoes in the recording that I don't think I've ever noticed before, and it's a little distracting.
Beautiful People [UPenn Off the Beat] -- This is a low fi, off-the-net recording of an a capella song. It's an interesting test. Actually, this song sounds very good. Despite the relatively low quality of the recording, there aren't any artifacts, and the phones actually make the voices sound more realistic than I'm used to hearing.
The New Messiah [Philosopher Kings] -- The bass at the begining of this sounds good, but it doesn't go deep enough (well, at least, it doesn't go as deep as my Atrios or q-Jays) Vocals are clear and right in the middle. The background strings are a little muted, and I heard some weird high end distortion on the vocals at some times that I haven't noticed with any other phones..
Fette's Vette [MC Chris] -- This song sounds pretty good, but the bass is a little less defined than I would prefer. Vocals are really clear and detailed. It's a shame I can't say the same about the bass line or the string part. That said, they do have me rockin' along with the song.
First We Take Manhattan [Leonard Cohen] -- The intro does not impress at all -- most of my other phones had more impact. When Leonard's voice somes in, though, it comes in nice and strong and well in front of the synthesizer part.
Everloving [Moby] -- The instruments sound really pretty good on this. There are a couple of instances of phantom distortion/crackling, unfortunately. Also, the parts where Moby is humming along (which I love) are very very understated and almost impossible to hear. When the music really crescendoes, it seems like there's a lot of stuff blending together (as opposed to the q-Jays, where everything was nicely layered and sharp, or the Atrios, which have a more laid-back but still clear presentation).
Wade in the Water [Soul Stirrers] -- Definitely better than the q-Jays, but.... doesn't really win any points with me. This is an older recording, admittedly, but it's a pretty good one, and the bass line is really kind of indistinct.
Leaving New York [REM] -- Stipe's voice sounds really good in the quiet intro section. Crazy detail, it sounds like you're hearing him from about 5 feet away. Even when the rest of the instrumentation comes in, it's pretty clean, and despite the lushness of the recording, everything is pretty well articulated. The bass drum is hitting surprisingly hard in this song, almost like with my Atrios. Overall, really good song for these phones.
They Don't Want Music [Black Eyed Peas] -- This song sounds really good. Bass hits hard and is plentiful and even seems to go pretty deep. Lots of detail in the vocal arrangements and play with the instruments. Again, there are a few times when it sounds like there's a touch of high end clipping or something. Just a touch of static around certain hits or high frequency sounds.
Check On It [Beyonce] -- Ironic that the two poppiest songs come on right after each other. (Lol, same thing happened during my q-Jays review, actually). Same thing as the last -- they're recorded hot. That seems to be a recording style that these phones are designed for. Some of the vocals just sound... fantastic.
I Want You Back (Z-Trip remix) [Jackson 5] -- Intro guitar is clean, but not as bright and live as with the q-Jays (or, to a lesser extent Atrios), when the bass comes in, it's strong and punchy. As the song progresses, the drums start to dominate over the mids and the guitar and vocals drop back a bit. When the Jackson 5 chorus comes in, they're definitely a bit muffled and indistinct.
Beautiful People [Rusted Root] -- This song has a really good soundstage, which the C3s do a pretty good job with. Maybe not quite as good as the Shure SE310, but I'd say better than any other IEMs I've used except for those. This recording is pretty damn good, and the C3s do fine with it. The only knock I might have is that the layers of the song sound a little too blended, not distinct enough.
Pretty Angry (For J. Sheehan) [Blues Traveler] -- Again, these shine with the intro... but the into doesn't have very many instruments and this song is a very clean modern recording. Once everything gets going, though, the sound doesn't work as well for me... feels like all of the elements are washing together a little too much.
Out of scientific curiosity, at this point, I went back to the Klipsch tips. The Comply tips certainly helped with the bass. The Klipsch double flanges bring the highs out a little more, and might have helped the separation a little.
Hero of the Day [Metallica, S&M recording] -- Whoa. Definitely time to go back to the Comply tips. The Klipsch tips just don't do anything for the bass (which is already a little indistinct), and the strings were just rough on my ears. The Comply tips brought everything back into balance a bit, thankfully. Of course, the downside to the Comply tips is that the C3s aren't made to use them, and so the phones stick out quite a bit more. And I'm always a little nervous about the tips coming off.
Dancing with Kadafi [Infected Mushroom] -- This is a really tough song. One of my favorite songs, and it's got a huge variety of sounds, from quiet solo passages through hugely layered driving electronic beats. That said, this will be a tough challenge, because there is a lot of layering. On the other hand, it's a modern recording, very clean, and almost verging on hot; all of those things play to the C3's strengths. On the down side, as the song crescendoes and gets really busy, some of my favorite hits in the song suffer a little -- they just don't sound quite as dynamic as with the Atrios or as sharp as with the q-Jays.
Everybody Knows [Leonard Cohen] -- Cohen's voice sounds great. Actually, this whole song comes through pretty well. Even when there's a lot going on, the phones did a good job. Again, there's a little bit of blending between the instruments and parts.
Screenwriter's Blues [Soul Coughing] -- This song has a great bass part, and with good phones, it really slams into your ears. Unfortunately, these don't quite have that impact. The bass is there, but there's no oomph feeling when it hits.
Sacred Stones [The Samples] -- During the intro, the instruments are all super clear and the spacial and instrumental separation is really good. The lead vocals feel just a little recessed, unfortunately. Of course, as the song progreses, the separation seems to go away a bit. Detail is still pretty good, and the sound balance is nice, it just doesn't sound that... clean.
Desert Rose [Sting] -- Another well recorded song, great balance of highs mids and lows, and cleanly recorded. This is another one of those songs that really makes these phones sing.
Moten Swing [Oscar Peterson Trio] -- Sounds good but not great. It's a fairly simple song, everything comes through pretty clearly. I'd prefer a little more detail on the bass. The spacial imaging is pretty darn good though.
ABC (Salaam Remy Krunk-A-Delic Mix) [Jackson 5] -- Another place where the lack of bass impact really makes me get a little down on these phones.
Makin' Bread Again [The Three Sounds] -- This is an iffy recording, but these phones seem to fit it decently well. Or maybe I'm just getting used to having the instrumentation blend together a bit.
Memphis Soul Stew [King Curtis] -- Another tough song. On my Shures and my Audio Technica 700s, this song has SWEET separation. You can hear where every player is. The soundstage on these IEMs is remarkably good, actually. This recording does have a few flaws in it, and they're really pretty noticeable. Other than that, these come off really well. This is also the first layered song I've heard where they don't feel like they're blending the tracks together.
Down in the River to Pray [Alison Krauss] -- Yeah, these phones can be very resolving. That extra detail that I hadn't heard with any phones up to the q-Jays? It's there. As the whole chorus comes in, some of the individual vocal detail seems to go away, but it's still really pretty to listen to.
Jumpin' At the Woodside [Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras] -- Again, the soundstaging is quite good. I like being able to hear which orchestra is playing as the song goes and they start going back and forth. The bass presence is good and the horn energy is fine. As things get really busy, there's a little loss of resolution, but in general, this song sounds really good.
When the Saints Go Marchin' In [Monty Alexander] -- Solo piano recording from the Maybeck concert hall. The C3s do just fine with this song -- it doesn't exactly leap out and grab me, but htere's plenty of detail and I can hear Monty's little grunts and intakes of breath as he moves in the hard part. I always love that with resolving phones. The piano doesn't sound entirely natural, but that could also be a result of the recording or the ripping process.
Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) [Parliament] -- Now the bass hits really well on this song for some reason. This might be my favorite song with these phones so far -- the horns come in clearly, the balance is right on, and the bass is gettin' my groove on.
Pass the Peas [The J.B.s] -- Again, the imaging is really good. This is also a kind of a sparse song, so it plays to the C3's strengths. I think it also helps that this song uses an electric bass, which just doesn't have that much detail to it to begin with, so the lack of bass extension and texture doesn't take anything away from the song.
Variations on a Theme from Canon in D (live) [David Lanz] - This is a 128 kbps sampled MP3 from the net, and although the original quality might have been good, it rarely shines. I include this to test how resilient phones are with crappy material. The C3s do okay with this -- their tonal balance is really quite good, and since it's a solo piano piece, there isn't much bass impact or layering to worry about.
Mount Normal [Blues Traveler] -- This song is mastered a bit louder than most. That's a plus for the C3s, apparently. Once it really gets going, though... everything is there, but it just doesn't have the impact, or that dynamic feel that I love about my Atrios (and that the q-Jays can sometimes achieve as well). I do have to say that the bass slams pretty hard at times during this recording -- it's just the that mids and highs sound a little flat and lifeless instead. All of the instruments are there, you can hear everything; it's just that nothing jumps out at you.
Bus to Beelzebub [Soul Coughing] -- This track sounds okay. Not great, not bad. The bass doesn't hit that hard, but the vocals come through well and clearly, and the cacophonious parts of the song is well detailed.
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free [Nina Simone] -- Nina's voice isn't as clear or detailed as with Shures, q-Jays, Etys, or Atrios, but the rest of the song comes through well. The instrumentation is a bit sparse, that plays to the C3 strengths.
Living [Moby] -- Unfortunately, this is another song that's based on lots of layers of sound, and the C3 just doesn't do a good job with that.
Broken Bridge [Daughter Darling] -- This song has a very dark tone, and rather sparse instrumentation. The instrumentation comes through really well... unfortunately, the vocals aren't so much. Whereas the q-Jays gave her voice a clear, ethereal tone, the C3s bring her right back down to earth. The piano and the bass sound really good, though.
Wade In The Water [Eva Cassidy] -- By now, it's kind of expected. Bass is there, but doesn't have any impact. The guitar is nicely detailed. Great soundstage. I prefer several other phones for female vocals -- ER-4P, SE310, q-Jays, Atrios, even the LiveWires are better. Turning the volume up quite a bit actually helps that a lot -- unfortunately, it also makes the song a little uncomfortable to listen to.
Concrete Schoolyard [Jurassic 5] -- Bummer that the final song is one with a killer bass line. On the other hand, some of the samples sound absolutely fantastic as long as I keep the volume turned up. Actually, I would say that most of them do -- there are details there that I don't recall ever hearing before.
The upshot is, the phones aren't worth the money. They're good headphones, and they have their strengths, but I don't think they've got the bang-for-the-buck. They do sound fairly good with hot recordings or modern pop with overemphasized bass, but they don't seem to handle well balanced recordings very well.
All of this is out of my 6G 160 GB iPod classic, unamped. Most of my audio test tracks are 256 AAC, high quality. I did add a couple that are not, just to see how forgiving a set of phones are. I'm using the Comply foamies, mostly
because I've found they have the best sound overall, adding a bit of strength to the bass and slightly attenuating the occasionally bright and harsh highs.
Screenwriters Blues [Soul Coughing] -- The bass just doesn't come anywhere near the Atrios -- it's just as strong, but not as natural sounding and not as well defined. The mids and highs sound more forward, but I don't know that they're really any cleaner or more detailed.
When the Saints Come Marching In [Oscar Peterson Trio with Lionel Hampton] -- Again, the mids and highs definitely stand out better than they did on the Atrios. It's hard to say whether the sound is actually better, though. Hamp's vibrophones do sound cleaner and more textured than with the Atrios. I'd have to say that these are a little more detailed, at least on a simple/low instrument count song like this one.
Moten Swing [Bennie Moten Orchestra] -- This is a recording from the 30s. It's had a good attempt at remastering, but it's still from the 30s, which means the range isn't that good, and the separation just isn't there at all. That said, it definitely sounds different than any of my other phones. The guitar and mid section sounds really good at times...until this nasty distortion/remastering artifact starts showing up. The limited low end on this recording actually plays to these phones' strength... except for the extra resolution showing up the nastiness in the recording, I'd call these a good match.
Frankie and Johnnie [Sam Cooke] -- This song works very well with these phones until the orchestra comes in. The orchestra sounds just a bit too muted for me. The bass sounds really really good, but that's one of the best recorded parts of this song. Again... these phones seem just a little too sensitive and resolving -- I'm hearing echoes in the recording that I don't think I've ever noticed before, and it's a little distracting.
Beautiful People [UPenn Off the Beat] -- This is a low fi, off-the-net recording of an a capella song. It's an interesting test. Actually, this song sounds very good. Despite the relatively low quality of the recording, there aren't any artifacts, and the phones actually make the voices sound more realistic than I'm used to hearing.
The New Messiah [Philosopher Kings] -- The bass at the begining of this sounds good, but it doesn't go deep enough (well, at least, it doesn't go as deep as my Atrios or q-Jays) Vocals are clear and right in the middle. The background strings are a little muted, and I heard some weird high end distortion on the vocals at some times that I haven't noticed with any other phones..
Fette's Vette [MC Chris] -- This song sounds pretty good, but the bass is a little less defined than I would prefer. Vocals are really clear and detailed. It's a shame I can't say the same about the bass line or the string part. That said, they do have me rockin' along with the song.
First We Take Manhattan [Leonard Cohen] -- The intro does not impress at all -- most of my other phones had more impact. When Leonard's voice somes in, though, it comes in nice and strong and well in front of the synthesizer part.
Everloving [Moby] -- The instruments sound really pretty good on this. There are a couple of instances of phantom distortion/crackling, unfortunately. Also, the parts where Moby is humming along (which I love) are very very understated and almost impossible to hear. When the music really crescendoes, it seems like there's a lot of stuff blending together (as opposed to the q-Jays, where everything was nicely layered and sharp, or the Atrios, which have a more laid-back but still clear presentation).
Wade in the Water [Soul Stirrers] -- Definitely better than the q-Jays, but.... doesn't really win any points with me. This is an older recording, admittedly, but it's a pretty good one, and the bass line is really kind of indistinct.
Leaving New York [REM] -- Stipe's voice sounds really good in the quiet intro section. Crazy detail, it sounds like you're hearing him from about 5 feet away. Even when the rest of the instrumentation comes in, it's pretty clean, and despite the lushness of the recording, everything is pretty well articulated. The bass drum is hitting surprisingly hard in this song, almost like with my Atrios. Overall, really good song for these phones.
They Don't Want Music [Black Eyed Peas] -- This song sounds really good. Bass hits hard and is plentiful and even seems to go pretty deep. Lots of detail in the vocal arrangements and play with the instruments. Again, there are a few times when it sounds like there's a touch of high end clipping or something. Just a touch of static around certain hits or high frequency sounds.
Check On It [Beyonce] -- Ironic that the two poppiest songs come on right after each other. (Lol, same thing happened during my q-Jays review, actually). Same thing as the last -- they're recorded hot. That seems to be a recording style that these phones are designed for. Some of the vocals just sound... fantastic.
I Want You Back (Z-Trip remix) [Jackson 5] -- Intro guitar is clean, but not as bright and live as with the q-Jays (or, to a lesser extent Atrios), when the bass comes in, it's strong and punchy. As the song progresses, the drums start to dominate over the mids and the guitar and vocals drop back a bit. When the Jackson 5 chorus comes in, they're definitely a bit muffled and indistinct.
Beautiful People [Rusted Root] -- This song has a really good soundstage, which the C3s do a pretty good job with. Maybe not quite as good as the Shure SE310, but I'd say better than any other IEMs I've used except for those. This recording is pretty damn good, and the C3s do fine with it. The only knock I might have is that the layers of the song sound a little too blended, not distinct enough.
Pretty Angry (For J. Sheehan) [Blues Traveler] -- Again, these shine with the intro... but the into doesn't have very many instruments and this song is a very clean modern recording. Once everything gets going, though, the sound doesn't work as well for me... feels like all of the elements are washing together a little too much.
Out of scientific curiosity, at this point, I went back to the Klipsch tips. The Comply tips certainly helped with the bass. The Klipsch double flanges bring the highs out a little more, and might have helped the separation a little.
Hero of the Day [Metallica, S&M recording] -- Whoa. Definitely time to go back to the Comply tips. The Klipsch tips just don't do anything for the bass (which is already a little indistinct), and the strings were just rough on my ears. The Comply tips brought everything back into balance a bit, thankfully. Of course, the downside to the Comply tips is that the C3s aren't made to use them, and so the phones stick out quite a bit more. And I'm always a little nervous about the tips coming off.
Dancing with Kadafi [Infected Mushroom] -- This is a really tough song. One of my favorite songs, and it's got a huge variety of sounds, from quiet solo passages through hugely layered driving electronic beats. That said, this will be a tough challenge, because there is a lot of layering. On the other hand, it's a modern recording, very clean, and almost verging on hot; all of those things play to the C3's strengths. On the down side, as the song crescendoes and gets really busy, some of my favorite hits in the song suffer a little -- they just don't sound quite as dynamic as with the Atrios or as sharp as with the q-Jays.
Everybody Knows [Leonard Cohen] -- Cohen's voice sounds great. Actually, this whole song comes through pretty well. Even when there's a lot going on, the phones did a good job. Again, there's a little bit of blending between the instruments and parts.
Screenwriter's Blues [Soul Coughing] -- This song has a great bass part, and with good phones, it really slams into your ears. Unfortunately, these don't quite have that impact. The bass is there, but there's no oomph feeling when it hits.
Sacred Stones [The Samples] -- During the intro, the instruments are all super clear and the spacial and instrumental separation is really good. The lead vocals feel just a little recessed, unfortunately. Of course, as the song progreses, the separation seems to go away a bit. Detail is still pretty good, and the sound balance is nice, it just doesn't sound that... clean.
Desert Rose [Sting] -- Another well recorded song, great balance of highs mids and lows, and cleanly recorded. This is another one of those songs that really makes these phones sing.
Moten Swing [Oscar Peterson Trio] -- Sounds good but not great. It's a fairly simple song, everything comes through pretty clearly. I'd prefer a little more detail on the bass. The spacial imaging is pretty darn good though.
ABC (Salaam Remy Krunk-A-Delic Mix) [Jackson 5] -- Another place where the lack of bass impact really makes me get a little down on these phones.
Makin' Bread Again [The Three Sounds] -- This is an iffy recording, but these phones seem to fit it decently well. Or maybe I'm just getting used to having the instrumentation blend together a bit.
Memphis Soul Stew [King Curtis] -- Another tough song. On my Shures and my Audio Technica 700s, this song has SWEET separation. You can hear where every player is. The soundstage on these IEMs is remarkably good, actually. This recording does have a few flaws in it, and they're really pretty noticeable. Other than that, these come off really well. This is also the first layered song I've heard where they don't feel like they're blending the tracks together.
Down in the River to Pray [Alison Krauss] -- Yeah, these phones can be very resolving. That extra detail that I hadn't heard with any phones up to the q-Jays? It's there. As the whole chorus comes in, some of the individual vocal detail seems to go away, but it's still really pretty to listen to.
Jumpin' At the Woodside [Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras] -- Again, the soundstaging is quite good. I like being able to hear which orchestra is playing as the song goes and they start going back and forth. The bass presence is good and the horn energy is fine. As things get really busy, there's a little loss of resolution, but in general, this song sounds really good.
When the Saints Go Marchin' In [Monty Alexander] -- Solo piano recording from the Maybeck concert hall. The C3s do just fine with this song -- it doesn't exactly leap out and grab me, but htere's plenty of detail and I can hear Monty's little grunts and intakes of breath as he moves in the hard part. I always love that with resolving phones. The piano doesn't sound entirely natural, but that could also be a result of the recording or the ripping process.
Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) [Parliament] -- Now the bass hits really well on this song for some reason. This might be my favorite song with these phones so far -- the horns come in clearly, the balance is right on, and the bass is gettin' my groove on.
Pass the Peas [The J.B.s] -- Again, the imaging is really good. This is also a kind of a sparse song, so it plays to the C3's strengths. I think it also helps that this song uses an electric bass, which just doesn't have that much detail to it to begin with, so the lack of bass extension and texture doesn't take anything away from the song.
Variations on a Theme from Canon in D (live) [David Lanz] - This is a 128 kbps sampled MP3 from the net, and although the original quality might have been good, it rarely shines. I include this to test how resilient phones are with crappy material. The C3s do okay with this -- their tonal balance is really quite good, and since it's a solo piano piece, there isn't much bass impact or layering to worry about.
Mount Normal [Blues Traveler] -- This song is mastered a bit louder than most. That's a plus for the C3s, apparently. Once it really gets going, though... everything is there, but it just doesn't have the impact, or that dynamic feel that I love about my Atrios (and that the q-Jays can sometimes achieve as well). I do have to say that the bass slams pretty hard at times during this recording -- it's just the that mids and highs sound a little flat and lifeless instead. All of the instruments are there, you can hear everything; it's just that nothing jumps out at you.
Bus to Beelzebub [Soul Coughing] -- This track sounds okay. Not great, not bad. The bass doesn't hit that hard, but the vocals come through well and clearly, and the cacophonious parts of the song is well detailed.
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free [Nina Simone] -- Nina's voice isn't as clear or detailed as with Shures, q-Jays, Etys, or Atrios, but the rest of the song comes through well. The instrumentation is a bit sparse, that plays to the C3 strengths.
Living [Moby] -- Unfortunately, this is another song that's based on lots of layers of sound, and the C3 just doesn't do a good job with that.
Broken Bridge [Daughter Darling] -- This song has a very dark tone, and rather sparse instrumentation. The instrumentation comes through really well... unfortunately, the vocals aren't so much. Whereas the q-Jays gave her voice a clear, ethereal tone, the C3s bring her right back down to earth. The piano and the bass sound really good, though.
Wade In The Water [Eva Cassidy] -- By now, it's kind of expected. Bass is there, but doesn't have any impact. The guitar is nicely detailed. Great soundstage. I prefer several other phones for female vocals -- ER-4P, SE310, q-Jays, Atrios, even the LiveWires are better. Turning the volume up quite a bit actually helps that a lot -- unfortunately, it also makes the song a little uncomfortable to listen to.
Concrete Schoolyard [Jurassic 5] -- Bummer that the final song is one with a killer bass line. On the other hand, some of the samples sound absolutely fantastic as long as I keep the volume turned up. Actually, I would say that most of them do -- there are details there that I don't recall ever hearing before.
The upshot is, the phones aren't worth the money. They're good headphones, and they have their strengths, but I don't think they've got the bang-for-the-buck. They do sound fairly good with hot recordings or modern pop with overemphasized bass, but they don't seem to handle well balanced recordings very well.
