[ChristmaSFnatic]

I originally just wanna buy an upgrade to the iPhone earphones - just a Klipsch S4i. But after reading a lot here, it seems embarrassing at this point to buy that, cuz not only is it an old model, a lot frowns upon it.

Should I just jump straight ahead and get a better one to really "hear" what the audiophile master jedis hear? Or just start with something like S4i, then upgrade and upgrade til I can really have experience? Im really tempted to buy a Monster Turbine Gold Pro.


Oh and why those models? I need Apple controls. And a good bass without drowning the rest.

THANK YOU MY MASTERS!

 

[nipit]

I'd suggest to get the best you can afford earphones. I can guarantee that when you will get s4 after some time you will upgrade from them, so why waste the money?!

 

[sunnymonk]

I got the S4i when it was launched and it has served it's purpose well.
I don't know where you are located but it would be good to pop over to a store for a demo.
That is what I usually do.

 

[ChristmaSFnatic]

Im in the Philippines. lol. And in my area, only demos are the actual headsets, not IEMs. Thats why Im desperate to make my purchase worth it, esp since Im ordering online.

 

[IMAWolf]

Personally i feel that you should get the S4s and move on from there, higher end IEMs are mostly geared towards specific audiences. If you had the S4, which i found to be a rather people-pleasing option, you'll have a good idea of what kind of sound you are looking for. This beats buying a high end IEM and finding that you don't like it's sound signature (too little bass/ fun signature vs neutral signature, etc.)
 
 
P.S. My opinions may be biased since the S4s were my first real IEMs but i find them IMMENSELY comfortable, if that kind of thing matters to you.
 
Hope this helps!

 

[scuttle]

Quote:

I'd suggest to get the best you can afford earphones. I can guarantee that when you will get s4 after some time you will upgrade from them, so why waste the money?!

Quality and price aren't necessarily related.
 
- Plus IEMs are pretty destructible...
 
- Plus finding the right IEMs is as much about your own taste as absolute SQ...
 
- Plus large amounts of money often only bring small SQ improvements...
 
- If you upgrade later, the technology will have improved
 
- Some of the higher end IEMs may be rather pointless on most iPod models unless you use a separate headphone amp.
 
My own experience with IEMs was  HF5($150)  = JVC61($20) < JVC51($40)  < Yamaha EPH 100 ($125). But none of them come anywhere near my $225 HD25 portable phones. (These are UK prices - yes; we do get gouged.)
 
The 51s are said to have a similar signature to Turbine Golds if EQed right, but to sound an edge better. However I'm not sure if the iPod has much EQ capability? I you play around with the EQ and don't notice any distortion, then I'd try JVC51s or JVC FX80s and only worry about upgrading if these don't make you happy. If you do upgrade then you can still use the cheaper IEMs for working out etc.
 
 
 
 

 

[scuttle]

Oh - and good bass is really hard to find in an IEM. JVC are known for their bass at all price levels, but I don't think they make a model with iPhone controls. Sorry!
 
..I suspect your best bet might be the Shure 215s.
 
1. They are said to have good but not overpowering bass (good bass is often about a quality called "prat" - the ability to produce sharp transient sounds of all frequencies well; if prat is poor then drums will be muddy, etc.)
 
2. You can get a cable with phone controls for them (check this for compatibility with your phone)
 
3. The cable is replaceable. And when IEMS die it is usually because of the cable-monitor connection being damaged

 

[sunnymonk]

S4i is perhaps a little too old.
There's a promo at Amazon and it costs USD 66 so you might want to consider it.
 
Perhaps you can try some of the reviews in the forum for a wider picture of possible IEMs based on your budget.

 

[vese]

Completely IMO but if you're looking for price+quality+you're not an audiophile the Monster Turbines are SUCH a great IEM,I've given away 3 of them as gifts to people(none of them being audiophiles) and for $70-90 they say the difference is amazing. 

 

[ChristmaSFnatic]

Thanks guys. Needing Apple controls, I tried earlier in the gym using earphones without Apple controls, its a hassle to pull my iPhone out to change tracks/volume/talk. Esp when my hands are sweaty. Same with jogging.

I read reviews here and there, another one with Apple controls is the Ety MC3, but Im concerned about the bass, I want headbanging music. Also I want something that seems sturdy enough and a good warranty/customer service. I emailed Klipsch several times and they responded in a matter of a few days.. Monster, I never gotten a reply from last week's email. Cuz again, Im from the Philippines, I wanna make sure I can have good service cuz sending it back is expensive as it is.
 
As of S4i being old, is it too old that the music quality of IEMs these days are different?

 

 

[mbamg]

Quote:

Thanks guys. Needing Apple controls, I tried earlier in the gym using earphones without Apple controls, its a hassle to pull my iPhone out to change tracks/volume/talk. Esp when my hands are sweaty. Same with jogging.

I read reviews here and there, another one with Apple controls is the Ety MC3, but Im concerned about the bass, I want headbanging music. Also I want something that seems sturdy enough and a good warranty/customer service. I emailed Klipsch several times and they responded in a matter of a few days.. Monster, I never gotten a reply from last week's email. Cuz again, Im from the Philippines, I wanna make sure I can have good service cuz sending it back is expensive as it is.
 
As of S4i being old, is it too old that the music quality of IEMs these days are different?

 

Over the years, the S4 and CX300 have both garnered enough attention among non-audiophiles (if you want to call them that) to be default recommendations due to their mainstream sound signatures. The problem is R&D for both the S and CX series have stagnated for a long time, and new companies popping up are constantly pumping out IEMs that would give these two a run for their money in terms of sound and build quality. The S and CX series are currently cash cows for Klipsch and Sennheiser respectively.

 

[Omnirai]

Quote:

I originally just wanna buy an upgrade to the iPhone earphones - just a Klipsch S4i. But after reading a lot here, it seems embarrassing at this point to buy that, cuz not only is it an old model, a lot frowns upon it.

Should I just jump straight ahead and get a better one to really "hear" what the audiophile master jedis hear? Or just start with something like S4i, then upgrade and upgrade til I can really have experience? Im really tempted to buy a Monster Turbine Gold Pro.


Oh and why those models? I need Apple controls. And a good bass without drowning the rest.

THANK YOU MY MASTERS!

Of course you'll hear the difference - there's no attribute that allows "audiophiles" to listen to music better than "non-audiophiles". If you care about how your music sounds, you're already an audiophile
 
There's nothing wrong with getting the S4i first - especially if you can't audition higher end IEMs. If you do get the Golds though, you will probably like them quite a bit better than the S4s considering you like bass. The IE8i is a high-end option if you want to shoot straight for the stars - but I don't recommend that route as you are fairly stuck if you end up not liking the sound signature. Start on the ground, figure out what sound you like and how much you are willing to take this hobby, and then decide if you want to go high-end
 
 

 

[ChristmaSFnatic]

Thanks again guys.

Also, mbamg, you said they give the S4i a run for their money, so it means they are still fairly doing well SQ wise on today's standards?
 
Omnirai, so you suggest S4i first or Gold Turbines?

Another thing, if the price difference is say twice, does that mean the SQ is twice better? Or does it go slimmer as it goes up?

 

[mbamg]

Quote:

Thanks again guys.

Also, mbamg, you said they give the S4i a run for their money, so it means they are still fairly doing well SQ wise on today's standards?
 
Omnirai, so you suggest S4i first or Gold Turbines?

Another thing, if the price difference is say twice, does that mean the SQ is twice better? Or does it go slimmer as it goes up?

I mean the S and CX series are falling behind in terms of SQ compared to today's standards set by the new companies. Price difference doesn't mean much when it comes to IEMs < $100. It just depends on supply and demand. Less demand with high supply, it's cheaper. More demand and diminishing supply, they bump up the price. However, one thing you should never do is to buy something at the MSRP or higher. A lot of people on Head-Fi have found that the law of diminishing returns begins to apply after $120 (at least for IEMs) i.e. you probably won't be able to notice as much of a difference when compared to cheaper IEMs. The IEMs that give you the most for the least are currently being sold in the $80-$120 range.

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

Another thing, if the price difference is say twice, does that mean the SQ is twice better? Or does it go slimmer as it goes up?

The more you move up in prices doesn't constitute a greater gain in SQ
 
More expensive equipment is either geared towards Audiophiles or sound professionals. The difference isn't drastic, but the dependable quality standard is higher.
Rough speaking: More money = More quality you can rely on. Like reference headphones.
 
As you grow in scale of pricing, the quality improves on a opposite scaling is the X 10^ concept. This means that the more you throw at a headphone, the less quality jump will occur.
 
A $100 headphone will be anything a person wants and doesn't tell someone else that a $500 headphone will be better by 5x as much. More like, 20% better as above would state. 
So $100 headphone would be 100% and $500 headphone would be 120% the quality. 100% + 20% added on.
 
All this is rough at best, but shows what I mean.
 
 
Choose headphones and earphone on the preference of sound at the lowest need since most headphone will sound good. Aim for comfort, build and your personal sound preference according to your musical tastes.
EDIT: And of course, price wise. Don't spend what you can't afford to.
Edit: Can't is with a "t", not a "c"