[Sooner34]

Hey everybody. I've been lurking this forum for quite a few months now, and only now have a reason to post.
 
My 18th birthday is in less than a month.

And I am wanting to upgrade my IEMs. I now own a set of Klipsch Image S4s, and want to continue on with that clear extended high end and a powerful low end. I've been looking at either the Klipsch Custom 3, at it's new awesome price of $109. Or the Sleek Audio SA6, due to it's VQ feature and supposed great sound. The SA6 is also just $149.99 right now.
 
Tough choices follow, help me out! Which do you all recommend?

 

[mark2410]

id suggest if you have any UK based friends or family to grab you a set of IE7 at their crazy new price on orange

 

[IpodHappy]

The Custom 3s have a nice sound signature with a powerful bass and extended high end that I would know a lot better by now if it weren't that the cable drives me crazy to the point that I keep taking them out and putting something else in to listen to.  The cables are the most microphonic of any I own.  They rub against my cheeks, shirt collar, shirt, anything, and transmit the rustling noise right up into the drivers.  You have to sit rock still to hear these without the noise, and I just can't do that.  I took these to work to listen to the periodical video meetings we attend.
 
I've not heard the Sleek Audios, so I can't give you a comparison.
 
I just read that I missed picking up a second pair of UE 700s for $70.  That would have been a very nice deal.

 

[lucozade]

I recommend the custom 3 , they are a great sounding phone and while the cable is microphonic if you move around alot its not as bad as ipod happy suggests and if you use the chin slider this reduces microphonics quite a bit 
 
Custom 3 sounds much better than ie7 in my experience ,no contest really 

 

[Sooner34]

The cables were the things that were deterring me from the Custom 3s.
 
Anyone have any experience with both phones?

 

[lucozade]

i have both iems , the ie7 does have the better cable ,but the c3 has a much more refined sound and a more detailed treble and a much deeper fit in the ear which results in much better isolation 

 

[IpodHappy]

Everyone has different weighting factors for product characteristics which help to define what makes some devices great vs. mediocre  I like to disappear into the world of my music, leaving externals behind.  The cable noise of the Custom 3s keeps me from achieving that, aborting my escape from reality.  It's a great disappointment in IEMs which would otherwise be very fine.  However, if microphonics haven't bugged you in the past with your IEMs, these may be great phones for you.
 

 

[Dev Avidon]

Are those your only options?  There are a lot of nice IEMs at that price, like the DBA-02s or HiFiman RE-Zeros, for example.

 

[Sooner34]

No. They just seem to fit my wants more. I'm in love with the Klipsch sound signature, and am looking to retain it. My budget is $150 also.

 

[paulypaul]

Id love to listen to the custom 3s.
You'd think they'd have done something about the cables by now.
I liked my klipsch x5s. Isolation was amazingly good.
Now i'm pretty much sold on the RE0s & RE-ZEROS. , though ive almost pulled the trigger on the custom3s a few times.