[hugeproblem]

And I can't tell the difference between them and my last $20 pair of Sony's. I bought the Klispch headphones at best buy so counterfeit isn't really an issue. Are some people's ears just not good enough to discern the difference? Played the same songs through two different sources and compared the two sets and I can't figure it out. I should note I've tried many different styles of music jazz, bluegrass, rock, hip hop, and I'll try some classical in a bit. 
 
Anyway, I could use some advice, if it's my ears then I'll take these back and save myself the money. Any input is greatly appreciated! 

 

[idvsego]

they are very sensitive to a good seal.  be sure they are way up in there and firmly sealed.  but take them back anyway and buy mine

 

[A Ham Sandwich]

I never thought the iS4 sounded all that great and I think their build quality is poor.
The worst thing was the fit.  I got rid of mine PDQ.

 

[Selenium]

You probably have a bad seal. The S4 should be smacking you upside the head with bass.

 

[hugeproblem]

The seal was the issue, thanks guys. Although now that I have a decent seal they are very uncomfortable. Ham sandwich what did you end up getting? If I return them I need to stay within the price point.

 

[idvsego]

if you want the bass look at the fischer audio eterna or the hippo VB.  I just picked up a pair of xears N3i and they are very bassy too.  Still undecided on them though

 

[ZARIM]

I think Sony EX510 (dome type dynamic drivers are amazing) or EX310 willbe better pick because they sound bigger, more detailed with deep punchy bass. The RE0 are very detailed (good for all genres music) and bass is average in quantity but quality is pretty good.

 

[RatFarm]

I picked up a new pair of S4's while waiting for my IE7s to arrive and I must say they are pretty good! Straight from the box with no change in tips I am getting very good bass and isolation. A major upgrade over $30 Sony IEMs. The S4's are not the last word in treble smoothness though but for what I paid for them I have no complains.

 

[Spunky424]

seems like i cannot get a proper seal with any of the ear fittings. do you guys recommend any 3rd party ear fittings that might work better?
 
Thanks

 

[juman231]

Quote:

And I can't tell the difference between them and my last $20 pair of Sony's. I bought the Klispch headphones at best buy so counterfeit isn't really an issue. Are some people's ears just not good enough to discern the difference? Played the same songs through two different sources and compared the two sets and I can't figure it out. I should note I've tried many different styles of music jazz, bluegrass, rock, hip hop, and I'll try some classical in a bit. 
 
Anyway, I could use some advice, if it's my ears then I'll take these back and save myself the money. Any input is greatly appreciated! 

Sigh... Maybe fit is part of the issue, but no matter how much of a good seal I got from the S4, I found my Audio Technica ATH-M50 to be superior in sound quality in detail retrieval and bass. In my case, I bought the S4 after I got the M50 for travelling and etc, and I almost felt like I was being suffocated by the lack of detail, and lack of extension both ways, metaphorically speaking... Now, I'm not an expert in high-end headphones, but having both the S4 and the M50, the improvements of M50 are quite noticeable. I personally gave my S4 to my parents. Take it back and get a headphone. I got my M50 for $110 some time ago, so if you can get a deal like that, that'd be ideal. 
 

 

[dbdynsty25]

Why are you comparing a full sized headphone to an IEM?  Obviously the OP wants an IEM or they wouldn't have bought one in the first place.

 

[idvsego]

Quote:

seems like i cannot get a proper seal with any of the ear fittings. do you guys recommend any 3rd party ear fittings that might work better?
 
Thanks

Shure Olives or Comply foams.  I use the Olives because they seem to last longer according to popular opinion.  I like them and they made the fit tolerable on my s4.
 
 

 

[jant71]

Quote:

Sigh... Maybe fit is part of the issue, but no matter how much of a good seal I got from the S4, I found my Audio Technica ATH-M50 to be superior in sound quality in detail retrieval and bass. In my case, I bought the S4 after I got the M50 for travelling and etc, and I almost felt like I was being suffocated by the lack of detail, and lack of extension both ways, metaphorically speaking... Now, I'm not an expert in high-end headphones, but having both the S4 and the M50, the improvements of M50 are quite noticeable. I personally gave my S4 to my parents. Take it back and get a headphone. I got my M50 for $110 some time ago, so if you can get a deal like that, that'd be ideal. 
 

Comparing a rather unimpressive S4 to a very good headphone is not an apples to apples comparison. There are cheaper earphones that are quite a bit better than the S4. If you were an expert in "high-end" headphones you most likely wouldn't have been looking at the S4(no offense meant, of course). Klipsch marketing speak might claim certain things but the S4 vs. the M50 is quite a mismatch.
 

 

[hugeproblem]

If you have a cheaper reccomendation I'm all ears. Speaking of ears, mine are on fire, these oval eartips are extremely uncomfortable.

 

[juman231]

Quote:

Why are you comparing a full sized headphone to an IEM?  Obviously the OP wants an IEM or they wouldn't have bought one in the first place.

 
Quote:

Comparing a rather unimpressive S4 to a very good headphone is not an apples to apples comparison. There are cheaper earphones that are quite a bit better than the S4. If you were an expert in "high-end" headphones you most likely wouldn't have been looking at the S4(no offense meant, of course). Klipsch marketing speak might claim certain things but the S4 vs. the M50 is quite a mismatch.
 

 
@  dbdynsty25 For your information, ATH-M50 is considered a portable headphone. Also, just because he purchased an IEM the first time doesn't mean he has to the second time as well. Maybe you're right that he wanted an IEM, but he didnt' say. Moreover, judging from his decision to buy the S4 in the first place, he seemed like someone just entering into the hi-fi scene just looking for good sound, and so I wanted to give the best advice possible so that he could experience that sound quality that he was looking for. 
 
 
@ jan71, you say that S4 and M50 is quite a mismatch. I am enthused to see that you think the same. I also agree that M50 is a very good headphone. And exactly for this reason, my exact purpose was to tell hugeproblem that he could get a much higher sound quality even within a similar price range, since S4 costs $79 and M50, slightly above $100. I know the comparison is not an apple to apple comparison, but OP's only question was whether something was wrong with his ears, or whether the SQ of the S4 just isn't as impressive as Klipsch advertise them to be. My response was that his ears are not the problem, but the earphones, along with the suggestion that he should look into headphones if he wanted to get the most bang for the money, as stated in the OP that "Any input is greatly appreciated."
 
As for my choosing the S4, I only purchased it because not only it received rave reviews, but also because I got a great deal on them. I believe in trying stuff myself before rendering any opinion on them, and I wanted to confirm if the reviews spoke the truth or it was one of those hyped up products (which I believe is an attitude ANY headphone expert should take). How am I different from those people that hype up products they only read about if I talk crap about products I haven't even tried? Does your description "rather unimpressive S4" come from experience or merely from reading some reviews that they are crap? No offense taken, but really, this bandwagon effect and premature opinions on products have to stop.