Klipsch Custom 2 Impressions

[Fud]

I've had the Custom 2s for awhile now, and Head-fier SBD requested some impressions, so here they are.

Keep in mind the headphones I have auditioned when reading my comparisons because when critiquing anything, its all in relation to something else I've experienced.

First of all, I really was not impressed with these IEMs straight out of the box. Turns out the problem wasn't with the Custom 2s themselves, but actually with my clix2. Hiss on really quiet passages, very cold and lifeless, just lacking in every aspect. My opinion took a 180 when I tried different DAPs though, namely the 1gen shuffle and the Sansa Clip. Both sound excellent, but my preference is the Sansa clip. The clip didn't sound quite as hollow and had much better soundstage and detail. Off on a bit of a tangent, now on to the attributes of the earphones themselves.

Out of my preferred DAP, the Custom 2s don't seem to reproduce any genre of music too poorly, except for the occasional messy, cymbal filled rock track. Vocals are done particularly well, very warm and a touch forward compared to other layers of the music. Decay is very engaging, especially with instruments like french horns. Soundstage is surprisingly wide, feels 3-4 inches outside your head on some songs. Detail is much improved over my other headphone choices, to the point where I can easily focus on subtle differences and separate them from the other layers of the music.

I also find the cloth covered cord much more comfortable and tangle free compared to PVC jacket cords. I am concerned that it may fray in the future, but the warranty should cover that if anything gets beyond cosmetic problems and starts affecting SQ.

Lastly, the new tips that Klipsch has to offer! By far the most comfortable I've ever had, no pain whatsoever and very little irritation to my ear canal. It sometimes feels like I don't get a good seal, but the bass thumps hard enough to give me a little bit of a visceral feel for it, so it must be fine.

That's about all I can say about the Custom 2s, feel free to ask any other questions you may have. I won't be able to make any comments as to whether a certain frequency is too pronounced or lacking, but I'll try my best if someone would like to compare a certain range with an instrument or other aspect of the music. I've also tried the Custom 1s if anyone has any questions regarding those.

 

[Leroy Jenkems]

do you have any pictures?

 

[fraseyboy]

How's the isolation on them?

Also, do you think the Custom-2's are worth the extra over the Custom-1's?

 

[Fud]

I'll post pics when I get access to a camera.

As for the isolation, its better than the EBs but not quite as good as the e2cs. With the music turned on you won't notice the difference, and the comfort more than makes up for the small amount of lost isolation. I would personally not think twice about choosing the Custom2 over the Custom1. The main difference between the two is the one aspect where I feel the Custom2 really shines: warmth. The warm sound just isn't there with the Custom1s, and of course the detail isn't as good. The Custom1s aren't bad for the price, but the Custom2s are a considerable step up IMO.

 

[SBD]

haha you're awesome. thanks for those impressions but you never really said what "other iems" you're coming from. It seems you've tried the ebs, e2cs, and custom1's.

As for pics, I've seen them and the custom1s imo look really good. It makes UM1/UM2 look funky and unnatural.

Translated version of http://forum.generationmp3.com/index.php?showtopic=60517&st=0&p=515032&#entry5150 32
(warning! content-heavy page)

 

[Fud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SBD /img/forum/go_quote.gif haha you're awesome. thanks for those impressions but you never really said what "other iems" you're coming from. It seems you've tried the ebs, e2cs, and custom1's.

Never safe to assume anything then huh? I thought that most people would just look at the gear in my profile, like I do when I read reviews.

Also, I've edited the original post to add comments about one of my favourite features: the cloth braided wire! =D

 

[neo452]

Last week I went to LA. I forgot my se530s on the kitchen table. While i was waiting to board the plane i noticed i could not find my headphones in my carryon. I saw a palm store in the terminal and decided to go get some decent IEMs. They had se110,se210,se310. They also had the custom 1, custom 2 and the image. I have the se210 and didnt want a duplicate pair. I didnt want to go over 200$. I tried to google up a review. I could only find a review on the klipsch forums that said these were decent. I was pressed for time. I bought the custom 2s for around 200$. I tried all of the tips in the package and liked the double flanges but isolation to me was poor. The sound was not horrible but bass was lacking. I would not purchase again for that price I would rather have spent the 150$ on a duplicate set of se210 with superior isolation and extra $60 in my pocket.

 

[Wildsurfer]

Wow bass is lacking ? I have them (for a review, just like the custom 1's I reviewed in the generationmp3 link posted above), and for the moment I can't say that bass is lacking !
I'm not a fan of those custom 2's, but youu must have had problems with isolation, they have pretty strong bass imho.

 

[Fud]

Gonna have to agree with wildsurfer, especially since having a lack of bass and poor isolation can, and often do, go hand in hand.

By the way wildsurfer, any particular reason why you didn't like the Custom-2s? I'm looking for an upgrade, and since I really enjoy mine, I'd like to know what you think is a better option.

 

[Wildsurfer]

Well I can't really say that I don't like the Custom-2's. They do not propose what I'm looking for but they're still good, I totally understand why somebody can like them.

I like when the highs are a bit forward (not too much like the er6i's), bass can be strong but not stronger than the highs, so that's why I'm not a huge fan of those Custom-2's. I find it kinda odd that Klipsch didn't tune the sound of their Custom-1's and Custom-2's the same way...
My favorite universal IEMs for the moment are the Q-Jays and the UM2's. The SE530 are really really good but they cost too much in my opinion, their price isn't so far away from a pair of custom iems...

 

[Goit]

Are these good without amps?
Are they good for classical music?

 

[scott2414]

I am into my second week with the custom 2 and they are simply ok. Not great at anything and not too weak either. I get a good seal and the bass is weak to me, I am not a bass head at all but when I do put on some Lupe Fiasco the custom 2 just cannot handle the bass and they distort. The super.fi 5 are a better choice for a dual driver IMO. But I really think the single driver Future Sonics are better than both. The cusom 2 do sound great with Ben Folds, brings the vocal forward and the piano has a nice crisp feel.

 

[pox67]

Hi All, sorry to jump on an old thread but my impressions with the Cutom 2's might help someone out.

I am coming from Crossroads Mylar One X3. I liked these but after a couple of years they were splitting at the seam.
I use a Cowon D2 with no equalizer and BBE at 6.

My first impressions of the Klipsch Custom 2's (KC2) were aweful. Bass was non existent, mids were muddy and ran together and highs were ear piercing or missing. Fit and isolation sucked as well.
Luckily I had heard the KC2's benefit from some good burn in.
So I set the headphones on the media center at home and put through 100 hours of pink noise. They were a lot better and had more defined sounds but mids were still running together and highs still pierced. So it was back on the media center and another 100 hours of random music this time.

Now the CK2's rocked. Bass was much better and mids and highs were very clear. They have improved from there over the last month of listening to them for a couple of hours a day. The bass has really filled out and I have turned down the bass boost on my player to compensate.

It took quite a while (over a week) of constantly fiddling to get the correct fit. As the buds are elliptical you need to experiament to get the best fit. It took a while but I found what works best for me and the isolation now is much better than the standard olives on the Crossroads X3. I also had to bend around the wire ear hooks till the head phones were at the right angle for my ear canals. So be prepeared to spend some time and experiment!

One thing worse than other headphones is the cable. It has a fabric on it that while doesn't tangle does make a lot of noise. I put the cable down my shirt which helps and cable noise has never bothered me much but it might be annoying to you.

So the initial impressions were very poor but after some patience these headphones really came through.
I would definitely recommend and buy again.

Cheers,
pox