Ultrazino
Now known as HuoYuanJia
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2009
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I've been listening to these most of today and I will definitely not keep them. Alas, I decided to give you a quick summary of what I think. Sorry I couldn't burn these in properly (but I don't believe in that anyway) and I didn't give them at least a one week chance.
If anybody is still interested, here's my one-day review:
Solid build quality and nice looks. I like how the plastic has a rubbery film on top. However, way too much plastic, the faux leather looks too fake and I don't quite get the crocodile skin on the sides.
The cable feels great and the remote/mic feels durable.
There's a problem with the cups, though. They don't turn all the way straight so that you always have more pressure on the back than in the front. That is quite annoying and uncomfortable. Eventually your ears will sweat even though it's 5 °C, thanks to the pleather pads.
What also bothers me is that you can't fold the headphones. I mean all of the headband is plastic and there are no connection cables so why on earth did Klipsch not add any further joints?
To conclude, the Image One has potential but it just feels like a lazy design that's copied by Bose and Phiaton. BTW, Bose's On-Ear model really kicks Klipsch' ass when judging comfort. I mention this because the sound signature is very similar, too.
Bass: Oh please! Seriously, stop it! This is way way way too much! I seriously got headaches from thumping subwoofer bass within 30 minutes. I'm not kidding, it's that strong (stronger than Bose)! Obviously, it's not possible to separate such a strong bass with the mids. In Monster Magnet's "Powertrip," that starts with a low tuned guitar piece, you have the constant bass rumbling out of nowhere. This has nothing to do with hi-fi above a 100$ price range.
What bothers even more is the slow decay of the bass. In Little People's "Breathe Again" the bass track is a total mess. The rhythm drowns in a fake bass echo that's not supposed to be there. I'm 100% sure other reviewers will describe the bass as punchy and detailed, so I will tell you now in advance that they must have spent their past six years doing cocaine in a club in Ibiza!
Mids: I have to separate here into low and high mids as my perception differs from another. First, the bad: the low mids are either extremely recessed or swallowed by the bass. As I already mentioned, low tuned guitars are sucked into the amplified bass of the Klipsch, which makes it sometimes impossible to tell electrical guitar and bass guitar apart. "Sad But True"'s guitar solo disappears as by what must be the local minimum in the frequency graph.
But: the higher mids are not as recessed and female voices actually sound very good. The sound is precise, clean and has great clarity. Voices are colored, though, and they sound darker than they should. This should not be much of a problem if you're into Katie Melua, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna or Beyoncé. There's also some added energy similar to what Panasonic's HJE900 does - sadly without the great timbre.
Highs: the performance actually takes off where I left the high mids. They're clean, no sibilance, occasionally even a little sparkle (no comparison to Ultrasone headphones, though) but again I have to drop a 'BUT': I've noticed what I've only known by Bose before. The highs are cut off at the end resulting in a 'SH' sound where it should sound like a 'TS'. In songs with many cymbals, this can get very annoying. Like I've said, I'm only used to this by Bose, but with the Klipsch it's not nearly as bad.
However, in the end, that leaves little to love about the Image One.
As I already mentioned, the timbre is just wrong. Due to the coloration, Naturespace recordings just sound completely off and it's difficult to tell a crow apart from a parrot. It's not too bad (considering the price minus name minus headset) but now I must add bad instrument separation which is a bad combination. In 'Tallica's "S&M" it's often impossible to tell classical instruments apart. In other songs, like Christina's "Fighter", I've noticed the string instruments just wandering around and just spreading all over the sound stage. Counting background singers is not possible.
Somehow the sound does not sound cramped - it just feels like a fake sound stage compared to what I'm used to by the HFI-780 or HJE900.
I've also tested the headset functionality with an iPhone 4. My wife first complained I was difficult to understand, but once I moved into a closed room she said it was fine. My wife did sound very silent to me, though. Luckily the volume buttons are easily accessed.
To sum it up, the retail price tag of 150 $ is a bad joke unless you're still on cocaine. I got them for
As for the good points: These look good, are fully iOS compatible and female voices sound pretty good (RnB, anyone?). These will sell well on the mainstream market, no doubt about it.
I will definitely send these back... too bad for the mic.