[SactoMan101]

I almost got the Image S4i, but the fact it was around US$30 more expensive than the Apple In-Ear Headphones (ADDIEM) via mail order was the reason why I bought the Apple IEM instead. Fortunately, thanks to getting a set of Comply T-140 eartips, I'm not regretting the choice.

 

[bcpk]

Erm, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but the S4s are definitely worth $30 more than the ADDIEMs.

 

[JeJeP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SactoMan101 /img/forum/go_quote.gif By the way, I'm still kind of interested in the Image S4, but can it exceed the performance of the JVC HA-FXC50-B I have? (I REALLY like the HA-FXC50-B. The bass is AMAZINGLY clear with being "boomy," something you wouldn't find on most IEMs unless you're willing to pay a three-figure sum for a new one. However, I didn't like the somewhat low efficiency and the peaky treble of this IEM; if JVC can fix the treble issue they have a huge winner here.) By the way, does anyone know what kind of driver the Image S4 uses?

I'm in the same boat. Would I benefit from an upgrade from the FXC50 to the S4 (or the RE0, for that matter)?

 

[tstarn06]

No idea about the JVC v. S4, but the S4 is a dynamic driver, first one for Klipsch.

 

[qsoundrich]

Just got these and they sound terrible out of the box. Make everything in my MP3 collection sound very electronic, with deep muddy bass, sibilant highs and muffled mid-section. The soundstage is nice and wide, as I would expect from Klipsch. I'm going to burn these in for a few days and see how much my impressions change. I really hope the electronic sound goes away, or they will go back to Best Buy. Some of the previous posts in this thread have made me hopeful that I will eventually get the sound I want from them. By the way I'm coming from the stock phones from the Sony NWZ-A816. Those were amazing, and I sadly cut the cord on them yesterday.

I may get another set of Sonys to go with the S4s.

 

[tstarn06]

Sounds right. Though I didn't have that extreme a reaction to them, I wasn't happy either when they were new. I am now, but source is also important, because they do bring out the flaws in low bitrate/poorly mastered music. But a few days won't do it. Try 4-5.

 

[Ecaz]

Would you suggest an amp for these headphones on an iPod 7g Classic (2009 160gb) or does the iPod have enough to push them?

 

[Speex]

From what I know, the iPod has an impedance of 32 ohms, while the S4 has an impedance of 18 ohms. The iPod should have more than enough power to drive the S4.

In fact, there are reports that the S4 is too loud even at the lowest volume setting!

 

[DavidMorton]

@gsoundrich - Give it some time. Mine were still changing two weeks after purchase. I'd suggest playing them overnight at a level that is just slightly painful when they're in your ears. Put your collection on random, and let them go. You'll have to do this for several days in a row. It does change, but it takes time.

I too had a pretty extreme reaction, and nearly sent them back to Best Buy 3-4 days in. I reminded myself to be patient, and not return them until they had 150 good hours on them. I'm not disappointed.

@Ecaz - No amp needed at all. My Zune goes up to 30. My Bose in-ear I used to use forced me to turn the Zune to 25 or so for a good listening level. With the S4s, I typically listen at 11. 17 sounds about right to me for volume replication, which only really works anyways on natural sounding recordings, which, of course, is mostly a source and mastering issue. Anything above 20 with the S4s is painful to me.

 

[Ecaz]

Thanks to both of you for the great feedback!

 

[lamboman]

Has anyone compared the S4s to Denon C710s? I'm an NE-7M owner atm, and wondered how these stacked up.

I used to have Denon C700s, and the bass went extremely deep; the NE-7Ms were a slightly, though not major disappointment, in that respect. The control and speed of the latter made up for it though. A combo of the two would be perfect; exactly what I'm hoping for with either the C710s or the S4s

 

[DavidMorton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamboman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Has anyone compared the S4s to Denon C710s? I'm an NE-7M owner atm, and wondered how these stacked up. I used to have Denon C700s, and the bass went extremely deep; the NE-7Ms were a slightly, though not major disappointment, in that respect. The control and speed of the latter made up for it though. A combo of the two would be perfect; exactly what I'm hoping for with either the C710s or the S4s

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/d...sch-s4-447456/

That's the closest I could find.

 

[lamboman]

Thanks for the reply. I've come over that thread too many times now xD I really want to hear some more opinions from people who own both. I'm currently getting the feeling that they're pretty close, but the Denon's having slightly better mids and highs...however, that's just from what I've read, and so far...that isn't much

 

[Speex]

I'm looking for a good cheap IEM and the S4 seems good, but the long burn in period and reports of sibilant sound are discouraging me. I really can't make up my mind. :|

 

[DavidMorton]

You may want to look into the RE0 also. It's $99 right now, I believe.

The sibilance only really exists where there's already sibilance in the original track. It will bring out sibilance where it exists, but I'd hardly call it ear piercing.

There are many options out there right now. Personally, I like the S4, and we'll see what I think about the UE TF10s when I get them for Christmas, but all in all, I'm very satisfied, and I wasn't at the beginning.

In any case, buy them from a place that has a return policy, and make sure you keep them running for a week or so at least 20 hours a day before making a good judgement. They do have a longer-than-usual burn-in time.