Quote:
Originally Posted by Speex /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Come to think of it, I really don't have any sibilant tracks in my collection.
I've made up my mind now. I'll go with the S4.
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You've chosen wisely!
Hi all,
I'm new to this site and thankful to have joined since I benefited tremendously from all of the great commentary regarding headphones/IEMs in this thread. I too have been searching for an alternative pair of headphones for my Bose Noise-Canceling QC2s. I needed a pair of more versatile, portable, high-quality in-ear type headphones that I would be able to use for walking, exercising, and sleeping. While my Bose QC2s have performed adequately for travel, at-home use, and other circumstances under which I wasn't exercising, or had concern about damaging the headphones by falling asleep in them, I needed a pair to be used everywhere. The challenge for me was the following: How could I achieve, or at least come
close to achieving the sort of high-quality sound on-the-go to which I've become accustomed at home?
While I do not consider myself an "audiophile" per se, I have been playing music on the piano since the age of three. Although initially trained in classical music, I have grown to appreciate a wide range of genres. I later discovered that I could play almost anything I heard without sheet music. To bring my quick intro and bio to a close (thanks for reading), I have always used audiophile-grade components in my home to listen to music and I favor a warm, bass-oriented overall sound, although not at the expense of a
significant loss in detail at high frequencies. So in sum, I love music, could properly be called a musician, but do not perform as a professional.
As this discussion relates to the search for a great pair of in-ear headphones, I will say that I am very thankful to all who posted here since the information in this thread ultimately led me to what I believe was the best IEMs for me, the Klipsch Image S4.
Having been exposed to so many different brands of audio components, I first looked to some of the "cream-of-the-crop" in IEM manufacturers: Shure, Ultimate Ear, Klipsch, Bose, and many others. My budget was $100-$200. My requirements were to find IEMs that had excellent bass response with an overall clear dynamic range of sound.
For $80, I discovered the Klipsch Image S4 headphones to provide the best value for the money. While these earphones might appear to be small and flimsy, they provide extremely robust, clear, and dynamic sound. I had never before used any in-ear headphones above the quality of those provided with any portable music-playing device I've ever purchased including my iPods. Needless to say, when I first heard the sound emanating from these small Klipsch Image S4 phones, I was simply in awe. I chose the Image S4 because the reviews I read from a wide range of sources seemed to almost unanimously proclaim this product as the best
in its class. Although the Klipsch was CNET's Editor's Choice for May 2009, I have never relied completely on their reviews; however, in this case, they got it right.
Upon my first sampling of these earphones, I found it necessary to switch the comfortable silicon tips to the largest size (which still aren't quite large enough), but I managed to achieve a seal by repositioning them. Wearing these definitely felt different, but not at all uncomfortable. My first impression of the sound was it was great, but a bit "hissy" on the highs and just a bit too loud overall. The bass response became excellent once I achieved a seal. It didn't sound muddy or too punchy, but had good depth. If one is seeking a super punchy bass set of IEMs to listen to rap or hip hop music at extremely high volume levels, these headphones would probably not be the best choice since bass does distort somewhat at higher volume levels. For most however, I believe the bass will be more than adequate.
What impressed me most was the fantastic range of sound characterized by detail, depth, and clarity that these headphones produced. Since I initially felt duty-bound to at least
try the Bose In-Ear headphones because of my bass-bias, I ultimately tried them last, immediately after the S4s. Compared to the Klipsch phones, I personally found the Bose to be
painfully muddy, lacking in
any clarity, and completely inferior to the Klipsch when it came to bass response. I was actually surprised at the poor quality of sound produced by the Bose In-Ears, but I understand that each person's sound preferences differ. I just felt the Klipsch to be in an entirely different class,
far above the Bose...and I've loved many Bose components in the past.
The bottom line: For the price, I believe the Klipsch Image S4s are
indeed the best value for the money in their class and indeed
do perform as well as other headphones costing at least twice as much.
I hope this review will be helpful to anyone that is torn between the many brands available and dreads having to go through the laborious process (that I did) of trying so many different IEMs.
Best wishes and happy holiday greetings to all!
