[Scott549]

I pretty much agree with Zachary. They are not bad, but the sound signature without EQ is strange. The bass is overemphasized and boomy. With some EQ they can be made to sound OK. On the other hand, I don't find the high end to be as harsh as some other people seem to. If you've got less than $100 to spend, they are a reasonable value, but if you can spend more there are many better options.

 

[Judge Buff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zachary80 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have yet to notice a significant increase in sound quality. I should have noted earlier, that for me, these headphones offer a good fit and are very comfortable. That is a definite positive for them

At the top of the page (last week), you also said this:

"Comfort. My ears are uncomfortable from wearing then, even a couple hours later. I tried over the ear and 'regular'. This seems to be from the housing/location and not the tips. May improve in the future" What changed?

At least one of your comments about the S4s reads like a student that is trying to BS his way through an essay: "I think its relatively recent entry to the market explains some of its hype." If I were grading your paper, in the margin I'd write: "How so? What is the "hype" that you mention?" "How do you justify almost a year as 'relatively recent entry'?"

Regardless, I have none of the issues that you describe, but mine are well broken or burnt-in. I don't think that they are a good match for my iPhone though. My iPhone pairs better with my PL50s. They pair very well with my Zune and they paired well with my BlackBerry. They also take to the amping I've done extremely well. People that really like their S4s have all but stopped posting in this thread. I suppose that we don't need the "therapy" of indignantly ranting about something...

Since I don't have a dog in this fight, I'm leaving this thread with this advice: Cook your S4s for at least 75 -100 hours at a level significantly higher than you would listen to them. If you do not like the way they sound at that point, send them back... or keep moaning about it here. YMMV...

 

[PhilipV]

How are these headphones for someone who listens to rock, alternative and indie? I've read up to page 13 and the more I read the more I want them. I do plan to cook them for 100 hours once I get them.

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilipV /img/forum/go_quote.gif How are these headphones for someone who listens to rock, alternative and indie? I've read up to page 13 and the more I read the more I want them. I do plan to cook them for 100 hours once I get them.

They are perfect for that.

 

[germanturkey]

oh my god, the white S4s are soooo sexy.

 

[sdaigle240]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilipV /img/forum/go_quote.gif How are these headphones for someone who listens to rock, alternative and indie? I've read up to page 13 and the more I read the more I want them. I do plan to cook them for 100 hours once I get them.

bestbuy, buy n try, no questions asked 30 day. i got some pl30s the other day and the s4s are goin back. i hit the re0 fanboy bandwagon and frankily i cant get enough. I will certainly agree the s4s sound nice, but the bass/darkness are just to much for me personally.

 

[Seadweller23]

Hi,

I purchased the S4's and have enjoyed them in the last week. I love the sound, especially the Bass. I am burning them in as we speak. The sound reminds me of the Klipsch 4.1 computer speaker set up I have been using for a couple years. I am no expert, but I like how its sounds to me.

I have only had an IPOD (got the Nano) for a couple of weeks. I really regret not getting one sooner. With the S4's I will never be bored on the road. I travel a lot.

Thanks for this excellent forum and I appreciated reading everyone's perspective before my S4 purchase. Judge Buff.... I really appreciate your perspective. Thanks for taking the time.

Regards,

Joe

 

[zachary80]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judge Buff /img/forum/go_quote.gif At the top of the page (last week), you also said this: "Comfort. My ears are uncomfortable from wearing then, even a couple hours later. I tried over the ear and 'regular'. This seems to be from the housing/location and not the tips. May improve in the future" What changed?

I'm not sure. Maybe it was the fact that I wore them for several hours the first time, then only an hour or less after that; it could well be a time issue. While wearing them, they seem to fit well and are comfortable. It could also be that I have just adjusted - as you noticed I also said "May improve in the future". That was only my "Day one preview"
Quote:

Originally Posted by Judge Buff /img/forum/go_quote.gif At least one of your comments about the S4s reads like a student that is trying to BS his way through an essay: "I think its relatively recent entry to the market explains some of its hype." If I were grading your paper, in the margin I'd write: "How so? What is the "hype" that you mention?" "How do you justify almost a year as 'relatively recent entry'?"

I don't feel I warranted that personal jab on a quick web forum comment ("your honor" was just a joke based on your username, didn't mean to insult if that is what I did). I used the term FOTM because I thought others had a similar perception of them. To that I was wrong.

As a long time lurker and member of the audio and headfi community, I've seen a general trend towards initially high reviews - I don't know why this is. Couple that with what I believe to be an under-performing headphone that receives high reviews, and is of relatively recent release, you get what I referred to as hype. The beginning of reviews that I'd seen started around August or September. If you do a title search for "Image S4" you'll see that dedicated threads peaked in October, then dropped off around the end of January. And when I differ in defining relatively recent, I must be drawing from a longer time frame. The Etymotic ER4p's have been basically unchanged since their release in 1991, and still perform favorably against other IEMs. As far as I know, the HD600 headphones go back at least to 2000. They may not be an IEM but they are still a high-performing headphone that is still in production
---
I'm not really comfortable breaking them in at higher than normal volumes, but they've had a good 80-100 hours under the procedure I described before, and I'm not noticing anything that is a definite change.

I have a first gen Zune, but don't notice a significant difference. It would seem strange that there would be less bass, as I normally get more out of it relative to my iPod touch, which I attribute to better amping. You may know more about amps than me, I'm just guessing on that one. I don't have a blackberry, and haven't tried them with my pimeta or m3 - I use IEM's as headphone for when I'm not at home.

As far as "moaning", I'm simply posting my own experiences and responding to your direct comments. I think it may help others like myself who think (or thought) that the S4's have good, solid bass - not overpowering. My finding, using the small bi-flange tips, is that these headphones have overdone the bass
---
Judge Buff, you are right. I'm as sure that we could eternally pick at the details of each others posts as I am that if either of us really wanted to, we could sit down and write something impregnable that could stand up to the others wrackful sieges... but that wouldn't get anyone anywhere.

 

[kameenadesi]

After getting a little tired of listening to my Auvio Armatures on my iPhone 2g i decided to get a pair of Image S4s from Best Buy and have been listening to them for about 10 hours straight out of the box..with strictly uplifting, hard trance.... They remind me of an enhanced version of V-Moda Bass Freq iems with more detailed cleaner bass...But i really loved the Bass from those V-modas.... i must agree that there was horrible sibilance for the first 8 hours and it seems to have simmered down a bit...to the point where my ears dont hurt as much anymore.. the bass is still very strong, impactful and deep. I hope the bass decreases a bit and the treble or highs become more detailed and extended with no sibilance. Also hope the soundstage increases and becomes airier...will it??? anyone???

 

[germanturkey]

Siliance disappears and the bass tightens with continued usage. not so sure about the treble becoming more detailed, but the bass will remain strong/overbearing depending on how you view it. i for one love them, but everything sounds like there's a blanket around my head compared to the ck10s.

 

[SactoMan101]

To this day, I'd recommend the Image S4/S4i, but I also suggest switching to the Comply T-100 or Tx-100 ear tips or the medium-size Shure black foam sleeves used for the SE-series IEMs. These third-party ear tips offer a tighter fit in the ear canal, which is important for clear bass and better noise isolation.

 

[Pott]

I still can't find the right tips for mine. I tried stores in Paris and Amsterdam, tens of stores, none had compatible tips. I went back with the Senns CX500s for now which fit perfectly.

 

[Kassem]

Getting these, thanks head-fi

 

[stokely]

Hey everyone,

I'm just checking back to share my experiences. So I've had theS4i since January and I'm absolutely in love with them, still. I'm not an audiophile, but if you can spare a hundred bucks and want a reaaaaly good pair of earphones that have controls for your phone, then the S4i is what you need.

I've had some problem with the proviced eartips, but now it's all solved as my Comply foamtips have arrived. I purchased them through ebay, definitely recommend the guy. There's one thing that I'm curious about: is it normal that the earphone doesn't go all the way into my ear? In pictures and reviews I can only see the silver end of it sticking out, but for me you can pretty much see all of it. And it's when I'm using the smallest tips too. It doesn't bother me too much, but I think I'd have problems if I wanted to wear a cap.

 

[sngyze]

Hi all,

does anyone have a pair of sr80is to compare this image s4 with? I have the latter, but i'm looking to get a better pair of phones and i was wondering if the sr80i is a good option.

Thanks!