[ThreadStarter]

ER4p seller and X10 keeper here.

My only real gripe with the X10's is microphonics. I guess its a general problem for IEM's, and I am glad Klipsch didn't opt for the over-ear sollution which just brings up another problem.
A shirt clip doesnt solve the problem for me as the weather is getting colder here and my jacket sleeve goes as high as my chin so the probability of the cord scratching the sleeve is very high.

Can't microphonics be fixed by making some kind of soft attachment between the cord and the earphones. :S

 

[heavyharmonies]

Ditto. That's my only real complaint about the X10s: microphonics. When I'm out for a walk it sounds like the wind is whistling as I move. No such problem with my Atrio M5s.

 

[ThreadStarter]

Why don't you have that problem with Atrio M5? How are they different.

 

[dookiex]

The EX700s actually sit flush with my ear and they do not protrude. From the pictures, yes, they look huge and in actuality, they are huge with 16mm drivers but the way they are designed, they don't stick out. There were some pictures of a user that had them on and they obviously sit very flush in the ear. The Sony marketing picture however, shows them protruding which is not supposed to happen unless you install ear tips that are too big for your ear canal.

 

[dookiex]

Also, the x10s have NOTHING on the SE530s to answer johnnylexus' inquiry. The SE530s have a lot of headroom and when amped are phenomenal (unamped they still sound phenomenal). Soundstage and details are much improved over the x10s. The x10s has this sound of having a layer in front of it that does two things, smooths out the sound but also at the same time it veils the sound giving a sense of muffling/congestion (but they do have detail which is audible, just behind a light curtain for lack of a better comparison). Also at high volumes (though usually one would not be listening at such high volumes) the x10s distort which alarms me a bit as these are quite possibly the only armature based earphones that distorts at that volume which I have encountered.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heavyharmonies /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ditto. That's my only real complaint about the X10s: microphonics. When I'm out for a walk it sounds like the wind is whistling as I move. No such problem with my Atrio M5s.

What about tightening the slider closer to your chin? I know what you mean about jacket collars. I use a clip and push the slider pretty high. So far, I guess as long as music is playing, the noise doesn't bother me.

 

[dookiex]

Clipping the cable to your shirt/jacket at chest level pretty much makes any microphonics on the x10s negligible. No need to go to the extremes of sliding the cable adjuster up to your jaw.

 

[Nodima]

Hi, I stumbled on this thread via Google and was hoping to find some help. Until 11/30 Klipsch is running 50% on their Image X5/10 and Custom 3 IEMs. My only previous IEM headphones are the old Apple In-Ears for 3G iPods and more recently Etymotic ER-6i. I've also owned Senn. HD-555s. So that's my sound quality history; oh and no amp, I'm just a poor boy from a poor family.

But I can't decide between the Image X10s for $175 or the Custom 3s for $150 - I don't keep most of my music at 320/Lossless bitrates, so I'm thinking it might be slightly smarter to go for the X10s...but then I wonder, is the bass such that punk/ambient/whatever recordings will less clear than my hip-hop/dubstep/other bass-oriented genres, and if so, would the X5s for $125 be better for someone like me.

 

[tstarn06]

Tough question. I own the X10s and also just ordered the Custom 3s (I was the OP on that half-price sale). I can tell you more when I get them and compare the two phones, if you can wait.

 

[gilency]

I have both the UM2 and the Klipsch Image X. I tried them both yesterday listening to the same songs. Both are great. I like the X's for some music, and they are sooo comfortable. Isolation is great. Man, I am glad I don't have to decide. Keep going back and forth.

 

[mmercer13]

I'm in the same boat. I keep going back and forth between the Custom 3s and the X10s. Driving my wife crazy.

 

[andrewsvt]

I've been thinking of buying the X10, but I've read some people saying that they're really fragile, not very durable (the rubber pieces that connect them to the cables, mainly), despite how great they sound.

Have you had problems with their durability?

Do you think that someone who uses them very frequently has chances of facing that kind of problem? Or is it just a problem of not taking good care of the phones?

 

[tstarn06]

No problems for me so far. I use them every day for 1-2 hours. But I am careful taking them out (don't pull on the wire).

 

[NeObliviscaris]

i wasnt impressed by the x10 - mainly on the merit that the tips didnt suit me, and offered poor comfort and isolation

tryn to sell or trade them away

 

[ADD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrewsvt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have you had problems with their durability? Do you think that someone who uses them very frequently has chances of facing that kind of problem? Or is it just a problem of not taking good care of the phones?

Hi,

I loved the sound of the X10 but decided to move on due to the fragility issues. My pair became compromised at the end of the black "tail" after a mere month of use. I can assure everyone that I took extremely good care of them and only wore them once every couple of days. I was obsessive about caring for them, especially as I had read about the durability issues.

One possible suggestion as to a reason why some have issues and some don't: With my ear anatomy, the black tail made quite substantial contact with my outer ear and there was no way to avoid this. This was also a source of discomfort after wearing them for more than about 45 minutes.

I had no such problems when I tried a pair of X5 - the tail was much more substantial physically and it did not make contact with my outer ear because the "bend radius" of the tail was greater. I imagine these would have lasted literally for years - but I did not care at all for the sound.

Since I will wager my soul that Klipsch's next line up of IEMs will be physically much stronger in the areas where the X10 has proven to be weak, perhaps that is one argument to make your mind up about the strengths of he current model one way or another.

Klipsch really needs to do more "real world" field testing of their prototype desgns imo, rather than relying so much on "lab bench" torture testing.