[brendon]

Well the Hippo VBs that I have are also pretty sibilant. However using foam tips has helped almost eliminate the sibilance issue. Not sure if its economic to use foam since they dont last very long but its the only way to reduce the sibilance problem.

Thankfully the VBs have open canals so stuffing some foam down the canals has really reduced the sibilance issue.

 

[astroid]

I really like Klipsch and have been reading the many positive reviews of the S4 with interest, i have the custom 1+2 and the X1 (S2). I had the oppertunity to test the S4 yesterday and i am very surprised they have had the amount of props they have.
They are sibilant, next to my custom 2 and X1 they are shrill, the pair i tried had been used for a few weeks by my brother and he burnt them in on my advice with no effect, he is going back to his Sony EX71s!
I wont be buying them.

 

[brendon]

Yes its very surprising to see so many great reviews of the S4 but none of the seem to mention any sibilance. Maybe its something to do with each persons ears ? It seems strange to read so many positive reviews without any mention of sibilance. Its not exactly something hard to detect now is it ?

 

[Sebdude]

Damn, I just bough these via the Apple Store during Black Friday. I haven't received them just yet, but I really hope that Sibilance thing isn't going to be a big issue. Otherwise, I'm definitely returning these puppies. Now I can't find anything on Apple Store that I can't return them, since some companies do not allow you to return IEMs... But they do have 14 day return policy, and now because of the Holidays, Its extended til 4th of january. Is it worth making sure that I can return hem before trying them??

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ru9 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree and confirm your observations regarding the S4. I just cannot believe what I have read about this S4 with all the positive reviews. Had about 80 hours on them. And what a disappointment. AGGRESSIVE, EAR-PIERCING and a VERY SIBILANT IEM. Took a lot of trouble to get this. Ordered this from Amazon through a friend and had the item shipped to the Philippines.

Your description as the final word is dead wrong. There people who own the S4s and heard sibilance and now don't, trust me. So your view is just one of those who fall on that specific side of the fence, there are dozens of others who feel otherwise. And not many with long-term burn-in have said they are aggressive, ear-piercing or sibilant (taken such a extreme position).

Sorry you are so disappointed, but I just got back from an hour-long walk with the S4s, Ety bi-flange sleeves (gray, my favorite tip with the S4s) and the Cowon S9 set to VIVA, and not a hint of harshness. Ear-pleasing, not ear-piercing in my case (and the case of other owners as well).

Of course, I believe you don't like them and hear what you are hearing, but again, your experience is not the same as all other owners, just so that's clear.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by astroid /img/forum/go_quote.gif I really like Klipsch and have been reading the many positive reviews of the S4 with interest, i have the custom 1+2 and the X1 (S2). I had the oppertunity to test the S4 yesterday and i am very surprised they have had the amount of props they have. They are sibilant, next to my custom 2 and X1 they are shrill, the pair i tried had been used for a few weeks by my brother and he burnt them in on my advice with no effect, he is going back to his Sony EX71s! I wont be buying them.

If you read over the threads of those who do like these IEMs, most noted that they calmed down substantially with 100+ hour burn-in. Testing them will not work, and I don't know what type of time they got over a couple of weeks. If you heard what I hear (and many, many other owners), you would not be surprised at all with the positive feedback. As I have said many times, I was ready to ship them back myself, continued to give them a big blast of sound on my PC for a week or so (way over the listening volume), and they emerged on the other side as a very, very good value in IEMs.

To claim EX71s are a better IEM is, well, whatever...it's a personal thing, I guess.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brendon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes its very surprising to see so many great reviews of the S4 but none of the seem to mention any sibilance. Maybe its something to do with each persons ears ? It seems strange to read so many positive reviews without any mention of sibilance. Its not exactly something hard to detect now is it ?

Again, some don't mention it at all, some, like myself, heard it out of the box, but it eventually dissipated and in my case, disappeared. It happened, or I would have sent them back myself. I also think the tips matter. I stumbled on an old pair of Ety bi-flanges, and I prefer them over the gels. I also like the Shure modded tri-flanges as a better alternative (trimmed to two flanges with the stalk evened to the bottom flange). Anyway, people who don't like them can easily get their money back, which is always good. I may be doing the same thing with the Cyclone PR1s and the Sleek SA1s that are coming today, both purchased on the say-so of other members. Who knows?

 

[Sebdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Again, some don't mention it at all, some, like myself, heard it out of the box, but it eventually dissipated and in my case, disappeared. It happened, or I would have sent them back myself. I also think the tips matter. I stumbled on an old pair of Ety bi-flanges, and I prefer them over the gels. I also like the Shure modded tri-flanges as a better alternative (trimmed to two flanges with the stalk evened to the bottom flange). Anyway, people who don't like them can easily get their money back, which is always good. I may be doing the same thing with the Cyclone PR1s and the Sleek SA1s that are coming today, both purchased on the say-so of other members. Who knows?

@Tsarn06, thanks for the different perspective, for a second there I really though I bought some bad IEMs, guess I'll just have test them myself. I'll have till jan 4th to test them if they don't satisfy! IEMs and they're sound signature is very personal, just only when I heard the ear piercing sibilance, I was just a bit worried.

About the tips, I've put a pair of comply foams on ADDIEMs, I they definitely changed their sound signature, for better in my case...

Anyway, I think it fair enough to let put my experiences with s4is once I received them and tested them myself. Not that I'm such an excellent reviewer, but I can atleast try to do so.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif @Tsarn06, thanks for the different perspective, for a second there I really though I bought some bad IEMs, guess I'll just have test them myself. I'll have till jan 4th to test them if they don't satisfy! IEMs and they're sound signature is very personal, just only when I heard the ear piercing sibilance, I was just a bit worried. About the tips, I've put a pair of comply foams on ADDIEMs, I they definitely changed their sound signature, for better in my case... Anyway, I think it fair enough to let put my experiences with s4is once I received them and tested them myself. Not that I'm such an excellent reviewer, but I can atleast try to do so.

The foamies could also help. But believe me, I was about to ship them back myself, they were harsh early on. Again, I cooked them at high volume (louder than listening) for 4-5 straight days on my PC, and they turned around for me. Check the S4 threads, and you'll see I am hardly alone.

I understand if an IEM isn't your taste, etc., but for me and others, the S4s are that good. Why would be bother to post otherwise, especially for such a low-cost IEM? I can see it for a $350+ IEM, because people sometimes have a hard time admitting a mistake. But believe me, I am not a Klipsch fanboy or anything. In fact, I sold both the X10s and Custom-3s, which were okay but way overpriced (even with the good deals I got).

So I understand people saying they are harsh, but almost everyone who bought them and gave them a real chance says the harshness disappeared eventually. Joker is not as much of a fan, and I respect that, but they can and do come around. If not, there is a 30-day window to return them if you buy them from Amazon or Klipsch.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I understand if an IEM isn't your taste, etc., but for me and others, the S4s are that good. Why would be bother to post otherwise, especially for such a low-cost IEM? I can see it for a $350+ IEM, because people sometimes have a hard time admitting a mistake. But believe me, I am not a Klipsch fanboy or anything. In fact, I sold both the X10s and Custom-3s, which were okay but way overpriced (even with the good deals I got). So I understand people saying they are harsh, but almost everyone who bought them and gave them a real chance says the harshness disappeared eventually. Joker is not as much of a fan, and I respect that, but they can and do come around. If not, there is a 30-day window to return them if you buy them from Amazon or Klipsch.

Eh, they're still on the pink noise machine so I guess I haven't given up entirely. I wouldn't go so far as to call the shrill. The flaws are there, but like you said they're something I'm almost willing to discount given the low price of these and the solid overall performance.

 

[soozieq]

I have a fully burned-in pair of S4i courtesy of cn11, and I do hear sibilance on certain vocals. I also hear it with the Denon C710's but to a much lesser extent. If I play the same tracks through my home system, I can still hear it, but the S4's seem to magnify it. Even the W3's didn't produce as much sibilance on those tracks.

So while the S4 might not introduce any sibilance which isn't already there, it definitely does seem to exaggerate it to my ears. Other than that, they're a very nice set of phones for the price. Still prefer my Denons, but not by a huge margin at all. They're both very enjoyable and they sound different enough from each other to warrant keeping both. I don't have many sibilant tracks on my X anyway, so it's not a big deal, but I do hear it

 

[tstarn06]

Agree, the S4s will bring out sibilance if the tracks have it, but on balance, I also don't hear them as harsh across the board either (if sibilant recording "is not already there"). An example: I have a very nice CD from Angelique Kidjo, called Djin, Djin, and she sings a cover of the Stones' Gimme Shelter. When I first got the S4s, I could barely listen to it (it's the track I use to determine how an IEM handles a potentially sibilant recording). In fact, that was the track that made me want to put them right back in the box. Now, with any of my DAPs, the S4s sound very good with that track, which I really do like (very bouncy tune/cover). Is there a hint of ssss in her voice on the line, "It's just a shot away?" Yes, but not enough to call it unduly harsh or sibilant.

Anyway, with other IEMs, the UM3X for example, the ssss are lessened a bit on that track. But as noted, the S4s do not cause any undue ear bleeding, etc. I had the Denon 710s and favored the S4s for a dynamic to keep, but I liked both.

 

[Sebdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif An example: I have a very nice CD from Angelique Kidjo, called Djin, Djin, and she sings a cover of the Stones' Gimme Shelter. When I first got the S4s, I could barely listen to it (it's the track I use to determine how an IEM handles a potentially sibilant recording).

I listened to a section of that recording on my Addiems + Comply foams, I can hear a bit of sibilance, but it's nowhere near annoying or distracting. And these addiems, have nowhere near 100hrs of playtime on them. but they are BAs anyway, so theoretically they don't require any burn in.

With a bit of luck, I will get my S4i tomorrow or wednesday.

Guess its just wait and see (hear actually)...

 

[tstarn06]

Good luck, hope they turn out a keeper for you. If not, you can always buy and try a new model/brand, there is so much to choose from these days.

 

[Sebdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good luck, hope they turn out a keeper for you. If not, you can always buy and try a new model/brand, there is so much to choose from these days.

Yeah, I hope so 2. The problem is that there is way too much to choose from. Once you start searching forum for a decent set of IEMs, its you can easily spend $200+ on some IEMs. Picking a pair to buy in the first place was hard enough, so I forced myself choose from either the HF2s, S4is and the q-jays. I also looked at the Sennheiser IE series, Super.Fi 5 eb.. The interesting thing is, some people find 25 dollars much for a pair of buds. Anyway, way of topic... sorry..