LazerBear
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2014
- Posts
- 98
- Likes
- 29
Note: please forgive the lack of pictures. I do not feel they are necessary since the S4a have been recently discontinued and I don’t believe they will have a big market anymore. For the same reason, I tried to keep it (relatively) brief and concise.
Note 2: this is the second review I ever wrote of an audio product. I am relatively inexperienced as far as your typical audiophile goes, so keep that in mind. Since these IEMs are quite crappy, I am fairly more confident in the present review, though.
I've had the S4a for more than a year now, but stopped using them for a while after buying a pair of xba-a1 (see my other review), except for calls and such (I relegated them to the duty of work IEM). During my last business trip, I accidentally left my xba-a1 at home, and proceeded to listen to some music on the S4a.. the horror! I never realized how crappy sounding these things were, and since I can only find semi-positive reviews around (mostly from Android-related sites), I decided to write one of my own to alert prospective buyers.
Below a list of the equipment that I own/owned for reference:
Players: Note 2, Fiio X3
Headphones: Sony MDR-XB500, Sony MH1C, Klipsch S4a, Sennheiser Amperior, Flare Audio R2A
I used the Klipsch S4a mostly with my Note 2. I wish I could say I listened to a variety of music with them, but the truth is, a few tracks were enough. I tried to mix it up a little bit to see if perhaps some less technical genres (house, dance, pop) would be more forgiving, but nothing but the most dynamic range compressed crap could survive them.
Packaging: 6 out of 10
I did buy these quite some time ago, so I can’t go into a lot of detail here. The headphones came in a transparent plastic case. The fact that it is transparent is nice, as you can check them out prior to purchasing. The way the wire is arranged inside the packaging, however, will leave it slightly warped (this is more an issue with the wire per se than with the packaging). Overall, no big issue but no special praise either.
Accessories – 6.5 out of 10
The headphones come with: 3 pairs of single flange oval semi-transparent silicone tips (SS, M, L), 1 pair of double flange oval semi-transparent silicone tips (I assume it is S or SS, quite small), a soft carrying case, a shirt clip. There is a mic with 1 button (compatible with Android and Apple) under the Y splitter, after the cable cinch. The cable cinch can slide all the way to one’s jaw, which is required to reduce cable noise. I appreciated the addition of the shirt clip, but the fact that only one double-flange tip was included kind of pisses me off, since the one size is too small for me (I can fit M or L single flange without issues). I think the x8 and x10 include another pair of double-flange, which I assume to be larger.
Build Quality – 7 out of 10
Build is quite good. I heard horrible things about x8 and x10 but my S4a have been working without issues despite being treated a bit more “casually” since the purchase of my new pair of IEMs. The body is made of plastic with some faux shiny metal on it, so they are very light. I think it is a closed design, but I am unsure, the back could be housing a very thin port. The strain relief is decent, both on the driver and at the plug, which is straight. I personally prefer an angled one (90 or 45 degrees). The cable is thin and flat, prone to retain some memory of the shape you bend it into, which looks and feels cheap but is actually quite durable. The microphone also feels cheap but is actually okay, although the shape could be better (it is not easy to find the button quickly). The tips are thin but not so much that that one would feel they will break after a while (*cough* Samsung stock tips *cough cough*). There is a small ridge to help you visually align the driver with the tip (it is oval, so it needs to be aligned with the body). The L/R indicator is on the back of the body, but it is not enough. You would think that the angled nozzle would help you distinguish the left driver from the right one easily, but that’s not the case. I fumble to find the right one (not a pun.. I think) a good couple of seconds every single time I pick them up. Overall build is decent but more attention could have been paid to details.
Comfort and isolation – 7 out of 10
Being quite small and light, these IEM are pretty comfortable. The oval shape of the tip is in my opinion a nice improvement compared to standard round one, and helps with long listening sessions. My biggest gripe with them is the fact that there is no way to wear them up and around your ear, due to the angled nozzle and flat wire, so microphonics abound. The only way to stop them is tightening the cable cinch up to your jaw, which annoyingly loosens up anytime you want to speak. The microphone is also positioned quite far from your mouth and *will* need to be picked up often at your caller’s request. Isolation is just above average: the tips seal very well but the plastic body of the IEM does not do much to stop outside sound.
Sound - 3 out of 10
These IEMs are powered by a standard 10mm dynamic driver. They are sealed (I think).
Treble: damn, it’s hot!!! And distorted, I think. Frankly, I have no idea what is going on, but most highs pierce my ears like fingernails on a blackboard. This is the huge, insurmountable problem with this IEMs. I prefer less fatiguing treble in general, but this is just a huge misrepresentation of a big chunk of the top frequencies. It is annoying in female vocals, but it is just teeth-clenching bad with cymbals.
Mids: the mids are meh. They lack a sense of body, as if there was a thin veil between you and the speakers, and they are generally overpowered by the bass (which is actually the bass' fault).
Bass: the bass is very accentuated, bleeding into the mids and mostly covering up everything else.
Soundstage and separation: soundstage is not very big, separation is okay-ish, I guess.
Overall: reading back on this (very brief but scathing) section, I realize it must sound like these IEMs are a pile of junk. The truth is, at this price point (around 60$ when I bought them, I guess you can find them for less now), most people won’t notice simply because they never heard anything better. But they are really, really crappy. The only genre that I was able to listen for more than one track straight was run-of-the-mill pop, where the dynamic range is so compressed that most vocals just don’t bump into the screeching treble issues, although you can still hear it on the rare cymbal crash here and there. Not even house/dance was good, since the bass largely muffled the strength of the vocals.
Overall and Performance/Price ratio: 2/10
I am amazed that one year ago I found these headphones “good”. They are about or slightly above average in most respects, but they are a huge fail on sound. Possibly the people at Klipsch, who boasts to be the “keepers of the sound”, forgot to release that sound into these things. Anyways, don’t buy them. Ever. There are much better headphones for less than half the price of a pair of these (reportedly Sony MH1C, Xiaomi Pistons 2, Baldoor E100, which I all tried but too long ago (or too briefly) so I will not comment, seeing also how I liked the S4a at that same time). Alternatively, do yourself a favor and step up to something in the 100$ range where there is a lot of competition from good brands.
Note 2: this is the second review I ever wrote of an audio product. I am relatively inexperienced as far as your typical audiophile goes, so keep that in mind. Since these IEMs are quite crappy, I am fairly more confident in the present review, though.
I've had the S4a for more than a year now, but stopped using them for a while after buying a pair of xba-a1 (see my other review), except for calls and such (I relegated them to the duty of work IEM). During my last business trip, I accidentally left my xba-a1 at home, and proceeded to listen to some music on the S4a.. the horror! I never realized how crappy sounding these things were, and since I can only find semi-positive reviews around (mostly from Android-related sites), I decided to write one of my own to alert prospective buyers.
Below a list of the equipment that I own/owned for reference:
Players: Note 2, Fiio X3
Headphones: Sony MDR-XB500, Sony MH1C, Klipsch S4a, Sennheiser Amperior, Flare Audio R2A
I used the Klipsch S4a mostly with my Note 2. I wish I could say I listened to a variety of music with them, but the truth is, a few tracks were enough. I tried to mix it up a little bit to see if perhaps some less technical genres (house, dance, pop) would be more forgiving, but nothing but the most dynamic range compressed crap could survive them.
Packaging: 6 out of 10
I did buy these quite some time ago, so I can’t go into a lot of detail here. The headphones came in a transparent plastic case. The fact that it is transparent is nice, as you can check them out prior to purchasing. The way the wire is arranged inside the packaging, however, will leave it slightly warped (this is more an issue with the wire per se than with the packaging). Overall, no big issue but no special praise either.
Accessories – 6.5 out of 10
The headphones come with: 3 pairs of single flange oval semi-transparent silicone tips (SS, M, L), 1 pair of double flange oval semi-transparent silicone tips (I assume it is S or SS, quite small), a soft carrying case, a shirt clip. There is a mic with 1 button (compatible with Android and Apple) under the Y splitter, after the cable cinch. The cable cinch can slide all the way to one’s jaw, which is required to reduce cable noise. I appreciated the addition of the shirt clip, but the fact that only one double-flange tip was included kind of pisses me off, since the one size is too small for me (I can fit M or L single flange without issues). I think the x8 and x10 include another pair of double-flange, which I assume to be larger.
Build Quality – 7 out of 10
Build is quite good. I heard horrible things about x8 and x10 but my S4a have been working without issues despite being treated a bit more “casually” since the purchase of my new pair of IEMs. The body is made of plastic with some faux shiny metal on it, so they are very light. I think it is a closed design, but I am unsure, the back could be housing a very thin port. The strain relief is decent, both on the driver and at the plug, which is straight. I personally prefer an angled one (90 or 45 degrees). The cable is thin and flat, prone to retain some memory of the shape you bend it into, which looks and feels cheap but is actually quite durable. The microphone also feels cheap but is actually okay, although the shape could be better (it is not easy to find the button quickly). The tips are thin but not so much that that one would feel they will break after a while (*cough* Samsung stock tips *cough cough*). There is a small ridge to help you visually align the driver with the tip (it is oval, so it needs to be aligned with the body). The L/R indicator is on the back of the body, but it is not enough. You would think that the angled nozzle would help you distinguish the left driver from the right one easily, but that’s not the case. I fumble to find the right one (not a pun.. I think) a good couple of seconds every single time I pick them up. Overall build is decent but more attention could have been paid to details.
Comfort and isolation – 7 out of 10
Being quite small and light, these IEM are pretty comfortable. The oval shape of the tip is in my opinion a nice improvement compared to standard round one, and helps with long listening sessions. My biggest gripe with them is the fact that there is no way to wear them up and around your ear, due to the angled nozzle and flat wire, so microphonics abound. The only way to stop them is tightening the cable cinch up to your jaw, which annoyingly loosens up anytime you want to speak. The microphone is also positioned quite far from your mouth and *will* need to be picked up often at your caller’s request. Isolation is just above average: the tips seal very well but the plastic body of the IEM does not do much to stop outside sound.
Sound - 3 out of 10
These IEMs are powered by a standard 10mm dynamic driver. They are sealed (I think).
Treble: damn, it’s hot!!! And distorted, I think. Frankly, I have no idea what is going on, but most highs pierce my ears like fingernails on a blackboard. This is the huge, insurmountable problem with this IEMs. I prefer less fatiguing treble in general, but this is just a huge misrepresentation of a big chunk of the top frequencies. It is annoying in female vocals, but it is just teeth-clenching bad with cymbals.
Mids: the mids are meh. They lack a sense of body, as if there was a thin veil between you and the speakers, and they are generally overpowered by the bass (which is actually the bass' fault).
Bass: the bass is very accentuated, bleeding into the mids and mostly covering up everything else.
Soundstage and separation: soundstage is not very big, separation is okay-ish, I guess.
Overall: reading back on this (very brief but scathing) section, I realize it must sound like these IEMs are a pile of junk. The truth is, at this price point (around 60$ when I bought them, I guess you can find them for less now), most people won’t notice simply because they never heard anything better. But they are really, really crappy. The only genre that I was able to listen for more than one track straight was run-of-the-mill pop, where the dynamic range is so compressed that most vocals just don’t bump into the screeching treble issues, although you can still hear it on the rare cymbal crash here and there. Not even house/dance was good, since the bass largely muffled the strength of the vocals.
Overall and Performance/Price ratio: 2/10
I am amazed that one year ago I found these headphones “good”. They are about or slightly above average in most respects, but they are a huge fail on sound. Possibly the people at Klipsch, who boasts to be the “keepers of the sound”, forgot to release that sound into these things. Anyways, don’t buy them. Ever. There are much better headphones for less than half the price of a pair of these (reportedly Sony MH1C, Xiaomi Pistons 2, Baldoor E100, which I all tried but too long ago (or too briefly) so I will not comment, seeing also how I liked the S4a at that same time). Alternatively, do yourself a favor and step up to something in the 100$ range where there is a lot of competition from good brands.
