Klipsch x10 upgrade

[ryanjsoo]

Hi,
 
I purchased a pair of klipsch x10`s for $85 on the black friday amazon sale about a year and a half ago. i upgraded from klipsch s4i`s and have been happily using them since. however, they seem to be lacking clarity or highs which leads to the loss of fine details in my music which consists mainly of drums, vocals and guitar. I am enjoying the bass however. Is it worth purchasing a set of westone 4r`s or is the difference minimal. i sometimes wonder why they were $85, they seem to be very good to me yet that may be because i havne`t tried more expensive pairs like shures. thanks.

 

[NicoCat]

Got my X10 last Black Friday for $99
 
I am quite sure that W3 is better than X10 overall since I had both. However in terms of cost-effectiveness upgrading from a $85 X10 to a $400+ W4R is not worthy (X10 worth $150 IMO). While whether W4R could justify its price tag is another question.

 

[stationwagon]

I dont think you will like the westone 4 sound signature,try them out first.

 

[macbug]

I went from X10 to IE80, so far it's been hit and miss (still waiting on more tips to arrive to try them out).  X10 kind of spoils you for size / fit / comfort since you can insert as deep or shallow as you want by switching tips while the ones you are considering such as W4 is a huge shell and requires over the ear/ memory wires etc.  If I had to describe the sound so far though I can make IE80 sound like a x10 by EQIng down the top half of the frequency spectrum making the mids far less forward.  I don't think throughout my research Iv'e heard of people characterizing W4 as something to get for someone who enjoys bass though, your mile may vary.  Maybe look into other options first?  But this is headfi once you start you can't stop!

 

[stationwagon]

Quote:

I went from X10 to IE80, so far it's been hit and miss (still waiting on more tips to arrive to try them out).  X10 kind of spoils you for size / fit / comfort since you can insert as deep or shallow as you want by switching tips while the ones you are considering such as W4 is a huge shell and requires over the ear/ memory wires etc.  If I had to describe the sound so far though I can make IE80 sound like a x10 by EQIng down the top half of the frequency spectrum making the mids far less forward.  I don't think throughout my research Iv'e heard of people characterizing W4 as something to get for someone who enjoys bass though, your mile may vary.  Maybe look into other options first?  But this is headfi once you start you can't stop!

so your saying the IE80's have a similar sound stage to X10?

 

[ich1ban]

maybe similar in terms of sound signature? not sound stage

 

[macbug]

I can't compare them side by side anymore since I exchanged my x10 for a giftcard instead of ordering a replacement (and that's how I could afford the IE80...), but I don't think I am noticing any dramatic differences in terms of sound stage.  Now I was running around listening to stuff with my equalizer on and a bit of weak 3d effect applied as well, though the same settings on IE80 doesn't work as well.  the IE80 responds to EQing a lot better though.  I wouldn't go as far as to say they are similar, since the IE80 has much more forward mid (but you can shape that by EQing), though both are considered to be warm/bassy headphones and aren't typically associated with the word 'analytical'. I'm just saying if you dial down the mid and highs it reminds me of the X10 because the X10 does have decent amount of bass but very laid back mids/highs in comparison.  I think what helps X10 out in its favor for perceived sound stage is that its' so tiny that it practically disappears in your ear where as IE80 (or anything with housing size of your thumb) can't manage to match that so it's a bit of a psychological effect.  The IE80 is more sensitive to hissing and pops in bad recordings/low bit rate encodes than the X10 as well, that is to say it's probably better detailed and can handle complicated passages better.  Price differences are also dramatic as the X10 can be had for 100 bucks around Black Friday where as the IE80 is still around 300 so in some ways it's unfair to do any serious comparison.
 
One major reason I didn't just get another pair of X10 was because of the build issues I had with my pair - now I don't want to blame on Klipsch on this since given my track record I am very rough on my IEMs and 99% of the time they are in my pocket with no protection.  They had a 2 years over the counter exchange agreement with the retailer I purchased from so I got my money back and decided I could now afford something more expensive (damn you headfi), I'm not some uber headphone guy but IMO the ergonomics of the X10 is definitely something that they have a leg up over their competition (then again I hear most things are more comfortable than the TF10).  To put things in perspective though the 10 dollar Sony set I got just for their hybrid tips are actually more comfortable to wear than the IE80 (for example there was no way the IE80 would be wearable by my gf), so just be prepared to invest some time and money on fit and comfort related to the higher end IEMs.

 

[stationwagon]

I always thought the IE80's had a totally different sound signature and sound stage and they tend to be more bassy than the X10i, I still prefer the X10i due to the fit and comfirt and I think the X10i has one of the best sound signature's around.

 

[ZARIM]

The Sony EX1000 willbe better upgrade over X10i and its sound very detailed in mids, highs and offers good bass response with wide soundstage.