My Klipsch Custom-2 are in...

[volntitan]

OK...so they came in today. First impressions. I do not like the cord at all and how they handle around the ears. Sound is good, but wish the bass was a tad better. I know I need to get the absolute best fit, but the cord and the microphonics kind of bother me right off the top. I know myself well enough if it bugs me a little now, it will REALLY bother me later. So I am wondering if I need to send back and try another.

So....based on what I wish the Klipsch had:

1) Better "snug" fit and isolation
2) Easier to fit. Something I don't have to put behind the ears or if I do, easier to handle.
3) Better Bass but still "clean"...I still want to have that clean sound.

What would folks suggest my next IEM's to look at?

 

[dweaver]

Volntitan, I apologize I was one of the people who mentioned you might like those phones based on your preferences. I have to say I picked up the Monster Turbines and have to say I am very impressed with them, they fit well and are easy to insert and I really love their sound, nice full bass with good midrange for guitars and vocals, the treble is also good, and they have a good sound stage in my opinion. They are a definite upgrade from my NE-7M's. I think you might be suprised at how they sound in a pleasant way. They also have some micrphonics but I suspect nothing like the C2's as they do not use a cloth cables, I loop them over my ear and the microphonics is almost completely removed (I have some Audeo Silicone Ear guids on order to help keep them in place and hopefully completely remove the microphonics, I will let you know how that works out). Take a look at the Monster Turbine Thread, I think you will find it interesting.

 

[volntitan]

Dweaver...

You and anyone else who suggested those to me have ZERO reason to apologize. I gave you my preferences and based on your experience you made a suggestion. I think maybe I want more bass than I thought. I still want that seperation and while it seems I would like more bass, I still want that bass to be tight and clean. And I don't want to have to work hard everytime I use them to get the right "fit".

 

[dweaver]

Then the Turbines will right up your alley, I pop them in without even having to think. They have bigger bass than anything I own aside from maybe Bose (but extremely tight bass unlike the Bose), and even though they have this huge bass the midrange is very clear and slightly forward accenting guitars and piano's as well as singers, and the treble is clear and clean as well without ever getting sibilant. I have worn my earphones for at least 4 hours today and I have not experienced any of the comfort issues I usually get with IEM's bothering my ears. For at least half the time I am hardly aware I'm wearing the phones. I am so glad I read the Turbine thread before I bought these as I was actually strongly leaning towards buying the Custom 2's myself, but there was a couple of comments made in the thread that helped me decide to go away from the Klipsch phones, and then one user who owned both made it even easier for me when I said I was going to buy the Turbines.

 

[volntitan]

How is the sound isolation with the Monster Turbines?

 

[jleewach]

the funny thing is, I think I also suggested the C2's to you, partly because of how well I was enjoying my customs at the time. Since then, the cables on my C3's have gotten progressively more annoying in terms of microphonics, and I returned mine back to Amazon & couple days ago. My apologies as well. Klipsch's customs just sound so good right out of the box, but eventually, that damn cable will annoy the hell out of you, like it did me, and you'll just want to toss them out the window. Klipsch made a MAJOR mistake w/ the cables on these things. I kept trying to tell myself the cable wasnt that bad, but the damn microphonics just eat at you... N-E way, I just bit the bullet & bought a pair of SE530's, and they just totally eclipse the entire custom line. Sorry Klipsch...

And yes, perhaps the turbines would work better for you, or maybe even something from shure? Honestly, I think you could go as low down shure's line as the SE310's & E4C/SCL4 and still match or beat the custom 2's sound quality. In fact, I'm selling a pair of SCL4's right now if youre interested

 

[dweaver]

I have tried the default bulb tips they come with and find that I still hear sounds around me when I have them fit properly with the music turned off but I hardly hear anything once I turn on the music, but I do hear sounds around me still. I would have to say they are about as good as my NE-7M's but slightly less isolating than my JVC Aircushions. When I tried them with my Comply T400 tips they were VERY ISOLATING, and some of the generic silicone tips also added more isolation. I have gone back to the stock globe tips though as I find they are extremely comfortable. The phones also come with tri-flange tips that would probably REALLY ISOLATE if your ears can handle them. In my case my ear canal is quite offset from my outer ear opening making tri-flanges painfull and actually worse for isolation.

If you have a similar offset ear canal I will give you a word of advice about the stock tips. They have a fairly narrow hole in them that goes to the nozzle of the phone. Consequently you need to rotate the tip in ear to point towards your ear canal or they lose some treble and midrange as compared to wider hole generic silicone tips. If you get them try the stock tips but don't be afraid to take some tips from any generic IEM you have kicking around (I used my JVC tips and my NE-7M tips without any problem). Also you will find the bass possibly to agressive out of the box, if this bothers you burnin the phones over night with a long playlist of songs or with pinknoise. I found 1 night of burnin made them more tolerable and they have simply gotten better every day as they continue to burnin through use.

 

[volntitan]

Thanks...and again no need to apologize! I would love to get something like SE530, but my wife wouldn't go for that. I still have to go in the $100 range. Also her being a nurse, I have been preconditioned that I couldn't buy used earphones

I still want quality sound, not necessarily "fun". I guess that is my one question about Monster..it's the Monster part. Hard to get past that because they are mostly known for making highly marketed and overly priced cable. I probably need to get over that.

I had a pair of Shure E2C's and they were oK, but muddy to me. I would like to improve on that if possible.

 

[jleewach]

many people here have the same sentiment about Monster, but apparently they were very surprised upon hearing the Turbines. I'm curious to hear a pair myself, but the SE530's just made me a very poor man...

 

[dweaver]

Almost everyone is the Monster threads state how much they HATE Monster, I was even disposed towards dissing them as I have seen their overpriced cables myself and I don't even own a high end house stereo LOL.

Don't let their history stop you from trying these phones. They really are nice. I am going to go back and throw a 2 year warranty on them though, as I do worry about the durability of the cable (having said that I haven't seen any cable warranty complaints in the threads I've looked at) and for the my cost $180CAN I want to ensure I don't have shell out another $180 for a couple of years as my wife was struggling to accept my purchase as well.

 

[volntitan]

Based on how I felt about my Shure EC2's and their sound being Muddy, would Turbines still be my best choice?

 

[D2X2903]

Quote:

Originally Posted by volntitan /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK...so they came in today. First impressions. I do not like the cord at all and how they handle around the ears. Sound is good, but wish the bass was a tad better. I know I need to get the absolute best fit, but the cord and the microphonics kind of bother me right off the top. I know myself well enough if it bugs me a little now, it will REALLY bother me later. So I am wondering if I need to send back and try another. So....based on what I wish the Klipsch had: 1) Better "snug" fit and isolation 2) Easier to fit. Something I don't have to put behind the ears or if I do, easier to handle. 3) Better Bass but still "clean"...I still want to have that clean sound. What would folks suggest my next IEM's to look at?

I almost completely agree. The microphonics and short cord are super annoying. I too wish these phones were more just plug and play rather than maneuver and pray, but I've found that using my old E3c tips allows me to more or less just stick them in (they also provide a much better seal). While I think the bass is way more than adequate (might be related to your fit), I wish the sound was crisper, less warm.

You might try the different tips to see if you can get a better seal. If you're up for it, try a different brand of tips. Then again, that $15 or so you could spend on tips would probably cover any restocking fee you might have to pay... I'm really curious to know how the Turbines compare to the C2s (not that I could really justify buying another $100 pair of earphones on a college budget).

 

[volntitan]

I got the Custom 2's thru amazon, so return shouldn't be an issue. I just know me. If I'm not happy now, it won't get much better, so might as well cut my losses and move on. So I am wide open now....

 

[dweaver]

I can not say as I have never heard the E2C's so hopefully someone else can comment. Here is an interesting discussion between Turbines and Phonak PFE's The Turbines based on several comment in that thread seem to have as good a detail as some Ety and UE models which are both armature based so that would seem to bode well in regards to your concern, but Oarnura did seem to have issue with the phones. NOte the talk about getting the right tips and making sure the phones are not being blocked, this is what I was talking about when I said to make sure the tips is pointing towards your ear canal if it's offset from your outer ear opening.

 

[volntitan]

I just don't want to have to work at getting the earphones in to get the sweet spot and then hope they don't move while walking or whatever.