[Monsters Ink]

Hello Head-Fi,
 
I recently purchased a pair of ear-buds from a friend of mine. As soon as I started to listen to these ear-buds, I noticed how muddy the bass was and how the bass almost felt like it ate away the mid/treble. I removed the ear-buds to see if there were any signs of counterfeits and that's when I realized the Klipsch logo on the side of the ear-buds were completely worn off. I searched on the internet and came across this thread which had people with very similar cases to mine. I confirmed my S4s were indeed fake and decided to upload photos and give a warning because not many people are aware of this. So here are some photos.

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Fake on left. Genuine on right.

The nub where the tip fits around is very smooth on the fake S4s unlike the genuine S4s.
 

The case is a little bit taller and shinier on the fake tin box for the fake S4s. 
 

The "V" shape underneath the Klipsch logo slightly overlaps the "K" on the fakes.
 

The "V" shape underneath the Klipsch logo slightly overlaps the "h" on the fakes.
 

The "V" shape on the actual ear-bud itself is slightly larger on the fakes.
 

The Klipsch logo on the side of the ear-bud wears off easily on the fakes.
 

The genuine S4s do not come with a cleaner(?)
 
You can view all the pictures here: http://imgur.com/a/oBmdu
 
Thanks for your time and as always, check to see if the seller you are buying from has a good reputation and is authorized!

 

[Stonez]

I just picked up a pair of S4's from HHGregg (Android version) here in the US.  The only cost me $40 and they are exactly not what you stated.  Sorry you got duped, but thanks for the heads up on spotting the fakies.

 

[Monsters Ink]

Uploaded pictures of the genuine Klipsch earbuds for a side by side comparison.

 

[Monsters Ink]

I recently found that on the fakes the tips are a bit darker than on the genuine S4s. Please check the tips that came with your S4s! (Fake ones also feel a bit rough and cheapy)

 

[Barry S]

The counterfit S4/S4i earphones likely outnumber the genuine versions. There are multiple counterfeit versions, so it isn't easy to identify them. From reading some of the reviews on the forums, I’m pretty sure a good number of reviewers have the counterfeits.

 

[Monsters Ink]

Quote:

The counterfit S4/S4i earphones likely outnumber the genuine versions. There are multiple counterfeit versions, so it isn't easy to identify them. From reading some of the reviews on the forums, I’m pretty sure a good number of reviewers have the counterfeits.

That is really unfortunate as these earbuds are really nice to listen to. I hope that my post makes people more aware of counterfeits of the S4s.