[Junior2oo]

Hello, I'm stuck between two earphones that are regarded apparently as the best for under $100



The Klipsch Image S4 Earphones

and

Denon AHC560R Earphones



I'm a bit new to hi-end audio (been using those crappy apple earphones) and decided try whats out there, which one do you guys think is better? And is there a better one I get for maybe 10-20 more dollars?



Thanks

 

[mythless]

Never heard the Denon, but I had the S4.  If you can try the S4 at your local best buy that would be the best bet.

 

[Junior2oo]

Yeah, I've heard alot of good things about the s4, but the denon looks to be a bit newer and a bit more expensive with a couple of features I'm interested in (Like iphone buttons) Not sure though

 

[mythless]

There is the S4i if you want the iphone remote.

 

[fallingreason]

As your first mid/hi-fi earphone, you won't be disspointed with either.  They both have different presentations, but you probably don't know what you want yet in terms of a sound signature.  Either one would be an equally good place to start.
 
I will say, from my experience with the C551k, and the S4, the Klipsch was more colored and the Denon's sounded more natural.
 

 

[Junior2oo]

What exactly do you mean by colored and natural? The s4 seems to be very popular, but the Denon's are more expensive, and seem to have better features.
 
Still not sure where to go. 

 

[fallingreason]

If you look at the S4i, which is more comparable to the C560R because it has the remote, the price is just about the same, or the Klipsch may be slightly more.  The S4 competes more with the Denon C7xx earphones in terms of their sound quality, but definitely does not surpass the C7xx.  
 
In short, the Denon's do not have the "fun factor" I heard with the Klipsch's.  Whenever an earphone sounds fun, usually it is tuned that way to overcome imperfections in poor recordings and low bitrate music.  Two of the most "fun" IEM's I have had were the S4 and Westone3, both designed specifically for consumers, not professional musicians, who will be listening to a lot of MP3s or lower quality sources such as iPods or other mp3 players (versus a studio or stage performance source setup).  Their presentations color the music to make most of what you listen to through them sound good.  Usually this is done by emphasizing the bass and treble, as those are the most noticeable details lost and the easiest to pseudo-recover. The Denon's do not seem to do this as much.  However, the C5xx are not hi-end enough to reveal too many flaws and probably sound the same in terms of fidelity, but less like they are trying to make the music sound great by putting their own spin on it.
 
Hope this helps.

 

[Junior2oo]

Ahh, I see what you mean. 
 
Personally, I like to go for the highest bitrate music when I can and prefer music that sounds exactly like the real thing, rather than improvisation from the earphones. 
Thanks for the help, I'll probably go with the Denons.

 

[proteuskim]

I haven't heard the S4 but I've read nothing but good things about them.  I have the Denons as a cheap portable functional solution.  They surprised me.  I was expecting a lot less as far as SQ.  The bass is very solid the highs seem a bit recessed but amped with the ALO RX it seemed to sparkle a bit more.  They aren't burned in yet but for the price (under $100) it was a steal imo.    
        
       The mic worked well, even when not clipped to my shirt.  The buttons however are a bit shotty.  I can skip tracks fine but I couldn't adjust the volume from the remote.  I may be doing something wrong but it never seemed to work for me.
 
       A mic'd S4 or something similar will prolly be your best bet, but you can't go wrong either way I suppose.  The Denon AH-C260R are a great value for iPhone use.