[Vloeibaarglas]

Your problem is that you spent $100 on buying $50 IEM with $30 sound quality. There are a lot of sub $50 IEM's that crushes S4 in terms of SQ.
 
S4 go for $40-50 on sale. S5 and Pro-media (same as S4) go for $30-40 on sale.

 

[homsar57]

Quote:

Check out the Sony EX600. Good for the genres you listen to, and with a fantastic soundstage. Check out Joker's review in his huge IEM review thread. If you search for them in Google Shopping you'll find several stores selling them for about $130.

 
Wow those look good. He says these are just as detailed, but more spacious than the Vsonics, which were also mentioned here. IEMs that sound more like traditional headphones are exactly what I'm looking for. $130 is a great price, though most places I'm seeing they go for $199. I love my full size MDR v6's to death so I may just go with these. Thanks, I had no idea Sony even made these. (Sony's marketing is very quiet these days)

 

[Selenium]

Here you go: http://www.provantage.com/sony-mdrex600~7SNYE0WX.htm

 

[Omnirai]

The EX600 are indeed great great sound for the price. They have bad isolation though, so keep that in mind if you use your IEMs on the commute fairly often.

 

[Selenium]

Their isolation is "good enough" for day to day use IMO. Especially with the foam hybrid tips. I can use them while shopping and not hear anything that's going on around me, but for flying, mowing the lawn, etc. I'd grab something else.

 

[homsar57]

Quote:

The EX600 are indeed great great sound for the price. They have bad isolation though, so keep that in mind if you use your IEMs on the commute fairly often.

 
My commute involves driving, not a subway or an airplane, and we all know headphones+driving= bad news. So total isolation wont be an issue. When I complained about isolation in my rant its true- I'm upset the Klipsch's don't isolate well, but my main gripe with them is sound so isolation is a minor quibble to me. I might use the sonys during a light workout though, so I'm glad they have over-ear clips. (My old gen 1 V-Moda vibes broke as a result of falling out of my ears) My only real concern would be sound bleed, how are they in that regard?

 

[Selenium]

No issues with the Sonys falling out. I've used them at the gym myself, and once they're in I think you'd have to get hit by a car for them to fall out. They're vented so they do bleed a tiny bit. But I don't really know what would be considered a "normal" amount of bleed. It's pretty insignificant IMO.

 

[homsar57]

I'm also a bit curious as to how Sony's new xba line compares to the EX600's you recommended. You got me interested in what Sony has been doing audio-wise and I found them on their website. The XBA 3 and 4 seem too expensive, but the xba 1 and 2 seem to be within my price range- the 2 being the same price as the EX600's. Thanks for all the help thus far, you don't have to answer me if I'm getting annoying

.

 

[Wertzius]

One pair of ZAGG Smartbuds... Absolutely bassy and muddy, no treble... I gave them to my little brother

 

[Selenium]

Well the XBA-1 has a similar balance of bass/mids/treble as the EX600/1000, but doesn't have that "headphone-like" presentation. It's more like a typical IEM in that regard. It's quite good all the same. I'd take it over the Klipsch X10 for instance which I think is their flagship. Some things to consider with the XBA line is the j-cord. I'm not a fan. Also the cable lengths. Your options are "too short" and "too long." I took the XBA-1 to the gym with me, and without the extension they didn't come close to reaching my pocket where I usually keep my Clip+, and with the extension I was left with tons of slack. I ended up using them sans extension with the Clip+ clipped to my shirt collar.

 

[homsar57]

 
Quote:

Well the XBA-1 has a similar balance of bass/mids/treble as the EX600/1000, but doesn't have that "headphone-like" presentation. It's more like a typical IEM in that regard. It's quite good all the same. I'd take it over the Klipsch X10 for instance which I think is their flagship. Some things to consider with the XBA line is the j-cord. I'm not a fan. Also the cable lengths. Your options are "too short" and "too long." I took the XBA-1 to the gym with me, and without the extension they didn't come close to reaching my pocket where I usually keep my Clip+, and with the extension I was left with tons of slack. I ended up using them sans extension with the Clip+ clipped to my shirt collar.

The fact that you can compare brand new, $70 Sony's to $150 (at one time $350 from my understanding) Klipsch's is astounding. Really says a lot about the quality of Sony's audio engineering department. Looks like I'll stick with the ex600's then since they have more stage to them, thanks again for all the help

 

[k3oxkjo]

Quote:

 
That's why it's called street price. You don't buy it from the big retailers or marketplaces.
 
It's like saying CX300-IIs go for $100 at Best Buy, so that should be their street price. If you go to one of the specialized headphone stores you'll probably find them for much less.
 

Here's your "street price"...
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/551148/focalprice-offeres-s4-klipsch-for-34-34-real-or-fake
 

 

[Jeremypsp]

Well, I personally feel that the price of the Klipsch S4s are worth it for the price they go for and more. But they do have bloated bass which many may not like. But you can look at the UE700s or TF10s. 

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Well, I personally feel that the price of the Klipsch S4s are worth it for the price they go for and more. But they do have bloated bass which many may not like. 

Allow me to disagree. In a direct comparison, my lowly Meelec M6 sounded better than the S4. What I got from the S4 was just muddy, boomy sound. I'm sure this wasn't a faulty set because I encountered the same thing on 2 separate occasions with 2 different sets of S4s. They shouldn't be worth more than $30...in my opinion.

 

[homsar57]

 
Quote:

Allow me to disagree. In a direct comparison, my lowly Meelec M6 sounded better than the S4. What I got from the S4 was just muddy, boomy sound. I'm sure this wasn't a faulty set because I encountered the same thing on 2 separate occasions with 2 different sets of S4s. They shouldn't be worth more than $30...in my opinion.

 
This is what I can't stand about them; the bass is so bloated and uncontrolled-which is really a bad thing on metal tracks where fast double bass drums tend to linger for too long. They also severely color the mid range as a result, which I cant stand- I like my mids clear. Don't get me wrong; the s4's aren't garbage; I would have paid $25 for them- but for what I paid I feel robbed. I can see people who like Hip hop, rap, pop, techno, or house being pleased with them, hence much of their mainstream appeal.