I bought these to go with a shuffle to use while working out and I am very happy with them.
Sound quality: The sound quality is excellent for the money ... they have a ton of bass which is perfect for what I am using them for. I own the Image X10s too which are superb but they are 3 times the price and don't have the inline controls. The X10s sound quality is definitely superior, they're more accurate and have much better separation but that's just not necessary when I'm more focused on not passing out while running up the hills here in San Francisco. I find the Klipsch's Image range to be pretty bassy in general so if you are listening to classical music or a lot of instrumental stuff at high bit-rates you will likely be happier with a set of Etymotic ER4Ps (very accurate with amazing separation) but if you're listening to rock/hip-hop/dance etc. the Klipsch Image range are a great choice.
Build quality: Time will tell how well they hold up but they feel sturdier than the X10s and I have had those for 8 months ... I've been pretty hard on them and have had no issues whatsoever.
Comparison to other brands: I have had Shures and several sets of Etymotics in the past and am now a total Klipsch fan. The Klipsch IEMs have comparable sound quality (better for some types of music), are far more comfortable than both Shures and Etys, are better made than the Etys and are better value for money than the Shures.
One word or warning that you will see in many of the reviews: if you have never used IEMs (In-Ear-Monitors aka sound isolating earphones) - they take some getting used to. You need to make sure to get a good seal in you ear for them to work well, if they're lacking bass it's probably because you don't have a good seal. They really do block out pretty much all noise so make sure to look both ways before crossing the road ;-) Klipsch Image S4i Premium Noise-Isolating Headset with 3-Button Apple Control
After a somewhat disappointing purchase of the Apple In Ear Headphones with Mic that I wanted to use with my IPhone 3GS, I now faced the dilemma once again what to buy that would work with the phone. I do own several sets of Etymotics and still feel that these are the best sets out there, in sound as well as value. However, even the new type of Ety's for the IPhone 3GS does not have the volume up and down (aka Apple Chip) on the remote, making it impossible to take full advantage of the phone's features. After reading all the good reviews about the S4i, I decided to jump in once more and to purchase these. Amazon did a great job shipping and they shortly thereafter arrived.
With great anticipation I plugged these into my phone, turned on the music and was greatly disappointed. Mediocre sound with no bass. I now tried the largest inserts, pulled back my ears, opened my mouth and shoved them in as far as pain would let me. Still crap and they hurt big time. I was not happy and thought that I just wasted more money on a bad headset.
I researched other sites about Klipsch IMAGE S4i Headsets and one person wrote about the problems he had (same as mine) and how the 180 degree insertion method did make all the difference, due to how his ears are shaped.
I then took the plugs, turned them 180 degrees, Cable pointing up, and inserted them into my ears. This time they went in easily without any pain and effort! They actually fit nicely and the sound is great! Yeah!
Still not to Etymotic standards, but almost there. Big time bass and (now) great sound isolation. Better compared to my friends Bose Ear Plugs and in a different universe of the Apple in Ear Phones.
So for all of you out there with sound and comfort issues, try them upside down. This might work for you as well.
I did give them 4 Stars instead of 5 due to the 180 degree rotation requirement.
I recently took a trip to Europe and one of the things on my "to-do" list before I left was find a decent pair of headphones that would travel well, since I didn't want to drag my bulky studio headphones along. So with over 26 hours of flying in 10 days, I wanted a pair that could block out a lot of noise and put out good sound quality for the money. I stumbled upon the Klipsch brand and the S4i headphones, and I'm glad I did. These have been without a doubt the best in-ear headphones I've ever owned.
The first and most important thing is sound quality. The highs are great(when listening to certain songs, I heard hi-hats and tambourines that i had previously not heard), mid range is excellent and the low mids are impressive. However, what sold me the most was the bass response. The bass is there, without being too powerful, but when I wanted some brainthumping bass, I turned the EQ on my iPod to "Bass Booster", and I was blown away. These little headphones pack a punch, that's for sure. Bass that can't be replicated by my Infinity 6 x 8's in my car was played with ease, and with little distortion. The only issue I had was slight distortion when playing songs that had both a deep bass line and a punchy kick("Forgot about Dre" by Dr. Dre) but other than that everything was darn good. I wanted to listen to a wide variety of music for this review, and everything sounded great through these, from AC/DC to Jay-Z,Miles Davis, Cake, Outkast,Common, Arcade Fire,and Neutral Milk Hotel, it all sounded flawless, and many tracks I felt I was listening to for the first time since I heard hi-hats, guitar riffs and bass lines that I hadn't heard before.
The sound isolation is also nice, having an 8 hour trip from Houston, TX to London, England, I didn't have to listen to the crying babies with popping ears or most of the engine noise(there was a slight drone, but turning up the tunes solved that problem).
The headphones we're quite comfortable as well, although I think Klipsch could have designed them a little better if the 180 degree insertion method wouldn't have to be used every time. I only had trouble with them when I had fallen asleep for about an hour on one side of my head, and upon pulling out the earphone my ear canal stung for a while, but other than that they we're quite comfortable.
These seem like they're pretty well put together, although I think for this price the wire could be a bit thicker, I'm not entirely sure how long the wires will last, but I can't see any problems in the near future as long as they are taken care of well.
I don't have an iPhone so I wasn't able to do much calling, but did successfully make a few calls from my iPod Touch using VoIP Stunt and both my call quality and my voice carried through well. The earphones block so much sound, however, that I could not hear myself speak very well and was almost yelling into the microphone (the person I called appreciated this none whatsoever).
So as you can see there are a lot of benefits to buying a pair of these. Sound quality is great (especially on Miles Davis' "In A Silent Way"), they're reasonably comfortable, work well as far as making calls (again I didn't try on an actual iPhone) and should hold together if taken care of.
The few gripes I had were nitpicks at best. If they would seal well without having to turn them 180 degrees that would be great. They could include a few more sizes of ear tips as well, but foam tips are cheap and can solve this problem. Other than that these are great and I would certainly recommend them for travel and everyday use, just mind the thin wire! - Earbuds - Earphones - S4i - Iphone 3gs'
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