Klipsch Image S4 Earphones Review

[gigga747]

PROS: Very Good Sound under $100 UDS

BAD: Some times I get a little ESD (electrostatic discharge) in my ear. it's very annoying.



[DevineAvenger]

@gigga747 yeah me too! after using it for an hour or 2 son of a bitch shock my ear im still scared of using it for over an hour now 

[ItsMeLegit]

I like these headphones a lot. I first purchased the Bose IE2s and wasn't satisfied at all. So I returned them and picked up these for much cheaper. These have great sound quality and noise isolation (something the Bose lacked). They actually provided a pair of rubber tops that was SMALLER than what I needed which was surprising because I always need the smallest pair. The cord is not tangle-free as advertised but it feels durable. Well worth the purchase.

[Mckrunky16]

do these leak alot?

[TheNerdKnownAsDavid]

How long do these lasts?

[KGmaster888]

I like monster turbines better and sennheiser hd 800

[kale1doscope]

Jasmine I bought this earphone because of you.

[jdmimport13]

I've been a musical engineer and musician for 15 years so I know good sound quality when I hear it.Of course there's better out there but for under 75 bucks you can't beat these.I've tried.For the people that say they don't fit right, your wearing them wrong.These are In-ears NOT EARBUDS.Big difference.Although the tips are small,work to find what works best.I prefer "cord" up with the large tips(I have Med. sized ears). EQ wise I add 2db of 50hz , -2db 150hz, -1db 500hz, +2db 2k and -2db 10k.

[crazymonkey1125]

i bought beats tour 2 times broke (both ) within 2 daysi got this better quality clarity and cheaper people dont go for nice packing go for what works good

[i8aNiMaLcRaCkErZ]

It may have a thin and weak wire, it's made of plastic, won't fit in people with bigger sized ears, and is made of plastic, but it sure has a good sound for only $80!! ....

[dazeeman]

She's putting them on the wrong way. I did the same mistake too. You have to put these earbuds on the oppsite way ( "L" goes on your right ear and "R" goes on your left ear) it makes no sence i know, but this is the correct way. They are very good earphones. I've had mine for 6 months..use them about everyday and they still sound good.

[jdmimport13]

@dazeeman Klipsch is a high end company in headphones and in no way, shape or form would they design their in-ear headphones to be worn backwards. There is a reason there's a R and a L. It's called music imaging. Meaning what you hear is the actual "image" or alignment of the music. Meaning the drums sound how they are actually set up. Hats on L, snare and kick center and toms/cymbals panned L and R. For best fit I've found turning them "cord" up inside the ear works and fits the best.

[Jort007]

The highs are really strange on these, sometimes they are almost painful to my ears and other times they are a lot less 'loud' than with other in-ears, like the volume is turned down a bit. Overall I'm not really impressed, the 3 dollar buds that I got 3 years ago with my Samsung G600 don't sound much worse really :S

[ThePurpleDrumStick]

wich are better for drumming (noise isolation?): klipsch s4, shure se215 or monster jamz?! PLEASE HELP!

[aaroncrumbley]

I call bullshit. The treble sounds like crap and the overall sound is cheap. I feel like I would have been better off with my apple ones.

[Littlefuzz58]

I have had these for 2 weeks and no sound comes out of the left earphone:(

[Thajok3rx]

Just got these today, i just put em for 30 seconds and i like them so much.. im really satisfied hahah omg so cool

[asianoutcast87]

Great sound quality. Horrible fit. Sure the oval design means more comfort, but didn't they figure that it would then fit loosely? The medium sized earbuds are supposed to be for me, but they can easily fall out. Big ones are the same, they can fall out easily. The small ones are designed to like fit a baby's ear canal, and I would say my ears are on the smaller side too. The cord design is poor too. Too obtrusive. Great headphones for sitting down, but for movement, its poor.

[vexun11]

I cant find anything that compares for under 130$ Of course this is a good thing but I want to have something else as well to have a different music experience, Anyone have any other suggestions for anything under 130-150$ that compare to these?

[ductrung3993]

@vexun11 phonak PFE, Triple Fi if you are lucky, Head Direct RE0, Fisher Eterna sth (cant remember), just do a search and you will find many more...

[vexun11]

I picked these buds up with a pair of skullcandy full metal jackets to see which ones I liked better and take back the ones that weren't as good. The full metal jacket buds were 70$ so I figured they must be pretty decent, The bass was the only thing that stood out but it was really flooded, the mids and highs were horrible with them. I also tried a few different pair of the DRE Beats buds and they didn't sound as good to me. I am currently trying to find a new pair of buds to replace these but

[vexun11]

I am loving these buds, I am on my third pair though, not because they have stopped working but because I have a warranty from best buy where I can take them in and get them replaced when I want, I have gotten them replaced so many times because the rubber near the bud splits open after a little bit of wear and tear, they still work fine but it is really ugly to me.

Has anyone else had this issue? Its the rubber stuff that protects the cable before going into the bud holding it in place.

[Bilt8]

Just ordered mine. £45. My ears are a pain in the arse with earphones so finally i got a pair which will/should fit to my.. ear lol. Heres hoping!

And thanks for the video ductrung :)

[ductrung3993]

@Bilt8 np mate, i stole it from cnet haha

[calip72443]

These headphones are absolutely amazing. I bought them after numerous encounters with beats studio edition, beats tour, and powerbeats. These s4's compete with studios at 1/3 of the price. They are a lot better than the tours which I traded in after i got these and compared the two. Klipsch puts out a great sounding, looking, and durable product. If you are looking for in ears, look no further, these are the perfect in ears. Great for the bus, working out, or just doing work. No in ears compare!

[Senor1juan]

Buy Shure ! much better sound quality and material quality..

[blue83galant]

I wasted $80 on this piece of sh*#!

[sbm168]

RE ZEROS!!!!!!!  Much better

[JumonHam]

mine didnt come with a cleaning rod thingy :(

[monkfighter123]

skull candy beats the shit out of these crappy headphones

[chizzle0]

@monkfighter123 skulls candies are chinese wholesale headphones with logos and colors painted on them.

[CoronaJoe]

@monkfighter123 LMAO @ crappy skullcandys being better than S4's. Skullcandys sound like CRAP, and fall apart within 2 weeks. Don't be cheap, buy some decent buds.

[vexun11]

I have owned every pair of skullcandy buds, I used to own only skullcandy until I picked these up along with a pair of full metal jacket skullcandy buds and realized that skullcandy is not that great, To say Skull candy beats the shit out of these crappy headphones is a narrow statement, which pair of skullcandy buds beat these? Let me know and I will go buy a pair and test them.

[XxAggroFanxX]

Hey, im going to buy new earphones. But I can not decide between the Klipsch Image S4 and the Ultimate Ears MetroFi 220. I listen to Hip Hop music. And the Bass is the most importand thing for me. Wich u would recommend? Pls help me^^

[dmbandgroove]

I own a pair of Grado GS-1000 and love them but im looking for a nice pair of in ear headphones. I am torn between the Klipsch S4 and the Thinksound rain... Has anyone heard BOTH these headphones? ANY feedback would be nice...

[DeadEyeSprout]

I have these, they are absolutely fantastic! Don't listen to the other people who say they break and fray and stuff. Those are the people that don't care for their items! If you take care of something, then it lasts. The sound quality is superb, bass is thumping(feeling on ur eardrums!)! And if you're still worried. Go to Bestbuy, get these, and purchase the 2 year coverage, I did, incase anything went wrong. Excellent buy!

[Blacksnyder]

Had these for less than 6 months and the right buds don't work anymore. Also, plastic covering around the, I guess you can call it the "neck" of the earphones split open on both sides.

Trash.

[firee257]

these headphones are amazing likei got mine today

theyre extremely comfortable and just slip into your ears

nd they have noise cancellation too

the bass is also decent for its price

[canucks7777]

:40

isn't that the wrong ear?

[jorts150]

My little review: In sound quality, I don't think anything in the same price range comes anywhere close. The quality is extremely good and the noise cancellation is great. When it comes to using these earphones for physical activity, they are terrible! When the cheap housing and garbage chord move around while running, you can here the chord hit you when you as you run and it is almost louder than the music! The chord gets tangled so easily! Do not get these for use while exercising.

[asf1187]

should i get these or the Shure e4c

[TheJovanist]

These $80.00 headphones have a plastic housing?....meh, I'll pass.

[TheRoyaIJoker]

hmmm my dad got these for $60, but i choose the bose earphones.

[MrPimplicous]

Do they have noise cancellation because i thinks its annoying when people can hear what i'm listening to

[Thezzephyr]

Just got these about 15 min ago and i LOVE them great for DnB and Hard style

[Thezzephyr]

@Beatlicious91 im using them for my iphone and sometimes for my pc. they sound great with mp3 but even better with others such as flac or wav

[darbs264]

@Thezzephyr of course it sounds better in flac you twat.

[TheKMStudios]

for over the ear, i definitely recommend the Shure SRH-440

[GeneralExpert]

$80 ?? The price is going up?? I've never heard of headphones appreciating. $100 on amazon.

[9618erfi]

shure SE530 is better but also fucking more expensive.

[avinotion]

i don't trust chicks reviewing tech. except for that one in... mobiletechreview i think it was called.... anyway, paying 80$ for earbuds then learning you can't wear them 'cause they're too small? not for me.

[babyblueg4o9]

how do these sound compared to the dr dre studio headphones? (not a fanboy, just never heard these before so I'm asking)

[ductrung3993]

@babyblueg4o9 haven't try these yet, but the Dr Dre Studio is terrible, believe me.

[stevielicious3]

@ductrung3993 the beats studio's aren't terrible there awesome...did u mean the dr. dre tours. which are the earbud design?

because the beats by dre studio's are closed ear and offer awesome sound

[ductrung3993]

@stevielicious3 well let me rephrase that, do not soundterrible, just as they are not as good as they should be. They certainly sounds ok, but not for the hefty $300. Their terrible thing is the price/performance

[stevielicious3]

@ductrung3993 not trying to sould like a d*ck or troll or something, but what is in that price range to compare?? i tried a couple pairs of sennhiesers that were like 50-100 cheaper, and they had similar proformance until the bass kicked in, then were blown away. and their bass was a lot cleaner then other "heavy bass" headphones. i got friends that DJ so i could get my hands on any other pair, what do u recommend i put up against my beats?

[ductrung3993]

@stevielicious3 its ok man, i see that you have always been polite :) and for the question, well it really depends on your needs (what type of details, bass), do you have any additional equipment and how's your source (cd lossless or mp3),....

[Peruviandude96]

@stevielicious3 Dr. Dre Beats = extremely overpriced at 400$

If the Beats were not made by monster and endorsed by Dr. Dre. I'm sure they will be worth around $50, maybe $100 tops. I'm sure the price you'e paying is for the name. There are so many decent headphones that beats the Beats at a lower price

[MrGuitarcovers10]

@Peruviandude96 beats are only 300

[WeAreTwoDoorsDown]

@ductrung3993 Your a lier, trust me. :)

[mulong]

i bought this yesterday and im already in love with with it haha its really good it feels like youre not wearing it and only feel the sound i mean hear 

[McNubIet]

Yay! I just got them today and I am in love with them. Nuff said. Worth every dollar.

[TermsOfUseExpired]

I have these headphones and my god...they are amazing.

[DHGroove]

Got my Klipsch Image S4's last week, and have been listening to them nonstop. My listening genre is Post-Bop, Soul Jazz/Hard Bop, Funk, R&B, Soul/NeoSoul, Blues, Rock, Classical, Afro-Cuban/Boogaloo, Hindustani Classical, Western Classical, to even some folk/bluegrass. I got to say, I'm really pleased as punch with these things. Great Mids, good highs that aren't too harsh, and a nice tight, responsive bass. Not overpowering, but nice and tight, just the way it should be. Highly recommended!!

[Aldenif]

Paochoua----your right about the skull candies. I have a pair of skull candies ink'd with an 11mm drive and not only do they sound louder than the klipsch but I actually hear more bass as well. Klipsch cost me 80$ while the the skull candies only cost me $21. Go figure that one out LOL!!!! But me being a loud bassaphile. (I love bass) I am wondering about how the Atomic Bass earphones sound. Does anyone here happen to know the comparison in sound with skull candies and Atomic Bass earphones????

[SamuelBlakson]

Skull Candies break ALLLLL the time. I've had 4 pairs and stopped buying them... But of all the headphones I've tried of them no matter what the price range the ink'd sounded the best... but trust me... they will break.

[Aldenif]

But are skull candies guaranteed to break no matter how well you take care of them or it depends on how you use them. ex: (throwing them anywhere, pulling hard on the cable, getting them wet, etc)???

[netweit3]

@SamuelBlakson Same results here. I'm going to return them to get a new pair and sell it to invest on another brand. What type of headphone have you settled with?

[remirap]

@netweit3 monster turbines

[spencer22941]

@Aldenif lol at this comment. more bass doesnt=better bass. i would rather take quality over quantity. as samuel said, they break all the time also. this is because of their cheap plastic build. also, the highs are not detailed on the ink'ds and the mids are muddy.

[Aldenif]

So then what would you say about the Atomic Radius Bass earphones??

[theburgerboy]

These headphones are amazing! Not durable? When driving my car one of the headphones got shut outside of my car and was dragged for about 6 miles. I got out and saw it and there were just some miniscule scratches. amazing

[paochoua]

the sound are great but it just not as loud as my skull candy.

[Aldenif]

Paochoua----your right about the skull candies. I have a pair of skull candies ink'd with an 11mm drive and not only do they sound louder than the klipsch but I actually hear more bass as well. Klipsch cost me 80$ while the the skull candies only cost me $21. Go figure that one out LOL!!!!

[FuturePharmD91]

@Aldenif So by your logic a '99 chevy with an oversized bass factory in the back cranked to the max sounds better than a new '11 luxury sedan with carefully calibrated speakers placed throughout the cabin. Uh....no.

[Aldenif]

It does if you want to actually hear and feel your music without hearing crap outside. Uh.....yeah.

[FuturePharmD91]

@Aldenif Words can't describe how dumbfounded I am about your reasoning right now...have you ever heard anything that costs more than $5?

[Infamous6711]

I stole these once

[paperchasin23]

she's so sexy

[SuaDuaBoy]

i own this earbuds and i am totally happy, they are so awesome!

i would seriously recommend to buy one pair of those :D

5* for HQ sound

[UhhPlanBProductions]

Im listening to this video with Klipsch Image S4's in my ears right now and I can surely say that these things pack some SERIOUS chest rattling bass. The bose in-ear headphones have way to much bass all the time. And what i mean by this is not that the bose have 'more' bass. The bose produce constant base that is really un-needed and compensates the clarity when it is needed.

If you want some stellar headphones, there is no other option.

[threeup2]

getting these for christmas, can't wait to test them out

[bboyzesty4sho]

so sick

[soopamac]

I have the Bose In-Ear, Shure SE110, and I just bought the Klipsch S4. I'm not an audiophile, but out of the three, the S4's sound the best for me. They sound clarity is as good or better than the Bose plus they are true in-ear with sound isolation. I also had the Apple In-ears, it sucks, too much treble not enough bass. I returned them right away.

[WTFWILLx]

the bose in ear headphones are a piece of shit. already went through 2 pairs in a year. they are really cheaply made, parts of the plastic around the ear bud literally just came off.

the plastic ear piece that comes with em constantly falls off, sometimes when you even just pull it out of your ear. hell the earbud came off when i was at the airport and i ended up having to buy a cheap pair there to hear my tunes. these, look good, might give em a try.

[KlipschEAR]

Bose does not make competitive speakers or headphones. They sell an image ,like Mac but at least with Mac you buy quality.

The Image S4 is a fantastic purchase, they deliver from top to bottom. Well balanced headphones, not too lean and neither too bass heavy.

Overall a 4.5/5 for me,for the price.

[AWarlordsView]

do not get the bose in ear they are mediocre at best these are as good as if not better than the dr.dre beats tour that cost $179

[soundsliketruck]

I ended up with Shure SE530's. Love em. I still don't understand the whole ohms thing. My old ear buds were 16ohm, Shure earphones are 32ohm.  the Shure are twice the volume, and sound unbelievable.

[soundsliketruck]

I am wondering a tech ? If a player says it is 16ohm output, yet Shure, UE, and other high end IEM require around 32ohm, is that a problem? wtf. please help a dumbass newb.

[HEADBANGERBEAST09]

ohms are justthe power the use the highr th ohm the less it uses,well thats what one of my freinds say

[soundsliketruck]

Thanks for the reply. That caused me too search even harder for a clearer answer, as you would think higher ohms cause more resistance, thus less sound. Evidently higher ohms do produce less sound, but the earphone amp doesn't work as hard so there is less distortion. I am planning on getting an either an ipod, Cowon s9, or top of the line Sony. Then God knows what earphone to really sound great. Too many choices, and things to learn.

[HEADBANGERBEAST09]

get bose headphones trust me your ove them

[e5rules]

How loud a headphone plays is a function of two specs: the impedance and the SPL. A higher impedance, i.e. ohm rating, will generally result in lower volume. A higher SPL will result in higher volume. Typically, headphones with 32 ohms or less of impedance can be driven easily with a portable music player. Headphones with 60 ohms or more of impedance usually benefit significantly from the addition of a headphone amplifier.

Hope that helps.

[AshKilamande]

you can get them from j&r (dot) com

[virulentv]

I am using these now ... they are okay . i like more natural sounding speakers. Shure SE530 has to be the most magical pair on the planet.

[ductrung3993]

Can please let me know how "okay" they are?

Thanks!

[virulentv]

Okay. First things first, they are light weight alright. I tried all sleeves to see which fits me best. They are not the most comfortable thing when worn proper in-ear (almost ear canal). But thats not the complain. they sound bit better then the $30 sonys i have. I also have Sennheiser which sound the same as these. $99 price tag (S4i) is not justified for these when they sound like a $50 one. I just bought these for the remote func for my iphone

[virulentv]

but i think i will return these to get Etymotic HF2 which is more for the price or settle with Shure SE110mpa baseline model which will cost around $50 on the net and is worth the money. I feel klipsch is a lot of hype because cnet reviews. I usually don't fall for these traps but when the potholes all around you then you tend to fall into one. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[cracking9]

so in ur opinion, what's the best headphone around that's worth buying for? Doesn't matter if it's cheap or expensive, as long as it perform well for its price then I'm all good.

[virulentv]

Shure SE530. Period. After the 'break-in' period you will literally feel that music is playing live in front of you. It has different drivers e.g separate tweeter, woofers etc. to produce proper sound environment. You will hear new instruments in the same song you have heard many times before. Thats how good it is. Wearing them properly is the key.

[ductrung3993]

Wow, some of the very few complaints out there. Can you compare these with others that you own? And BTW, what do you think about the JVC fx500?

[virulentv]

I don't own JVC fx500 and have no plans for them. Like i said, they tend to be very bright on the highs which doesn't seem to be natural sound of the music you listen to. Mid range is negligible and bass could be thumpy if you have them fully inserted in. They will slip out in couple of minutes if you plan to use them while you jog. I listen to music that have a wide spectrum like orchestra setting so listen to different sounds in a song and not just the vocals, highs etc. no good for that sound

[bodra]

Those are 550 dollars you asshole. Klipsch image s4 is 80 dollars.

[virulentv]

@bodra: hey jackass, the guy asked me if price is NOT an issue ... next time read carefully.

[makemerawrrr]

@virulentv LOL. obviously a pair of $300 earbuds are going to better than the $80 klipsch. Why even compare?

[folkfanatic93]

@virulentv Too bad those are about $240.

[NRTMegatron]

That's weird, everywhere I go these tend to be the recommended headphones at this price range. Even all the audiophiles at head-fi recommend these over everything else under $200 and some that are more than that. You seem to be the only one really that has talked this negatively about them. Only phones people recommend over these at this price range are full sized Sennheisers, Audio Technicas, and Grados.

[virulentv]

Well, you haven't looked around enough to find people with poor reviews (amazon). First of all, if someone takes these out of the box, listens to it and writes a review then thats a complete BS because the headphones have not even break-in yet. When they are new out of the box they sound like $20 headphone. Its only after the break-in period when you start to feel the difference which is not phenomenal.

[virulentv]

Mine already started to chip and exposing the metal wires inside after at most care, and its not even 30 days since the day of purchase.

[virulentv]

Should I still go around saying its the best thing i heard in life? its annoying when people loose their self judgment after watching some tv commercials (cnet)

[NRTMegatron]

Haha, nice one but I'm not the average person who is looking to upgrade their iPod headphones. I actually do listen to them after they're pink noised. I don't care what Cnet says about them, I'm not a conformist nor do I need someone to form an opinion for me. Everything has bad reviews, you should know that, even Shure SE530s and UE TripleFi 10s. I only said you were in the minority and you took it to heart. Basically, most people say these are great, including audiophiles, not just Cnet..

[petertheasian]

Hey guy, i really want these headphones, I checked with Kilpsch they said in Calgary, Canada London Drugs have them, but i check with the web site and it doesn't display the S4 as one of the results. Can you tell me where you guy get them

[Clazzy8]

Got mine like 3 days ago and their great. Very light weight also, feel like nothing in the ears.

[clemsband]

where can I buy this earphones? I did not found them at amazon neater at ebay

[ductrung3993]

Currently too many people are seeking for this head phones thanks to it top rated reviews, (me too ^^) so Klipsch understandably can't produce enough so for sure, its almost impossible to find them on Amazon or Ebay; the only one is the Klipsch online store ;)

[ZachChen1996]

true

[Notanotherscreenname]

SHe is not lying. I just got mine off of Ebay from the UK. They are still hard to find in the US. They are simply great especially for the money. I have tried them all from $20 - $450 and these are the best yet. Amazing Sound. For all GENRES!

[ductrung3993]

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience here, I also damn want one for me too :)