Customer Reviews

Klipsch Custom-1 In-Ear Noise-Isolating Earphones

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Klipsch Custom-1 In-Ear Noise Isolating Earphone
So I ignored the reviews (being a lover of Klipsch products) and bought these. I really wanted the Custom-3 version but decided to err on the side of caution and purchase the Custom-1. These things are badly designed for ears. Do not buy them. I have several pair of in-ear earphones from Shure's E3Cs, Etymotic Research ER6i and a pair of Ultimate Ears 5EB ear phones. I also have some cheap Sony and other miscellaneous models. So I know how to use these and what they should sound like. These things refuse to stay planted. I have tried every pair of tips to no avail. As soon as I open my mouth, I lose sound in one ear or the other. Or 3-5 steps into my jog and one or both fall out of my ears. Screwing them into my ears gets a better seal but poorer sound. I looked closely at them and it appears that the ear plug is on a long stem that points at a 45 degree or so angle upwards. This is a bad fit for my ears. YMMV but I sincerely think these things are a bad design. The next problem is the main reason I purchased these Klipsch ear phones. The fabric covered wired. I love my Shure E3Cs but the wire becomes hard after a while and eventually cracks and causes a short in the earphone. This has happened 4 times to me. I noticed that fabric covered wire also seemed less prone to tangles (the reason I don't use my Etymotics. The thin cable always tangles and has frayed badly).
The fabric cable on these earphones are horrible. The wire is extremely thin and stiff so it is still prone to bad tangles (not as bad as others but bad enough). Its also so thin, I'm in fear of catching it in a zipper and tearing it or it falling apart on me. So with a heavy heart, I'm returning my Klipsch earphones and warning others to stay away. I love Klipsch speakers (I used to own a set) but I don't really have anything good to say about these ear phones.

I was excited for these headphones, I read positive reviews and expected great sound quality & comfort. Sadly, I this was not the case.

Quite simply, these headphones don't fit in my ears right. I've tried all of the included inserts - none of them really give a good seal. When you get a proper seal, these headphones sound great - but for me, that is very rarely the case, and I've been using these for almost a year now. If I do get a good seal, I have to stay still, or they'll come out - don't bother walking with these headphones, they'll sound terrible.

Its a shame. When properly fitted, they sound good, and have excellent outside noise cancellation. Unfortunately that just doesn't happen very often.

I lived in Chicago and took the bus and train to work. I needed earphones that would eliminate background noise and allow me to listen to my music/podcasts. The klipsch custom 1 earphones do just that. It is vital that you get a good seal however, if you want to experience the noise isolation. Klipsch gives plenty of opportunities to find the right ear piece fit by providing multiple earpieces with the product. Sound quality is very good and comparable to the Bose earphones. I was able to listen to music with the volume turned only halfway up on the bus and train with little to no background noise.

My only complaint is that since these headsets are noise isolating when you get a seal it is a lot like plugging your ears with your fingers. So of course chewing gum or eating can be heard, while you are listening to music. The effect of this is not too bad, but can get annoying when the volume is turned down. Overall this is a great product and does exactly what I was looking for. Great sound quality with little to no background noise.

I've had the klipsch custom 1's for about 3 weeks and i absolutely love them. I previously had some shure's that had broken, i really think the klipsch are much better made. The cord on the klipsch headphones are really nice, they're made of clothe. The problem i had with the shure's was the cord that goes over your ear started to break where it bent. I don't think the custom 1's will have this problem because of the pliable plastic over that part of the cord. I am not an audiophile, i'm just an average music listener, but i think these headphones sound great. They also isolate the sound well so they're great for train rides on the el in chicago. Overall i'm very satisfied with my purchase. Buy them on Amazon, not from apple, I saved about $40.

For $30 shipped these are a great buy! Once you have the right sized gels on and get a snug fit it will sound great. The sound is extremely clear comnpared to the apple and sony buds I have. Seems to be a cleaner sound then my over the ear Senn's. If you can get em cheap do it!

I have tried a number of different earphones & had pretty much given up on finding comfortable ones. It appears that the vestibules in my ears are not only different sizes, but different shapes as well. I had never been able to get a comfortable fit for one ear as it was too small for any other earphones. With the Klipsch, not only do the ear gels come small enough, but there are 2 different shapes (I need a different one for each ear). And there's also a behind-the-ear loop to help keep it on, so you're not totally dependent on squishing an ear gel in just perfectly in order to keep them in your ear. I'm not an audiophile, so I can't comment on the sound quality.

As an earbud connoisseur, I own Shure 520s, Ultimate Ears 10s, and many more from V moda, senheisser and others. The fact is that I find the custom series the best out there. They need break in time like all other but after they are properly broken in they sound great. Best of all is the comfort. I have 3 pair of Shures all ranging in different quality and types. They sound good but the stink for working out or wearing for more then 1 hour. The ultimate ears are very bulky and though sound quality too is good they are now comfortable. These are the Custom 3s are amazing in comfort and sound and after having a pair of custom 1s make it through 2 tours in Iraq, I can say they hold up VERY well. Great product. People rate these lower because they want to be cool and say Shure and Bose are the ones to go with. But for the money I would never buy anything else.

Be careful - Z Electria is not an authorized reseller, and your warranty assistance from Klipsch may be at risk if you purchase these.

As far as the product, I love them.

I purchased these specifically to use under a motorcycle helmet. I wanted something that would stay in place and offer decent sound insulation. While I do like these quite a bit with the included silicon tips for just sitting at a desk at work and listening to music, I didn't find that the silicon tips did a very good job once you started moving around. Paired up with some 3rd party foam tips (like comply foam) it works very well for my purpose. I will say that with the silicon tips and the over the ear design, you can kind of "dangle" them so that you can hear music while still hearing everything going on around you, kind of handy at work. With the foam tips these offer excellent sound insulation, it's like wearing earplugs. The design fits my ears very well and makes it easy to put my helmet on without knocking the headphones out of position. Sound quality is just fine for my uses.

I returned these.
I did a great deal of research on these earphones before purchasing them. Unfortunately not enough. The quality of the sound was very nice. It had crisp clear high ends, which is what I wanted because of a hearing loss. The problem was the design. They have a hard curved piece of plastic that connects the cord to the ear piece. This is hooked behind the ear, so the wire hangs behind also. I can see that this is a common design but I found it awkward. The inner ear canal fit was also uncomfortable but I could see getting used to it, the thing that really finished it for me was the interruption in sound I would get if I moved my head a certain way or open my mouth. I don't know if this is common with IEMs or not, I suspect it is. If you like the design, I would recommend these. Kilpsch even sent me some extra tips. I just needed to look closer at the design and listen less to the reviews.