Klipsch Image X10 Noise-Isolating Earphone

by Klipsch

• Smallest in-ear headphone ever made
• Patented ear tip technology eliminates ear fatigue and discomfort ensuring optimal acoustic seal
• Compatible with all 3.5mm headphone jacks, including iPhone
• Extremely light
• Incredible acoustic performance from single armature design

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.3 x 0.3 x 0.3 inches ; 4.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000WAHFBK
• Item model number: 1007328
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (672 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 21, 2008

Product Description

Color: Without microphone

From the Manufacturer

Introducing IMAGE noise-isolating earphones from Klipsch. Not only is it the world's smallest and lightest full-range in-ear earphone design, IMAGE from Klipsch fuses lifestyle, technology, and fashion to offer a personalized fit and deliver a precision-tuned acoustic experience. Status symbol products such as the iPod® have played a major role in making technology fashionable in recent years, making it necessary to develop a stylish audio accouterments that can bring better sound to in-vogue listeners.

Klipsch IMAGE--when you're as serious about sound as you are about style

Complete Comfort

IMAGE earphones utilize translucent patent-pending Contour Ear Gels that are anatomically designed to accurately fit inside the human ear canal. These soft, oval silicon tips reduce ear fatigue as well as provide an amazing seal for excellent noise isolation and increased bass response.

Because ear canal measurements vary, each IMAGE model comes with five different ear gel sizes: small, medium, and large single flange designs as well as small and large double flange designs. Such variety allows these earphones to fit more of the population than the competition.

Complete Immersion

Inside these compact gems, you'll find over 60 years of audio expertise ready to let you hear what you've been missing. Exclusive extended-frequency KG926 balanced micro-armatures deliver a superior acoustic experience with all the delicate accuracy you have come to expect from Klipsch.

The world's smallest and lightest full-range in-ear earphones

Complete Allure

A must-have audio accouterment for fashion-forward listeners, IMAGE earphones feature aluminum bodies finished in beautiful anodized copper and sleek, streamlined black "tails." Aside from aesthetic appeal, these flexible "tails" reduce cable stress and serve as an acoustic dampener to minimize cable noise.

Complete Satisfaction

Furthermore, Klipsch has gone to great lengths to ensure the long-lasting durability of IMAGE, up to and including its 50-inch-long vinyl cables. The company has added appropriate strain relief at every cable connection point to help prevent wire damage, while also putting IMAGE through extensive "real world" testing.

Complete Features and Added Frills

Klipsch IMAGE earphones have true-to-life sound immersion for all activities: from travel to exercise to just relaxing and listening to your favorite music. Their uniquely small, fashionable design provides unparalleled comfort and an amazingly accurate fit. With their exceptional durability they can go the extra mile with you wherever you may go with any number of portable devices such as iPods, the iPhone and virtually any device with a headphone jack. These earphones come with a faux-leather carrying case and compact pouch, a 1/4-inch adaptor, an airline adaptor, five sets of ear gels and an ear gel cleaning tool.

Product Description

Not only is it the world's smallest and lightest full-range in-ear headphone design, the Klipsch Image fuses lifestyle, technology, and fashion to offer a personalized fit and deliver a precision-tuned acoustic experience. IMAGE earphones utilize translucent patent-pending Contour Ear Gels that are anatomically designed to accurately fit inside the human ear canal. These soft, oval silicon tips reduce ear fatigue as well as provide an amazing seal for excellent noise isolation and increased bass response. Because ear canal measurements vary, each IMAGE model comes with five different ear gel sizes: small, medium, and large single flange designs as well as small and large double flange designs. Exclusive extended-frequency KG926 balanced micro-armatures deliver a superior acoustic experience with all the delicate accuracy you have come to expect from Klipsch. IMAGE earphones feature aluminum bodies finished in beautiful anodized copper and sleek, streamlined black "tails." Aside from aesthetic appeal, these flexible "tails" reduce cable stress and serve as an acoustic dampener to minimize cable noise.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

227 of 255 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Extensive Klipsch X10i review and comparision March 22, 2011

By Justin M. Scott

Color Name:With microphone

If you read my wordy review of the Klipsch S4i headphones back in July, you already know how impressed I've been with Klipsch's headphones. Sadly, after around 800 hours of use, I managed to short out the left channel. Legendary for their customer service, Klipsch of course was ready to send me out a replacement pair. However, I had another idea. Instead of replacing my Image S4i headphones with another pair, I decided to upgrade to the Klipsch Image X10i, the S4i's big brother only, some how, much MUCH smaller.

These being the world's smallest headphones, they're also amongst the most comfortable. They are, in fact, the most comfortable in-ear headphones I have ever owned, beating out even the Klipsch S4i. The five, unique ear tips include three single flange, small, medium and large tips and medium and large double flange tips. The S4i includes the same tips but not the larger double flange ear tips.

The ear tips have an unique oval shape for both easy insertion, comfort and exceptional noise isolation. I use the medium, double flange ear tips and by the third track I've forgotten they are even in. They are just that comfortable.

Pretty enough to propose

You can tell these are luxury headphones, if not by the price or performance, by the exquisite packaging. While the display box may be a bit superfluous, after $350. Possibly the greatest bit of luxury in the accessories arena is the carrying pouch. Calling it a pouch is like calling a Mercedes a car. It's much more than the fabric pouch provided with the S4i, this is a hard, faux-leather wrapped rectilinear box with magnetic locking flap. I'll have to take a picture of it.... It's large enough to carry the headphones, the ear tips, the airline adapter, the 1/4 to 1/8 headphone adapter and the cleaning tool, yet small enough to fit in your pocket.

After you open the retail box and the display box, you'll finally get a look at the headphones themselves. Did you ever see a more beautiful set of in-ear headphones?

Enough on how comfortable and beautiful they are, how well do they perform?

One thing that constantly goes through my mind as I listen to these headphones is the feeling I get while wearing them. I like to think of a concert experience.

Most headphones, especially those that come with your MP3 player lack bass, definition and simply strip nearly any semblance of fidelity from the audio experience. They are the equivalent of standing outside the concert, listening in through the loading dock. No sound stage, no thumping bass, nothing to write home about.

Then there are the slightly higher-end headphones, $20-50 like the Sennheiser MX and CX series or Sony's Sport series. These provide the experience of sitting in the balcony. You get to see and hear the band, but this far back the bass is more or less lost and soundstage weak. You might be able to tell one instrument from another but close your eyes and you'll find yourself amiss a flood of cacophonous loud.

The next step up is a big one. You've now spent $50-150 (or $35 for the Koss PortaPro) and are really enjoying yourself. Lower level access, great sound stage, separation and transparency all at once. You're marveling at the bassists ability to blast through thumping beats, nuances of the percussionist's light rapping on the ride cymbals and the piercing vocals of the lead. It's an experience to behold. The Koss PortaPro, Klipsch S4i and UltimateEars Super.fi 5 Pro provide this experience.

And then there's the Klipsch Image X10i headphones. This is front row at a Muse concert, Undisclosed Desires begins, the bass pounds your chest, the massive speakers to never fatigue no matter what volume, no matter what frequency. Soundstage? You're nearly only the stage. You can't help but tap your feet, raise your voice to sing along. You close your eyes and you've become part of the music. It's an ineffable experience.

The only experience I've had better than listening to the Klipsch Image X10i with their supreme comfort, best in class sound isolation (especially with the Comply memory foam ear tips) is when I put on my Sennheiser HD600s powered by my dual-monobloc hybrid amp or sitting in front of my Klipsch Heresys with Klipsch RSW-10. To out do the Klipsch Image X10i at home you will have to use something like the Sennheiser HD600s with an amplifier, or to build a really fabulous Klipsch speaker package. There you will get even better sound stage and transparency, you'll get to feel the bass in your chest and share the experience with a group of people. However, you cannot do this and walk down the street, block out the guy next to you on the subway. Escape a twenty-four hour flight to visit your parents back in Saudi Arabia.

The Klipsch Image X10i is your portable hifi system. How a single-driver headphone that is more narrow than a pencil, shorter than a quarter and the weight of two nickels I don't know. Personally I think one of the engineers at Klipsch made a deal at the crossroads...

You'll read reviews about these headphones all over the net. Some say the bass is weak, the sound is balanced, the bass is too strong, the treble is fatiguing, the treble is under-expresses... If you want to trust someone who's owned dozens of headphones, knows how important a proper seal and placement of a headphone is, that amplification is more than watts or mW, here I am.

These headphones have better bass than the Klipsch S4i. Yes, it s more balanced, it is not as exaggerated as the stuff coming out of Monster. There doesn't seem to be an end to the bass. These will go louder than you can handle and do it with such grace. Anything beyond 50% power on my iPhone is LOUD. 75% and you're just being silly.

The efficiency of these headphones allows you to play with at low volumes without sacrificing the full spectrum of sound. You don't have to be at 75% volume to get bass as you do with many other headphones. The treble might be a bit reserved for a Klipsch product but is by no means muffled. The vocals of Vittorio Grigolo and Anthony Hamilton are rich, thick and effervescent. Mary J Blige's Be Without You performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards is rich with emotion, luscious bass and soaring vocals that the Klipsch X10i recreate with every intention of the night it was originally performed.

It seems like I can't find fault in these headphones. Part of the experience, glory and wonder come from the amazement that something this small and this comfortable can sound so good. It's like a spinal tap into your musical collection.

The microphone and controls are spot on, exactly the same as the Klipsch S4i. No complaints whatsoever on it's implementation or functionality. Love that the controller also works on my MacBook Pro and iMac.

I might say slightly warmer female vocals and brighter highs would be nice, an L-shaped headphone jack instead of the straight jack just waiting to be bent if you put your iPhone or MP3 player in your jeans pocket.

You have to admit, $350 for a pair of portable headphones for your iPhone is quite a chunk of money. They cost more than the phone itself! That being said, these headphones aren't for everyone. For those who want a nearly identical experience at the sacrifice of a tiny bit of fidelity and comfort, the next best thing are the Klipsch S4i headphones. For around 1/3 the price you'll get a really incredible experience that seems to only get better with time.

Physical -
Comfort: 10/10
Build: 9/10
Remote: 9/10
Mic: 10/10
Overall 9.5

Sound -
Bass: 9/10
Mids: 9/10
Treble: 8/10
Soundstage: 9/10
Overall: 8.75/10

Blind A/B testing with the Klipsch S4i or Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 would be difficult. You get to a point with headphones that they get so good you can't be realistic in your expectations. Any differences between these headphones might be lost on all but the most discerning listener. Read more ›

68 of 78 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Great Sound - Poor Build Quality August 16, 2012

By RBauer2

Color Name:Without microphone|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought these after reading the many glowing reviews from audiophiles online. Despite their relatively high price, I was impressed enough by the fit and sound to feel great about my purchase. However, just over 30 days from my purchase, the left side stopped working. It is clearly an issue with one of the wires making intermittent contact somewhere near the male plug. I contacted Klipsch and forwarded their service department a copy of my online receipt only to be informed that Amazon & their stores are not authorized distributors of Klipsch products. As a result, Klipsch would not honor their warranty. I naturally contacted Amazon who informed me that after 30 days, they wash their hands of all transactions. So I am out a lot of money and have nothing to show for it. Headphones that retail for $300+ shouldn't have build quality issues, and when they do, you would expect either the OEM and / or the distributor to support their patrons. No compromise or even an offer to attempt a repair. I am somewhat shocked. Neither Klipsch nor Amazon even cracked the door open for a resolution. No ability to speak to a manager or escalate my issue. I badly want to replace them, but out of principle just can not bring myself to do it.

82 of 95 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Comfortable Earbuds Ever! November 26, 2007

By A. Hennessey

Color Name:Without microphone

This are, without question, the MOST comfortable in-ear headphones I have ever worn. The difference between the fit of these compared to other high-end earbuds is amazing! I have a pair of SE530s and have tried others such as the ER4-P, Triple.fi, and many others. I use to love switching back and forth between models and having them for different uses, but now after wearing the IMAGEs, I find myself disappointed when I am without them.

When I first used these, I thought they sounded a little muddy. The bass from the tiny things is unbelievable! Once I adjusted my EQ settings, they sounded fantastic. I would say that they aren't as accurate as the ER4-Ps or SE530s, but the comfort makes up for any accuracy they may be lacking!

The IMAGEs are very light weight and are hardly noticeable when you have them inserted properly. I prefer the two flanged tip over the single. I can get a proper seal every time, and they are very easy to take out and put back in. Nothing is more annoying than when you get that perfect seal and then some joker walks up and starts talking to you. I hate that when I am wearing my SE530s because they are such a pain to put in. Not a problem with these.

True, the retail on these is a little steep, but I promise you will not regret it! 5 stars for comfort, style, and sound quality.

109 of 130 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Bit Pricey, But Definately Worth It For the Sound and iPod Controls May 7, 2010

By Hectic

Color Name:With microphone

I've probably been using portable music players for at least 20 years now. First it was cassette players, then CD players and now MP3 (or other music/video file type) players. Progressively as I upgraded from one type of player to the next, I wanted an even better (i.e., not cheap) kind of player(s) which would give me more features and of course, better sound. It wasn't until more recently that I discovered it wasn't so much the player, as the headphones that made the big difference in sound. (Duh!) I don't know why I didn't bother to get better headphones until recently, but I guess it was because I didn't understand that the type of sound I was hearing wasn't nearly as good as what the source material was capable of giving me. (Especially for CD's) So I finally decided to stop using el cheapo's and plunk down some coin for a decent pair of headphones.

The first pair I bought was a few years ago and were the Bose In-Ear earbuds. The player I was using at the time was the Apple Ipod 5G video. Compared to the Skullcandy earbuds I was using before, they sounded like THE BEST sounding earbuds I had ever heard. (That I had heard, not that existed). I quickly became disillusioned with these, especially when wearing them as I worked out at the gym and they would constantly fall out of my ears as I worked out. Surprisingly, this would also happen when I wasn't working out, although far less frequently. I tried all the different size ear tips, but made no difference. I knew there were far better (more expensive) buds out there to try, so after doing some research and comparing, I next went with the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 pro earbuds. These had a bendable wire built-in to allow wrapping around the ears and fits deeper into the ears, which they did.... Also, the sound was MUCH better! In fact, while waiting to get the X10i's, I sold my Super.Fi 5's and reverted back to the Bose to see how they measured up and after listening to them again, I can't believe I ever thought the Bose sounded good! The bass they give is so overpowering and muddy that it drowns out some of the mids and highs, making for a poor listening experience when compared to the Super.Fi 5's.

A little over a month ago, I finally upgraded from using some of the Ipod Nanos to the 64GB Touch (3rd Gen). This model has an in-line/voice control feature which I wanted to use immensely, but I didn't want to use the craptacular earbuds that came with the Touch. After doing a little research, I found that the Klipsch were the only game in town that had some in-line controls/microphone earbuds that work (mostly) with these features. I know there is the cheaper S4i model, but after reading some of the reviews, I was afraid that they would be a lot like the Bose I had (i.e. strong bass drowning out the mids and highs), so I decided to go all out and go for the brass ring and get the X10i's.

I was definitely weary about paying the $350 price tag these things have, what with buying them online (harder for exchange/refunds) and not knowing how well they work. For the price though, they had to be good! And luckily, the gamble paid off. The X10i's sound every bit as good, if not better than, my old UE Super.Fi 5's! The earbuds are definitely smaller as well and fit much more comfortably in the ears due to the oval shape of the ear tips. This makes quite a lot of sense, considering how oval-like the human ear canal is shaped. It is surprising how much research Klipsch (and others like them) put into making their earbuds; the micro technology, form, design, etc. The medium size tips are what 60% of users find the most comfortable, so those are the ones that are already attached to the buds. I guess I'm one of the 60% because I just left them on when I tried the X10i's out for the first time and they fit comfortably and securely. I bought these for 2 main reasons: 1. The awesome sound. 2. The in-line/microphone controls. So I will review these 2 aspects of the earbuds.

1. The sound: Again, this is a major pro! Unfortunately I had already sold my Super.Fi 5's before I got the X10i's, so I couldn't do a sound check and compare the two. I can note that when using the Super.Fi 5's VS the X10i's with my iTouch I had to turn the volume back up a bit when using the X10i's to get the same volume level. I don't know exactly what this suggests; maybe that the X10i's need a little more power (volume) than the Super.Fi 5's did? Nonetheless, I get all the sound flavors. The sound is very clean, vibrant and reproduces the source as well as it can be done. Knowing how well these reproduce sound, I went ahead and re-ripped my music library from the AAC (.m4a) file format @ 150Kbps VBR to the same format @ 300Kbps VBR. This is about as high as I can go in the AAC format before it becomes too high a bit rate for the iTouch. I'm also not ready to go lossless just yet, but someday. (When there's more memory for PMP's like the iPod.) Anyway, I'm hearing some sounds in my music that I never have heard before. Some just small, background sounds; others have become more distinct and vibrant. I don't know if this is because of the earbuds, the fact that I doubled the bit rate of my music or a combination of both. (Probably both.) The highs and mids are where these really shine. I listen mostly to Alternate rock, industrial, electronica, techno, etc., so nothing too bass intensive like R&B. Don't get me wrong, you still do get some tight, relatively strong bass, but I've heard headphones with more. This may be the way they were designed, so the bass won't be too strong and over power the rest of the music spectrum. Still, I think the lows could be a bit stronger, so I'd have to list this as a small con.

2. The in-line/voice control: This is actually the main reason I decided to get the X10i's. There's a lot of things I like about the iTouch, but its auto-lock feature is not one of them. Having controls that allow me to have some basic functionality without having to unlock the iTouch every time I want to pause/play, go to the next track or listen to a different album is VERY handy. Unfortunately, not all of the controls work properly or at least not all the time. I'll give a bullet point of each control and how well it works (or not) with my iPod Touch 3rd Gen.
- Volume +/-: These controls work flawlessly every time. They will turn the volume up or down in about 10% increments across the volume bar.
- Pause/Play (middle button press 1x): This works every time as well. Press it once to pause, press it once again to continue play.
- Next Track (middle button press 2x): This only works about half the time. I don't know why, but it's not fully compatible with the iTouch for some reason. The specs for the X10i's give a compatibility list and it has the 2nd Gen iTouch listed, but not the 3rd, so maybe the 2nd Gen is more compatible? Other reviewers have stated that this feature doesn't work all the time for them either with different model ipods/iphones. I have noticed that when I do double tap to go to the next track and it doesn't work, the song will skip for ˝ a second like it's trying to go to the next track, but can't. Sometimes I can get it to skip to the next track by trying multiple times, but it doesn't work every time.
- Previous Track (middle button press 3x): Same problem as the next track incompatibility.
- Voice Control (middle button press, hold down 2-3 seconds): So far, I have had little to no trouble having this work, thankfully. I've only used it about half a dozen times or so, but I've tried playing a few of my playlists by saying, "Play playlist Powerman 5000" or albums by saying, "Play album Thirty Seconds to Mars" and every time it played the exact album or playlist I asked for. I did once ask it to play a playlist and it misinterpreted what I said and started playing songs by a certain artist instead, but all I had to do is restate my request more clearly and it played the proper playlist. SO MAKE SURE YOU SPEAK CLEARLY WHEN USING THIS FEATURE! There are many other voice commands besides the ones I mentioned, but haven't tried them all yet. Also, you don't have to say the full name of whatever it is you are requesting, as long as it's close enough. For example, when I said to play my Powerman 5000 playlist, the full name of the playlist is actually Powerman 5000 Mix, but I left out the "mix" part.

One last thing I have to say about these. Some reviews (both amateur and professional) have said that these are mainly for serious audiophiles that mainly listen to lossless music because these buds will uncover any flaws in lesser quality music. That's somewhat true, but with a little BS sprinkled on top. These are for anyone who really cares about getting the best sound out of their music (whatever the source may be), want ipod/iphone in-line controls and can afford them. The truth is these earbuds will only let you hear flaws in your music if they actually exist. Let's say you have your music ripped at a standard .mp3 @ 192Kbps. You listen to a song with your old, cheap earbuds and then listen to that same song using the X10i's; it's not going to make that song sound like crap. It will make it sound better than the cheap buds you were using, but only as good as that file format/bit rate will allow. The X10i's may make your music sound inferior to higher quality versions in comparison, but that's only if you ACTUALLY compare them. If, for instance, you're use to listening to your music as audio files and not straight from the CD's you ripped them from, then you're not going to be aware of any possible deficiencies in your music. Audiophiles may say that music at anything less than lossless quality IS a flaw, but that's a matter of opinion. Read more ›