Customer Reviews

Klipsch Image X10 Noise-Isolating Earphone

5 star:		(102)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

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.

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 ½ 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.

I primarily use earphones with my iPod, particularly when traveling by air, which I do a lot. The Klipsch Images replaced an older set of Shure E3c in-ear phones that I had been using for about three years. The Klipsch phones are very light, and I found that their earpieces fit me better and were more comfortable to wear than the Shures. They sealed out noise very well. Most importantly, however, the sound of the Klipsch phones is superb, and noticeably better than the Shure phones, any iPod earbuds and even my full-size Grado SR125s. Bass response is astonishingly good. These are expensive, but if you want something small, light and of very high quality, these phones are a great choice.

Here's the review I did in May 2008:

"5 Stars

"After trying Shure, Koss, Sony, these are the best

"They are light. They fit my ear (no other in-the-ear model fits my ear). They don't fall out. They do a good job in blocking external sounds. They are compact. For the size, sound quality is excellent. While active sound blocking systems (such as Bose) will do a better job blocking sound, the trade-off in bulk is just not worth it. These are expensive, but they cost less than all the money I spent on other models that fell short of the mark."

Here's what I am saying now:

After a few months of use, the rubber from the cord to the earphone split on both earphones. I wrote Klipsch and they told me to return to dealer. Hoping that this was a one-time event, I went through the hassle of returning. SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. This is too costly to keep doing this, so I recommend STAY AWAY. Good sound not worth the falling apart.

I would have expected that Klipsch would have asked me to look at the problem so they could fix it (wouldn't you if you were interested in quality control?). But, no, just asked to return to dealer.

EDIT: I've gotten a few comments mentioning this review isn't for various other headphones. Amazon has lumped all the Klipsch headphone comments into a single area for some reason, so you'll find reviews for Custom 1, 2, 3, X5, X10, etc all mashed in together. My review here is for the Klipsch X10 (named "Image" when I got them).

This review runs a little long, because it was originally written for a forum [...] where I wrote this in a progressive "here's how my thoughts have evolved" format, and copy / pasted here. It largely reads as a blog/diary of my chronological usage and ends up reading rather long. Short answer is hearty thumbs-up. 5 stars.

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I just got my Klipsch Image IEMs in the mail last night. I've been tremendously excited about getting them, lusting through the weeks after any scrap of information I could get on them until that frightening moment I clicked the "Buy" button. So, I'm not pretending to review these objectively yet, I'm still in the "they're here! they're here!" phase, but I thought it would be interesting to document my observations as they evolve, as they have done in the hours that I've spent with the Images so far.

Current overall impression (with over a month of use): 9.5 out of 10 stars

Some background:
About a year and a half ago, I had a brief encounter with a pair of Shure E4c IEMs. Bought them used off craigslist, sold them the same way. I didn't like how they felt. Didn't like the sound. Not enough bass. Excellent for Vivaldi, not so much for M.I.A. But mostly, I couldn't stand to wear them for more than half an hour at a time, and then I had to spend a couple minutes each time trying to get them in properly. Not a convenient IEM, not the sound I wanted.

Since then I've had a pair of Grado SR60s and Sennheiser HD595s, and picked up a maxxed-out AlienDAC and MisterX XP-based amp, been generally happy with everything, but with the head-fi itch, I wanted more. There wasn't enough bass. The headband presses against my head and over the span of 8 hours gives me a headache and flattens my hair. They slide off my head if I look up, down, stretch, etc. I wanted to try IEMs again, and the timing was such that Klipsch was building a buzz about the Images so I spent a good deal of time investigating them. Dramatic bass? Surprising comfort? Good reviews.....hmmm....

Enough history, Impression #1 "Opening the box":
Well, yes, lots of packaging, lots of small bits of tape, obstacles obstacles. Done! In my ears with the default tips, and the sound? It's... alright. Highs are clear and well rendered, mids too, but rolling off quickly as mids turn to low and not much low to speak of. I quickly go through all the tips and meet with the best results on the large double flange tips, but I'm still not especially excited. Certainly not as much as I wanted to be. So for sound, I'd give them a 4 out of 10. Comfort? They are uncomfortable. Not as bad as I remember the E4c's being, but I don't understand how anyone can forget they are there. Perhaps it takes time getting used to. Let you know how it goes. Comfort: 5 out of 10. Wire is much shorter than I'm used to from the Grados and Senns, but I suppose they are geared toward more mobile uses where a long cord would just get in the way. It's long enough, just shorter than I was expecting.
Overall first impression: 4.5 out of 10

Impression #2, "The next day":
I've worn them on and off throughout the workday today, played with tips some more, and discovered that I need to shove them much farther into my ear than I'd thought. The sound is substantially better. There's not much of a sense of soundstage, I don't get the impression of "the lead guitar over in that corner, the drums are over here", but the sound quality itself is good. Sounds are crisp, subtle background noises in the music come through well, and the bass has finally come to the party. It's still not the "it sounds like I should be feeling it in my chest too" that I've read from others, but it's dramatically better than it was. Doing A/B with my 595s, the Image's bass is much better. The only thing I haven't liked about the sound in my 595s has been the relative lack of bass. So I'm pleased the Images pick up that slack.
Sound: 8 / 10

Comfort-wise, they are still not comfortable. I really have to shove them as far into my ear as I can to get a proper seal, and the outward pressure inside my ear is still a new and generally unpleasant experience. But there's a lot to be said for them being IEMs, and not pressing the temples of my glasses into my ears and head like regular headphones do.
Comfort: 6 /10

So overall second impression: 7.5 /10 (weighted average)

Impression #3, about a week later
I've been using the Images for a about a week now. I'd been using them at my desk at work, hooked to my computer, and I decided to try them out on the bus ride home last night. I'd tried the various other tips from time to time, and had left on the medium sized buds, that come on them in the package. And I got a seal! Repeatedly! I guess I hadn't understood what soozieq meant by twisting them "towards you", but it worked! Basically, pretend there's a pole sticking through one ear and out the other... that's your axis of rotation. Try putting the headphones in, and rotating them clockwise or counterclockwise around that axis. Not very far, a quarter turn or less. I've had no luck doing the "pull out slightly" method, but the twisting method works well for me.

So I have a seal with the regular buds. In the past few days, I've found the good bass, although strangely, I can really only get it by NOT using my DAC and amp, but rather by plugging straight into the audio out on the front of my computer. So I'm having to choose between good bass, and clean sound. But plugging the Images into my A2 when I was on the bus, the sound is wonderful. I wish I could use my A2 at work, but I'm an computer animator and I need to hear the sound clips on the computer as I scrub back and forth across my animation. If I can't figure out how to get good bass out of my DAC and amp, they may find themselves on the for sale forum, along with my 595s.

I still get better sound from my earlier method of ramming the double flanges deep into my ear, but I really think I am very close to poking my eardrum and it's not all that comfortable anyway. I'm looking forward to playing around more with the regular buds. I've already sent in the request for the 2 free ear gels as being the large double flanges... who knows, maybe I'll still stick with those for superior SQ.

So I've found the good bass, managed to get a good seal from the regular buds, what's my thoughts now?

Sound: 9/10 (probably should be higher, but my setup is limiting me)
Comfort: 7/10 (getting better... my ears are still not used to having these in them, but I can see how the regular gels will be more comfortable)

Overall third impression: 8.5/10

I'm much happier with them now than I've been since getting them, and considering how much they cost, I feel like I need to be pretty happy with them to justify keeping them. I know audio gets a lot more expensive than a pair of $350 headphones, but not for me. I can't imagine there being more than one more follow-up impression to this review, as I become more (or less?) comfortable wearing these.

And I intend to post a review comparing these in more detail to my 595s, KSC75s, and the Grado SR60s that I sold to the guy that sits next to me at work, DAC'd, amp'd, and not.


Final impression, a month and a bit later
Unless there is interest in my doing a thorough listen thru my setup, I'd prefer to sum up with saying that I wish I could wear these all the time. Listening to the Images for a while and then going the 595s makes me feel like I'm missing out on something with the 595s. The 595s have a much more recessed sound, possibly due to the differences between IEMs vs headphones, and not an issue particularly with the 595s. My setup is not extensive enough to test this, but the verdict remains. The music sounds how I want it to with the Images.

I can't give them a 10/10, though because of a couple usability issues. One: I can't wear them for more than a couple hours at a time. Just the feeling of them in my ears, the pressure of having "something" in my ear canal will give me a headache if I wear them longer in a single stretch. Two: microphonics. As long as I'm sitting forward so the cord doesn't touch anything, things are great, but if I lean back and the cord drapes across my shirt, the crunching grinding muttering of the cord transmits right across everything any time I move at all, and I move a lot. I'm a fidgeter, bouncing a leg, bouncing to the music, looking around, or just moving my head a bit to look at various parts of the screen.

However, despite those two annoyances, which I expect are common to IEMs, and not particularly the fault of the Images, IEMs DO have killer qualities of staying in your ears when you stretch, and not placing pressure anywhere else on your head (ears, scalp), which, come to think about it limits my headphone listening time to a couple hours at a go, too... but do yourself a favor if you've never tried IEMs... don't try eating with them in. It's not pleasant.

So my final score for these (assuming they remain reasonably durable in the coming years): 9.5/10

I wish I could wear them all the time, and I hope the more I wear them the longer I'll be able to. The sound is involving. I find myself enjoying what I'm listening to more often (well, assuming it's FLAC nowadays... it'll be ok hard drive, shhh shhhh, it'll be ok). And I can listen to whatever retarded song I feel like as loud as I want without worrying about the guy next to me raising an eyebrow when "Billy Jean" comes on.

You can drive these easily from whatever sound source you have, but you will appreciate the difference as you upgrade your source.

I'm not sure who this review has been aimed at. Me, I guess. People who have headphones and are looking at IEMs for the first time? Hope it was useful.
__________________
Setup:
- maxxed out AlienDAC and MisterX XP amp
- Klipsch Image, Senn HD595, Koss KSC75
- Cowon A2

previously:
- Grado SR60

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.

Consider this review a kind of public service :). I feel it's almost a sin not to write this after buying several headphones and finally discovering this holy grail of quality sound/price/practicality/comfort combination.

It helps to set some background for the story; here is a list of headphones in the same price range that I've bought in the past: Shure SE530 PTH, Audio Technica ATH-ESW9, Bose in-ear headphones, Bose around-ear headphones, Bose on-ear headphones, Bose Quiet Comfort 15, Denon ADH 1001K, Sleek Audio SA6, Jays q-jays and others.

Ok. The reason I bought so many headphone is because it was so hard to find an excellent sounding pair of headphones that is also comfortable. The SE530 sound excellent but are very fiddly. Removing and positioning them is a hassle. Denon ADH 1001 sounds excellent but the allow so much background noise in that they're useless in a noisy environment. I am a software consultant and sometimes have to work on site where the equipment and background noise just renders these useless. The q-Jays sound fine but they hurt my ears. While the noise-cancellation feature of the Bose Quiet Comfort is fantastic, the sound quality is just not "up there" and I couldn't stomach the idea of not being able to use the headphones when the battery died. Anyway, the point is that non of these other headphones measured up, until I came across the super amazing Klipsch X10i!

I have to say I was almost disappointed when I unpacked them and saw how flimsy the cables looked. I was hoping for something strong-looking like the Shure SE530's cable.
All my initial dissatisfaction about the cable was soon blown away as I plugged them in to my Nexus One, closed my eyes and listened. Wow! These are so comfortable I've (unhealthily) worn them 8 hours straight and still felt no pains. The sound is addicting and I have to sometimes hold myself together so I don't fall into a trance!

In practice, I found the wires are strong enough, especially because the headphones themselves are really tiny and light. The sound isolation is also so good that you won't miss any "noise-cancellation" feature. Plus you save yourself the pressure that often accompany the active noise cancellation headphones.

If you don't really hear much, go ahead and buy any pair of headphones, save yourself some $$ since you probably won't be able to tell the difference anyway. However, if you do *hear* and are moved by sound and its intricacies and your budget is around a few hundred dollars, go for the Klipsch X10i and you will be sending good-will my way soon :). Plug them in and go for a stroll in light wind and ahh...

Let me start off first with some background. I have a moderate 1k range Denon Home Theater Receiver with an Orb Audio speaker system in my theater room. This replaced a previous Pioneer/Klipsch home audio system I had for many years before.

I do not consider myself an audiophile. I have damage in my left ear from when I was in the US Army and probably only have about 40% hearing in that ear. Overall, I'm unable to tolerate loud music or noises, especially musical distortion, as it causes pain in both ears. As such, clarity in music is exceptionally important to me, because I have to listen to music at lower volumes.

This is my first set of "high end" buds/earphone set so I'm unable to offer comparison to anything other than the average low end buds/earphones. What I can say, with absolute certainty (now) is, there IS a difference.

I'm a computer programmer with a software business and spend what seems like 12-14 hours a day behind the screen. I have a very diverse music collection, ranging from Motown, to 70s/80s rock, Country, New Age, Classical and just about anything in between.

First Impression: I'm simply blown away by the Klipsch X10 buds. I had high expectations. After all, if I'm going to spend this kind of money, I want my money's worth and in this aspect, I believe I came out the clear winner!

My wife thought I was nuts for paying this much for a set of ear buds. You know that look, guys! Then I let her try them on. Her reaction? "Wow....wow! I want a set too!"

The Pros:

1) The buds fit perfectly, right out of the box. They came with an assortment of earphone cups, which I have no reason to explore. They insert, as if they were supposed to be there. Very, very comfortable.

2) They are much smaller than I anticipated. I had been using "every day" Sony headphones and sometimes used the stock buds that came with my iPhone, however, I never liked the ones that came with the iPhone.

3) The clarity. Other than fit, the clarity was the most important thing I was looking for, and the Klipsch X10s deliver impeccable clarity. I hear music like never before.

4) My first selections for music were: "Until the last moment," by Yanni. A truly amazing song, if you haven't heard it, check it out in Amazon's MP3 Downloads area. The piano was remarkably clear, with every note being picked up. The strings, that accompany this selection, "wave" in and out and can be heard with exceptional clarity.

The next song I selected, was Fanfare for the common man, by the US Navy (again, checkout the Amazon MP3 Downloads for this amazing rendition). The deep drums in this classic selection would be a true testament for these buds, and they delivered. Deep bass, again with exceptional clarity. The trumpets and french horn are nothing short of amazing in the full, rich clarity.

Up next was "We all die young" by Steelheart A classic rock ballad, by Michael Matijevic, who has the most incredible wide ranging vocals you may ever hear. The song was featured in the movie "Rock Star." The vocals were clear, crisp and easily discernible. The song is not heavy in bass, but rather mid-range drums, electric guitar and wow, just wow, the amazing vocals!

Finally, the last song I reviewed was "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. I listened to the Live PBS version. This was a tough song to listen to and review. Stevie's vocals are so soothing and clear in this selection, however what I really noticed was the intricate details in the picking of the guitar by Lindsey Buckingham. It was amazing to hear such detail in the electric acoustic guitar. It's as if you were there, in the concert.

The Cons:

If I were a selective audiophile, I could probably drum something up. As it is, I'm just the average Joe America who really likes music, appreciates clarity in a wide range of music and in this respect, I could not fault these if I tried. Fit and clarity at low volume levels were my most important criteria and in this respect, the X10s delivered beyond expectation.

If that description fits you, there's no question you will be pleasantly surprised with the Klipsch X10s.

Well, the sound quality is pretty good but I feel weird because it feels like I am sticking dicks in my ears. To make matters worse, it looks like there's a vein on one of them. People make fun of me for having them. It really makes me self-conscious about how much these earbuds really do resemble the male genitalia. Because I am ridiculed daily, 2 stars. The sound is good though!

edit: It's actually me, redditor for 2 hours because I forgot my other acct's email =p

I have purchased and used for the past year three high end earphones Klipsch Image,Klipsch Custom 3 and the Shure 500's. In my opinion the Custom 3's have the best sonic reproduction followed by the Image then the Shure's. The Custom 3's are very comfortable they can be worn for hours the sound is very warm and there is absolutley no distortion at high volume levels. The Image comes in at a close second they are a very comfortable earphone but the sound is not as warm and the bass is less prevalant than that of the Custom 3's. The Shure's are somewhat bulky and although the sound is of high quality it is a bit to bright to listen to for long periods of time.