Customer Reviews

Klipsch Image X5 Noise-Isolating Earphones

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A good portion of my wallet goes to audio products, specifically earphones and ancillary equipment. I previously owned the Klipsch Image S4 series, but found the bass too muddy and looked for IEMs with more sonic accuracy.

So I went up several price brackets and tried these: Shure SE530, Etymotic ER4s, Klipsch Image X10, Klipxh Image X5, Phonack PFEs. Needless to say, I feel in love witht he Image X5s.


The overall sound signature is not cold and lifeless like the Etymotics. Most of you can get a decent fit with the stock tips included with the X5s, the oval shape really fit my ears nicely, and the nice bass will add just the right amount of warmth as intended by your music, drums strikes are individually discernible, the kick drum magnificently reminds you its there. Bass isn't just the obligatory "boom" anymore, now it's what the artist and mastering technician intended. Mids are perfect, you can hear the rasp and breath in a voice. There is no distortion in the highs, little details surround you, sibilance is not a problem. High notes on the Violin are crisp, both the leading and trailing edges of the notes flow smoothly.

Many users say the X10 has more bass, I have found the X10 seems to have more quantity because it seems to go a little bit deeper into your ear due to it's smaller size. However, the X5s have ample bass that gives the music full-bodied life. There is no shortage, and the treble extension and overall accuracy of the X5s is actually better than the X10s. I know $250 seems steep for a Single Balanced-Armature earphone, when others claim to have two or three Armatures to bring more range. Remember a well-made single Balanced Armature is good enough. Compare to the Shure, and every other brand, Klipsch Image IEMs are the most comfortable for universal IEMs. The X5s are very small, they can easily be worn for hours on end.

I got these for $99 new at Ultimate Electronics, but they sold out. These occasionally go on sale in the mid $100 range, keep an eye out. Definitely worth the money.

My full review of the X5 and a couple of other headphones is up on my audio blog @ [...]

Although I was once a professional bass player in a previous life, I'm going to try to tell you in plain English why these are great earphones. The bass is excellent. It is clear and defined, not muddy or boomy. The quality is such that you can tell if the bass is in tune. Indeed, you can discern the quality of the instrument. The midrange is good. Male voices are clear with no unwanted low overtones. Female voices are crystal clear. The highs have a sparkle without being harsh or raspy. What this means in real life is that you can hear each individual instrument, even when that instrument is in the background. For those of you who saved all those high bitrate mp3's, you can now hear the reason you did that. These earphones compare very favorably with my high end Sennheiser headphones. If you buy the Image X5 earphones, you will not regret it. You know you want them ....

The sound quality is orgasmic, especially when paired with a decent DAP, and the comfort is second to none. I bought and paired the X5s with a Sony Walkman and was giddy with excitement; I could hear details I never had heard before, the bass was thumping, and the isolation was very effective (I nearly got run over by a bus the first day I wore them because I couldn't hear it!) When I read the reviews on CNET, and other places, that expressed concern over the durability of the wires, I dismissed them because they seemed to be engaging in speculation.

However, about 5 months after purchase, problems began to occur. The right ear-bud would hiss, crackle, or go out completely. Granted, I was performing extreme physical activity at the time, things like walking, turning my head, or standing completely still, but those were the scenarios in which I hoped to listen to my music.

Then, 7 months after purchase, the entire right ear-bud goes 95% dead. What little I can hear sounds like a blown out subwoofer. It's cringe inducing noise. I had minor complaints up to this point (the outside of the wires seem to conduct electricity as well as the inside and your ear gets a steady pulse of static electric shocks in dry winter weather, etc), but nothing I wouldn't put up with so long as I was getting the sound quality. After the right ear-bud went comatose, these were obviously not worth it anymore.

I won't go into detail about my exchange / warranty problems as I think mine are fairly unique (I bought them in a foreign country and Klipsch outsources warranty problems to the local distributor) and they in no way impact the durability of the design, which is my main point. Just be sure to save your original receipt if/when your headphones begin to degrade or flat out malfunction.

So in the end, I cannot recommend these to anyone seeking a long-term investment. They were amazing while they lasted, but something about the wires or the connection of the wire to the headphone appears to be lacking. Google search "Klipsch Image strain relief" to get a sense of this.

This was my first "higher end" IEMs, so I am limited in comparing them to others. However, I can with confidence say that this purchase was worth my money. The X5s look great and fit my ears comfortably (and stay in place). As for the sound, I have been running them on higher bitrate MP3s on my laptop, and they sound great. Clear mid/lower ranges with super rich overall impression of sound. The base, as some people have commented, is not overstated, instead a "tight/crisp" thump, which I like.

Packaging is high quality and the carrying case is top notch. I can highly recommend the X5s!

Tried out the S4 headphones first, but they were bulky in my ear and came off when I walked. I did a lot of research on the X5's and the only concern I had was the amount of money. I decided to buy them at B&H and boy do I NOT regret it. These are by far the best headphones, earbuds or over-the-ear, I have ever tried out. They are indeed noise-isolating to the point where you really can zone out and truly enjoy the music. Phenomenal and worth the money. I will point out that B&H had them on sale when I purchased them ($145) and their customer service is great, too.

Firstly--if you have never experienced a set of high-quality earphones, please do so before you die. Seriously. It's like a religious experience...if you're not religious, then like a religious experience is hyped to be. You hear things you never heard, understand lyrics that were forever beyond you, and...oh I give up really, I just can't describe it. But it's an experience repeated by everyone who I let try any of my high-quality earphones. They just can't believe it. Having owned high quality earphones of various types for some 10 years now, I can say, the thrill never wears off.

But here's a bummer...if they're not comfortable, then it starts to mess with the experience. No matter how good the sound--fit matters. Otherwise, it's like having the most wonderful lover with unpleasant body odor...you can only enjoy for so long before a nagging discomfort starts to put you off.

I've tried the Etymotic ER-4Ps, the Monster Turbo Golds, and these Klipsch Image X5s. Okay--I'm editing what I originally wrote about the X-5s and the Etymotics being only slightly distinguishable. I tried them side-by-side, and the X-5s are clearly better than the Etymotics--sharper, and with a base that moves you to the core. The Klipsch Image X5s are clearly the comfort leader. I say that not only for myself but for my wife, who has tiny ears and who never much appreciated high-end earphones until I got these for her. I returned the Monster Golds. In spite of their gajillion different types of ear tips, I just couldn't get them to fit like the Etymotics or the Klipsch X5s.

Please. Be selfish. Before you die, get a good pair of ear phones. If you can't bring yourself to be selfish, then consider this: hearing music as you never have before might make you a kinder, happier, more insightful and appreciative person, which is good not only for you but for everyone else!

I went for these headphones because they had what the Etymotic ER6i headphones were missing, BASS. They have a full sound stage. The highs sound crystal clear and the lows are punchy too. I like to hear the rumble of the bass guitar and the kick drum. I used them right out of the box, with the tips that were already installed. If you shop around, you can find them for a lot less. Probably because the S4 is coming out. The only downfall I can think of is, while walking, the cord will get pulled down and slightly pull them out of your ears, which will slightly decrease the amount of bass. But, I walk 4.5 miles at a time and have the cord underneath my shirt to decrease cord noise.

I'm a true audiophile and gadget junkie. I travel all the time with my job and depend on earphones 100% of the time for my listening experience. I first tried in-ear headphones back in 2003 because I wanted something that could easily go from my pocket to ears, but still sound decent. I went with the Etymotic SR4's. They sounded good to me, but they got uncomfortable after a few hours in my ears. They were also very compact, which meant they were difficult to hold and maneuver into/out of my ears. I tried different tips, etc. but finally gave up on in-ear and went to the tried and true Bose QC2's for great sound reproduction. I am picky about sound "depth" and the QC2 was the only thing that fit the bill and was comfortable. However, I could only use them once seated on the plane. I was stuck with crappy earphones for general listening while walking around the airport.
Until NOW! I bought these X5 earphones and all I can say is WOW!!! First advice .... don't judge them right out of the box. Try them with every one of the supplied gel tips first before you decide on their sound quality. I found the that the larger single fold tips fit perfectly, and create an amazingly comfortable seal. This is CRITICAL to get the full range of the speakers. After getting the right fit, the sound range and depth from these little gems are AMAZING!!! Plus, they have a longer grip so maneuvering them into place is easy as well.
I got these from Amazon for $149 via a lightning deal. I bought them on price and reviews, but would now give $200 easily as I now know how amazing they really are. I love them so much because I can wear them while walking, working out, and on the plane. I no longer need my Bose QC2 headphones because these do it all for me. I've found I can wear them for hours and not even notice they are in my ear. This is a first for me. Thanks Klipsch!!

I am quite a fan of earphones...Always in search of the best one money can buy without ruining myself.
I have the shure E310, E530 and although the sound quality is amazing, they unfortunately did not resist to the hard use I put them through with my usual workouts.
As for the Klipsch, they have resisted so far. One drawback is that with the sweat permeating everything, they do not stay put in my ears all the time and I have to readjust them regularly, which bothers me.
Soundwise, excellent sound when correctly set, otherwise the bass disappears. The sound isolation is quite good too but overall I would still place them below the shure in sound quality.

After owning the XtremeMac FS1's ( http://bit.ly/atIUhe ) for about 2 years, the sound and build quality had degraded, so I entered the market looking for an upgrade of a quality set of earphones. I received the X5's about 6 months ago (got them for about $170 after tax) and was immediately impressed by the clarity and depth of the sound. Keep in mind, they sound best at medium-high to high volume. There was a significant burn-in time required until the bass started to come out (a couple weeks of use and playing through the night several times). Now I'll say I'm satisfied with the bass. I listen to a lot of hip-hop, so that is important; it's not going to overpower you like clamshells or even the FS1's, but it is responsive, clear, and definitely present.

These are my complaints:
1. The plastic cover that was attached with an adhesive at the point where the cord connects to the headphone jack has come completely loose. I can probably fix it with glue, but this is disappointing.
2. They are very light and comfortable in-ear, but you may have problems with the speaker enclosure resting on the edge of your outer ear, which does start to get tender after a while. I can alleviate this partially by rotating the speakers upside down... but it doesn't help completely.
3. There was no shirt clip included with the set, would have been nice as I use these in the gym.
4. The wires get very brittle in cold weather and you can hear them moving around and hitting each other.
5. The warranty support is a bit disappointing. I have all original packaging with serial number, but they will not replace or repair the set without the original receipt.

Overall, these are a great set of earphones. If you can find them for $100 - $125, go for it. $150+ pushes it a bit.