Dreven

I bought my wife one as a surprise a week ago (16G). I'm was still on a 2 year old Razor. I debated for a few days, and went ahead and got myself one as well. I actually felt like barfing. $500 for a cell phone is a little hard to swallow - two in about a week was insane. Anyway, I love the little thing. (and of course right after activating it with AT&T, I jailbroke it to use community apps). Why am I talking about an iPhone here you may think to yourself... [*-)] Because I was worried about using my Klipsch Images on it. The headphone jack on the iPhones is really set deep in. I have no idea why they did it like this. There are actually "iphone headphone adaptors" being sold. Anyway, the Klipsch Image's go in just fine! It's a tight fight - I don't think the plug could have been any shorter. They sound great with the iphone of course. It seems to have a better sound than my 1st or 3rd gen Nano. I need to wait a couple of days but the iPhone does seem to have a bit more power and a little cleaner sound.

I hate to say this - Every time I finish listening to music I roll the Image cable around my Ipod pretty fast. Near the end I always give one harsh yank on the cable to pop the suckers out. I think I've had them for a month now? The tips stay on really well. I have 0% fear they're going to pop off.

Nice! I'm so (very) tempted. It's hard to justify another $300 when I already have the Images though (drat).

I can only comment on the Images. Pulling the wires over the tops of your ears isn't going to work at all. I get on a treadmill about 3-5 times per week. I always wear t-shirts with a breast pocket on one side. I put my ipod in the pocket and wind up the extra cable before starting. In my opinon - at anything over 20% volume, you can't hear any wire noise (even when running). Maybe it would be worse if I was using a belt clip and the wire was hanging all the way down. And, I haven't head any "loss of seal" problems while running. The Images seal perfectly with the slightest bit of effort, and the only thing that breaks the perfect seal for me is a direct tug on the wire.

I never thought about the sound quality of portableMP3 players before, but now owning some IE's that don't suck (Imagies) I want to get something decent. I currently own a 1st Gen and 3rd Gen Ipod Nano. I like the small size of the 1st Gen but can't stand the 3rd gen size. It's very wide and I could care less about watching movies or videos on a MP3 player. I really do like "small" in mp3 players. Through just reading, I'm having trouble getting a sense of exactly what has the best sound quality. I've seen good things written about: -Sandisk -Cowan -Zune (nano sized one). Sandisk is releasing a 4GB "Clip". It's already on Amazon.com but not in stock yet. I like the looks of the small size and just enough screen size to be able to change tracks without having a true screenless (shuffle like) player. http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/07/sandisk-releases-a-32gb-sansa-view-4gb-sansa-clip/ What's everyone using and has anyone compared sound quality (+bass output) between multiple players? Thanks...

I have a spare bedroom all to myself with a 32" LCD, 360 and PS3. I'm currently have (don't laugh) on this: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5280864 I want something better but a requirement that's hard to find in cheap 5.1 box systems is two optical inputs (or say 1 optical and 1 HDMI passthrough). I do like the design of the Pioneer system where the control unit is like a car stereo faceplate and everything else is built into the sub. I mean, if you're buying a 5.1 system for a console(s), you don't need a built in DVD player but you do need a remote. If there was a little $200-$400 Klipsch 5.1 "game" system (1 optical, 1 hdmi passthrough, or 2 opticals), I'd be buying it. It seems like I know a lot of people with PS3's or 360's in a spare bedroom that have the same problem. You don't need a very "big" system and it's not worth it to spend a lot of money. Too bad about the bluetooth remote with the PS3 - I'm still waiting for something like a Logitech Harmony remote that can also be used (bluetooth) for the PS3. Make me something Klipsch! (waves wad of cash around) hehe

Slightly. The black area will curve down against your ear and (with mine) there's a slight gap between it and my ear lobe. But if I press down the whole thing (and the tip) will tilt upward slightly and the black area will rest right ontop of the ear lobe (flush). The good part is this little bit of "tilt" won't break the seal - at least for me. Laying your head on a pillow you'll feel it's there but only slightly - it's not uncomfortable to me personally. To the outside world, all they see without a close inspection is a tiny cable comming out of your ear.

Owning the Images and having nothing as good or better to compare to - I have to say I find it diffcult to imagine what "less distortion" would actually sound like. (for example) besides myself, the two people I let listen to my Image's at work that listen to Bose In-Ear's all day were amazed at how clear they sounded. Considering the Bose are $100 IE's it's a difference that pretty much smacks you in the face and say's "howdy". Could the difference in sound quality actually outweigh the difference in comfort (3's vs Image's)? If I win the Lotto, I'm buying a set of everything.

You inspired me to pull out my camera again blsamuel! Maybe this will help with the understanding.... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "How small are the Klipsch Images?" "Do you know what it feels like when you put a Q-Tip in your ear?" "Yes.... ?" "You've answered your own question, thanks for playing!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ hehe... Disclaimer: If I see a Klipsch Image commercial or ad featuring a Q-Tip, I want a cut! (another pair of Images will do!) []

Prof Thump - As far as ideas go.. I really liked the one about a drop of glue or something on the armature of one side - so in the dark you know L from R (out of the box). My current state of mind (day 3 is it?): I have to say if I lost these tomorrow, I'd order another pair ASAP (seriously). As far as comfort goes - I don't think I could stand anything else now. And, comfort level of these is equaled by how easily they form a good seal. I'd love to also try the Custom 3's and the Shure SE530PTH's against the Images. I noticed in the last couple of days the SE530PTH's have dropped down from $599 to $459 on Amazon.com for some reason too. Those SE530PTH's seem to be regarded as the best sounding IE's for under $1000 (that aren't custom fits). I really want to know first hand by I doubt I'll order them. If they do sound a lot better than the Images I'd bet totally torn between sound quality and perfect comfort. And, I doubt the would have such an easy and perfect seal. The small size of the images seems to be what makes that perfect/quick seal possible. I'm going to start getting redundant. My main thoughts again: -Sound Quality (clarity) obviously much better than anything at or bellow $100 (Bose, Sennheiser MX-300, Sony) - that's all I have to compare to right now -Bass excellent, sometimes I've been wanting a little more and have used (Ipod) bass boost a bit -Up to a 4 hour listening session with no ear soreness or discomfort at all, and you do forget they are physically in -I can lay on my side in bed with my ear to the pilllow and there's no discomfort -Ear Tips seal perfectly and effortlessly - 10x better in this department than anything else I've tried -Moving around (walking, exercise) does not cause the seal to break (which happened with every other IE I've tried except the Bose which doesn't seal anyway).

You know so far - I've just stuck with the tips that were on them (medium size single flange). They seal perfectly every time I stick them in (or so it seems to me - maybe just because it's so perfect in comparison to all the other IE's I've used before). The other really cool part about "the seal" is that it takes a direct pull/yank on the cord to loose seal. I can move around all over the place and the seal won't break at all - which is the opposite of every other IE I've treid. Sound Isolation: With no music on at all I can turn the shower on and maybe hear 20% of the water noise if I'm standing in the open door. Or, I can turn my vent-a-hode on high and standing right next to it maybe only hear 20% of the noise it's making. 20% may be off a bit, it's nothing I've really thought about yet. My own voice is really loud even when music is playing loud though - a lot more than I've ever heard before. I *think* that's because the sound isolation (seal) is so much better than anything else I've experienced though. I'm one very happy camper.

Oh that's a good idea actually - it would be easy do drop a spec of glue on one of the armatures for a bump. Thanks! OK, I'm thinking I did not get a "used" pair now. I did find the cleaning tool (opps). From the manual I was expecting a white round tube object. It's a very tiny and thin black tool. It was at the very bottom of the small black case and stuck there I guess. I put all my ear tips in that and this morning I tapped the bottom of it to get them to all fall out and the tool came with it. Also, the box was factory sealed. There's no way anyone opening it could have done so without making an obvious mess. It just looks like now that for some reason at the Klipsch factor (or where-ever, the cords were wound by hand (and rather sloppy actually) - which is no big deal. I've just never seen cords for anything (power, whatever) not look perfectly wound/bound from a machine winding. So, pardon! I took all my tips to work today and let a three people listen to them (I just cleaned them in mild soap water when I got home). Two of the guys have Bose In-Ears and were pretty amazed out how "clear" these are and that the bass was so good at the same time. One guy told me not to leave them lying around or he'd steal them (lol). '------ Bass - I felt the need late in the day to turn "Bass Boost" on - on my Ipod. I need to really pay attention to this tomorrow, but right now my opinon is sliding to me thinking the Image's do not have the very "thumpy" natural base of Bose. I've just been wanting a little bit more Bass since I got home. I always left "Bass Boost" on with my Seenheiser MX-300's for the same reason - but man those were unclear (muddy) IE's. I was totally impressed withthe Bass yesterday - I don't know why I'm feeling like it's a bit short tonight. Figuring this stuff out is like an art or something. Clarity - Still freaking me out. The clarity is so excellent there's no room to be confused about how much better it is. It's amazing really. I can't imagine the sound getting any more clear. I need some other high end IE's to compare with really. But, I'm not wasting anymore money. I don't care how much better they may sound - there's no way it could outweigh the comfort of the Images.

Last night I noticed a couple of things when I went to bed and listened to the for about an hour before going to sleep: 1) I could lay on my side with my ear directly down on the pillow comfortably! I felt the Image's because they do stick out a tiny bit, but it was almost nothing. All other IE's I have drive me crazy because there's too much bulk outside the ear and you really feel it on the pillow. (sweet - I can lay on my side again when listening to music when I go to sleep). I rarely go to bed with IE's in but some nights I just need to go to bed early and get some music in while relaxing. 2) I turned off the lights and laid down. Then I realized I had no idea which one was the left and which was the right. By using my Ipod as a light and holding one image piece right up to it (and squinting) I barely made out the "L" on the left one. Maybe there's a way to make the "L-R" letters a little bit more visible - or reflective. It such a minor thing though. Happy Friday everyone.

You're probably right about casual listeners. $59 Sennheiser or Sony's do create pretty good sound though. I noticed it more a couple of years ago - but anywhere I saw anyone listening to an MP3 player all I ever saw were the horrible white buds that came with Ipods. I still need another good long listening session. I'm actually probably going to turn in an hour early just for some extra listening. The Metallica cover song I was talking about (Tuesday's Gone, Track 10 on Garage Disk 1)... I tried hearing it with my Sennheiser HD-555 open cans and I could only *barely* hear it with the sound cranked way up. I'm pretty Amazed. Those can's are old and only $99 now but were $175 when I bought them about 3 years ago. That's a quality set of open cans almost totally missing some detail that I hear crystal clear on the Images. It's just seriously impressive. I can't wait to go through a lot more music to see if anything else like that stands out.

Note: The first thing I did was wet a cloth down with Armor-All and coat the cords. I tell everyone to do it and then every few weeks after. It really helps protect the cords of headphones IMHO. Well, I have to say I'm very happy with my purchase of the Klipsch Image IE's so far. Here's my thoughts so far (2 hours in): 1) These things are freaking tiny! When you stick them in your ears it feels like Q-Tips sliding in and pretty much all you can see from the outside are the cords hanging out. 2) The "comfort" part of these IE's is no joke at all! I've had them in for 2 hours straight now and I do not want to take them out! You can tell they're there if you think about them, but otherwise you do forget they're in at all 3) IE mess: Even at a good volume I can hear my own voice (muffled sounding) and cord noise if the cords bounce around (normal IE stuff - whatever) 4) Sound Clarity - WOW. Much better than I've heard even better than my Sennheiser HD-555 open cans. As an example, I was listening to Metallica's "Tuesday's Gone With the Wind" cover song (Garage Album). At the very beginning of the song a bad member says "let's do it...". At that exact moment someone must have lightly touched/bumped a guitar string. I've never noticed that noise before at all - it was trippy actually. 5) Base - (hell yes) we have Thumping action for sure. The cool thing is the excellent base thumping action doesn't distort the mids and highs. Or, at least it's at least twice as good as anything I've heard before. It's online with the Sennheiser open cans I have 6) Distortion - I heard some on one song but to get it I had the volume up so loud I couldn't take it for more than five seconds - so no big deal to me (and I do listen loud). 7) Sound Quality: For a "causal" listener I'd say they may not actually notice the difference between these and a $50-100 set of IE's. I easily tell the difference and it's a pretty big one to me. I'd say these aren't worth 7 times the price of a $50 set (at all) unless you're really into sound quality. But (good gravey) the comfort factor just makes it worthwhile. The sound quality (compared to the sets I had) is really making me smile big right now though. 8) Sound Isolation: Excellent so far. I can't tell yet if it's better than (say) the Sennheiser MX-300's. I don't really have an opinon yet. Seriously, considering I have music going several hours a day the comfort factor alone is worth the price to me. I'm a technical MGR at a large (massive actually) corporation and spend a lot of time working with data alone in a cubical listening to music. Wow - 2 hours in and I seriously don't won't to take these out. Hehe...