Technocrafts

Is there any difference between the S4 and S4 II? I'm just curious.

Yes, the one I got was exclusively made for Westone, branded with the company logo. FiiO's signature is also visible on it in very fine prints. I don't know their secrets, but the thing really perfoms pretty good. It offers three settings: one bass boost, one straight trough and a third with a more timid bass boost. I see the generic version for little over $25 at amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OUIIFA/ref=asc_df_B005OUIIFA2413395?smid=AFKH6OU9WWNFS&tag=dealtmp894105-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B005OUIIFA, apparently holding its value. Now I'm just getting ready to buy the E9K.

Actually a friend of mine had a cheap C-Moy amp a few years ago, I didn't listen trough it extensively but for what I can tell, it sounded very good. There are excellent budget solutions from FiiO as well, my Westone3 shipped with the E6, which can be had for $25 or maybe even less. The amp is very small and perfomrs great with IEMs, I'm not sure about big cans though. I wouldn't expect neither Apple nor Klipsch to develop portable amps, the expected sales volume wouldn't make the effort worthy. Most people are happy with their iphone sound with the white buds, only a few thousands of us are into this higher end audio thing. Let's not forget the horrible economy, that doesn't help either.

The only thing I can recommend is to listen trough the X10 exclusively for a week, and try focusing on the details of the music. A good audio source like your stereo you mentioned, should make the sound recording more reveling and your listening experience more engaging. Soon you will discover that the bass though appears to be less pronounced, it is actually more detailed. The muddy bass you hear from lower end ear phones are overpowering most of the middle-range, and it isn't really deep bass what you hear, only the illusion of it. It is more like mid and upper mid-bass hump, while the lower range below 50 Hz is not even audible. Like for instance, I downloaded once an album from Trentemoller, back than I only had a pair of Sennheiser CX-300, which I regarded at that time the best ever... I really thought the album mentioned was drums and bass, I did not hear anything else. Years later when I re-auditioned the album trough and amp and a pair of triple driver IEM, the thick heavy bass disappeared from the recording, but I realized I never even heard that album before...The bass was actually a combination of several synthesized bass instruments with intricate details, chords and key modulations that took my breath away. The X10s are actually bass heavy, and they don't have a lot of aire extension, but from a single armature based solution not much more can be expected, they perform excellent considering that fact. I can assure you, your patience will be rewarded...

I can assure you, the X10i does not lack on bass at all, in fact, the awesome clear and layered bass of the X10 what makes the gear one of my top favorite. I'm sure you have a perfect hearing, but you may be addicted to one note bass. Myself was afflicted by this epidemic, before high end portable gear became affordable. Likely you have one of the newer iPods, they are really not the best regarding sound quality either, even with higher bit-rate encoded music or lossless. A portable amp can help tremedously, but they are expensive. One of the great advantage of the iPod is the LOD, so you can get the signal out of the player directly, bypassing the player's low grade opamp. This amp would be a great option: http://www.ibasso.com/en/products/show.asp?ID=73 but when you add the LOD cable (a good one would run close to $30) and shipping cost, may not be all that attractive.

Yep, the HD595 is very analytic indeed, I had the chance to test drive a pair thoroughly. I love the added bass extension of the HD600, and that gear is somewhat more forgiving. I can imagine your thrill with the HD800, I don't think I want to expose myself to it, I'm afraid I will want a pair after hearing what many claimed to experience who either have them or tried them. A sound source upgrade would serve me better than yet another pair of headphones or IEM, though I would love to add the Image One to my collection, I really liked what I heard when I auditioned a pair. Maybe they will come on sale one day... The SE535 was also on the list of my targets, but I came across a very good sale on a pair of Westone3, so I went for that instead. Like yourself, I was not in need for another pair of IEMs when I found the X10s on sale at Amazon, but I couldn't pass it on, and they were also on my list to obtain a pair if I ever find a good sale, so here they are. I wasn't sure whether I would keep them, until I heard their sound. As you also noted, the real price north of $300 is way too high, since you can find a huge selection in that price range that clearly outperform the x10/x10i by a significant margin. Most of them feature replaceable cable, I think that would serve Klipsch better to offer as an option instead of the apple remote crap. I would not want that garbage on any of my audio gear, I would even choose to pay extra if I really like something, that doesn't have that feature. I don't care if the whole world uses the crappy iphone as sound source, it has nothing to do with sound quality IMHO. The last ipod was the 5.5 video, and I believe the second generation of iPhone that featured Wolfson audio codec. My 6-th generation classic's headphone jack is nearly intact, I never use it. Maybe one day when I'll get a Samsung Galaxy, but until then I will only use my 5.5 video as audio player without amp.

No, we have not been brainwashed into believing that multi-BA ear pieces perform better, they actually do. The Custom3 did, The now defunct UE/Logitech Triple-fi 10 does, The 3 armature 3way Westone3 does, not even mentioning the 4 armature Westone4, it is simple physics. The real strenght of the Image X10s that they are able to closely match the performance of the multi-driver IEMs, and as you metnioned, they are very comfortable. Another major X10 "signature climb" is bass. The tiny plugs can thunder with so much power, they put some high performance sub-woofers to shame.

Interesting, I thought BA transducer based sound gear did not reqire any burn-in, but I guess this may be subject to each individual. Over a year I did not notice any change in my x10s sound, but I can't say I've been using them a lot. I have them with me all the time, but I can only get to hear music at work or elsewhere on the go occasionally. These are very smooth sounding phones indeed, but I would not regard their sound balanced, it is rather bottom heavy, albeit the bass is crisp, clear and layered and not drowning. Probably I'm being overly critical, since I do most of my music listening trough my hd-600s, now that's balanced sound! Anyway, it's another story, my focus here should stay on the x10s. You mentioned Total Bithead, I'm using the iBasso D2 Boa, wich is antiquated by now, but it does a great job smoothing out the lousy crap that would come out from the ipod/iphone phone jack( since they moved away from Wolfson), extracting the signal trough the LOD instead. Encoding rate does make a big difference I agree, I have a good collection of FLAC, ALAC ripped music, but well produced albums sound acceptable at 256 kbits as well.Poorly mastered studio recording or low bit-rate is definitely revealed trough the x10 as well as trough any other high end gear, a good indication of high definition sound. How is it possible to accomplish that feat with a single armature, it is beyound me. These tiny plugs pump so much bass, like a powerful subwoofer, you almost feel your bones rambling, incredible. I still prefer more balanced sound though with deep and layerd bass, that does not bleed into the higher range. I also have a few set of comply tips for my westies, they fit the x10s perfectly, I just tried them on the x10s since you mentioned. You right, the sound is definitely better, but for different reasons than more efficient seal. The foam allows some of the mid-bass hump to leak out and makes the sound more airy, it gives you a sence of wider sound stage. I think I will keep these on from now on, thanks for mentioning. The s4s are out for me, there's no going back. I was euphoric when I first got them, that time the sound of my beloved Costum3s that got stolen was distant memory. The Triple-fi 10 sealed the deal for me that came to my posession only a few weeks after I got the s4s. I went from bass head to audiophile almost at an instant, now I can't even tolerate the sound from my one time old favorite cx-300 or s4 for that matter, the two sound almost identical...I hope others won't take insult in this remark, I don't mean to trash the s4s, they present a very good value, especially if someone upgrading from stock phones bundled with mp3 players.

I own both, the s4s and x10s, I can definitely assure you the difference between the two is day and night. I stopped using the s4s a long time ago, when I got my first pair of triple diver IEM from UE/Logitech. The s4's sound was unbearable once I heard the clarity and details from the Triple-fi 10. I found that the s4s sound were drowning in bass and lacking detail. About a year ago I picked up a pair of x10s during the Amazon sales back than, I just couldn't believe their awesome performance right out of the box. I also have a pair of Westone3, which is a three way triple driver, and the Image x10's sound signature closely resembles that of the W3. Naturally the w3 has a greater extension on the higher end, somewhat more details and better sound stage, but the difference is subtle between the w3 and x10. If you find your s4s to outperform the x10s, chances are you got a defective pair of x10. Coincidentally I stumbled upon my old pair of s4s just a few days ago, so I wanted to try them again to see how they would sound from an ipod 5.5 video rockboxed, well, I couldn't finish listening trough a single album, all I heard was colored sound with heavy bass, some poor mid-range colored with upper -mid bass hump, and abysmal high end. At least they are not sibilant... No way your x10s can perform that bad, provided they are authentic and not defective, even if you don't get a good seal from the factory installed gels

Back than as I followed all the comments, most of the C3 owners complaind of cable falure over fitting issues, though it took me weeks before I found the sweet spot with the best fitting. I had the same issue with the TF-10, none of the supplied ear tips worked for those either. A pair of double flange aftermarket gels from ebay fixed the problem...Regarding the C3's cable, I did not have any issues either, the gear was stolen from me unfortunately before any chance for them to get defective. I will always cherish their memories, those were my first true high end IEMs ever. Regarding the X-5, I also believed they perfom better than the X-10, having only a brief encounter with the later. Now, after getting my hands on a pair of X-10, I tend to disagree. While the X-5's overall sound is definitely more balanced and analyitc, the X-10s offer more details, and the bass on them blows many other high end IEM's out of the water. I could hardly believe this would be a single armature solution, I'm not sure how can that be! I'm also pleasantly surprised of the sound stage of the X-10, the X-5s were totally lacking on that area. I find the X-10's performance somewhat similar of what I remember the C3. Regarding sound source, I find the older ipod better, namely the 5.5 generation ipod video with rockbox firmwhare. I agree with most of those who find the newer apple player's sound performace inferior to those with Wolfson audio chip. The cables are replaceable on several high end IEMs (Sure SE-535, UE Triple-fi 10 and 10 Pro, Sennheiser IE-8, IE-80, etc.), but not on all of makes unfortunately. Cost is probably the highest factor when they make the decision on that before the product goes into production. Replaceable cable more than likely would have saved the bacon for the Custom series as well...

The sound sig of the C3 as I remember it was warm, but balanced overall, with the high frequency range somewhat rolled off, to avoid sibilance. From my audio gear collection, the HD-600 headphones and the UE-triple-fi 10 IEMs offer the most high end extention, to my taste that region is especially important, but many others have a hard time tolerating hf range that powerful. The HD-600s literally pull your music apart, with the proper rate of encoding you hear every nuisance. The TF-10 IEMs aren't far behind either, those two mentioned would give me the highest sound resolution. In comparison, the Klipsh lineaup offers a more laid back presentation with somewhat less details, but warmer sound signature. The S-4 is way too dull for my taste, and so are all the Sony's. I tried several of them, and ended up returning all of them. The MDR-EX-700 came closest to my expectations, but the hf range on them was too shrill, harsh. Otherwise imaging and sound stage was reasonable. Hearing is subjective to say the least, so I'm not sure what to say, other than your C3 likely was fried. Also possible that you are too sensitive to sibilace, and a greater hf roll-off is more suitable to your taste. Nothing is wrong with that, in that case you may want to avoid most of BA based sound gear. That would explain why you prefer the S-4s better. If the Sennheiser IE-8 would fit your budget, you would definitely love those.

I have Custom 2 and Image x10. I've heard just about all the models I think of the iem's except maybe the Lou Reed signature Image x10i and those the differences may be all cosmetic.. The Custom 3 are phenomenal. The Custom models do take a lot of work to find optimum seal for the best bass. It took me two months to really figure out how to shove 'em in correctly for the best bass. You either have countfeit Custom 3 or the previously owner trashed them out. I'm sure they could be overdriven to destruction. Post some pictures including all packaging etc. There's no way those could be real Custom 3 as bad as you described the sound. I'd be trying to return if you have the receipt. If you have the receipt and bought from an authorized seller in the US then you can return to Klipsch. If you bought them used from eBay then I'd still contact the seller. Something's not right with them. I'm not sure about counterfeiting of different models. I think it was late November or December of 2011 Klipsch filed suit against 23 manufactuers of counterfeit Image S4 in China. If you're in a different country then you need to go through whoever you bought them from I think. Good luck. I have to reinforce Ben's statement that no way in Hell you can have an original pair of Custum 3 that would sound as bad as you described! I have several high end IEMs, among them two triple drivers, such as the Westone3 and UE-Triple-fi 10, and I can tell you the Custum 3 more than stands the ground against them! Besides the C3 I had several others from the Klipsch lineaup, currently I have the X-10 and Image S-4. Among all, the X-10 takes the crown. The previous owner definitely fried either one of the drivers in the unit, or some components of the circuitry may have been zapped, I noticed that the X-10 and the previously owned X-5 both are prone to static buildup, I got zapped by them several times. Unfortunately for you, you never got to hear the real C3, I bet. I hope the lead design engineer's wish will come trough, and one day the C3 will be re-introduced as a wintage pruduct...(with a cable upgrade) Kipsch rocks!

I find the older ipod, such as the ipod video 5.5 with Rockbox to have excellent synergy with the X-10. Everything encoded at 256 kbits and over sounds like magic. The X-10's amazing sound rivals even the Westone3, which is a 3-way triple ba driver based IEM. If you are getting less than stellar sound out of your X-10s, I would recommend to try another sound source if that's an option.

"Looks like you have a X10 aswell, between the X10 and S4 which one do you from your personal use and experience you feel the music is more perfect ? Say for e.g Club Music, Dance Music, Vocals ?" X-10 all the way! You get all the bass you want, plus clarity and details that only expensive high end voice coil based IEMs can match, such as the Sony MDR-EX1000, which is almost four times the price of the X-10.

Too bad you missed the black Friday sale at amazon, the x-10 was going for $95. If you shop around, maybe with luck you will find a pair around $100. I would recommend them over the s-4 any time. The x-10's bass extension reaches if not even exceeds that of the s-4s with much better clarity and details, while the high extension on them rivals most triple driver IEMs north of $300 price range. Strongly recommended.