goowiz Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Hello, so just got the Custom-3s. I love everything about them except their sound on the high ends. They seem muffled, or just not clear at all... Is this because of a bad fit? I've only had them for a day, but I'm already thinking of returning them for the X5... I am also thinking of getting different tips such as the Comply T-100, which I have read really good reviews on www.head-fi.org. Any recommendations on how to improve the top end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 I've got the C-3's and I bought 11 or 12 pair of the Comply T100's before I took off to Europe for 3 weeks. I read somewhere that they might wear out after some use, so me....being one of understatement, bought a bunch so that would not be an issue. (also, my wife could use them without the 'ewwww' factor of sharing...) I might add that she NEVER wore them and I only wore one, maybe two pair. I'm looking at a bag of them right now... has 20 unused tips in it. One thing I did not like about the foam things... they have a hard plastic 'tube' that the foam surrounds. This tube is what I had to jam onto the post of the C-3. They are NOT made to fit each other although you CAN 'make' them fit. I did not like jamming the Comply on like that so I simply went back to the standard C3 ear pieces. If you'd like to have them, give me an offer that I can't refuse and I'll ship them out today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLSamuel Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 I love everything about them except their sound on the high ends. They seem muffled, or just not clear at all... Is this because of a bad fit? Could be. If the nozzels get aimed into the ear wall instead of down the ear canal the highs get lost. I've experienced that with my Custom 2. Try different angles when you insert the gels. Most people have to insert them in sort of angled up a bit. Sometimes just backing them out can help with the seal and maybe the lack of highs if the nozzle opening is jammed right against ones ear canal wall. Click the More Options in Headphones and set to display all posts as it defaults to most recent 2 months and seems to get reset to that frequently. There are quite a few posts about getting a proper seal. The X5, while not quite as small and insanely comfortable as the original Image X10 do seem to have the stick them in and they sound awesome ease of use. A bit obvious, but check to make sure there's no wax or anything in the nozzles. Please don't be offended. It happens. I can't stress cleaning enough. And if all else fails after reading the posts on getting a good seal.... though that affects the bass the most... call Klipsch tech support. It's possible you got a defective set (not sure I've heard of any such defects) but there's an itty bitty teensie weenie yellow polka dotted crossover in there along with 2 armatures (drivers) and it's possible something's come disconnected or didn't get connected properly. Good luck! p.s. I think Coytee had a post or 2 about getting a good seal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Thump Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 The ear tip is probably hitting the side wall of your ear canal. Try bending the wire so the nozzle is forward and up a little more. That may take care of it. This IEM should should full range like a good speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Ya...tell him to STICK IT IN HIS EAR, like you did me!! [:$] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Thump Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Stick it in yer ear... ehh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowplough Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 I noticed that also but I don't think the detail is actually missing, just the top end is a little subdued and lacks the sparkle you can get from a good set of speakers (appropriately driven of course). I improved the top end of mine a lot by adjusting the EQ settings on my Walkman. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donald1800 Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 While playing with my headphone amp. equalizer compared to my Spectrum Analyser adjusted speaker system, I discovered that the problem you mentioned is caused by a C3 audio output with a slight bell curve emphasizing the mid range. Try cutting the mid range gently 3-6db from 500hz to 5khz centered around 1khz, and I think you will like the balance much better. Donald1800 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowplough Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 That worked quite well. I had been boosting both ends but lowering the middle produced similar results and possibly slightly better ones. I have set up both options as custom EQ settings on my Walkman so can switch between them easily while I make up my mind which I prefer. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Thump Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Steve, Another trick is to listen to them through a headphone amp. If you need more HF this may do the trick on C3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowplough Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Have thought of that but don't see many, if any, suitably portable ones down here (NZ). I get pretty good results with the Walkman adjusted as described above but will try an amp if I get the chance, just to see. I have also thought of trying the C3 out on the home system to see what they are really capable of, but that would also require a headphone amp. I never expected C3s on a portable player (even one using .wav files) to match the capabilities of my main system but the combination does pretty well nevertheless. As they say - fit for purpose, which is good quality music at comfortable volumes and without background noise on the commute and at the office. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donald1800 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 My C3 system includes a Ray Samuals 'The Predator' portable amp, so the noted "problem" is inherent in the C3, not the quality of the amp used. You will never get a response from Klipsch that any of their products requires 'equalization' - they are always perfect, and the "problem" lies elsewhere. Donald1800 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnum29 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 The Samuels amps sure look nice; the prices scare me though. I'd love to give a couple a try on my C3's. I've also had to boost the highs on the eq, but thought it was mostly because of my old ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Thump Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Now wait a minute Donald1800! I never said that there was a problem with the C3 EQ. I designed them and they suite my ears perfectly. I was implying that some people may have attenuated HF and that the amp may shift the EQ slightly. C3 was designed to be used with a mobile MP3 player as the source. You may also not be aware that the EQ of any IE headphone changes depending on how deeply they are seated in the ear canal and/or the angle of the nozzle.......Please get your facts straight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 My C3 system includes a Ray Samuals 'The Predator' portable amp, so the noted "problem" is inherent in the C3, not the quality of the amp used. You will never get a response from Klipsch that any of their products requires 'equalization' - they are always perfect, and the "problem" lies elsewhere. Donald1800 Well that is an interesting response! I do not suffer from this inherent issue with my C3's when used with my CD player or my wifes iPod at all. I am not getting your claim of inherent problbems with the system. Could be your hearing is slightly attenuated in that range a bit or maybe they are inset at an odd angle in your ear, the latter of which will most assuredly cause your HF to attenuate. Actually the Jubes require some EQ and Roy is quite up front about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Actually the Jubes require some EQ and Roy is quite up front about it. Same with the Khorn and the P-39F...pretty much all the high end stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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