Custom IEM's being discontinued?

[Technocrafts]

Ben,

It must have been a frightening experience to get the gel stuck in your ear...It happened to me too with the S-4's double flange but I was able to remove it without any aid. I remember the C3 came with four set of gels, the small one was really the smallest I ever seen. I'm not sure you said you own the C2? Theose came with the same set of gels as the C3 I believe, and they work on all of Klipsch iems including the Images. You may want your daughter to try her plugs with the Custom's smallest gels, that may solve the problem for her, unless those were also included with the higher tier Images.

Sound stage I was referring to is more prominent with headphones, the Sennheiser HD-600 excels in that department but the cheap hd-238 isn't bad either. The former does not drive well directly from a portable player, it needs to be amped, the later sounds good enough without the ibasso d2 and its portable, but open air type, meaning that you hear all the background noise and your sound also leaks out. Among iems, triple drivers can produce some sense of space, giving you an idea how the instruments were laid out in the studio. I only had the chance to try two of them, the Shure Se-530 and the UE Triple.fi that I own. The later IMO has a better performance probably due to its double acoustic filters. All those bells and whistles though come at a major trade off, the snout of the plugs just too wide, making them extremely difficult for most users to get a good fit with the gels included; they don't go deep enough into the ear canal. So, the true and convenient portable option is the Klipsch iems, especially the affordable S-4. If I would lose them or they would get stolen, I would just stop by at a local Best Buy or Apple store and pick up a new pair. Losing a triple driver or a C3 for that matter really hurts.

From what I'm learning, the X-5 sounds like the perfect upgrade for me in the Image lineup, for more than just casual listening. I'm looking for clean and balanced sound closed to what the C3 produced, the S-4 is awesome but very heavy on the lower range, it outperforms even the Sennheiser CX-300 which is well regarded as bass monster. I must say though that for certain type of electronic stuff that I like, the S-4 is a real treat. I have a whole collection of bass music, created mainly to test subwoofers, such as Bass Mekanic or Trentemoller, etc., P Thump must have had those on mind when he created the Images...

[AuD]

I have yet to hear from Knowles, other than an "out of office reply." That said I have spent some time reading regarding tantalum capacitors. It seems to me that most IEM companies use tantalum SMD capacitors in their cross over networks, probably due to their size. Any how apparently there is such a animal as "burn in" etc for capacitors. The other topic I find to be interesting is the debate of which capacitors should be used for audio equpment. There are a lot of people that state that tantalum should never be used and those that say it should not matter.

That said, I still do not know in regards to the BAD, if they require a burn in or not.

[TheEAR]

Do not want little pieces stuck in your ears, get custom molded in ear monitors. Plus nobody can ask can I hear them,as you will say NO WAY HOSE, these were custom molded for ME! []

I love my UE11 and will order my UE18's. []

[AuD]

If you are that easily impressed by the number of drivers used in an IEM, you may want to investigate a Chinese IEM company. They have an 8 driver. (8 per side a total of 16 balanced armature drivers used)

The question I have, I wonder if this trend will follow over with cars? Will people see an 8 wheel car, and automatically assume it is better than a 4 wheel car?

But I do agree with you, when one sees the word "custom" one would assume that the product is "customized" for the individual owner.

[Technocrafts]

The Image X10 sound incredible. And they are incredibly tiny and if really disappear in your ears and are very easy to use. I have the Image X10 but prefer the sound of the Image X5. You may prefer the sound of the Image X5 as well as it's highs or mids and highs are closer to the C3 though the Image X5 may not have quite the bass of the Image X10 or C3 I'm not sure it's lacking.

Professor Thump (who loves bass) I think has stated he also prefers the sound of the Image X5 over the X10.

Ben, you were right on the target with this one. A pair of Image x-5 finally found their way into my ears and I'm completely blown away. I had no idea that single armature solution would produce such awesome range and clarity. I thought that the Shure SE-310 demonstrated the maximum limit of a single armature design. While I loved the clearness and purity of the shure plugs, I was not greatly impressed with the low range of their sound. Klipsch definitely raised the bar. The sound of the C3 now a distant memory but as I recall, their high registers came through a bit rolled off while the x-5s are more open and forward. I absolutely love the natural and balanced sound with tight and well controlled bass that integrates into the fabric of the music. Thanks for the advice, the experience of this community what you all shared in your posts regarding this model lead me to try them.

Regards,

Z

[BLSamuel]

A pair of Image x-5 finally found their way into my ears and I'm completely blown away. I had no idea that single armature solution would produce such awesome range and clarity

[8] [8] [8] [H] [8] [8] [8] Glad you like them. Enjoy!

[deksawyer]

Sorry for bumbing an old thread, but this is my solution to getting a good seal with the Custom 3's. Silicon tips from a pair of ER20's. Works very well at reducing external noise and giving maximum bass from the C3's. you have to try it to believe it.

[lgrocks01]

try jhl audio instead of chinese earbuds

[lgrocks01]

if you want full range single driver then etymotic is should to better by the way i am not a fan of etymotic because there are no soundstage and little bass and they are uncomfortable. they make a compromise extremely accurately over comfort, soundstage,bass. why do want multiple drive is because they sound better because they a driver assign to a specific frequency thank to great crossover well thank klipsch making exclusive stuff they kill dual driver. plus multiple driver has better bass control.

[Technocrafts]

" if you want full range single driver then etymotic is should to better by the way i am not a fan of etymotic because there are no soundstage and little bass and they are uncomfortable. they make a compromise extremely accurately over comfort, soundstage,bass. why do want multiple drive is because they sound better because they a driver assign to a specific frequency thank to great crossover well thank klipsch making exclusive stuff they kill dual driver. plus multiple driver has better bass control. "

Actually, I do own a pair of ER-6i and I really don't find anything specific to complain about them in regard of accuracy and range. Unfortunately for the Etys, they can't come close, however, to the comfort and sound the Klipch Image x-5 can offer. As far as sound stage concerned, I did not hear one single IEM from all the many-many I tried that produced a sound stage anywhere near to what headphones would generate, such as a pair of Sennheiser HD-600. Some of the triple driver IEMs might do somewhat better in that department, especially the Logitech UE-Triple.fi, probably due to its double acoustic filter. I have to disagree with your statement about the multi-driver units regarding bass performance. None of them can match the single dynamic driver IEMs when it comes to reaching down to the sub-woofer range. Try a pair of Sennheiser IE8, than you'll know what I'm talking about. Hell, you don't even have to splurge that bad since that unit is on the expensive side and we're here at Klipch, why don't you try a pair Image S-4. Those will give you a bass fix that you will feel in your chest. Literally...

[lgrocks01]

i actually have s4 it excellent with lossess format. by the way sennheiser ie8 is not single armature it dynamic driver iem. go look it on sennheiser website. and have you try etymotic er-4?

[Technocrafts]

" ie8 is not single armature it dynamic driver iem. "

That's right, it is exactly what I meant, that's why I named it as an example. No, I did not have the chance to hear the er-4 Etys, but reportedly the er-6i's sound signature is very close to it. I do like the er-6i a lot, in fact, they are one of my favorites, but they cannot touch with a ten foot poll my most favorite toys, the legendary Image x-5 designed by the great masters at Klipcsh.

[lgrocks01]

way to support the brand klipsch has single and dual armature ever made. er-6i is supposed to give your a taste of their flagship model because it a compromise of soundstage and limited bass. why are the klipsch image x5 your favorite toys? and you counterattack sennheiser try b&w p5 headphones.

[Technocrafts]

"way to support the brand klipsch has single and dual armature ever made. er-6i is supposed to give your a taste of their flagship model because it a compromise of soundstage and limited bass. why are the klipsch image x5 your favorite toys? and you counterattack sennheiser try b&w p5 headphones"

Well, its really hard to give you a short aswer of why the Image x-5 made it to the top of my faorites list, but here's a few points that would outline its strenght: - Full range balanced sound, excellent bass and awesome high range. - Everything else I own I have to amp to get the most out of them, the Image x-5 performs great directly from the ipod classic. - One of the most comfortable pair of plugs I ever tried and with the large double flange I get the best seal, way better than any other IEM I own or tried. The medium oval gels provide the best compromise between comfort and attenuation, I don't even feel them when I wear them with those I can only hear them. Last, but not the least they are very aesthetic. There's a lot more I can add to the list, but I think you get the picture. And thanks, but I have to pass on the b&w p5, I'm sure they sound great, but for the moment as portable cans my hd-238s hooked up to an ibasso portable amp really keep me happy. Besides, when it comes to headphones, I'm a Sennheiser fanatic. No offense to the thousand of other great brands out there...

[lgrocks01]

right now i have image s4 if buy i the klipsch image x5 will i notice a difference with sound quality i prefer go lossess through itunes and play it on the computer and will be loud then the s4 and do you know if the strain relief is better because image s4 strain relief sucks bad.

[Technocrafts]

i the klipsch image x5 will i notice a difference with sound quality i prefer go lossess through itunes and play it on the computer and will be loud then the s4 and do you know if the strain relief is better because image s4 strain relief sucks bad.

The x-5 is nothing like the s-4, I mean vise versa. I'm sure you noticed, there's an epidemic out there. Most consumers expect to find portable audio gear that would place them in an IMAX theater. The focus is on the earth-rumbling bone shaking bass and nothing else really matters. If you are part of that crowd, you might find the x-5 disappointing. If you into balanced, natural high resolution sound, than the x-5 is for you. Since you mentioned lossless, well, that's the beauty of it, the x-5 was meant exactly for lossless and high bit-rate encoded stuff. When you don't feel like hauling your portable amp around, simply just grab your cowon or ipod, a pair of x-5 and keep it simple. The s-4 reminded me a lot to the old cx-300 I still own, except for it kicked even more bass, so I ended up passing them along to my wife. If you decide to go for the x-5, make sure you geat a good seal, otherwise you may find them underperforming. For me the large double flange do the trick, they seal a lot better than the Ety's triple flange which buy the way, utterly uncomfortable. Not the lack of bass but the comfort and noise attenuation is the reason why I rate the Etys under Klipsch, there's really nothing wrong otherwise with the er-6i sound performance. As far as build quality, I did not find anything to complain about neither the x-5 nor the s-4, but I handle my gear carefully. As soon as I'm done listening, i just roll up the cables and they go right in the carrying case. If you have any issues with your Klipsch gear, just make some noise here on this forum, either Amy Unger or P Thump will give you directions on how to get it resolved. Good luck and have a lot of fun...

[lgrocks01]

what type music do you listen to? and what loudspeaker brand do you prefer definitive tech or klipsch?

[Technocrafts]

what type music do you listen to? and what loudspeaker brand do you prefer definitive tech or klipsch?

Almost exclusively electronic and classical. Not your casual trance electronica, for me it has to be technical enough to make it to my collection. To give you an idea, if you ever heard of the followings: Sounds From the Ground, Pitch Black, Zero One, Shpongle, Juno Reactor, Banco de Gaia to name a few awesome projects from the top of my most favorites list. As for classicals,the work of any late Baroque composers will do. I can't give you any advise regarding loud speakers, at home my neighbors would definitely not appreciate my noise so I keep it to myself, hence the craze for portable gear.

[Alathea]

techno-

Can you PM or email me a list of other artists that dabble in world music, fusion, and ambient? I really like the style, especially at work (system analyst, stare at code and specs all day) and the samples Ive listened to from what you listed so far have me kind of turned on to 2. Banco de gaia sounds awesome, as does Juno Reactor and Shpongle. Do you have any more suggestions?

[Technocrafts]

techno- Can you PM or email me a list of other artists that dabble in world music, fusion, and ambient? I really like the style, especially at work (system analyst, stare at code and specs all day) and the samples Ive listened to from what you listed so far have me kind of turned on to 2. Banco de gaia sounds awesome, as does Juno Reactor and Shpongle. Do you have any more suggestions?

Wow, systems analyst? When I was working on my degree for IT, systems analysis was the only subject I truly hated. Case tools, all the nonsense fact finding interviews, etc. I can only admire you that you can hang in there...Here's more stuff: If you haven't done so, make sure to grab a few albums of Sounds From The Ground, starting with Luminal.(It will blow you away). Terra Firma is another great one from them, than Brightwhitelight from 2008. Simon Posford of Shpongle is heading more than one project, Younger Brother is one of them, really good, try The last Days of Gravity. If you like ambient, Entheogeneric, Blue-Tech, Magic Sound Fabric, Zero One of Kevin Dooley (I already mentioned that), Sundial, Solar Fields, Asura, those are all awesome. Paul Hardcastle released a decent keyboard album, called Zero One, but it has no association with Kevin Dooley's project, or if it does, there are no similarities. Than you can check out Kreidler, Eat Static, the now disolved Orbital, etc. If you like bass, try Trentermoller and Bass Mekanic, they out of this world. Of course I asume I don't need to mention the Veterans, such as Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream (Booster was Froese's latest work), etc. I hope I gave you enough to search for, though this may not be the most appropriate subject for this tread, I would hate to anoy other Klipsch fans with this stuff. If you have any further questions regarding electronic music or computers, here's my email: Tehnozo@aol.com . Have a lot of fun...