Speakers that sound like Klipsch Image headphones

[Rinsewind43110]

This may not be an answerable one:

What pair of speakers(not just klipsch, but any speaker) sounds most similar to Klipsch ImageX10's(the top level Klipsch Images)?

Nothing I've ever heard sounds as good as the Image X10's, saving maybe speakers that cost more than my car/house/soul.

I had another question, but I'm using a seperate post. I hope that's okay!

Thanks!

[Oblio]

My S4's sound like Klipschorns you can put in your pocket. Wait for a nice used pair.

[bhandarkar]

Wait for a nice used pair. means ??????????

[Oblio]

Wait for a nice used pair. means ??????????

Put the following sites in your favorites ...

CL

eBay

Audiogon

[Rinsewind43110]

I understand what you meant about Klipshorns: I have Image X10's, which may sound very different from your S4's as they have a very different design.

They differ from klipsch speakers in that they lack the same level of high frequency energy. It's much more subtle. Not too weak, but not with the energy of the reference line klipsch speakers that I have heard.

And since they are headphones, prolonged high-energy high frequency listening sessions would be fatiguing and potentially damaging to my ears.

While I consider the klipsch reference highs to be a strength, they do not seem to have the same sound as my Image X10 headphones.

I hope this makes my question more clear, if less answerable.

However, if klipschorns are more balanced and lack the pronounced energetic high frequencies...? I've never heard that particular speaker...

[Nhusker]

I'm getting the X10s pretty soon. Once I get them I'll let you know how they sound compared to my sound system that consists of:

WF-34 tower speakers (x2)
WB-14 surround speakers (x4)
SC-24 center channel (x1)
XW-300d powered subwoofer

[BLSamuel]

I have Image X10's, which may sound very different from your S4's as they have a very different design.

Vastly different. The Image X10's (and X5's and the Custom models) use armatures which I think Professor Thump has explained somewhere in the Headphone area. Click options and click to view all as defaults and often gets reset to only most recent 2 months. I'm starting to forget but the armature drivers are more like what are used in hearing aids and much lighter and faster in the bass.... ergo while the Image S4's can deliver incredible deep bass it will never be as fast and tight as the Image X10 and X5 or Custom models. Armatures are also much more co$tly hence the much higher price.

The S4's and S2's use a more standard micro driver with cone, suspension, and voice coil. I think the S4 uses dual magnets. Much less expensive to produce hence the much more affordable cost.

The armatures are the high end of in ear monitors while the micro drivers are more like the low end (common ear buds) to better mid fi. That said the S4 and S2 have the Klipsch sound though maybe not as refined as the X10, X5, and Custom models (not sure any are still available ... newer models? or going away?).

They differ from klipsch speakers in that they lack the same level of high frequency energy. It's much more subtle. Not too weak, but not with the energy of the reference line klipsch speakers that I have heard.

If you want more and maybe smoother highs... then you want the Image X5. Maybe not the "stentorian" bass of the Image X10 but not lacking either but much clearer and more highs than the X10. X10 are the best for bass. X5 better in the highs. Custom 3 best of both. The Image X10 are too "dark" sounding get the Image X5. I think they sound better but have Image X10 and Custom 2.. They sound vastly different than the Image X10 but still sound like Klipsch. Professor Thump as in THUMP knows and loves BASS and knows how to produce it... long before Klipsch he owned and operated a larger regional sound company (I'm not sure what that means exactly) but he is Professor THUMP and if it's bass you want in probably any venue, even in your ears / head Professor Thump can get you there. Professor Thump admitted to actually preferring the sound of the Image X5 over the Image X10 though the bass isn't supposed to be as "good".

And since they are headphones, prolonged high-energy high frequency listening sessions would be fatiguing and potentially damaging to my ears.

And you can do that with screechy crappy ear bud torture devices that probably have less highs, not to mention bass then the Custom 1 (RIP?) and Image S2. So your point is? Too loud is too loud... though maybe a little easier to damage the HF hearing? I'm obviously not an otologist or audio engineer.

While I consider the klipsch reference highs to be a strength, they do not seem to have the same sound as my Image X10 headphones.

Oops ahead of myself earlier. Get the Image X5. I'd trade my X10's for a set (though my X10's strain reliefs are splitting [:'(], but still under warranty I believe []. But the Image X5s are too big for our youngest daughter's ear canals since she prefers the extra small ear gels that never really existed and I think are now only a myth.... Though I think the only other person I know of to have used the mythical extra small gels gets good results with the small double flange....

However, if klipschorns are more balanced
and lack the pronounced energetic high frequencies...? I've never
heard that particular speaker...

I only finally heard some Klipschorns in 2007, having long thought it can't get much better than the Klipschorns. It doesn't. I'm not sure how the sound compares to the reference but both sound awesome to me though I think I prefer the Klipschorn and other "Heritage" models ... better mids to my ears but I've not really compared that much just from a reference demo to a Klipschorn demo and maybe back and forth a time or two. And then there's the Palladium line.....

Back on topic a bit. Different Klipsch speakers will sound like different Image models. Not sure how they align. You may have to listen for yourself though you can't go wrong with any Klipsch model.

(time for my tranquilizer)

Maybe Professor Thump will add his 2 db... though he's been kind of quiet since returning from China..... got me wondering what he's up to.

[Rinsewind43110]

Samuel,

Wow! You put a lot of time and effort into your reply to my posting. First of all, I don't feel a need to dispute you on your headphone recommendation. But I'm so happy with the ImageX10's, and their condition is ultra-mint(lost the headphone cleaner, but you can use the actual plug through the flangeholes to hollow them out too)... so happy with the ImageX10's that I have no need or desire to replace those. Before them I owned 2 other in-ear headphones. Sonys.

Yeah, I know... but I did replace them! I don't see myself upgrading for a long-time. But again, I want to thank you for the time and effort you put into providing the headphone advice, even if I'm not looking for that.

A floor-standing or bookshelf(I don't know why I prefer the sound of bookshelfs... it's one of those subjective things) speaker that has the same sound as my Image X10's is what I am really interested in. That kind of sound quality out of an actual speaker would be nothing short of amazing. And you're right, they don't necessarily have the highs that they could... but my own comfort levels being a factor, if they were much brighter, I couldn't/wouldn't want to listen to them for as long. Bass isn't quite so fatiguing, if only because I don't listen to bass-heavy material(not a rap fan here).

Regarding the klipschorn as a suggestion for a speaker coming close to matching... from my experience, klipsch speakers actually have a quite different sound from my Image X10 headphones. But that's the newer reference line, with it's focus on extreme highs and lows(not a complaint, they do both well), and the headphones i have do mids in a way that makes them not even sound like mids, which is otherwise an alien concept to me. Mids are mids.

To conclude this rant, The ideal Klipsch speaker for me would be either the RF-82 or the RF-7. Depending on which I could afford. But I still don't necessarily believe that the Klipsch headphones are made to sound like the speakers. They have their own sound. However, I know the klipschorn itself doesn't sound like the reference line, so it may be more inline with the Image headphones. I won't know that until I get a chance to hear them.

Thanks again Samuel and I'm still hoping for more suggestions of speakers that come the closest to the Image X10 headphones.

[Professor Thump]

I have Image X10's, which may sound very different from your S4's as they have a very different design.

Vastly different. The Image X10's (and X5's and the Custom models) use armatures which I think Professor Thump has explained somewhere in the Headphone area. Click options and click to view all as defaults and often gets reset to only most recent 2 months. I'm starting to forget but the armature drivers are more like what are used in hearing aids and much lighter and faster in the bass.... ergo while the Image S4's can deliver incredible deep bass it will never be as fast and tight as the Image X10 and X5 or Custom models. Armatures are also much more co$tly hence the much higher price.

The S4's and S2's use a more standard micro driver with cone, suspension, and voice coil. I think the S4 uses dual magnets. Much less expensive to produce hence the much more affordable cost.

The armatures are the high end of in ear monitors while the micro drivers are more like the low end (common ear buds) to better mid fi. That said the S4 and S2 have the Klipsch sound though maybe not as refined as the X10, X5, and Custom models (not sure any are still available ... newer models? or going away?).

They differ from klipsch speakers in that they lack the same level of high frequency energy. It's much more subtle. Not too weak, but not with the energy of the reference line klipsch speakers that I have heard.

If you want more and maybe smoother highs... then you want the Image X5. Maybe not the "stentorian" bass of the Image X10 but not lacking either but much clearer and more highs than the X10. X10 are the best for bass. X5 better in the highs. Custom 3 best of both. The Image X10 are too "dark" sounding get the Image X5. I think they sound better but have Image X10 and Custom 2.. They sound vastly different than the Image X10 but still sound like Klipsch. Professor Thump as in THUMP knows and loves BASS and knows how to produce it... long before Klipsch he owned and operated a larger regional sound company (I'm not sure what that means exactly) but he is Professor THUMP and if it's bass you want in probably any venue, even in your ears / head Professor Thump can get you there. Professor Thump admitted to actually preferring the sound of the Image X5 over the Image X10 though the bass isn't supposed to be as "good".

Maybe Professor Thump will add his 2 db... though he's been kind of quiet since returning from China..... got me wondering what he's up to.

This is almost an impossible feat, since there are more things than just the speaker giving you the aural excitation of your noggin. For instance the same speaker will sound different in each room it is in. If you move a speaker it will even sound different. It is kind of like when you move to the next room your wife doesn't sound as loud. But I jest... I am Kidding honey... I will be right there...

Please read my blogs. As the forum and the Klipsch work gets busier I have less time to communicate on this forum. So I am taking deliberate measures to make sure there is quality info on the blogs. This blog in particular should be of interest:

http://community.klipsch.com/blogs/markb/archive/2009/10/02/different-strokes.aspx

Hopefully this will help you all understand the diffences in the designs of our IEM's.

As far as a match to X10 I would say a B & W 800 series with the bass boost cranked. Oh... we don't sell that model? Hmmm... How about a RF 82 or RF 83?

Again... Your room is half the sonic equation.

[Rinsewind43110]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. Your explanations of the inner workings of my(and not my) headphones was very useful.

Especially the diagrams: The ones on wikipedia are *useless*!

I had heard that Images were more expensive due to size, but it's nice to see that isn't necessarily true, as they don't need a crossover, improving the sound quality. And they are definitely fast.

I also have to applaud your recommendation of B&W 800s: I use a pair of old 630's on a regular basis, and they are a bit more mid-centric, but they have somewhat of a "unified" sound.

Speaking of unified, I've always thought... crossovers, I get they can be very good, and unfortunately, necessary. Point being, one of my favorite things about my Images is that they sound like they completely lack a cross-over. It's very, very obvious. And since they don't have one, that makes sense.

Of course, all this is leading to another question... for anyone who cares to answer, the good Professor has already been quite helpful:

Are headphones the only way to get a full frequency response of 20Hz -> 20KHz, or even close, without using a cross-over of some sort?

If there's another way, I'd love to know! Even things like electrostats can't go low enough, and therefore require a cross-over, seemingly defeating their purpose(?)

Thanks again all!

Would be interesting to see how a Veritas compared to the RF's recommended... see, Klipsch... kind of... manufactures those...(?)

Happy New Year everyone!