A bass state of affairs

[diamondhead]

So I have been futzing with my new S4s for the past few weeks and following folks advice around here and I can honestly say that I have ocassionally reached audio nirvana. With a little bit of messing around I can find the 'perfect' fit using one of the ear pieces. It's almost like the bass goes up 20% immediately. Unfortunately, it lasts until I move my head, bend over, chew gum, or anything like that. Don't even think about exercise. So my question is, am I doing something wrong? Or is that just the way it is? Thanks.

[BLSamuel]

So I have been futzing with my new S4s for the past few weeks and following folks advice around here and I can honestly say that I have ocassionally reached audio nirvana. With a little bit of messing around I can find the 'perfect' fit using one of the ear pieces. It's almost like the bass goes up 20% immediately. Unfortunately, it lasts until I move my head, bend over, chew gum, or anything like that. Don't even think about exercise. So my question is, am I doing something wrong? Or is that just the way it is? Thanks.

Diamondhead,

Maybe but it's pretty easy to get a good seal (reference to the original Customer models sadly no longer available which were kind of tricky to get a good seal but included a wire that wrapped around the ear which helped hold them in place once you did get theim in correctly. which you are at times. Less than great seal, the bass kind of disappears.

It may be more a function of the geometry if you will of your ear canals as everyone's is different. The oval ear tips do a great job of fitting most peoples ears much more comfortably than the normal round ear tips. It may be that you're not using the proper ear tip for your ear. It may not exist. I think small, medium, and large single flange and small/med med/large double flange models are available though I'm not sure all sizes ship with every model.

The double flange will stay in better. Other people have had success with I think Comply ear tips (round kind of squishy foam) though I'm not sure any others are designed to work speciffically with Klipsch. Others have had success with taking stand issue soft compressable hear protectors and modifying to use as tips. You can always try contacting customer support as they may have some suggestions.

There is gobs of information in this section. Search this section by seal or bass or something to that effect or browse through the history which starts when they pretty much hit the market. The audio engineer who designed these often frequents these threads but he's been crazy busy lately (see introduction of on ear and Image S3).

The default display in the forum is the most recent three months. In the section look for options and click display all. This seems to get reset occasionally

but once set you can scroll through all threads though I think the search will search all.

I've only very briefly tried the Image S4 and S2 (as prototypes ) and was quite impressed with the sound quality, especially given the very reasonable price.

My experience is with one of the original models, the Custom 2 which is no longer available that has incredible bass and sound even a level above the S4 but should as it uses dual armatures - an armature being the type of transducer used in hearing aids. And the Image x10. The S4, S2, and new S3 (and new ruggedized model) use what is essentially a micro speaker which is used in all inexpensive, and cheap, in ear phones or ear buds. As with most Klipsch products, the bang for the buck ratio is far above that of most, most likely all, of the competition often much more expensive competition.

If you think these are amazing you might want to try the Image X10 (crazy tiny and bass you can litterally feel in your head which may also be possible with the S4, probably not as much bass as the S4 but deeper and "faster" audiophile term that I think applies here (the much smaller and MUCH more expen$ive armature versus the still very high quality micro speaker.

And even better, I think, in sound quality is the Image X5 not too long ago could be found on sale from Audio Advisor (an authorized Klipsch retailer) for as little as $129 (they're a bargain at MSRP of $250 (yeah ouch!)) and are voiced a bit differently than the Image x10 that I would say has clearer highs but more likely more midrange? and don't seem to be lacking in bass. I think a more forward sound is how P Thump describes it. A bit bigger than the x10 but probably smaller than the S2 they're my favorites... hopefully someday.

While the x10 are known for their prodigous tight DEEP accurate fast bass, the x5 don't seem to be lacking. Professor Thump, the engineer behind the Klipsch 'phones, ( he knows BASS and knows how to reproduce it whether it be in your ear, in your home, or even in a live concert situation, one of his past lives) likes the sound of the x5 over th x10 but his favorite is the Custom 3 (cross between the x10 and x5 to my ears with the best of both but I'm not sure how much different in SQ than the x5 or maybe now a secret new prototype?.

But I like the ease of use of the Image models. Stick 'em in and they work. In most cases, you being one of the rare exceptions. Our youngest daughter being another as the barrel of the Image x5 is too large for her ear canals. We were able to demo both the x10 and x5 and other models and it was very hard to get the Image x10 away from her as the x5 just didn't work for her but long enough to determine that the sound of the Image x5 is MUCH better to me and the Image x10 we were able to get at a later date are mind boggling incredible. So I couldn't get the Image x5 she couldn't use. We managed to find a solution in the extra small single flange tips that never were really available and really only a rumor that they really exisxt as their may be only 2 people who are even rumored to have actually used them. They have their own secret society and acronym that I cannot divulge but something to do with small ear canals.

She now as a "hearing instrument" for her ear she's had problems with since birth and is having a problem in that the smallest "dome" as the tip is called is too small [] to stay in place but the next size up is too big and actually caused her ear canal to bleed. We were able to find an inexpensive pocket sized headphone amplifier with independent gain controls so she could listen to music LOUD enough to hear in her bad ear but too lound in the frequencies she can hear, and at a lower level in her good ear so as not to trash that hearing. Large over the ear phones kind of work with her hearing instrument but feedback is an issue. Hmmm the extra small ear gels might almost fit over the "dome" and if could lock on securely [^o)] could work for that but would need to have part of the gel cut away to let the sounds she can hear through. I think the Klipsch gels are patented for medical use .... Mark? Any thoughts.

Now for music listening with 'phones which she loves and calls our x10's hers... we forgot to ask about a tele coil and the audiologist didn't mention it but allows one to use a hearing aid with a phone ... now if a tiny tube to position where the phone could pick up the sound... maybe the output of the 'phone could be fed directly into the hearing instrument (sort of) but how to get bass requiring a seal? 16 bands of EQ available and 4 programs though she's only using 2 currently but needs a third for loud music (church organ where she just turns it off) maybe the 4th for 'phone music. Unfortunately her audiologist is about an hour ~ hour and 1/2 away (rush hour) as her last appointment ws 8 Am but their server was down and could basically do nothing but we weren't smart enough to ask her questions but no access to the programming so she really couldn't do anything. Her hearing "instrument" at least in pairs has a bluetooth option through a wireless remote to send sound from mp3 to said "instrument" but didn't think to ask if it could work with one and probably requires an even more expen$ive model [] but may be built in and just need the remote. Doh! Always forget to ask the questions when we need to when at the medical professional's office.

Sorry for the rambling and good luck in your quest. It took me quite awhile to get there with the Custom 2 (ordered them the night before they were offically on sale ) The x10's must stick 'em in and your're therre. I've not had any issues with keeping them in place doing yard work and the like, under over the ear hearing protection though I can get a good enough seal for great bass it still doesn't block out enough of the sound. New muffler etc on the #^%$ lawn tractor and it's still ~ 100 db at the drivers seat. [:|] Not sure the new muffler helped with that the old one was totally shot. May need to have that checked next time I get it infor sevice. #&%@ muffler more than a car muffler and they no longer make the one for our model so use a different with an adaptor so maybe there's a leak somewhere. Havent noticed any but no noticable (but maybe measuralbe?) difference in noise as more like. $$ for a new muffler the old one basically disintegrated when removed to get to the clutch that needed replacing so had to be replace. I've not been able to sleep lately and come out to get my mp3 to put on some nice soothing music to aid sleep... though some medicinal assistance may also be in order.

[WMcD]

It took a lot of playing with my Image 1 to get a good seal. Even when it seems correct, it was not long lasting.

The problem, for me, was to get the major axis of the earplug twisted to the correct position. You can get a good seal when the axis is not correct or almost correct, but then it will tend to pop out. For example, the left was good and had a long lasting seal but the right was good but would pop out.

The trick was to compare the geometry of the left to the right.

Of course the Image have an over the ear loop. This too has be fiddled with.

Once set up, the Image works for me even with a lot of exercise.

WMcD