Image S4 vs my dog

[_idle_]

Sometime last night my Klipsch S4 headphones got into a dispute with my dog and lost.

My dog is 12 years old and has never really had any events of chewing like this. He pulled them off my bedside table and chewed them into pieces. I found parts of them all over my room.

I have only had them for 4 months and they sounded amazing compared to any other set I have tried. I guess once the initial shock subsides I will have to look into replacing them.

Although I was very pleased with the s4 I am wondering how much of a difference it would make to step up to the X5. I have a tight budget but sound has always been the one area I am willing to shell out for. I guess my question is how much nicer do the X5's sound compared to their extra cost (for someone who will struggle to pay the extra cost)

[jacksonbart]

sounds like it would be the full cost of the X5s

[BLSamuel]

Just in case I'd 1st check with Klipsch support if purchased in US or seller if purchased in another country. Never hurts to ask. Worse thing that can happen is to be totally ignored. Warranty's probably don't cover chewing by the family dog. A thought that occurred to me after I loaned my Image X10 to a coworker to try a few weeks ago [] since replace under warranty due to splitting strain reliefs []

"... my 'phones fought the dog and the dog won..." (sorry couldn't resist [:$])

Image X5 all the way. I think they sound better than even the Image X10. And have rarely been found on sale by authorized retailer / reseller. I think close out on older packaging maybe upgrading with improvements such as changes to address occasional splitting strain reliefs?

Yes they cost a LOT more. Well worth it IMVHO if you can afford it.

Differences compared to S4 (my opinion - even less sample time with S4 than X5 but also based on design)

• S4 may have more bass. But probably more boomy. Not as tight and detailed. X5 may actually dig deeper in bass but will be faster, cleaner, etc
• S4 designed for portable music players meaning probably more forgiving and will hide flaws in playback system X5 will very accurately put in your ears
• If you think the S4 are light and comfortable... the X5 are a whole higher level
• S4 uses "standard" micro speaker drivers (not standard as much better than standard ear buds and probably much better than much of the competition at or even well above the cost)
• X5 uses a high quality armature. Uber higher level of performance over micro drivers. Armatures are used in high quality hearing aids. They are tiny.

YMMV. I have the Custom 2 and Image X10 (just got replaced under warranty). I MUCH prefer the sound of the less expensive X5 over the X10. My brief audition of the S4 and S2 before they were really available was very brief but impressions was probably can'[t be beat for the co$t. The new S3 is supposed to be better than the S2 at the same cost and comes in colors.

The S4 is very good mid-fi while the X5 probably enters the high end of in ear 'phones.

My 0.0002 dB (I should get a commission for all this proseltyzing...)

[BLSamuel]

Just in case I'd 1st check with Klipsch support if purchased in US or seller if purchased in another country. Never hurts to ask. Worse thing that can happen is to be totally ignored. Warranty's probably don't cover chewing by the family dog. A thought that occurred to me after I loaned my Image X10 to a coworker to try a few weeks ago [] since replace under warranty due to splitting strain reliefs []

"... my 'phones fought the dog and the dog won..." (sorry couldn't resist [:$])

Image X5 all the way. I think they sound better than even the Image X10. And have rarely been found on sale by authorized retailer / reseller. I think close out on older packaging maybe upgrading with improvements such as changes to address occasional splitting strain reliefs?

Yes they cost a LOT more. Well worth it IMVHO if you can afford it.

Differences compared to S4 (my opinion - even less sample time with S4 than X5 but also based on design)

• S4 may have more bass. But probably more boomy. Not as tight and detailed. X5 may actually dig deeper in bass but will be faster, cleaner, etc
• S4 designed for portable music players meaning probably more forgiving and will hide flaws in playback system X5 will very accurately put in your ears
• If you think the S4 are light and comfortable... the X5 are a whole higher level
• S4 uses "standard" micro speaker drivers (not standard as much better than standard ear buds and probably much better than much of the competition at or even well above the cost)
• X5 uses a high quality armature. Uber higher level of performance over micro drivers. Armatures are used in high quality hearing aids. They are tiny.

YMMV. I have the Custom 2 and Image X10 (just got replaced under warranty). I MUCH prefer the sound of the less expensive X5 over the X10. My brief audition of the S4 and S2 before they were really available was very brief but impressions was probably can'[t be beat for the co$t. The new S3 is supposed to be better than the S2 at the same cost and comes in colors.

The S4 is very good mid-fi while the X5 probably enters the high end of in ear 'phones.

My 0.0002 dB (I should get a commission for all this proseltyzing...)

[_idle_]

Thanks for the reply. I do plan on at least talking to the store I bought them from (Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto). I don't expect them to do anything for me but you never know they may offer me some kind of discount or something.

Earlier today I was talking to a freind of mine who is a proffessional musician and he was telling me that he is not familiar with Klipsch (except that he knows they are good quality) but that he highly recommended the M-Audio series of in ears. I have not listened to any of the M-Audio ones but I have listened to several different brands in the $100 - $150 range and nothing sounded as good as the S4's to me. But what do I know, I'm just a music fan.

I think the IE-10's are around the same price point as the S4's. Anyone familiar with them? My friend has the IE 20XB which would be more in the price range of the X5. Can anyone offer an unbiased comparison?

I wouldn't hesitate to replace my S4's but I am also getting the urge to go with the X5 if I can find a set for a resonable price.

[_idle_]

By the way, I also was looking at the Custom-3's that are for sale on Amazon for $109. I know they are not from an authorized dealer and that is making me a bit nervous, but for such a good price it might be worth the risk.

[BLSamuel]

By the way, I also was looking at the Custom-3's that are for sale on Amazon for $109. I know they are not from an authorized dealer and that is making me a bit nervous, but for such a good price it might be worth the risk.

The Custom-3 are very sweet! I've only auditioned very briefly but the concencus is they have the best sound but do take some work to get a good seal. I know. I've owned the Custom 2 since 1st available. The X5 sound very similar to the Custom 3 to me though the X5 are much easier to get correct seal. For must, myself included, just stick the X5 and X10 in your ear and you're good tog.

At that price might be worth the risk. Best case legitimate product but grey market and no warranty but no longer available so then sound quality wise worth the risk .... [:'(] Worst case counterfeit but I've not really read of any cases of counterfiet Klipsch 'phones but being produced in China.... and you'd be out $109

[_idle_]

I've been searching the net for 2 hours and can not come up with any info, blogs, forum post on fake Klipsch earphones. Lof references to other brands but so far not Klipsch.

On the other hand, reading about the kind of cable issues many have had with these earbuds, knowing there will be no support is tough. Without knowing how others have treated their equipment, I do wonder though can't you just be careful with them and they should be fine.

[BLSamuel]

I've been searching the net for 2 hours and can not come up with any info, blogs, forum post on fake Klipsch earphones. Lof references to other brands but so far not Klipsch.

On the other hand, reading about the kind of cable issues many have had with these earbuds, knowing there will be no support is tough. Without knowing how others have treated their equipment, I do wonder though can't you just be careful with them and they should be fine.

Yep. Never seen anything about counterfeit Klipsch 'phones. Grey market seems to be more of a concern and I suspect only a really small % have the cable issues. A few have received really bad cables with replacements. Something that obviously slipped through quality control. Maybe a few bad cables to begin with, again slipped through quality control so maybe a few sets that were to be destroyed got put back into the normal production stream?

And remember, althouh my X10 strain reliefs split, they didn't seem to get worse after I noticed it.

My memory is short but I think there were fewer cable issues with the Custom series though there were a few. My Custom 2 used quite a bit for just over a year before getting the IMAGE and never looking back look and perform as out of the box. The biggest real issues seem to be non-authorized resellers in the US and varying levels of customer support for countries outside the US, neither of which Klipsch really has much control over unfortunately.

[skonopa]

By the way, I also was looking at the Custom-3's that are for sale on Amazon for $109. I know they are not from an authorized dealer and that is making me a bit nervous, but for such a good price it might be worth the risk.

The Custom-3 are very sweet! I've only auditioned very briefly but the concencus is they have the best sound but do take some work to get a good seal. I know. I've owned the Custom 2 since 1st available. The X5 sound very similar to the Custom 3 to me though the X5 are much easier to get correct seal. For must, myself included, just stick the X5 and X10 in your ear and you're good tog.

At that price might be worth the risk. Best case legitimate product but grey market and no warranty but no longer available so then sound quality wise worth the risk .... [:'(] Worst case counterfeit but I've not really read of any cases of counterfiet Klipsch 'phones but being produced in China.... and you'd be out $109

I have the Custom-3s and I really like them. They are actually two-way units (with seperate armatures for both the highs and lows). As far as getting a good seal, I found that the same eartip (the medium size) that I use on the S4s that I also have, gave me a much better seal and fit than the ones that originally came with the Custom-3s. Thus I went and ordered more medium-size eartips so I'll have plenty of spares.

Yes, those S4s are indeed some really nice earphones, considering the $80 price. To be honost, I figure they would be good when I bought a pair for use at the gym (as I did not want to use my $300 Custom-3s at the gym), but holy crap, I was not prepared at just HOW good those little S4s turned out to be. I actually did not find the bass on the S4s to be boomy at all. I've gotten a few of my friends go out and buy pairs for themselves as they were in the market for a decent, yet relatively inexpensive (read - less than $100) pair of headphones. They all were blown away at how awesome those things sounded, especially compared to the stock ones that came with thier MP3 players.

Also, by way of comparison, I managed to actually win a pair of S3s, which finally arrived earlier this week. I have the red ones. For a $50 pair of headphones, they really sound quite good. I'd be willing to put those up against headphones from other manufactures costing twice as much.

To anwer the post about buying a pair of Custom-3s for only $109 off of eBay. If they are indeed a legitimate pair (I've also never heard of rampant counterfieting of Klipsch product), I'd say go for it. By the way, Check out Amazon.com! It appears you could get them there for the same $109 - they may not be as sleek and stylish as the X5s, but these are some darn fine headphones and would be worth it for that money (only $20 more than buying a new set of S4s).

[_idle_]

I took another look on Amazon for the Custom 3's. The $109 is a good price but they want over $50 shipping to Toronto, which is a deal breaker for me. Tomorrow I will go back where I bought the S4's and see if I can reach a deal with them.