Need help for earphones

[teej]

Hi y'all, this is my first post on the forum. I've been considering the Klipsch Custom earphones, since Image is a bit out of my price range. My music is usually around 128-256kbp, and I listen to rock, R&B, hip hop, rap, pop, and even country or electronica. So I'm just wondering which earphone would be the best for me. I also heard that earphones that are "too good" will reveal the artifacts in low bit rate music, so I guess I don't want the earphones to be so good that it makes my music sound bad.

Has anyone compared these to other earphones such as the Shure SE210 &SE310, Westone UM1 and q-Jays? I couldn't seem to find many detailed reviews on these, let alone any comparisons.

Furthermore, does Custom-3 have 3 drivers and Custom-2 have 2? I recall that Custom-3 only had 2 drivers and Custom-2 had 1 when they first came out. Were there a new batch after that? If so when did that start?

Thanks in advance for your help .

[BLSamuel]

Teej,

Welcome to the Forum!

Custom 3 has 2 different drivers and a crossover. Custom 2 has 2 of the same drivers though I believer they're loaded differently. Custom 1 has 1 driver as do the Image models.

There are some links to reviews in other threads in the Headphones section. Poke around and you'll find a few as well as others' comments.

You may also want to consider the Image X5, a new model priced between the Custom 2 and Custom 3. They arre not quite as incredibly tiny as the original Image, since renamed the Image X10 but are still a lot smaller than the Custom models. The Image models are the most comfortable and easiest to use correctly for a proper seal for the best bass response.

I was able to try both the Image X10 and Image X5 at the recent Klipsch Pilgrimage and I think the Image X5 sound better in the highs, than the Image X10. I've owned the Custom 2 since they first came out and they are very good with awesome bass. The Image X5 bass is as good and probably better and the highs seemed much better and clearer sounding. The Image X10 are going to be the most comfortable as they're insanely tiny.

I'm not sure I could easily tell the difference between the bass of the Image X10 and Image X5 but really didn't spend enough time listening especially to the X10 as my daughter spent most of her time with the Image X10. She has really small ear canals requiring the extra small gels for the Image models and the body of the X5 were too big for her ears. That's not a problem with the Custom models as they seal in the outermost part of the ear canal while the Image models get their seal deaper in the ear canal pretty much disappearing in th ear, especially in the case of the Image X10.

For the absolute best sound, the Custom 3 are the way to go. If maximizing comfort is important and Image X10 are just too expensive, then you might wish to try the Image X5 and may like the sound better than the Image X10 though the bass of the Image X10 is supposed to be better.

I think Professor Thump has posted that the Image X10 is closest to the Custom 3 while the highs in the Image X5 is closest to the Custom 3. If the Custom 3 and Image X5 are out of your budget, the Custom 2 would be a good compromise. I think the Custom 1 should also do very well but will have less bass then the other models ard the highs won't be as clear as it's a lower cost single driver but I'm sure sounds amazing in it's own right, just not as amazing as the more expensive models.

Do be aware that getting the Custom models to seal correctly is difficult for some of us. The orignal Image X10 seem to work perfectly by just sticking them in your ears and are the easiest to forget that they're in your ears. The Image X5 maintain most, if not all, that ease of use and most of the comfort than the Image X10 at $100 less list price and may sound better than the Image X10, I think they do.

In any case, you can't go wrong with any of the models.

On behalf of Professor Thump, Stick it in your ear! You'll more than likely be glad you did.

[Lilfurbal]

Most of my music is ripped at 192 kbps mp3, some being as low as 128 and even on the Custom 3, the 'best sounding' of the headphones, they all sound great. I also listened to an Apple lossless ripped song and listened to that same song ripped a 192 kbps mp3 and couldn't tell the difference, not even with the Custom 3 headphones... so you'll be just fine. They say the Custom series headphones are suppose to get a good seal on the outer portion of the ear though I just can't figure out how so I have to stick mine in much farther than probably intended. Not the most comfortable things but they sure sound great with that good seal.

[teej]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm leaning towards the Custom-2 because I read in a thread here somewhere that they're less microphonic and better suited for working out. I would also like to buy the earphones within this week and the Image X5 doesn't seem to be available in Canada yet. Do you think that they're drastically better than the Custom-2s and worth the $50 upgrade? I don't want to go over $200 if I don't have to. I do like the idea of just sticking them in rather than fiddling with them though. How hard is it to fit the Custom-2 for you? Does it take a long time each time you put it in?

Also, can anyone comment on how rugged this is in everyday life? On paper all the earphones say that they're durable, but I've broken countless pairs. I take my iPod pretty much everywhere, and sometimes I'm not the most careful person (I've dropped all three of my iPods countless times).

[Lilfurbal]

For me with the Custom headphones they don't really take me a long time to put in and get a seal as long as I know what seal I'm going for and I left the headphones alone after the last use, such as kept the flexwire in the same place. then you just put it around your ear and stick it in. The initial fitting and also further tweaking around is sort of annoying though. Also these seem incredibly durable, I am very impressed with the build quality. The housing feels very sturd and solid, the flexwire seems reliable and strong and the cables are also nice and professional feeling with the cloth covering. It's still prolly not the best idea to shove them in your pockets though, I wouldn't do with just any pair of headphones. The pocket was reserved for those apple earbuds. The image headphones would probably be better for pocking storage if you so desire.

[BLSamuel]

I suspect the bendable wires as used in the Custom models can't be beat for hard workouts.

I don't think the Image X5 are available anywhere yet though they were available to try at the recent Klipsch Pilgrimage.

I think the Image X5 are better than the Custom 2 and would be worth the extra $50 to me at least. There may also be a promotion available when the Image X5 are launched. The Image X5 are clearer in the highs than the Custom 2 and even beat out the Image X10 in the highs. They should also be easier to use and more comfortable. For working out though, the Custom 2 may be better due to the bendable wire which will also allow you to keep them in lose if you want or need to hear what's around you.. I mostly use my Custom 2 while sitting at my desk so the Image X5 woud be better suited in that case.

Check out the other threads. I don't think you could go wrong with either choice.

[Coytee]

Also, can anyone comment on how rugged this is in everyday life?

I've got a pair of Custom 3's. I bought them specifically to drag on a vacation with me. Although I didn't use them in a day to day basis, I was on a 3 week trip, using them on the flight over (England), flight around (to Itlay and then to Istanbul) and on the flight home (from Istanbul) as well as various evenings when the wife was trying to rest from our exploits of the day.

At home, I use them when I'm out cutting the fields which can be SEVERAL hours at a whack. I wear them under some larger over-ear protection muffs I've got. I've used the over ear muffs for a long time and prefer the extra protection they give me from all the tractor & backhoe noise.

Although I've not treated mine 'rough', I've not really pampered them either and so far, the only issue I've had (which was MY fault I'll add), the cord that connects to the plug was kinked.

I don't really know what I did but right where the cord exits the plug, I managed to put a very distinct and firm 90 degree bend. This caused the protective jacket to (ever so slightly) pull out of the rubberized ... sleeve? I guess you'd call it.

Given the number of times I've snagged them getting on/off the tractor or mower or backhoe, given how I've snagged them while fiddling around I'm actually pretty tickled that I've not broken them yet. When I saw the kinked wire at the plug...it happend PRIOR to my 3 week trip and I had a sinking feeling that while I was gone it was going to fray a wire inside the sheath and I'd either have no sounds or one side playing or worse...crackling sound as I'd have an intermittent connection.

Fortunately, nothing like that happened at all and they're still going strong.

From my perspective, I'd say I'm at BEST "average" with taking care of them and (especically given their price and how some people might treat something that expensive), I'm probably rather rough with them. Absolutely no problems so far and I'd recommend them blindly to anyone that was inquiring about them.

Sign me up as a Happy (Thumped) customer

[Y]

[teej]

Thanks for the advice guys! I think I'm going to go with the Custom-2 because I think they're a great compromise between price and performance.

One last thing, can anyone comment on the bass of these things? I don't need head thumping bass, but just enough to make music fun to listen to. I'm not too big into the overly analytical earphones.

[Coytee]

If you can get them to seal, you can get excellent bass. Finding the right earpiece and it fitting you well is the key. I've got one that's perfect and one that isn't.

[jacksonbart]

and don't forget, you can't sit on them, you must place them in your ears.

[Lilfurbal]

Hm, despite having said the durability on the customs seems great, just had my first issue and I wasn't even doing anything but wearing them.

Nothing too drastic, but the copper ring where the flex wire comes out of like fell off. it's no longer secure and it just slides freely up and down the flexwire. Looks like it can be fixed with a bit of super glue, a VERY SMALL bit, super glue repairs scare me. I'd have to get some this weekend to try.

So, the little copper rings, not very secure. Certainly doesn't affect the great sound though.

[teej]

Alright you guys convinced me, I went out and got a pair of Custom-2 today . Initial impression was good, the medium tips that it came with seems 2 fit me, and it wasn't a hassle at all. After a couple hours of listening and walking around after dinner, I felt that the left ear tip was not secure. When I got home and started trying on different tips, that's when all the trouble started. I discovered that pretty much everything will fit in my right ear, and nothing will fit in my left ear securely. My last 2 earphones I always used the small tips, but on these earphones I think I need the large tip, which confused me. Can someone tell me how it feels to have a seal? I'm not sure if I have a seal or not, and the sound quality doesn't seem to differ much between the tips. It may also be the long time I take every time I switch ear tips that make it difficult to compare the sound quality. Are the tips suppose to be really deep in and stay there, or do they slide out a little after you push them in? It just got confusing and frustrating after a while and I decided to let it rest for tonight.

Also, is the warranty on the earphones 1 year or 2 years? The salesman said 1 year, but I recall reading it somewhere that it was 2 years.

[BLSamuel]

Teej,

They have to go in pretty deep for a correct seal, for me anyway. When they're sealed correctly, your voice will sound louder while others will be muffled. A good test is to lightly rub your fingers together near either ear. You should not be able to hear the rubbing if you've got a good seal. The bass is barely there without a seal and will even sound thin without a good seal.

Good look. It takes most of us some practice. I think it took me a couple of days before I got my Custom 2 stuck in deep enough for the best seal I can get. This thread is from my first couple of days use of the Custom 2 http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/97266/983308.aspx#983308

There is also an instructional video on the Klipsch How To Use page http://www.klipsch.com/headphones/how-to-use/ I think the Forum defaults to showing only the posts from the last 2 months - to see older posts click on the More Options button when in Headphones and then select Show All in the Date Filter drop down and click Apply. There are quite a few different posts on getting a good seal with the Custom models.

Stick 'em in your ears and enjoy.

[Lilfurbal]

You'll know when you have a great seal, your music will have a lot of life to it and it's very exciting to listen to. If you're not excited by what you hear then your seal is not where it should be. I can't get this type of seal unless I use the large single flange and stick them far into my ears, the double flanges don't even offer me as good a seal as I get with the single flange as those are smaller in size. It took me a good 2-3 weeks before figuring out how to consistently find this seal.

[teej]

Hmm the weird thing is that almost all sizes of the tips will somewhat fit and block ambient noise, it's just that for me left ear everything keeps slipping out. I think I'm going to change my eartips everyday, and see which one fits the best.

When I use the large double flange, it does seal quite well in my right ear, however, I can barely hear any sound coming from it while the loosely fitted left ear gets plenty of volume. Are you suppose to stick in that deep until the sound gets tiny?

Thanks for the suggestion blsamuel! I was wondering why the forum only had 1 page [:^)]

[BLSamuel]

When I use the large double flange, it does seal quite well in my right ear, however, I can barely hear any sound coming from it while the loosely fitted left ear gets plenty of volume. Are you suppose to stick in that deep until the sound gets tiny?

No. You've probably jammed it into the back of that part of the ear canal. Try backing it out a bit or more likely inserting with a slight upward angle as the ear canal in most people curves upward.