Headphones

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

blsamuel — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:54:48 GMT

Dreven:
This is everything I could find with a half hour of goofing off. Funny thing was this guy "I listened to prototypes of these phones this summer" seems to have posted the same thing in so many different places. I smell a plant. hehe ...

Dreven,

That could've been me as I posted in a couple of different sites. Also could've been somebody else as I've seen some other posts by people who tried the prototypes and I'm not sure I posted in more than 2 to 3 sites. I wouldn't call it a plant as I have no real incentive.

I've been a big fan of Klipsch for years, and was just blown away by the IMAGE prototype I was able to try The Custom 1 prototype was also amazing. Very few new products are as exciting. AWESOME sound and INCREDIBLE comfort in an insanely tiny package.

It was also really cool and a lot of fun to listen to Professor Thump explain what they were trying to do for a product not yet on the market, or even announced to the market. How many companies show new stuff to their fans before it's announced? Not many I'm sure. Naturally we all signed a non-disclosure agreement but it's still amazing they have that much trust.

It was hard not to tell people about such cool new stuff.

I ended up getting the Custom 2 when they first became available... probably would've got the image is my budget would've allowed but the Custom 2 is a good compromise. The closest to the sound of the IMAGE and probably the closest to the comfort. The IMAGE wins out for absolute comfort and ease of use.

Ben

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Dreven — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:39:13 GMT

Thanks. Well, I got them. I'm gonna make a new thread for this in just a sec.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

baglunch — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:02:15 GMT

Well done Dreven! I can see this thread becoming a "must see" waypoint for people looking for additional Image info. I hope this forum allows search engines to crawl it. Perhaps I should contribute something meaningful for posterity? Well, once I get my pair, I will.

In addition to your thoughts and comparisons, I'll be able to toss in my impressions compared with Senn595s, Grado SR60s, Koss KSC75s, and my memories of the Shure E4cs, from my computer with and without my DAC and amp, and from my PMP (Cowon A2). Can you just see my wife's eyes rolling already? Audio geekery makes me happy.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Professor Thump — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:08:41 GMT

Wow Dreven! You have really done your homework. It seems like you have found a lot of reviews since you realized that they have just been released. Good for you! I can't wait to hear your reviews once you get a chance to stick them in your ears!

From one of your links there was an especially nice review that makes my day.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826779001

"Review Summary (read all 2 Reviews, write a review)

5 ===========100%
4                              0%
3                              0%
2                              0%
1                              0%

Product Rating:
Total Reviews:	2

Awesome

Reviewed By: DG on 1/4/2008 Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month This user purchased this item from Newegg.com

Pros: These things rock. They are small, very lightweight, and produce some amazing sound. I've used a variety of IEM's and these are the best by far. Comfort is amazing, I'll forget they are in my ears. These put to shame my studio monitor headphones. I heard things from these headphones where I haven't in others. They bring out the details amazingly. The highs are bright and crisp, the bass is tight and hits hard, gives you that pounding feeling within your head. I feel like I'm at a concert.
Cons: Some line cord noise if your walking around...but thats like any IEM if they don't wrap around your ear.
Other Thoughts: Some might think they are a little bright, but it's most likely from not really hearing a good set of speakers before. If you hear distortion from these, your headphone amp is too weak to drive them properly. I've cranked it up and they play clean to volumes I can't stand more then a second. "

Nuff Said...

Enjoy your Klipsch headphones.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Dreven — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:00:51 GMT

This is everything I could find with a half hour of goofing off. Funny thing was this guy "I listened to prototypes of these phones this summer" seems to have posted the same thing in so many different places. I smell a plant. hehe
On some places there's a user account and the last activity date will be the date he made his review/post: "Last Activity: Sep 6, 2007 09:13 AM"

The reviewer that said "...when we turned the volume up to the maximum setting on the iPhone, we could hear the driver sputtering, the bass apparently too much for the little speaker" --- Yeah I'm going to test that out for sure and I have a theory that's BS. All other comments I've seen go the other way. I could use the same comment about the Bose In-Ear too. With the Bose it seems like the average db level has a major effect on if this happens or not. Now that I've been looking at it, the ripping and encoding seems to have a lot to do with it.

I wish I had something besides an Ipod so I could get raw WAV's onto an MP3 player. I don't even have a portable CD player anymore. Although I do rip all of my own CD's at 320kb/s (Lame) as a long term storage (quality) pre-caution.

Hehe... I have a lot of toys (my own "man room" with a 360, PS3, LazyBoy and 32" LCD) but this is the only exciting thing I've had to look forward to this week. And really quality IE's/Earbuds are something I've never gotten and always wanted.

Professional (?) Reviews
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Specific.aspx?ArticleId=21960&PageId=0
Everything I threw at these earphones was handled beautifully. The intangible that is hard to describe here is the soundstage - the effect of being able to visually place each instrument and vocalist in and around your head (especially when you close your eyes.) Granted, it always seems easier to do this with a good set of earphones than with traditional speakers - but the sound stage created with the Klipsch IMAGE earphones was just remarkable.

http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/8540.html
...when we turned the volume up to the maximum setting on the iPhone, we could hear the driver sputtering, the bass apparently too much for the little speaker. This was incredibly disappointing for a couple reasons: First, we’ve never heard a pair of high-end (Read: over $150) earphones sputter. Ever. Normally, the impedance is low enough that when listening to a low-amplification device (like an iPhone or any other personal media player), we are able to get to the max volume with full clarity, and still feel like we could go higher if the device was capable. Second, on high-amplification devices, like a computer or a home stereo, we are usually unable to get much farther than 50 percent volume before it becomes too loud for our ears to take. But the clarity remains a constant, something that was not the case with the IMAGE earphones.

http://www.thestreet.com/funds/goodlife/10393941.html

Customer Reviews:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16826779001
"I've cranked it up and they play clean to volumes I can't stand more then a second"
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000WAHFBK/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
http://www.hawkee.com/shop/prod/2718851/reviews/
http://newwebmakers.com/bookstore/index.cgi?item_id=B000WAHFBK&search_type=AsinSearch&locale=us

Forum Talk:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/klipsch-image-impressions-280503/
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f95/klipsch-image-earphone-review-269922/
http://www.podcentral.ph/viewthread.php?tid=4724
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/593319
http://www.ipmart-forum.com/showthread.php?t=184080

Reader Comments (mostly the same 6-Set of reviews recyled - I think the originals were copied from Amazon.com?)
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2007/09/klipsch_unveils_image_inear_earphones.html
http://gadgets.fosfor.se/klipsch-image/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/30/klipschs-image-earphones-deemed-worlds-smallest/#comments
http://www.puters.biz/B000WAHFBK/Klipsch_IMAGE_Noise_Isolating_Earphone.html
http://www.ipodbible.com/index.php?c=ipodshuffle&n=13825671&i=B000WAHFBK&x=Klipsch_IMAGE_Noise_Isolating_Earphone
http://www.advancingwomen.com/electronicshop/?Operation=ItemLookup&ItemId=B000WAHFBK
http://www.buyzillion.com/B000WAHFBK/Klipsch+IMAGE+Noise+Isolating+Earphone.html
http://pdalaptop.com/laptopaccs-172630-B000WAHFBK-Klipsch_IMAGE_Noise_Isolating_Earphone.html

Votes (no review):
http://hifi-ring.com/2007/11/11/klipsch_image_worlds_smallest_earphones_now_shipping.html

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

baglunch — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:29:38 GMT

Ha-ha, Dreven, I'm looking forward to your Images coming in, too.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Dreven — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:19:08 GMT

I'm really wanting my set to come in. UPS drove by a second ago and got me all excited - it's tomorrow though.
Looking around:

Sensitivity: 110 db
Impedance: 50 ohms
Weight: 0.353 oz / 10 grams

Sound Pressure Level Recommended Maximum Exposure Per Day
90dB ______ 8 Hours
95dB ______4 Hours
100dB _____2 Hours
105dB _____1 Hours
110dB _____30 Minutes

Manual:
http://www.klipsch.com/media/products/owners-manuals/ImageOwnersManual.pdf

-----------------------------------------------

You know the manual says they come with 10 tips. I've seen it listed as 5 in 6 tips through various sellers (guess I'll find out tomorrow).

Hmm... these have a 50 ohm impedance By comparison the Shure E2C's have a 16 Ohm impedance, the Shure SE530PTH's have a 32 ohm impedance, the Bose In-Ear have a 42 ohm impedance, the ultimate Ears Tripple.fi 10's have a 22 Ohm Impedance. I guess 50 ohms isn't horrible, the white cheap buds that come with Ipods have a 32 ohm impedance. I have no idea how much impedance really effects ipod battery life though - I wish I could find a chart where someone tested it out. This is interesting though (a plus for the high 50 Ohm impedance, aside from the fact that higher impedance usually means better sound quality?):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod
The third generation iPod had a weak bass response, as shown in audio tests.^[38]^[39] The combination of the undersized DC-blocking capacitors and the typical low-impedance of most consumer headphones form a high-pass filter, which attenuates the low-frequency bass output. Similar capacitors were used in the fourth generation iPods.^[40] The problem is reduced when using high-impedance headphones and is completely masked when driving high-impedance (line level) loads, such as an external headphone amplifier. The first generation iPod shuffle uses a dual-transistor output stage^{[citation needed]} rather than a single capacitor-coupled output, and does not exhibit reduced bass response for any load.

Weight: Having trouble really comparing. The Shure E4C's say 34 grams, the Bose 64 grams (if I'm seeing that right). Even compared to the Shure's - these seem like they'll weigh half as much. The Etymotic Research ER4P only say "less than one oz." which probably means they weigh at least twice as much as the Images. Looks like these should be really light - and that should mean some great comfort. You still have the cable weight pulling on them though since these aren't the ear-wrap type I suppose.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Amy Unger — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:16:28 GMT

baglunch:
My complaining about a lack of reviews comes more from a "squirming in my chair eager"

Understood!

baglunch:
Unfortunately, I'm in Canada, and Klipsch.com only sells to the US. This is where my customer service troubles with support@klispch.com comes in.

I understand that as well. I wish we could sell direct into Canada, but sales channel conflicts prevents us. If I can help in any way with finding a dealer, please let me know.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

baglunch — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:08:33 GMT

My complaining about a lack of reviews comes more from a "squirming in my chair eager" but still hesitant buyers perspective, and not from a disgruntled or skeptical perspective. I know more reviews will appear as time rolls on, but you know.... me me me, now now now.

Amy, thanks for your info. Unfortunately, I'm in Canada, and Klipsch.com only sells to the US. This is where my customer service troubles with support@klispch.com comes in. Ultimately, I'm left with ordering online from resellers with various return policies, and generally restocking and reshipment fees. So I'm looking for all the information I can get before making the plunge. And looking for a deal.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Amy Unger — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:54:40 GMT

Thanks for the heads up on the typ-o, I fixed it

And yes, these are very new for us--they are just getting out of the gate! Do let us know what you think...

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Dreven — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:51:32 GMT

Yeah I missed that and your price is the same as Newegg's.

You know, I only started looking a few days ago and didn't notice until last night exactly how new these headphones were! The "now shipping" press release is from December 18th. Complaining about a lack of reviews seems stupid now (pardon myself).

BTW - that press release has a type-o. It says "December 2008" not "December 2007"
http://www.klipsch.com/news-center/press-releases/details/klipsch-unveils-image-world-s-smallest-lightest-in-ear-earphones.aspx

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Amy Unger — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:23:44 GMT

baglunch:
And I wish there was a "test drive" like you mentioned.

If you purchase from us and do not like them, there is a 30-day money back guarantee!

We do have units out for review...more should be popping up soon.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Dreven — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:07:18 GMT

Yep, I will. I'm really wanting to set them down right next to my Bose, Sennheiser and Sony in-ears too - just to see in person how small they reall look next to some common cheaper units. I'll stick up a picture of that as well. Someone did that here in another thread but it was next to a pair of Etymotic Research ER4S's - at least the Red/Blue color thing looked like Etymoic's. I think that's the other brand/model that also claims to be "the smalled" IE's on the market.

PS. If you have a Fry's Electronic's in your area - they carry all the Shure IE's in store - up to the $499 tripple driver's. Although they add another $100 to the price over their online (outpost.com) price. Also, if you have a Guitar Center (guitarcenter.com) store near you - they carry a little higher end IE's than retail stores like Circuit City or Best Buy (who seem to end their selection range at the $99 Bose).

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

baglunch — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:33:30 GMT

Great, I look forward to your thoughts, especially how the Images compare to the sound of your Senns! I really like the highs and mids, staging and resolution, even the overall comfort of my Senns, but I'm not content with the bass... there's just not enough of it. And I can't wear them more than a couple hours without a rest. They're really good.... but not good enough. So, please post your initial thoughts, and then follow up in a week or two with any follow-up thoughts.

Re: Klipsch Image - My thoughts before they arrive ($100 Newgg.com Price drop also)

Dreven — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:30:01 GMT

Yeah - that was totally weird! I saw the price had gone back up today at work! Yesterday was a holiday (MLK)... could that have had something to do with it?

I'm sorry you missed it. [:'(]

I hae to just give an image line - inserting it gets the prices clipped off.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/8465/orderkj3.jpg
(OK, I paid an extra $5 for UPS 2-Day and an extra $3 for rush processing. )

Just today I was making home-made soup before my wife got home and cleaning the kitchen up (the mess I was making, doing the dishes etc). I was in the kitchen for a couple of hours and had my Bose In-Ear headphones on. When I was done, I yanked them out - my right ear was actually hurting. Maybe I only noticed that more now because of all the reading and thinking I've been doing about IE's the last few days. And, BTW - for some reason the Bose sounded really "muddy" to me today. The base on them is excellent (really 'thumps') but the mids and highs get a weird muffled sound to them IMHO. They still sound much better than the Sennheiser MX-300's to me though. My best reference for goot sound is my Sennheiser HD-555 open cans. I got them about 3 years ago I think. At the time they were going for $170. Looks like you can get them for $99 now. I'm surprised they model hasn't been retired after 3 years...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106392&Tpk=HD-555

Anyway, my guess is those shipped out in the later afternoon today because even though they were listed as shipped when I got home at 3:00PM CST, there still is not an order number. So, my guess is they'll arrive Thursday. As soon as I get them - I'll probably try wearing them at work the next day for a very long time and then post my impressions of them.