Well, all's well that ends well... albeit expensively well. I've not had a set of custom moulds made for the X10s from here: http://www.audiorelief.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?cPath=27&products_id=39 It kind of defeats one of the main purposes of the Images, namely how magnificent the isolation/attenuation is with the sleeves that come with them, and the fact they get inserted so deeply and comfortably in your ear canal... but I'm now on my 3rd set having returned two with cable issues

just a short note to say i've now sent back my second pair of images to the retailer because of faults that developed - first time it was the jack, and second time it was the left bud - sound became intermittent and cut out altogether for long spells. on both occasions i got the splitting on the strain relief on both buds, which gradually deteriorated. it's an awesome product but from my perspective i have serious issues with their reliability and durability.

my first pair developed a problem with a loose connection in the curved strain relief near the jack, and hey presto, i've got the same 'splitting' problem in the replacement pair. i've just gone and bought some adhesive rubber tape this time and wrapped them to reinforce it - it looks rubbish but nobody can see it cos they're inserted deep enough that all you can see is the cord. i love them but i do think this is a genuine flaw and as noted above, it does affect their resale

my left image bud has, as I say in the title, died. my ear must have still been wet from the shower, and before I realised, the sound disappeared. it's now 3 days later - they're sat drying on a shelf, and while you can just about hear something from it when the volume is full blast, it's essentially silent. so - how long should I wait? am I doing something wrong?

i've clipped the end of the rubber back now. they sound awesome and my feedback is that you might want to use a more resilient material on the connectors. but they're still nothing short of awesome and credit to you for a fantastic product.

hi - amy, anyone? should we send the product back?

did you get an answer on whether this is a return issue, professor thump?

Hi again Amy For future reference, a couple of questions... Is it possible to buy XL versions of the ear gels (particularly the double flanges) - i.e. a size bigger than the ones that come with the earphones as standard? And also - where can you buy ear gels full stop? Say I lose them - where do I go to buy replacements? I couldn't find a relevant section on the klipsch online store. Cheers Roy

The sound certainly hasn't been affected Professor Thump - I never actually asked to return them to be honest - just how to repair it or replace the rubber. To clarify - (as directed in the little manual that came with them, and via the tips from amy on this forum), I've been gripping the body of the connector section when inserting and removing the earphones (the bit that doesn't flex next to the metal end section). When inserting, I moisten the ear gel a little, insert them at an angle

oh, and by the way, the sound remains flawless. when using them, I clip the ipod nano to my lapel. when my commute is done, they go back in the case. no way i'm going to abuse something I paid so much money for.