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Klipsch IMAGE Noise Isolating Earphone | 
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| Brand: Klipsch
Category: CE
List Price: $349.99
Buy New: $249.95
You Save: $100.04 (29%)
New (25)
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Color: black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 1.3 x 0.3 x 0.3
MPN: 1007328
Model: 1007328
UPC: 743878019544
EAN: 0043878019545
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Smallest in-ear headphone ever made | | • | Patented ear tip technology eliminates ear fatigue and discomfort ensuring optimal acoustic seal | | • | Compatible with all 3.5mm headphone jacks, including iPhone | | • | Extremely light | | • | Incredible acoustic performance from single armature design |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
sound-isolating earbud design * includes assortment of soft ear gels for a comfortable fit * extended-range KG926 balanced micro-armatures for transparent, natural sound * compatible with MP3 players and other portable devices with a stereo minijack, including the iPhone * full-size plug adapter and adapter for airline systems * leather-like carry case and compact pouch *
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 I am extremely happy with these earphones January 10, 2008
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
For the past two years I have been using Shure E2C earphones and have been very happy with them. But they broke three times on me (Shure did a great job of replacing them each time) and with the warranty ending I decided that I would retire these as my main earphones and use them as back ups for whatever earphones that I upgraded to. After looking and reading reviews I decided to get the Klipsch Custom 2 isolating earphones.
I am in love. I must, however, confess that I did not fall in love instantly. It took a while. When I bought the Shure E2Cs, all I had to do was pick out the right size of sleeve, pop them into my ears, and love the sound. The Klipsch earphones, on the other hand, are far more sensitive to placement within the ear and far more difficult to fine tune. The Shures are very tolerant to the angle you place them in the ear; the Klipsch have to be "just so" or they will not work well. It was also pretty difficult to find precisely which sleeves I should use. After three days of experimentation I landed on the large sleeves and it has been nothing but joy since then.
The sound of these earphones is infinitely better than that of the Shures, but the improvement is not as large as the jump from the earphones that came with my iPod (which are, I'm sure we can all agree, are pretty much crap) to the Shures. Going from Sony's earphones to the Shures was a titanic leap in quality. The jump to the Klipsch did not represent anywhere near as extreme an improvement. That being said, there is a definite and sharp improvement. I tested a number of songs ripped at 320 bps (using EAC rather than iTunes) and in every case the Klipsch earphones brought startling new levels of detail out in the music. For instance, if I played a song at a rather high volume over the Shures there was a fair amount of distortion. The same song played over the Klipsch resulted in nothing but clarity. On many rock songs, for instance, there is a presence to the bass drum that is entirely lacking on the Shures. I couldn't be happier with the sound. And because there is so little distortion I find listening to my iPod even less tiring than I did before.
There are a couple of design details that I really love. For instance, the wires are wrapped in cloth mesh rather than rubber or plastic. Living in Chicago, this is a very big deal. I mentioned that I had to have my Shures replaced three times. In each case it was because of a short in one of the wires. I believe that each time the short was caused because of inflexibility in the wires when the covering material became very brittle during extreme cold. But with the Klipsch's cloth mesh covering, this simply will not happen. I don't know if I will have to have these replaced at some point (and let's face it, one of the real problems of earphones is that they are fairly delicate), but there is no question that these are much more sturdily constructed.
The comparisons I have been making between the Shure E2Cs and the Klipsch Custom 2s isn't entirely fair. After all, I paid just under $100 for the Shures two years ago (the price has since dropped further) while I paid $199 for the Klipsch. A truly fair comparison would have been with the comparable Shure product, which I have no doubt is very fine. But I don't have the kind of cash that would allow me to be fair. I can say that for the money both earphones are outstanding. I was a bit hesitant to double the amount of money that I was going to spend on earphones, but am very happy that I did. I can enthusiastically recommend these earphones, though I urge patience in experimenting to see which pair of sleeves is best suited to the user's own particular ears.
The Most Comfortable Earbuds Ever! November 26, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This are, without question, the MOST comfortable in-ear headphones I have ever worn. The difference between the fit of these compared to other high-end earbuds is amazing! I have a pair of SE530s and have tried others such as the ER4-P, Triple.fi, and many others. I use to love switching back and forth between models and having them for different uses, but now after wearing the IMAGEs, I find myself disappointed when I am without them.
When I first used these, I thought they sounded a little muddy. The bass from the tiny things is unbelievable! Once I adjusted my EQ settings, they sounded fantastic. I would say that they aren't as accurate as the ER4-Ps or SE530s, but the comfort makes up for any accuracy they may be lacking!
The IMAGEs are very light weight and are hardly noticeable when you have them inserted properly. I prefer the two flanged tip over the single. I can get a proper seal every time, and they are very easy to take out and put back in. Nothing is more annoying than when you get that perfect seal and then some joker walks up and starts talking to you. I hate that when I am wearing my SE530s because they are such a pain to put in. Not a problem with these.
True, the retail on these is a little steep, but I promise you will not regret it! 5 stars for comfort, style, and sound quality.
4.25 Stars-- Good sounding and very very comfortable! February 27, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Sometimes a good product makes you want a great product. That is what the Klipsch IMAGE In Ear Monitors (IEMs) did for me. They were very good and made me consider even more expensive IEMs. Sounds crazy but a good product can satisfy you or make you want even better!
Alright now for the IMAGE review...
Overall
A winner. Doesn't try to be a details leader or super treble shining star or a sterile but trusted studio advisor but plays well with all the kids in the sandbox. The Image wins the "nice guy" award. You can place the Image with any of your music and the Image will play nice.
4+ stars out of five.
Soundstage
Really strong 360 degree feel but not too deep front or back or left or right-- a lot of the music is central and ambient sounds circle all around. There is more headstage than soundstage here-- my biggest quip. Reverb is pretty cool on songs where the digital damper pedal is pressed. There are some angles seemingly missed - Assuming 360 degree field then these angles have limited sound:
40 - 55
220 - 230
300 - 315
Possibly a seal issue? I don't know. Perhaps it is the music also. Perhaps it is the listener?
The ambient sounds come in and are times a little shocking-- I guess at least for a IEM noobie.
Sound Signature & Quality
Can't place it-- definitely reminds me of the Audio-Technicas W11JPNs-- not in sound signature but in terms of being a little hard to call out. But very fun to listen to. Perhaps decay is a hair longer than on "fast" phones (I am not even sure this is true-- that is that some phones are faster or slower than others but) the Image's a little slower *OR speed neutral* -- nothing in a bad way. The Sony CD3000s are my baseline and they are faster than most. I do think these are faster than the AKG K701s so perhaps they are speed neutral.
Certainly a midrange and lower bias. I would not call it a treble veil or dark in any way but rather no treble shimmer. I have briefly heard the Sennheiser 650s (no amp mind you) and they do not sound like the 650s in terms of treble veil or darkness.
BIGGEST POINT-- Bass is a powerful prescription for all that ails. And so fun and engaging.
Epilogue
Like any good phone it makes you rediscover your music collection. Well I am listening to songs I have not heard for some time. Really fun and enjoying old tunes.
A tad expensive-- who knows perhaps a $90 IEM would sound as good? Since I have not heard one I cannot say. It would be cool to save $200+ bucks-- perhaps I should find out. (I won't -- I am going to spend even more on another IEM).
Yes they are comfortable-- but compared to what?? Well compared to my expectations. Edit: I have tried the Klipsch Custom 3's and I could not get a seal or any of the comfort features found with the IMAGEs. They are the leader in comfort and ease of use.
And yes they do very well with acoustic music -- focus on guitar and drums. Good on women sopranos and dudes. Not too sure on altos given my comment about the lack of treble shimmer. Also they resolve OK-good and never come across as muddy but on certain songs all the sounds stick together-- again no muddy but not a lot of resolution either.
Wish you the best in your purchase!!
Klipsch Image ongoing review April 7, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This review runs a little long, because it was originally written for a forum [...] where detailed audio reviews are important, and copy / pasted here. Short answer is hearty thumbs-up. 5 stars.
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I just got my Klipsch Image IEMs in the mail last night. I've been tremendously excited about getting them, lusting through the weeks after any scrap of information I could get on them until that frightening moment I clicked the "Buy" button. So, I'm not pretending to review these objectively yet, I'm still in the "they're here! they're here!" phase, but I thought it would be interesting to document my observations as they evolve, as they have done in the hours that I've spent with the Images so far.
Current overall impression (with over a month of use): 9.5 out of 10 stars
Some background:
About a year and a half ago, I had a brief encounter with a pair of Shure E4c IEMs. Bought them used off craigslist, sold them the same way. I didn't like how they felt. Didn't like the sound. Not enough bass. Excellent for Vivaldi, not so much for M.I.A. But mostly, I couldn't stand to wear them for more than half an hour at a time, and then I had to spend a couple minutes each time trying to get them in properly. Not a convenient IEM, not the sound I wanted.
Since then I've had a pair of Grado SR60s and Sennheiser HD595s, and picked up a maxxed-out AlienDAC and MisterX XP-based amp, been generally happy with everything, but with the head-fi itch, I wanted more. There wasn't enough bass. The headband presses against my head and over the span of 8 hours gives me a headache and flattens my hair. They slide off my head if I look up, down, stretch, etc. I wanted to try IEMs again, and the timing was such that Klipsch was building a buzz about the Images so I spent a good deal of time investigating them. Dramatic bass? Surprising comfort? Good reviews.....hmmm....
Enough history, Impression #1 "Opening the box":
Well, yes, lots of packaging, lots of small bits of tape, obstacles obstacles. Done! In my ears with the default tips, and the sound? It's... alright. Highs are clear and well rendered, mids too, but rolling off quickly as mids turn to low and not much low to speak of. I quickly go through all the tips and meet with the best results on the large double flange tips, but I'm still not especially excited. Certainly not as much as I wanted to be. So for sound, I'd give them a 4 out of 10. Comfort? They are uncomfortable. Not as bad as I remember the E4c's being, but I don't understand how anyone can forget they are there. Perhaps it takes time getting used to. Let you know how it goes. Comfort: 5 out of 10. Wire is much shorter than I'm used to from the Grados and Senns, but I suppose they are geared toward more mobile uses where a long cord would just get in the way. It's long enough, just shorter than I was expecting.
Overall first impression: 4.5 out of 10
Impression #2, "The next day":
I've worn them on and off throughout the workday today, played with tips some more, and discovered that I need to shove them much farther into my ear than I'd thought. The sound is substantially better. There's not much of a sense of soundstage, I don't get the impression of "the lead guitar over in that corner, the drums are over here", but the sound quality itself is good. Sounds are crisp, subtle background noises in the music come through well, and the bass has finally come to the party. It's still not the "it sounds like I should be feeling it in my chest too" that I've read from others, but it's dramatically better than it was. Doing A/B with my 595s, the Image's bass is much better. The only thing I haven't liked about the sound in my 595s has been the relative lack of bass. So I'm pleased the Images pick up that slack.
Sound: 8 / 10
Comfort-wise, they are still not comfortable. I really have to shove them as far into my ear as I can to get a proper seal, and the outward pressure inside my ear is still a new and generally unpleasant experience. But there's a lot to be said for them being IEMs, and not pressing the temples of my glasses into my ears and head like regular headphones do.
Comfort: 6 /10
So overall second impression: 7.5 /10 (weighted average)
Impression #3, about a week later
I've been using the Images for a about a week now. I'd been using them at my desk at work, hooked to my computer, and I decided to try them out on the bus ride home last night. I'd tried the various other tips from time to time, and had left on the medium sized buds, that come on them in the package. And I got a seal! Repeatedly! I guess I hadn't understood what soozieq meant by twisting them "towards you", but it worked! Basically, pretend there's a pole sticking through one ear and out the other... that's your axis of rotation. Try putting the headphones in, and rotating them clockwise or counterclockwise around that axis. Not very far, a quarter turn or less. I've had no luck doing the "pull out slightly" method, but the twisting method works well for me.
So I have a seal with the regular buds. In the past few days, I've found the good bass, although strangely, I can really only get it by NOT using my DAC and amp, but rather by plugging straight into the audio out on the front of my computer. So I'm having to choose between good bass, and clean sound. But plugging the Images into my A2 when I was on the bus, the sound is wonderful. I wish I could use my A2 at work, but I'm an computer animator and I need to hear the sound clips on the computer as I scrub back and forth across my animation. If I can't figure out how to get good bass out of my DAC and amp, they may find themselves on the for sale forum, along with my 595s.
I still get better sound from my earlier method of ramming the double flanges deep into my ear, but I really think I am very close to poking my eardrum and it's not all that comfortable anyway. I'm looking forward to playing around more with the regular buds. I've already sent in the request for the 2 free ear gels as being the large double flanges... who knows, maybe I'll still stick with those for superior SQ.
So I've found the good bass, managed to get a good seal from the regular buds, what's my thoughts now?
Sound: 9/10 (probably should be higher, but my setup is limiting me)
Comfort: 7/10 (getting better... my ears are still not used to having these in them, but I can see how the regular gels will be more comfortable)
Overall third impression: 8.5/10
I'm much happier with them now than I've been since getting them, and considering how much they cost, I feel like I need to be pretty happy with them to justify keeping them. I know audio gets a lot more expensive than a pair of $350 headphones, but not for me. I can't imagine there being more than one more follow-up impression to this review, as I become more (or less?) comfortable wearing these.
And I intend to post a review comparing these in more detail to my 595s, KSC75s, and the Grado SR60s that I sold to the guy that sits next to me at work, DAC'd, amp'd, and not.
Final impression, a month and a bit later
Unless there is interest in my doing a thorough listen thru my setup, I'd prefer to sum up with saying that I wish I could wear these all the time. Listening to the Images for a while and then going the 595s makes me feel like I'm missing out on something with the 595s. The 595s have a much more recessed sound, possibly due to the differences between IEMs vs headphones, and not an issue particularly with the 595s. My setup is not extensive enough to test this, but the verdict remains. The music sounds how I want it to with the Images.
I can't give them a 10/10, though because of a couple usability issues. One: I can't wear them for more than a couple hours at a time. Just the feeling of them in my ears, the pressure of having "something" in my ear canal will give me a headache if I wear them longer in a single stretch. Two: microphonics. As long as I'm sitting forward so the cord doesn't touch anything, things are great, but if I lean back and the cord drapes across my shirt, the crunching grinding muttering of the cord transmits right across everything any time I move at all, and I move a lot. I'm a fidgeter, bouncing a leg, bouncing to the music, looking around, or just moving my head a bit to look at various parts of the screen.
However, despite those two annoyances, which I expect are common to IEMs, and not particularly the fault of the Images, IEMs DO have killer qualities of staying in your ears when you stretch, and not placing pressure anywhere else on your head (ears, scalp), which, come to think about it limits my headphone listening time to a couple hours at a go, too... but do yourself a favor if you've never tried IEMs... don't try eating with them in. It's not pleasant.
So my final score for these (assuming they remain reasonably durable in the coming years): 9.5/10
I wish I could wear them all the time, and I hope the more I wear them the longer I'll be able to. The sound is involving. I find myself enjoying what I'm listening to more often (well, assuming it's FLAC nowadays... it'll be ok hard drive, shhh shhhh, it'll be ok). And I can listen to whatever retarded song I feel like as loud as I want without worrying about the guy next to me raising an eyebrow when "Billy Jean" comes on.
You can drive these easily from whatever sound source you have, but you will appreciate the difference as you upgrade your source.
I'm not sure who this review has been aimed at. Me, I guess. People who have headphones and are looking at IEMs for the first time? Hope it was useful.
__________________
Setup:
- maxxed out AlienDAC and MisterX XP amp
- Klipsch Image, Senn HD595, Koss KSC75
- Cowon A2
previously:
- Grado SR60
Unbelievable Comfort - Awesome Sound In Tiny Package November 28, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I am a very happy owner of the Klipsch Custom-2.
So why am I posting a review of the IMAGE? Klipsch IMAGE Noise Isolating Earphone Because these are amazing. Insanely comfortable and very easy to use with equally impressive sound.
I was able to try a prototype this past summer and you'll be blown away.
Get these if absolute comfort, incredible sound, and ease of use are your goals. Just pop them in and your good to go. The IMAGE are way uber cool.
If these are a little out of your price range, try the Custom models. I also tried Custom-1 prototypes and own the Custom-2. Not near as small, but still amazingly comfortable and incredible sound. The Custom-3 when available should sound even better than the IMAGE. The Custom-2 are very close to the quality of the IMAGE and are VERY comfortable. The Custom-1 are also amazing and a very good entry to high quality in-ear phones.
The IMAGE are almost unbelievable. So small and comfortable with sound that will blow you away.
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