My entry into the canalphone-type headphones was in the form of the popular Sennheiser CX300's. I didn't have a need for anything too extravagant, as I had my full-size headphones for home use that were sure to outperform all but the finest canalphones. However, owning an expensive pair of full-size headphones left me wary of what sort of portable ones I'd be willing to endure, and I knew I needed a happy medium. The CX300's were in a reasonable price range for what I sought, but I was never totally satisfied with them. I told myself it must have been purely that they were and I'd become spoiled with my various full-size sets ranging from 0-600.
It wasn't until I had the pleasure of listening to the Klipsch Image S4 headphones I would get some additional perspective.
CHARACTERISTICS
I apparently have small ear canals, as every headphone of this type I have tried has required the smallest plug size. The smallest size on the S4 worked the best of the three, but I still had some minor issues getting and maintaining a proper seal while wearing them. That said, though, they were comfortable once in place.
The plugs themselves go in deeper than the CX300's did, which surprisingly is no less comfortable and easier to maintain a good seal with. I imagine this also improves sound quality, given the way these type of headphones work.
The cord is a "Y" design, which I like. The CX300's I used previously employed a "J" design, that is to say one side was long than the other as to be wrapped around the back of your neck and head up to the ear. This can relieve cord tension or make it harder to pull out accidentally, but I found it cumbersome. The S4's cord is relatively thin, but no more so than any other cord in their class of headphones.
An all-plastic design is used, which makes them less resilient than other models that use metal. There have been reviewers in the past complaining of the part that connects the speaker chamber to the rubber earpiece snapping, but it feels pretty sturdy to me nonetheless.
THE SOUND
With a proper seal, these headphones have a pretty solid performance across the spectrum. The low-end is deep and the impact is good, coming as a nice surprise from my previous CX300's. Their bass (CX300) was thick but somewhat muddy, and overall lacked a real sense of impact. On the contrary, the Image S4's bass is tight with a reasonable volume across any genre of music.
One of the most glaring downfalls of the Sennheiser CX300's was the upper mids being several decibels hot (particularly 6KHz - 8KHz). This made guitars sound harsh and cymbals sound artificial. This is not so with the S4's. While there's nothing noteworthy in this area, at least giving an average performance bring them ahead here as they are not fatiguing like the CX300's were in this region.
The vocals are very clear and forward without detracting from instrumentation. Female voices are smooth and sexy, and male voices are full bodied and well represented. The Klipsch sound is definitely present in these headphones, which is to say the bass is tight and warm, and the highs are a bit bright. Still, at no time did I find them fatiguing for long listening sessions.
CONCLUSION
I admit I was curious what a Klipsch headphone would sound like given their respectable reputation in speakers. I'm impressed, especially given that they outperformed a Sennheiser-which has an equally respectable reputation in headphones.
Simply put, I find the S4's superior to the CX300's in every way. They're more comfortable, stay in the ear better, and have better sound in every category. Given that they're essentially the same price, this creates quite a sense of value. The fact that there was a big to-do about counterfeit CX300's online and even in various retailers a year or so ago doesn't help, either. Really, Klipsch has just made a superior product and a solid contender in the headphone market.
Do they sound as good as my full-size headphones? Certainly not. But I never expected a headphone at this price point would. For the money, though, these are genuinely pleasurable to listen to while I'm at work or out somewhere. I don't find any particular area lacking, and while they're not my Denon AH-D5000's I certainly don't find myself constantly thinking "I'm user a cheaper headphone". Klipsch has really made a great middle-of-the-road headphone here, which should appeal to casual listeners with a sub 0 budget as well as more serious listeners looking for something portable with a decent price to sound ratio.
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