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Apple In-Ear Headphones vs. Klipsch S4i

maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
Original poster
May 3, 2009
73,729
43,809
I'm having troubling finding a replacement for my headphones. I had the apple in-ear headphones and they've worked well for me but after a couple of years of wear and tear they need to be replaced.

I found that Klipsch S4i is well reviewed and received. It employs a single driver, where as apple uses two drivers. It seems the conventional wisdom is that more drivers equals better sound fidelity, provided the use of high quality magnets are being used.

Any opinions on the Klipsch S4i, especially in light of the S4i.

How's the construction of the S4i, better then apple's. I hate to spend 100 bucks every other year on headphones.
 
The S4i sound way better than the Apple in-ear. I bought both to see which was better when I was looking for new headphones, and did comparison tests. The S4i won hands down. I have read that the cable cracks and breaks after 6 months or so though. There's photos of it on Amazon from people who have purchased and had it start cracking.
 
I guarantee you will be satisfied with the S4i's!! I have a pair of Bose and ones from monster(dr.dre) that I got for Christmas....I prefer the s4's over both. Sound combined with comfort!!
 
I got the S4i's for xmas and they're far superior than the iPhone ones. Noise canceling is the best.

I have had two pairs of Shure earbuds and they sound the best that I've listened to but the wire that connects to the earbud tends to wear out in <8-12 months and my first pair began to fray where the headphone jack inserts.

The Klipsch are good if you want something pretty good and have noise canceling.
 
You could also try out Etymotic. They have great IEM's in both the sub $200 and the sub $100 price range, and their noise isolation is excellent. :)
 
Awesome thanks for the opinions and it looks like I'll be getting Klipsch :)
 
I liked the Klipsch s4i's... but returned them. Great sound, but flimsy cable and I didn't like how narrow the driver ports are. I found that head turning and jaw movement pinched the tips shut (thus cutting off the sound).

I ended up with the V-Moda Vibratos and love them. Kevlar and cloth cabling, metal ear buds and more tips to get a more precise fit made it a better choice for me. Sound quality is right there with the Klipsch.

Both are great headsets - it will come down to a matter of preference. Good luck!
 
Rattle&Hum said:
I liked the Klipsch s4i's... but returned them. Great sound, but flimsy cable and I didn't like how narrow the driver ports are. I found that head turning and jaw movement pinched the tips shut (thus cutting off the sound).

I ended up with the V-Moda Vibratos and love them. Kevlar and cloth cabling, metal ear buds and more tips to get a more precise fit made it a better choice for me. Sound quality is right there with the Klipsch.

Both are great headsets - it will come down to a matter of preference. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Regarding the v-modas. How is the microphonics on them? I find most cloth cables have so much noise come off them. Any suggestions for low cable noise rubbing or hitting shirt. Are the klipsch any good in that department?

Thanks
 
Austin M. said:
You could also try out Etymotic. They have great IEM's in both the sub $200 and the sub $100 price range, and their noise isolation is excellent. :)
Click to expand...

bought those. they're HORRIBLE. They are great for noise isolation but the volume it super low & there's like no bass at all.
 
sound is a subjective measure beyond the hardware itself and actual SPL/volume.

some people, as expressed widely so far, prefer monitor biasing in their sound reproduction, however, there are some like myself who prefer to listen to my music as unbiased and true to the actual recording as possible. therefore, some prefer the Apple In-Ears for their combination of budget and sound output, while those with more expendable incomes will reach for the UEs, Etys, or Westones.

so take everyone's opinion of "better" with a grain of salt and for the TS, it would probably be smart if you were more liberal with describing the type of sound response you'd prefer from your next set of buds, and their fitment, as all of the buds mentioned so far are different, especially between the S4i (in-ear) and Etys (canalphone)... yes, there's a difference, as it's based on the former having a seal but an external driver, while the latter has a driver that is designed to go inside the ear, where it's depth of fit could be bothersome to many.
 
idk about quality but Klipsch gives you 3 years of warranty.

And they are pretty much no question ask.

I'm fairly rough with my headphones so I need them replaced every few months.

I still think S4 are some of the best headphones for the money.
 
chickdigger802 said:
idk about quality but Klipsch gives you 3 years of warranty.

And they are pretty much no question ask.

I'm fairly rough with my headphones so I need them replaced every few months.

I still think S4 are some of the best headphones for the money.
Click to expand...

Being rough to your stuff isn't going to warrant the use of warranty. I had the Custom 3 (superb) for a while when I sent them in for replacement because the fabric cable sucked.. But klipsch did replace them quickly and easily.
 
chickdigger802 said:
idk about quality but Klipsch gives you 3 years of warranty.
.
Click to expand...

Which is terrible. I sent my s4i in due to fraying. Got a replacement. This time the right channel didn't work so I had to send them back. Not only did I have to pay for a box I also had to pay for shipping.
I'm still waiting for my replacement.......:mad:
But they do sound great which is why I bought another pair to use in the meantime my replacement comes.
 
puckhead193 said:
Which is terrible. I sent my s4i in due to fraying. Got a replacement. This time the right channel didn't work so I had to send them back. Not only did I have to pay for a box I also had to pay for shipping.
I'm still waiting for my replacement.......:mad:
But they do sound great which is why I bought another pair to use in the meantime my replacement comes.
Click to expand...

I didn't want to put up with them because they kept on using those bad fabric cables.. I insisted on a pre-paid shipping label, you should too!
 
I've had my S4is since September. I use them 5 days a week, twice a day for bike commuting. I have just gone through a brutally cold winter using them. I have been pretty rough with them and they are as good as new. I am not sure how some are finding that they are not tough enough. Short of stomping on them, I'm not sure how much rougher I could be with them.

I've had a number of different in ears and like these the best. I have Shure SE-115s and much prefer the S4is for comfort and sound. The remote buttons work great and I often get calls while biking. They sound awesome listening to music and are great for chatting.

I may pick up the S5is to try. I imagine those are indestructible.
 
oakie said:
sound is a subjective measure beyond the hardware itself and actual SPL/volume.

some people, as expressed widely so far, prefer monitor biasing in their sound reproduction, however, there are some like myself who prefer to listen to my music as unbiased and true to the actual recording as possible. therefore, some prefer the Apple In-Ears for their combination of budget and sound output, while those with more expendable incomes will reach for the UEs, Etys, or Westones.

so take everyone's opinion of "better" with a grain of salt and for the TS, it would probably be smart if you were more liberal with describing the type of sound response you'd prefer from your next set of buds, and their fitment, as all of the buds mentioned so far are different, especially between the S4i (in-ear) and Etys (canalphone)... yes, there's a difference, as it's based on the former having a seal but an external driver, while the latter has a driver that is designed to go inside the ear, where it's depth of fit could be bothersome to many.
Click to expand...

I've had the first apple In-ear's for 6 years now and I still think they sound great, and now I'm looking to upgrade to the current apple in-ear's (if the first generation's are anything to go on, they should sound awesome) but for some reason ppl keep talking about all the other brands :S I want unbiased, honest sound... would that be apple in-ear?
 
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