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thatappleguytoday

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 9, 2006
4,162
9,072
Jacksonville, FL
Finally looking to replace my 2 year old NuForce NE-7M headphones w/ mic. Wire is finally starting to go and now I'm on the hunt for headphones that have music controls.

$100 price range...got it down to Image S4i or a-jays 4 headphones

Anything better out there in that price range?

Would like to hear from the people with experience who have used one or the other, or both actually.

Any input is appreciated, thanks :D
 
You know what I use ;) also when you order it, make sure it's the Bose iMIE2 - it has a mic and volume control that works with your iPhone as well as any Mac

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Here's my take on the S4i's, however, I'm definitely in the minority so YMMV.


Just got a pair of Klipsch S4i's, and to be honest, they're only ok.

First, the good. The remote on these is fantastic. I really like that it is located at the yoke, rather than by your chin area on one side of the cord. This means you don't have a little thing hitting you in the face. The buttons are nicely separated; I can adjust the volume and change tracks through my shirt (I run the cord under my shirt) while I'm running. Not too big, not too small.

Comfort is fair for me. Obviously this is totally subjective. I found the selection of oval shaped silicone ear tips to be ok, but not as good as the standard silicone ones I had on my last set of Shure IEM's.

The sound is really the most disappointing aspect to me. Many people find that they have good bass, but they sound totally muffled to me. The first time I tried them out, I thought I was listening to a low-quality MP3. Switching to my Shure studio over-the-ear headphones confirmed that it was the Klipsch headphones.

To be honest, I was surprised by the muffled sound from such a well-respected speaker company (although not really a long-time headphone manufacturer). They lacked all of the sparkle and high-end detail I was used to with the Shures. To be honest, the sound is adequate enough and the remote is so superb that I might end up keeping them. I got them open box on eBay for $45. If I had paid retail, I would certainly have returned them.

You might want to check out the Shure SE115m+. I was wary of buying another pair after the cord got a third loose connection after 2 warrantee repairs, but I do miss the sound quality.

I've heard good things about Etymotics, but have never tried them myself. I know the deep ear fit is a very love/hate thing. I'd also like to try out a pair of ultimate ears, but they have so many models, its hard to know what to get. I've also heard mixed things (some good some bad) after they were acquired by Logitech.
 
i have the a-jays three and the sound that the cable makes into the headphones is awful. It's really distracting. I wouldn't recommend them. I know they're not the 4's but the cable is the same so I would imagine the noise would be the same
 
I read that the s4i is not very durable, which is why they made the s5i. I myself ordered the Denon 560r because tge remote in the s5i is too big.
 
i'm on my 3rd pair of a-jays fours. they keep breaking on me, and the warranty department is very good about getting me a replacement pair right away. still, 3 pairs in less than a year is pretty ridiculous.

the sound is just ok. there is a lot of noise when you hit the cables like someone has already mentioned.

i recently purchased the s4i and the sound is clearly better than the a-jay fours, the buds are a lot more comfortable as well. but the thin cord makes the earbuds feel really cheap. the mic placement for the earphones is also very poor many times people had a hard time hearing me.
 
I have both of them - I like the ajay fours for the flat cable, but other than that the s4i wins in every way. More comfortable, I like the two different wearing styles, smaller jack so it fits aftermarket cases, and the sound quality is definitely a smidge improved.

That having been said, I still use the ajay 4s as a "keep it in your backpack just in case" set of buds.
 
What is the case on the right called?

pretty sure that's an auxiliary battery, not a case.

I have the ajays 4. bought them on a whim because they look nice. didn't expect them to sound better than my Klipsch x10i. I was correct. In fact, they kinda sound like crap.
 
My s4i's came in today. I ordered them from Amazon. After listening for an hour, I'm returning them. The sound was too harsh. At about 75% volume, everything sounded like hissing.

I had some iBeats that were still in good condition, but I just wanted to switch them up. I'm sending the s4i's back and will continue to use my iBeats. The sound is definitely superior.
 
s4i's are the best under $150. DO NOT BUY BEATS! I HATE HATE HATE the beats. The beats are piece of ***** meant for people that think it looks cool to have stupid red headphones. Ive had 4 replacements for beats headphones. The cables always rip. My S4i's had never had a problem.

The bose's are pretty good as well. I prefer the s4i's tho.
 
IEMs are much better then buds btw check out this forum: http://www.head-fi.org/f/103/portable-headphones-earphones-and-in-ear-monitors

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My s4i's came in today. I ordered them from Amazon. After listening for an hour, I'm returning them. The sound was too harsh. At about 75% volume, everything sounded like hissing.

I had some iBeats that were still in good condition, but I just wanted to switch them up. I'm sending the s4i's back and will continue to use my iBeats. The sound is definitely superior.

You have to burn them in, about 40 hours in and it will settle in, trust me.
One hour is not enough for it to burn

and @ OP, I suggest the s4i, it is the one of the most top quality IEMs, some headfiers' even said it should be worth 2x the price
 
Save up your money and buy some IEM's. If you buy a cheaper pair you will often run into build quality problems or sound quality issues. I've had a pair of Sennheiser IE8's for nearly a year with absolutely no issues at all and the sound quality can't be matched by cheaper buds.

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I really like the klipsch s4i's. The trick with them is to try all of the ear pieces. I initially stuck them in and thought they were so so. The comfort was fine so I did not even try any of the other ear pieces. After doing some research I decided to give the ear pieces a try. I found that they all sounded different. Once I found the pair that actually fit the best, I also found that they also sounded the best. Having the correct ear pieces made a huge difference in the performance of the s4i's.
 
I really like the klipsch s4i's. The trick with them is to try all of the ear pieces. I initially stuck them in and thought they were so so. The comfort was fine so I did not even try any of the other ear pieces. After doing some research I decided to give the ear pieces a try. I found that they all sounded different. Once I found the pair that actually fit the best, I also found that they also sounded the best. Having the correct ear pieces made a huge difference in the performance of the s4i's.

I'd recommend buying the foam tips from Comply... they make a huge difference in sound quality and isolation. I started using these when I had a pair of the Apple In-Ear headphones, and have used them to replace the stock tips on every pair since. They always result in better sound quality and isolation.

http://www.complyfoam.com/

I recently purchased the Klipsch S4is (w/ Comply tips) and have been happy so far... I am interested to see if there is anything worthwhile in the new Shift line from Paradigm. I've been a huge fan of their home speakers for quite awhile.
 
Don't buy Beatz, don't buy Bose. See if you can get a discounted or resold version of the Bowers and Wilkins C4 IEMs, then grab a pack of Comply TX-400 foam tips. Pure bliss, amazing sound.
 
all of your posts have been extremely helpful...please keep your suggestions coming...

thanks to the poster who shared the link to the IEM forum..great suggestions over there

haha def wasn't gonna by anything named beats, that's for sure

I've been using the comfy tips with my NuForce headphones and the sound was amazing...looking for a pair similiar with music controls, but not in the $300 range

all these suggestions is making it very difficult to decide :confused:

thanks for all your input so far, truly appreciate it :D
 
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