Klipsch Headphones $299 User Manual

Chris Martens  
Issue 182  
Electronically reprinted from July 2008  
Klipsch Image and Custom-3 In-Ear  
Headphones  
Image, $349; Custom-3, $299  
klipsch.com  
Ours is an era where, for many music lovers, the most common  
“hi-fi system” of all might well be Apple’s ubiquitous iPod. But  
as many of you know, box-stock Apple earbuds are at best a  
sonic mixed bag (and that’s being generous). How, then, I have  
often asked myself, will members of the iPod generation ever be  
introduced to legitimate high-end sound? The answer, I believe,  
is likely to come through exposure to superb in-ear headphones  
drawn from the latest crop of very high performance models  
entering the marketplace, two superb examples of which come  
from Klipsch. If that last sentence conjures up somewhat scary  
mental images of pairs of Klipschorns dangling from your ear  
lobes, let me assure you that the models of which I speak—  
Klipsch’s new Image and Custom-3 earbuds—are quite light and  
physically tiny. But their sound is not.  
The Image model ($349) is arguably the smallest and lightest  
high-performance earbud ever made, and its sonic goodness  
derives in part from its electomechanical simplicity; it’s a single-  
armature (or what speaker folks might call a “full-range, single-  
driver”) design similar in concept to some of the superb designs  
heard in the past from Etymotic Research (e.g., Etymotic’s  
critically acclaimed ER-4x Series ’phones). But what sets the  
Images apart is not just the quality of their drivers, but also their  
comfort factor. Klipsch, bless its heart, has figured our something  
most other manufacturers have missed—namely, that human ear  
canals tend to be oblong and not perfectly circular in cross section.  
Accordingly, the Images feature patented eartips made of a soft,  
gel-like rubber material that are oval-shaped, not round. The result this reason feature small, light, over-the-ear support tubes which  
is, hands down, the most comfortable earbud I’ve experienced double as wire guides and can be bent by hand to achieve an ideal  
and one that almost effortlessly achieves a good, airtight seal in custom fit. Again, Klipsch’s oval eartips come into play, helping to  
the ear canal.  
enhance comfort and to foster a good, airtight seal. In an absolute  
The upshot is an earphone that offers quite high levels of sense, the Custom-3s offer even higher resolution and tighter  
resolution, reasonably neutral tonal balance shaded just to the sonic focus than the Images do, and even truer (that is, more  
warm side, sweet highs, an evocative and at times seductive perfectly neutral albeit slightly brighter and somewhat colder)  
midrange, and surprisingly deep, potent, high-impact bass tonal balance, though depending on the day or the material being  
(perhaps the best I’ve heard from any in-ear headphone). One played, I could build a strong case for either one.  
point I can’t emphasize strongly enough is that the Images are so  
But the part I’ve come to love—with both models—is that  
small and light, and fit so beautifully, that you all but forget you’re these babies are well and truly musically engrossing, much as great  
wearing them. More so than any other earbuds I’ve tried (and I’ve high-end loudspeakers are.  
tried a bunch), the Images demonstrate the truth of this equation:  
good fit = great sound.  
But for purists, especially those who favor strict accuracy over  
slightly more forgiving tonal warmth, and who really want to push  
the high-resolution envelope, Klipsch’s Custom-3s ($299) are just  
the ticket. The Custom-3 is a dual-armature design—similar in  
concept to Shure’s two-way flagship SE530s—that I would classify  
Visit klipsch.com/headphones or call  
1-800-KLIPSCH for more information.  
as a true monitoring-grade in-ear headphone. The Custom-3s are  
slightly larger and differently shaped than the Images and for  
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