Klipsch Image X10i Noise Isolating In-Ear Headset with 3-Button Mic for iPhone / iPod - Black

These are truly brilliant! I have had a lot of experience with headphones, having studied music technology at university and worked in several professional studios, and I can honestly say that these are some of the best I have ever used, certainly the best in-ear ones.

My only problem with them is that the cable is not up to the job. After about 5 months of, to be honest, pretty light use, it has already split around the jack connection, exposing bare wire. I would understand this if I had used them everyday or for jogging but I haven't, mostly I use them whilst sitting in a chair at home and they are always kept in a case. This is unacceptable for headphones of this price and I will be contacting Klipsch to ask for a replacement pair.

I love these earphones so much, but I just can't bring myself to give these more than 3 stars. The Klipsch X10is are incredibly tiny earphones - you can place one of the earpieces onto your second finger - and that is what brings me to it's major problem. These just don't at all feel built to last. Sure, they are made of some strong copper metal, but that makes them more likely to be scratched. Don't get me started on the cables - not only are they not detachable, but they are scarily thin and flimsy. Looking at them gives you the impression that if you just tugged on them slightly it would just tear into two. A thing to consider: once the cables do malfunction, and you've had them outside of your 2-year warranty, that's it. You can't do anything about them, because Klipsch don't even do repairs even for the exchange of money. When I asked them about this, they said that they didn't have the services for it (which leads me to wonder how they repair any earphones inside of the warranty period...) So after that happens, you're basically screwed. Money gone down the drain.
If you can overlook this major flaw, you can find many positive things about these, though. The sound quality is, overall, wonderful. They pack a surprisingly deep and satisfying amount of bass, with the mids also great. While the treble isn't as high as other earphones I have (e.g. Ultimate Ears Triplefi 10s) they are more than acceptable enough at this price range. Another awesome thing about these earphones is that they are super comfortable and have the best fit ever, which is tragic considering that you want to use these everyday, but you know that if you do they are going to wear down faster than you think. I rarely use them now, not because I don't want to because I love them, but because I fear that they may break at any moment. In my case, you shouldn't have to feel like this at all, especially since these are very expensive earphones.
Unless Klipsch get their act together and offer a repair service outside of their warranty, I can't strongly recommend these despite the overwhelming positives about it.

Agree with this review so that people can make a fully informed decision about these luxury in-ears!

I have small(ish) ears, an iphone 4, and wanted something to replace my etymotic ER4 (without remote). The Klipsch x10i headphone are great for small ears, due to their very small size and variety of silicon ear pieces. I ended up finding the smallest ones the most comfortable, although it is a little scary how far in they go--but they are exceptionally comfortable.

The sound quality is the best I've heard, with most of my music cut at AAC 256 to 312 kbs, and although I really liked the etymotic, the sound on these is much better range and I prefer the balancing (you can tell I am NOT an audiophile, just a keen listener of music).

The controls work very well with my iphone 4, including the volume, mic, pause, start, and skip to next song.

Not cheap, and probably worth it only if you have music that is at high resolution on an iphone 3 or 4.

Bought at Apple Store in London, which made the purchase easy, and 'say' that one has 14 days to try them out and return them if one does not like them (which I did not do).

[The above review was written July 2010]

[Revisit review June 2012]
I've now had the Klipsch Image X10i for almost two years. My experience over the last two years has been:
(a) Still maintain that they are excellent sound quality and comfort.
(b) By November 2011 (i.e. after 17 months) the cord near the earbuds had started to split. I found online that this was a 'known' problem, discussed and documented by people, and likely to happen for people with specific oils in their hands, that caused the wire to become more brittle. I went back to Apple Store and they gave me a replacement, no questions asked. The replacement evidently was a 'new' version of the Klipsch, that no longer suffered from the oil on the hands, splitting problem.
(c) In May 2012, the cord at the plug part became seperated (? my fault, not sure) and again, Apple was nice enough to take them back. They did not have a replacement X10i, so gave me a pair of Klipsch 4 to try for a week (and the rest of my 'money' on an Apple card) which did not sound near the quality, nor comfort, as the X10i, so I returned them. I'm now deciding whether to get the X10i again (through Amazon, as now down to £160) or something else, but still really like these X10i, despite construction issues, for their sound and comfort.
(d) The only other annoying item in these, is that the clip quickly falls off (poor design) and the clip is important to reduce the cord bouncing around. I finally bought 20 clips online on ebay for a few pounds.

I still recommend these Klipsch X10 for small ears, sound, and comfort, but do be forewarned that they are not the most rugged headphones out there.