Technical Details

• Superior resolution and bass response from custom designed armature and patented oval eartips
• High-quality, echo-cancelling microphone
• 3-button iPhone/iPod control (VOL+, VOL-, ANSWER/PLAY/PAUSE/SKIP+/SKIP-, Voice Control)
• Patented Oval Ear Tips for best-in-class comfort and noise isolation
• Includes five sizes of oval eartips and carrying case
• Currently on sale through this link on Amazon.com  

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Among the world’s smallest, lightest in-ear headphone designs, the Klipsch Image X10i Headset employs a wealth of micro-technology for long-wearing comfort and audiophile-quality listening. Plus, it includes an advanced microphone and 3-button remote for taking calls and controlling the music content on your iPod, iPod touch or iPhone 3GS.

Superior sound quality and crystal-clear calls with long-wearing comfort

Superior Design for Clear Calls and Sonic Bliss
Based on the highly acclaimed Klipsch Image X10 headphones, the X10i offers the absolute best in Klipsch style, sound comfort and fit. It caters to discriminating, on-the-go listeners who are constantly playing music and taking phone calls.

Inside each ear piece, which is made of machined aluminum and finished in anodized copper, you’ll find an exclusive full-range armature micro-speaker with a tuned bass-reflex system that delivers lifelike dynamics, sonic clarity and booming bass.

The X10i positions its in-line microphone and remote at the yoke--where the two cables meet at chest level--to create a more natural feel when answering calls and controlling music. Because the microphone is a highly intelligible 360-degree design, you don’t have to talk down into it or hold it close to your mouth. The microphone also features echo cancellation, which keeps it from picking up surrounding noise, so you’ll always be heard crystal clear.

Make calls and control your portable player with ease

Luxurious, Long-Wearing Comfort
It doesn’t matter how great a pair of headphones sound if they are painful to wear. Unlike traditional, circular-shaped ear tips that put stress on the pressure points inside your ear, the X10i utilizes patented oval ear tips that naturally fit the shape of your ear canals. This makes them extremely comfortable and virtually impossible to feel. Additionally, these exclusive ear tips produce a perfect acoustic seal, which minimizes outside noise so you can enjoy your music at lower, safer volumes.

Expanded Compatibility, Including Apple iPhone 3GS
While the Image X10i serves as a pair of premium headphones for any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack, its microphone and remote system handles the music and voice control of the following Apple products: iPhone 3GS, third generation iPod shuffle, second generation iPod touch, fourth and fifth generation iPod nano models and the iPod classic 120GB. If you have an iPod touch or iPhone and Wi-Fi access, you can also use the Image X10i with VOIP (need an adapter for PC or Mac), Skype and iChat.

What’s in the Box
Included with the Image X10i In-Ear Headset is a faux-leather carrying case, compact carrying pouch, 1/4-inch adaptor for home stereos, airline adaptor, five sizes of patented ear-tips and an ear-tip cleaning tool.

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What the Experts Are Saying

“In many ways, the Image X10i Headset mirrored the sound of Klipsch's WF-34 floor-standing loudspeakers. Both are extremely clean, crisp, detailed and fast.”

“The phones have laser-like precision and open the door to the smallest details of every recording. They are also very comfortable and so light that one can listen for hours without mechanical fatigue.”

“The Image X10is make a strong case for being “the reference” in-ear headphones. Overall, the Image X10is offer excellent dynamics, clarity and definition. Their combination of comfort and way with music makes for an easy recommendation. Simply put, they are the best in-ear headphones I've heard.”

--Todd Whitesel, AudioVideo Revolution (avrev.com), March 2010

"Definitely the best sounding consumer-grade in-ear headphones I’ve ever listened to. The price tag matches the sound quality however. If you want good audio fidelity on your phone headset, you’ll be hard pressed to find something better than these."

-- Jimin Brelsford, CrunchGear.com, March 2, 2010

Product Description

Customer Reviews

Klipsch Image X10i Audiophile Noise-Isolating Headset with 3-button Apple Control (Copper)

 

The Most Comfortable Earbuds Ever!, November 26, 2007  

 

This are, without question, the MOST comfortable in-ear headphones I have ever worn. The difference between the fit of these compared to other high-end earbuds is amazing! I have a pair of SE530s and have tried others such as the ER4-P, Triple.fi, and many others. I use to love switching back and forth between models and having them for different uses, but now after wearing the IMAGEs, I find myself disappointed when I am without them.

When I first used these, I thought they sounded a little muddy. The bass from the tiny things is unbelievable! Once I adjusted my EQ settings, they sounded fantastic. I would say that they aren't as accurate as the ER4-Ps or SE530s, but the comfort makes up for any accuracy they may be lacking!

The IMAGEs are very light weight and are hardly noticeable when you have them inserted properly. I prefer the two flanged tip over the single. I can get a proper seal every time, and they are very easy to take out and put back in. Nothing is more annoying than when you get that perfect seal and then some joker walks up and starts talking to you. I hate that when I am wearing my SE530s because they are such a pain to put in. Not a problem with these.

True, the retail on these is a little steep, but I promise you will not regret it! 5 stars for comfort, style, and sound quality. 

 

A Bit Pricey, But Definately Worth It For the Sound and iPod Controls, May 7, 2010

 

I've probably been using portable music players for at least 20 years now. First it was cassette players, then CD players and now MP3 (or other music/video file type) players. Progressively as I upgraded from one type of player to the next, I wanted an even better (i.e., not cheap) kind of player(s) which would give me more features and of course, better sound. It wasn't until more recently that I discovered it wasn't so much the player, as the headphones that made the big difference in sound. (Duh!) I don't know why I didn't bother to get better headphones until recently, but I guess it was because I didn't understand that the type of sound I was hearing wasn't nearly as good as what the source material was capable of giving me. (Especially for CD's) So I finally decided to stop using el cheapo's and plunk down some coin for a decent pair of headphones.

The first pair I bought was a few years ago and were the Bose In-Ear earbuds. The player I was using at the time was the Apple Ipod 5G video. Compared to the Skullcandy earbuds I was using before, they sounded like THE BEST sounding earbuds I had ever heard. (That I had heard, not that existed). I quickly became disillusioned with these, especially when wearing them as I worked out at the gym and they would constantly fall out of my ears as I worked out. Surprisingly, this would also happen when I wasn't working out, although far less frequently. I tried all the different size ear tips, but made no difference. I knew there were far better (more expensive) buds out there to try, so after doing some research and comparing, I next went with the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 5 pro earbuds. These had a bendable wire built-in to allow wrapping around the ears and fits deeper into the ears, which they did. Also, the sound was MUCH better! In fact, while waiting to get the X10i's, I sold my Super.Fi 5's and reverted back to the Bose to see how they measured up and after listening to them again, I can't believe I ever thought the Bose sounded good! The bass they give is so overpowering and muddy that it drowns out some of the mids and highs, making for a poor listening experience when compared to the Super.Fi 5's.

A little over a month ago, I finally upgraded from using some of the Ipod Nanos to the 64GB Touch (3rd Gen). This model has an in-line/voice control feature which I wanted to use immensely, but I didn't want to use the craptacular earbuds that came with the Touch. After doing a little research, I found that the Klipsch were the only game in town that had some in-line controls/microphone earbuds that work (mostly) with these features. I know there is the cheaper S4i model, but after reading some of the reviews, I was afraid that they would be a lot like the Bose I had (i.e. strong bass drowning out the mids and highs), so I decided to go all out and go for the brass ring and get the X10i's.

I was definitely weary about paying the $350 price tag these things have, what with buying them online (harder for exchange/refunds) and not knowing how well they work. For the price though, they had to be good! And luckily, the gamble paid off. The X10i's sound every bit as good, if not better than, my old UE Super.Fi 5's! The earbuds are definitely smaller as well and fit much more comfortably in the ears due to the oval shape of the ear tips. This makes quite a lot of sense, considering how oval-like the human ear canal is shaped. It is surprising how much research Klipsch (and others like them) put into making their earbuds; the micro technology, form, design, etc. The medium size tips are what 60% of users find the most comfortable, so those are the ones that are already attached to the buds. I guess I'm one of the 60% because I just left them on when I tried the X10i's out for the first time and they fit comfortably and securely. I bought these for 2 main reasons: 1. The awesome sound. 2. The in-line/microphone controls. So I will review these 2 aspects of the earbuds.

1. The sound: Again, this is a major pro! Unfortunately I had already sold my Super.Fi 5's before I got the X10i's, so I couldn't do a sound check and compare the two. I can note that when using the Super.Fi 5's VS the X10i's with my iTouch I had to turn the volume back up a bit when using the X10i's to get the same volume level. I don't know exactly what this suggests; maybe that the X10i's need a little more power (volume) than the Super.Fi 5's did? Nonetheless, I get all the sound flavors. The sound is very clean, vibrant and reproduces the source as well as it can be done. Knowing how well these reproduce sound, I went ahead and re-ripped my music library from the AAC (.m4a) file format @ 150Kbps VBR to the same format @ 300Kbps VBR. This is about as high as I can go in the AAC format before it becomes too high a bit rate for the iTouch. I'm also not ready to go lossless just yet, but someday. (When there's more memory for PMP's like the iPod.) Anyway, I'm hearing some sounds in my music that I never have heard before. Some just small, background sounds; others have become more distinct and vibrant. I don't know if this is because of the earbuds, the fact that I doubled the bit rate of my music or a combination of both. (Probably both.) The highs and mids are where these really shine. I listen mostly to Alternate rock, industrial, electronica, techno, etc., so nothing too bass intensive like R&B. Don't get me wrong, you still do get some tight, relatively strong bass, but I've heard headphones with more. This may be the way they were designed, so the bass won't be too strong and over power the rest of the music spectrum. Still, I think the lows could be a bit stronger, so I'd have to list this as a small con.

2. The in-line/voice control: This is actually the main reason I decided to get the X10i's. There's a lot of things I like about the iTouch, but its auto-lock feature is not one of them. Having controls that allow me to have some basic functionality without having to unlock the iTouch every time I want to pause/play, go to the next track or listen to a different album is VERY handy. Unfortunately, not all of the controls work properly or at least not all the time. I'll give a bullet point of each control and how well it works (or not) with my iPod Touch 3rd Gen.
- Volume +/-: These controls work flawlessly every time. They will turn the volume up or down in about 10% increments across the volume bar.
- Pause/Play (middle button press 1x): This works every time as well. Press it once to pause, press it once again to continue play.
- Next Track (middle button press 2x): This only works about half the time. I don't know why, but it's not fully compatible with the iTouch for some reason. The specs for the X10i's give a compatibility list and it has the 2nd Gen iTouch listed, but not the 3rd, so maybe the 2nd Gen is more compatible? Other reviewers have stated that this feature doesn't work all the time for them either with different model ipods/iphones. I have noticed that when I do double tap to go to the next track and it doesn't work, the song will skip for ½ a second like it's trying to go to the next track, but can't. Sometimes I can get it to skip to the next track by trying multiple times, but it doesn't work every time.
- Previous Track (middle button press 3x): Same problem as the next track incompatibility.
- Voice Control (middle button press, hold down 2-3 seconds): So far, I have had little to no trouble having this work, thankfully. I've only used it about half a dozen times or so, but I've tried playing a few of my playlists by saying, "Play playlist Powerman 5000" or albums by saying, "Play album Thirty Seconds to Mars" and every time it played the exact album or playlist I asked for. I did once ask it to play a playlist and it misinterpreted what I said and started playing songs by a certain artist instead, but all I had to do is restate my request more clearly and it played the proper playlist. SO MAKE SURE YOU SPEAK CLEARLY WHEN USING THIS FEATURE! There are many other voice commands besides the ones I mentioned, but haven't tried them all yet. Also, you don't have to say the full name of whatever it is you are requesting, as long as it's close enough. For example, when I said to play my Powerman 5000 playlist, the full name of the playlist is actually Powerman 5000 Mix, but I left out the "mix" part.

One last thing I have to say about these. Some reviews (both amateur and professional) have said that these are mainly for serious audiophiles that mainly listen to lossless music because these buds will uncover any flaws in lesser quality music. That's somewhat true, but with a little BS sprinkled on top. These are for anyone who really cares about getting the best sound out of their music (whatever the source may be), want ipod/iphone in-line controls and can afford them. The truth is these earbuds will only let you hear flaws in your music if they actually exist. Let's say you have your music ripped at a standard .mp3 @ 192Kbps. You listen to a song with your old, cheap earbuds and then listen to that same song using the X10i's; it's not going to make that song sound like crap. It will make it sound better than the cheap buds you were using, but only as good as that file format/bit rate will allow. The X10i's may make your music sound inferior to higher quality versions in comparison, but that's only if you ACTUALLY compare them. If, for instance, you're use to listening to your music as audio files and not straight from the CD's you ripped them from, then you're not going to be aware of any possible deficiencies in your music. Audiophiles may say that music at anything less than lossless quality IS a flaw, but that's a matter of opinion. 

View all original reviews here.