Guys, I need your help (earbuds help)

[DroidArmy]

Hello everybody. First off, if this is in the wrong place, I'm sorry. Moderators feel free to move it as needed.

So let me explain my current problem. I have a pair of klipsch s4 iems which I've owned for a little over a year now. I really really like them. The only issue I have with them is "sibilance". Sibilance is a sort of sharp sound with the S sound and CH sound. This shows up a few times during my music and I don't know how I feel about it. Some have told me this is because some music is recorded brighter and the s4 is accurately (or somewhat) reproducing that sound instead of hiding it which isn't accurate. So, my question is, does this seem like an issue that would bother you if you heard it? Do you hear it on your earbuds? If so, does it bother you? If you have some really good earbuds that you like I would love to hear what you use.

I know a post like this should probably be on head fi, but to be honest those guys really annoy me. They go on about harmonic distortion and muddiness and how you need a $200 pair of earbuds before music sounds good which is a complete lie. I want to hear from people like me who enjoy music but don't go crazy about sound with amps and a pair of $400 headphones. What do you like? What do you use? What do you think sounds good for the money? I'm willing to hear everything and I thank you for helping me out. Am I just being nit picky about something that's normal?

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[metllicamilitia]

I rarely have an issue with head-fi, as long as you post your budget, musical interests, and media player they're pretty helpful. I myself can't stand sibilance, and usually just use the EarPods because I use my iPhone for music. But I did just buy some Jays A-Jays and they are amazing for the money. $40 USD. They make some for mobile with volume controls, and mic but they are about $60-$80 USD if I remember correctly. They are a little bassy, but probably have the best speed I've heard out of any ear phones in that price range.


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[njshoregurlz]

I use my iPhone ear pods they are fine for me I also have a pair of black Htc soft tipped headphones that are good too just plain normal headphones.. I never spent big on headphones


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[Just_Me_D]

The Bose IE2's are my preferred audio earbuds.

 

[rayz336]

Logitech's Ultimate Ears series are pretty good.

Edit: would using some sort of equalizer help to dampen that effect?

 

[metllicamilitia]

Logitech's Ultimate Ears series are pretty good.

Edit: would using some sort of equalizer help to dampen that effect?

Only a parametric equalizer.


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[metllicamilitia]

The Bose IE2's are my preferred audio earbuds.

To each their own, I myself don't like Bose, and most members of Head-Fi also dislike them. Sounds fake to me. I have no other word to describe it, maybe manufactured.


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[zerog46]

Sweet. I guess we can be different and not choose what the norm like because I also like Bose. I think they make good equipment.

 

[Spencerdl]

I also use BOSE, and they sound great to me although I recently purchased a pair of Bluetooth LG 730 Tone+.....The BOSE are still my "go to" music listening earbuds

 

[metllicamilitia]

I'm not saying Bose doesn't have good sound, it just sounds fake to me.


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[DroidArmy]

Thanks for the help everybody! So I'm guessing this isn't a normal issue? I think Bose would be fine (the ie2), but the fact that they have the stay hear tips is kind of an issue. I like something that blocks a lot of sound like an earplug. I'm usually on a noisy bus and it really is a requirement. Nevertheless, I'll take a look. I'm leaning more towards the jay a jays. Metllicammilitia, do they have a nice mid range? The klipsch have a nice mid range which I really enjoy a lot. Extra bass is fine as long as it isn't super overpowering (like a loud thump for everything). Have you heard the Klipsch s4 before? Do they have a somewhat same sound signature compared to the jay a jays?


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[metllicamilitia]

Thanks for the help everybody! So I'm guessing this isn't a normal issue? I think Bose would be fine (the ie2), but the fact that they have the stay hear tips is kind of an issue. I like something that blocks a lot of sound like an earplug. I'm usually on a noisy bus and it really is a requirement. Nevertheless, I'll take a look. I'm leaning more towards the jay a jays. Metllicammilitia, do they have a nice mid range? The klipsch have a nice mid range which I really enjoy a lot. Extra bass is fine as long as it isn't super overpowering (like a loud thump for everything). Have you heard the Klipsch s4 before? Do they have a somewhat same sound signature compared to the jay a jays?


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I had the S4's for a brief time but that was about four years ago. The A-Jays are little boomier but it's not bad. It's definitely not overly muddled. It's does a good job with metal as well. It handles Dime's riff great in Pantera's Suicide Note Pt. 2. The S4's seem to be brighter, definitely a higher level of sibilance than the A-Jays. I'll listen more intently after work to give you a better answer later though.


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[DroidArmy]

I think I've finally come to a decision:

So today my friends and I met up at some place for lunch. Being technology savvy and having the same music tastes as me (for the most part), I told them about my issue. They all handed me their earphones to try out. Here's my opinion of all of them.


So one of my friends said "here try these" and handed me a pair of skullcandy 50/50's. I was skeptical but tried them. Wow, the sibilance is pretty ridiculous and the bass is muddy! I handed them back and said they were fine but not for me.

The next one up was my friend Jeremy's Shure se215. I actually owned a pair for a week before I sent them back due to them being uncomfortable. I plugged them in and tried some music. It had less sibilance, but it was still noticeable. I also wasn't a fan of the sound signature (it sounded really weird to me, definitely not what I'm used to or like). Anyway, I handed them back, thanked him, and moved on.

The next pair up was a seinnheiser mm70 that my friend Katie had. They definitely had a bass "thump" sound which bothered me. They were nicer than the Klipsch for electronic, but really sounded weird for my jazz collection which the Klipsch just shines in. They also had a noticeable sibilance in vocals. They probably were my favorite of the bunch, but I still preferred the klipsch. (Katie just told me she turned the bass up a lot and that's why it thumped. Apparently it's usually light with the mids and highs being the main part of the music. Either way, not for me)

The last pair I tried was a pair of etymotic hf5's. These were the most interesting out of the ones I tried. They had no sibilance, but they sounded really really lackluster in my opinion. The clarity was there, just not the bass I crave. They were really nice though, just not for my music taste. My friend who uses these (David) really enjoys some jazz. I liked them for jazz, but electronic and dubstep lacked the bass and house sound which I prefer. The trade off would be too much to pick these.

I thanked all of them but told them I wasn't really pleased with the sound theirs produced for my needs. They then said "well what do your Klipsch sound like?" I handed them my s4's and they all had a listen. The funny thing about this experience was that most of them PREFERRED the sound of my Klipsch. Once I pointed out the sibilance they were able to hear it but for some reason it didn't bother them. They all really liked the oval ear tips and comfort of them. All of them (except for David and Jeremy) went out and bought a pair of s4's after that.

I guess this experience has taught me that it's a common thing with most earphones in this price range even if it isn't the best. I also learned that I was willing to have the sibilance for the Klipsch sound signature because it's the only one I really like. I'm not so paranoid now; I'm enjoying my music and I'm not noticing it as much as I was for the past few days. It was reassuring I guess. I think I'm going to keep the klipsch s4's for now. I'm hoping to snag the x10 when they drop to $100 again on Amazon. Thanks for all your help and I hope this thread might have even helped others who had the same questions.


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[metllicamilitia]

I think I've finally come to a decision:

So today my friends and I met up at some place for a lunch. Being technology savvy and having the same music tastes as me (for the most part), I told them about my issue. They all handed me their earphones to try out. Here's my opinion of all of them.


So one of my friends said "here try these" and handed me a pair of skullcandy 50/50's. I was skeptical but tried them. Wow, the sibilance is pretty ridiculous and the bass is muddy! I handed them back and said they were fine but not for me.

The next one up was my friend Jeremy's Shure se215. I actually owned a pair for a week before I sent them back due to them being uncomfortable. I plugged them in and tried some music. It had less sibilance, but it was still noticeable. I also wasn't a fan of the sound signature (it sounded really weird to me, definitely not what I'm used to or like). Anyway, I handed them back, thanked him, and moved on.

The next pair up was a seinnheiser mm70 that my friend Katie had. They definitely had a bass "thump" sound which bothered me. They were nicer than the Klipsch for electronic, but really sounded weird for my jazz collection which the Klipsch just shines in. They also had a noticeable sibilance in vocals. They probably were my favorite of the bunch, but I still preferred the klipsch. (Katie just told me she turned the bass up a lot and that's why it thumped. Apparently it's usually light with the mids and highs being the main part of the music. Either way, not for me)

The last pair I tried was a pair of etymotic hf5's. These were the most interesting out of the ones I tried. They had no sibilance, but they sounded really really lackluster in my opinion. The clarity was there, just not the bass I crave. They were really nice though, just not for my music taste. My friend who uses these (David) really enjoys some jazz. I liked them for jazz, but electronic and dubstep lacked the bass and house sound which I prefer. The trade off would be too much to pick these.

I thanked all of them but told them I wasn't really pleased with the sound theirs produced for my needs. They then said "well what do your Klipsch sound like?" I handed them my s4's and they all had a listen. The funny thing about this experience was that most of them PREFERRED the sound of my Klipsch. Once I pointed out the sibilance they were able to hear it but for some reason it didn't bother them. They all really liked the oval ear tips and comfort of them. All of them (except for David and Jeremy) went out and bought a pair of s4's after that.

I guess this experience has taught me that it's a common thing with most earphones in this price range even if it isn't the best. I also learned that I was willing to have the sibilance for the Klipsch sound signature because it's the only one I really like. I'm not so paranoid now; I'm enjoying my music and I'm not noticing it as much as I was for the past few days. It was reassuring I guess. I think I'm going to keep the klipsch s4's for now. I'm hoping to snag the x10 when they drop to $100 again on Amazon. Thanks for all your help and I hope this thread might have even helped others who had the same questions.


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Yes, Senn is known for their bass, Shure's are warm (vinyl as opposed to cd), and ety's are the complete opposite from Shure and are cold and analytical. I do know that when I had the S4's I also really enjoyed them. Happy listening!


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