Klipsch S4 vs PL 30 , PL 21 , RE 2 + E5 , Ep 630

So finally after two months of researching, auditioning, impulsive buying I have sort of got the sound I was looking for. I had a PX 100 earlier and was not an iem guy primarily because of the discomfort I felt using them (I have tiny ears). I had the Ep 630 since a year before, and would hardly listen to them since the sound was nothing compared to the PX 100 and my ears did not take them too well.But then I decided to finally chose an iem which i can stuff into my pocket while traveling in the metro.

My preferences/requirement :-

1) Comfort
2) Detail
3) Deep/tight bass
4) Isolation
5) Carrying Case

SO I bough the PL 21 , though at that price it would only to be unfair to ask for more but despite the above avaerage highs and treble , it did not do too well in the bass quality.Quantity of the same would suffice for alot of folks but not the quality. Also one major disadvantage was the comfort. I could NOT use them for more than 15 minutes.I would lose the isolation doing something like laughing/chewing gum/speaking etc. Though soundmagic did definitely impress me on the accesories department.

Next, I bought the PL 30 , still faced the comfort problem, still insufficient isolation but impressive when it comes to accesories and highs. The vocals, treble, stringed instruments sound AMAZING on these iems but the bass was short on QUANTITY and QUALITY by a huge proportion ! I mean I loved listening to the highs, or acoustic versions of songs but as soon as you put on something that requires the Bass guitar/ Drums/Octopad to dominate the song structure in order to maintain the groove, the PL 30 failed. Also with the Pl 30 you always get that feeling you know , that you're listening to earphones, the feeling of the sound being generated from something small. Listening to good quality headphones would not make you feel that ways.

Next I bought the S4 myself and co incedently my mom had gone to Chandigarh to visit her brother and got me an RE2 + E5 from lynx which I had told her a month back and she rememebered :).

After listening to the S4 right out of the box impressed me on various counts, but at the same time I wasn't too sure if it was worth the 3.7 k I had paid.I was kinda sick of not being able to listen to music, so without much thought went and paid in for the S4. Recived it within 3 days. So the sound of the box ws good, but I could not quite figure out how good.If you know what I mean. The bass was in a different league all together, but the comfort was not sice the bi-flanges were on them by default.
I got so bugged that I put them up for sale for something as low as 3k ! The idea was to sell it for 3k, and buy the much hyped NE 6 for 2 k.After not finding a confirmed buyer, I sat back and decied to give it another shot. Burned them with a pink noise track, a white noise track, a silent track ,a frequency sweep and an instrumental ghazal track for about 72 hours.

Result , Mindblowing.

I put the small ear tips on instead of the bi flanges.Downloaded some 320 kbps tracks and heard them again.I was in the train and COULD NOT HEAR ANY EXTERNAL NOISE ! They were in my ears for about 2.5 hours and I could have gone way more if I had the time ! Now the most important part, Sound. The bass got tighter and deeper , the treble is not as outstanding as the PL 30 but the mids, the lows and the soundstage make up for that ! Put the EQ on the acoustic mode and voila ! You've got the "The Sound" ! So amazing comfort, infact amazing is an understatement, stainless steel, brush finished rad carry case , bass quality and quantity that makes you think the sound is coming right from a bose 2.1 and soundstage that makes you want to close your eyes and let music cast the spell it can !

Then I auditioned the RE 2+ E5 and compared it to the S4, the Re 2+ E5 combo wins over the S4 in the treble departmennt but not in the accesorry , bass and comfort departmenet. No carry case, amp +earphone+music player is a little inconvenient and the bass is still better in the Klipsch. The details is better on the RE 2 hands down but the Klipsch will not let you notice that untill you hear both of them at the same time. Also I would not recomend somebody to upgrade from an Re2 to an S4 unless you want more bass. However Pl30 to RE2 is definitley rooted for.

If you want to upgrade from something like the PL 11/21 , DO NOT consider the PL 30, but go for something like RE 2 or the NE 6 which is seeming to impress alot of people lately.

So , Re2 + E5 , approx, 2600, no carry case, my bass apetite not being satisfied , the hassel of carrying 3 things , less comfort than the S4 and fantabulous isolation definitely convinced me that the S4 is for keeps :)
Also I heard the Bose in ears yesterday, by far The BEST Iems I have heard ! Yes they are better than the S4 and only slightly more expensive.Also they come with a leather carrying case which looks prety hot too. Yes they were not as comfortable as the S4 to me, but that could be because the auditioning set had the medium sized buds on and I use the small ones. SO if instead of spending 3.7 grand you can spend about 5.4 , go for the Bose !

I STAND CORRECTED- Heard the bose again, theyre no good :/ Not worth half the amount.

PS :- Whatever I have expressed is solely my opinion , people may differ and rightfully so for something as qualitative as sound cannot be measured.
 
lol @re262 and PFE9000 ( was sleepy then , have slept off now :P ) the PFE9000 was actually panasonic HJE900

and yeah 262 is RE252, its a great deal!

@Photostar, S4 has some issues with sibilance, i sure reduces in time but still there(ask faheem he has a 2000Hr burned in piece)

so you should always consider your options :

S4, great mass, good fit and comfort(looks are also good , you can show off) and good soundstage(for its price)

M2 has very good musical mids and better detailing at both low end and highs ...overall a balanced IEM.
 
karan_n8 said:
Dont buy the Bose. Me being a bose fan boy is saying that so there must be something seriously wrong with them :/

All the other siggestions are awesome. Finally Faheem likes the S4 :D
Hahaha I like them for sure cause they are fun and musical but cant really recommend it to everone because I feel the M2 does almost everything better than the S4.(baring the soundstage, comfort and fit :) ) Still there are people who will love it , and 2 yrs warranty + a brand name gives it a slight edge. The bass also doesnt have much texture or layering its just like nice tight boom and at times muddy. The whole sound signature reminds me of a EP-630 sound but ofcourse with lot better detailing .
 
Great review karan even i am looking for Ultimate baas + good mids and lows combi imes basically i am Bass loving person and have tried Creative ep 630, Sound magic pl 11, Sony MDR-EX35LP/B but Ep 630 is the one i love for its base and its vacuum fit.

I use Sony NWZ-B152F/P with its Super Bass Enhancement combined with my ep 630 and it blew me away in Bass but i always regret not to hear proper mids and lows with good bass :( as I know ep 630 produces so much base that it overshadows mids and lows and i.e Y i am looking for a change can you suggest me something good on this case? I can invest abt 1.5k- 2k as of now?
 
In that range, try and get hold of a Nuforce NE 6 my friend, I have been told they are pretty damn good when it comes to being value for money and the bass dept, however I would also recommend you the Klipsch S2, a member here is selling it for 1350, and new one costs about 2.5k.. If youre a ep 630 lover, these should do the magic for you :)
 
Thank you for the suggestion can any one from delhi share his NE 6 or Klipsch S2 for 1 hour or so I live in Delhi and can come down wherever possible coz i just wana check before i finally make my mind :)

Regards

Tech33
 
SHould i burn my Klipsch S4i using my Iphone or PC

i have added

1. white noise ( both radio also )

2. pink noise

3. 1 min silence

4. frequency sweep 20-20000hz

5. soundtrack ( Once upon a time in america + Inception ( time ) )
 
Tech33 said:
Thank you for the suggestion can any one from delhi share his NE 6 or Klipsch S2 for 1 hour or so I live in Delhi and can come down wherever possible coz i just wana check before i finally make my mind :)

Regards
Tech33
Im in delhi, you can audition my S4 if you want. But I doubt you can go wrong with the S2 either.
 
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