Klipsch Image X5 headphones are slightly bigger, slightly cheaper

Klipsch made tiny waves with their original Image headphones, saying they were the world's smallest. We took their word for it and moved along. Now Klipsch has given up on the size game with its new X5 headphones, boasting that the 2mm-bigger X5 headphones are "light but heavy in sound." Anyway, the Image X5 use a full-range armature driver, tuned bass-reflex system, and sport a long-enough 50-inch cable. The housing is electroplated aluminum and Klipsch says the black "tail" reduces cable stress and dampens cable noise. The X5 is iPhone compatible and comes in at a more wallet-friendly (but still slightly alarming) $249 later this month. For that price you'll get the headphones, carrying pouch, airplane adapter, five multi-sized ear gels, and an ear gel cleaning tool.

[matt @ Jun 4th 2008 11:56AM]

they would look stupid

[Boarderwoot @ Jun 4th 2008 12:02PM]

So, what's keeping them from getting continuously ripped out of my ears while on the treadmill? though the reduced cable noise sounds like a great idea.

[Rick @ Jun 5th 2008 11:36AM]

Exactly my thoughts. Earbuds need to be 45 degrees ir have a hook in there design to grab and secure itself. These look like gravity will cause theym to drop out constantly. $250 also seems overpriced.

[Anoldcarsnickname @ Jun 4th 2008 12:20PM]

If only the price was as interesting as the goods.

[Hellios @ Jun 4th 2008 12:20PM]

There's just a limit how far earbuds can go, and it peaks at $100. After that you're just paying for marketing.

[DarkLight @ Jun 4th 2008 2:37PM]

$100? Come on, here at Mexico (everything is supposed to be much more expensive here) you can get pretty decent headphones for $8 (eight dollars)...

I've listened to those giant Sennheiser things (can't speak for Klipsch), I know my $8 headphones are really decent quality...

[konshuss @ Jun 4th 2008 12:53PM]

never in my life have i found a pair of comfortable earbuds, and they never seem to fit well enough that they don't eventually fall out of my head. i think i have faulty ears.

[Phoenix @ Jun 4th 2008 12:58PM]

Me too, I use clip-on ones

[DarkLight @ Jun 4th 2008 2:40PM]

+1... I use earbuds with over-the-ear support, very nice combination

[Mr Insight @ Jun 4th 2008 1:22PM]

I have heard from a reliable source that these ear buds were developed by one of the top developers in the industry that Klipsch was able to steal away from Shure last year. Wouldn't surprise me if these things didn't rival what Shure has out on the market. I haven't heard them yet so I can't speak first hand on the matter.

[Brandon @ Jun 4th 2008 1:30PM]

Is it just me or do they kind of look like penises

[wizzle @ Jun 4th 2008 2:13PM]

i think your subconscious is trying to tell you something.

[low tech @ Jun 4th 2008 4:02PM]

I think he typed one thing but meant his mother. Like a Freudian slip.

[Jonathan-DBOSS @ Jun 4th 2008 4:09PM]

@ Brandon

My thoughts exactly. Curvy. Eww...

[TheYoshi @ Jun 4th 2008 1:39PM]

Wow, for $250 you can shove something in your ear that looks just like a miniature cock.

[Jeebus @ Jun 5th 2008 1:14PM]

In other words, it looks exactly like your own cock?

[TheYoshi @ Jun 5th 2008 1:18PM]

Har! wow Jeebus super original joke there. Worry about your own cock, I prefer you not thinking about mine.

[Jeebus @ Jun 8th 2008 4:55PM]

Then don't mention it all the time.

[Valgas @ Jun 4th 2008 1:57PM]

those things do not look like they would stay in your ears.

[Kwai Noi @ Jun 4th 2008 2:08PM]

A 50" cable? Are people seriously going to use these sitting on the sofa listening to their home theater system?

I would think 99.9% of the buyers would be the ipod crowd or with laptops, maybe on a desktop system but most have a headphone jack in the front.

It seems like when your out jogging with your Shuffle in your armband you'll have 3 feet of cable stuffed down your jogging shorts.

Just a thought.

[DarkLight @ Jun 4th 2008 2:51PM]

"Standard lenght cable, long extension included in the pack" - Anyone?

I do use a very long extension cable I made myself, and you got it right - I use it to listen to my home theatre sitting on my sofa :-).... (You know, in THOSE days when you can't bother your wife...)

[Jesse Dula @ Jun 4th 2008 2:11PM]

Those aren't earbuds. Those are IEM's. A big difference. And as for saying that anything over $100.00 is over kill, that is just plain silly.

Why do I get the feeling the majority here think their carppy iBuds are actually a quality sounding phone?

Atrios make IEM's that cost over $100.00. And they sound amazing. Don't get me wrong, if you like your crappy sounding iBuds, keep listening. I actually like enjoying my music.

[Technex @ Jun 4th 2008 3:05PM]

Woohoo, someone with a brain. +1.

[DarkLight @ Jun 4th 2008 3:39PM]

Yes, I understand the difference, still don't get your point.

And no I'm not silly, I have an audio studio, and like I said above, I've heard the "real cans"...

Sure, the frequency response is quite a bit more linear and the damping factor seems lower than on my $13 cans.... So? Nothing an external amp with an external equalizer can't fix. Yet it costs, like, $100 less

And remember - "better sounding" does't mean better... Some of those things just over-saturate the low bass and boost the treble a bit, it gives more contrast to the sound, giving the impression that they are alot better... While they're really just screwing up the lineality

To me you're just trying to justify spending such a lunatic amount of money on something you really don't need to... Just like the Monster Cable fiasco

(Low-ranked here I come)

[Alex M @ Jun 4th 2008 5:21PM]

Well I have the MylarOne X3i's(60$ IEMs) and they sound damn good to me.
Pretty much EVERYONE I go to school with uses stock shit though, but that's their choice. It kind of surprises me especially considering I live in such a rich area(Northern NJ). I haven't gotten too into the cans though, but I might get the MDR-V6's after I tried them @ Sony Style.

[Jesse Dula @ Jun 4th 2008 2:14PM]

50" is only 4 foot, 2 inch in lenght of cable. Not long at all.

Wow. Some of these comments. Just wow.

[Kwai Noi @ Jun 4th 2008 2:21PM]

Being that my Thai wife is only 5 feet tall it is rather long for her and most of my friends seem to carry their ipods in their shirt pockets it is a bit overkill.

[DarkLight @ Jun 4th 2008 3:19PM]

Well, I have to admit Kwai got me on his other comment, but you can't blame me, I use the metric system

[japa @ Jun 4th 2008 5:37PM]

The entire world use the metric system.
Just a few country insists to use the english system screwing everybody.

[Anonymous @ Jun 4th 2008 7:40PM]

I guess I can finally say something, but my uncle works at Klipsch and sneaked a beta pair of these away from the labs about 4 months ago for me and one of my other audiophile cousins to try. While the shape did leave something to be desired (my friend actually said something about them looking like a penis and refused to try them because of it), they actually fit as well as the current "Image" earbuds. The sound quality was better than the image, but not quite as good as the Custom 3's because they share the same horns as the Custom 3's for treble, but the bass has been redesigned from the Image line. All in all I was glad to hear they were cheaper, and the sound was excellent trying a variety of music on my laptop.

[ds @ Jul 11th 2008 12:21PM]

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