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Engadget's back to school guide 2012: portable audio
Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we're taking our audio with us -- and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! With all of the studying and on-campus traveling you're about to delve into, sometimes adding a bit of music to your step can spice up those mundane times in your daily routine. That's why we've rounded up a selection of portable speakers and headphones that'll not only help you rock out whenever the mood strikes, but also go a step further by letting you take phone calls without skipping a beat. It may not be audiophile-grade gear in the official sense, but it won't matter when you're enjoying good sound just about anywhere your smartphone-connected life takes you.
Klipsch's black / white Image S4i and S4 earbuds filtering out to stores
We told you they'd be coming (as we discovered during our tour of Klipsch's Indianapolis campus), and now those deliciously black / white colored Image S4 and Image S4i earbuds are finally making their way out to the general populace. Vann's already has the Image S4 in white up for pre-order, while Apple stores are set to receive their Image S4i (includes an in-line microphone for iPhone yappin') any day now. The former will sell for $79 while the latter demands an extra Jackson, but it's safe to say that either will put Apple's own white earbuds to shame. %Gallery-86496%
Exclusive: Klipsch introduces iPhone-friendly Image X10i and black / white S4i and S4 earbuds
We recently had the opportunity to tour Klipsch's headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, and while we're currently working up a walk-through showing off gobs of behind the scenes footage from the design lab and quality assurance facilities, we gathered two particularly juicy tidbits that simply couldn't wait. The outfit informed us that since the Image S4i earbuds have been such a success, it will soon be adding its three-button iPhone microphone / remote to the top-of-the-line Image X10, and as you may expect, the resulting product will go by the name Image X10i. They'll officially debut in the same gold and black motif at CES, and they should ship to consumers in early 2010 for $349 (while the original X10 will remain at $349). The other discovery was that the hot-selling S4i earbuds (which we tested out a few months ago) will soon be shipping in a fresh color scheme (black and white, as seen above) and with the same metal tin that the S4 currently ships with. This is actually the first third-party headphone set with an integrated Made for iPhone remote / microphone that Cupertino has agreed to sell in white, and we can safely say that this two-tone look will probably have the Apple zealots drooling. Everything else about the $99 set remains the same as the standard S4i (including the cable material, electronics and price), and while we couldn't confirm, we'd say that chances are high for future color options to sneak out in the S4 / S4i range. Check out the new wares in the gallery below. Update: The S4 earbuds will also ship in the black and white color scheme pictured above. %Gallery-80628%
Klipsch Image S4i hands-on and impressions
Earlier this year, we had the chance to take a listen at Klipsch's Image S4 in-ear headphones. Even earlier this year, we heard that the same company was looking to push out a set of VoiceOver-compatible 'buds that were significantly easier to listen to than Apple's stock alternative. That very device is the Klipsch Image S4i, which is nothing more than an Image S4 with an in-line microphone and 3-button remote. As of now, there still aren't a smorgasbord of options for those on the hunt for a VoiceOver-friendly set of headphones that actually sound decent, so head on past the break for a mostly predictable take on the little guys shown above (and below, for that matter).%Gallery-72296%
Klipsch rewarding wisecracks with sweet gear
Especially these days, a witty sense of humor and a quarter won't even get you a cup of coffee, but Klipsch is giving funny-makers a shot at some its S4 headphones and a HD Theater 300 speaker setup. That's right -- those snarky remarks you normally give out for free can now score you some gear! Here's the bracket breakdown -- four caption contests will be run (each lasting two weeks) and the winning entry from each caption contest will win a pair of S4 in-ears; and a random entry from the final four will score a HD Theater 300 speaker system. Long odds and lots of competition, so now's the time to break open that war chest of audiophile taunts you've been building up. Full PR release after the break.
Klipsch Image S4 impressions
Klipsch has never really been a company to cater to the low-end, but there's likely never been a time in the outfit's history to better introduce a lower-end pair of earbuds than right now. The Image headphone line, which started in August of 2007 when the X10s launched at $349, has grown a few members since. Today, we're talking a look -- er, a listen, actually -- at the $79 Image S4 in-ear headphones, and while these are far from "cheap," they're definitely in the realm of feasibility for anyone considering a set of 'buds that are marginally more awesome than the stock ones bundled with PMPs these days. Head on past the break for a few impressions.%Gallery-51558%
