Affordable earbuds worth listening to

Klipsch knows music reproduction. They should. More than 60 years ago, Paul Klipsch created his classic Klipschorn speaker (still in production). So, it’s no stretch that Klipsch might make terrific sounding headphones too.

I’ve been enjoying their Image X10′s for awhile. In addition to great sound (bass you won’t believe) they are still the least intrusive, most comfortable buds I know of. They sell for $350.

But not everyone can spend that much on buds. That’s why Klipsch has just introduced their $80 Image S4 model. These headphones are just as comfortable as their expensive cousins and deliver about 80% of the X10′s sound quality. The bass doesn’t extend all the way down to the deepest lows and the highs are a touch less smooth, but the S4′s are a synergistic match for today’s over-compressed music files.

If you own a portable music device discard those horrible-sounding “free” buds that came in the box and listen to a pair of S4′s. $80 too expensive? Klipsch is working on an even cheaper S2 model ($50) – coming soon.

Finally, I have a review in the works of a single, newly-constructed Klipschorn and how it sounds in a “mono” Hi-Fi system. In a word: WOW!