Klipsch s4a/s4i Earphones Review

Headphones and earphones, there are plenty of brands that make them but few that stand out from the others and boldly go where few dare to venture. Klipsch surely is one of those brands leading the charge for the advancement of earphone-kind everywhere with their stellar emphasis on detail and quality, they can surely make a set of earphones.

Did I spoil too much?

The ‘A’ in s4a stands for android and if you own a pc or an android phone or tablet this the the type you’ll need to avoid some of apple’s selfish marketing ploys, where they reverse some of the earphone poles so the controls don’t work with other devices. The other style is, yep you guessed it the s4i which has been designed for apple products. Other then the difference in controls so they work on their respective devices there’s little difference to these earphones so I figured I could review them together, assuming that Klipsch actually tested that the buttons work on the s4i.


Firstly the design of a tape-thin cable is a very nice addition to regular earphones which often somehow tangle in your pocket no matter how gently you put them in. These on the other hand rarely tangle, or only have one loop you have to undo making it much easier to listen to your music faster. I remember a time I was on the train home and it took a solid 5 minutes to untangle my earphones which obviously wastes a lot of time that you could be listening to your favourite music, or watching a movie. Another nice touch is the color theme they used for the cable which is grey on the top side and black underneath which also aids in untangling occasionally but mostly just looks nice.

These earphones come with 3 other types of tips with the medium-tips already attached, the other three types are large, small and double which I find to fit me the best and provide the best sound. I know that a few people usually just discard the additional tips, however they are by far the most important aspect of the earphones. An ill-fitting earphone not only reduces the sound quality by a large margin but also has a greater chance of falling out of your ear when jogging or performing other rigorous activities, not to mention that you get a much bassier feel when it’s deeper in your ear. The fit feels very nice when they’re in correctly as well, quite a snug feeling although I would prefer it if they were a little shorter in length like my basic android/apple earphones which I can wear while lying in my bead on my side comfortably. These tend to stick out a bit and push into your ear a little more which up to a certain point makes it sound better until the rubber bends too much and blocks some of the sound and has an uncomfortable feeling.


Now for the sound quality, which is honestly fantastic and it rivals some of my high-end headphones. The highs and mids are well defined, punchy and sound true to what they should after comparing them to professional headphones such as my AT m50x. The lows are also very punchy but I don’t think they are as powerful or defined as the tops and mids, and especially not as powerful as Beats by Dr. Dre which I believe are a little overpowered anyway. Now, you can’t expect everything from earphones, as they still only have a tiny driver inside them, you just won’t be able to reach those deep notes as easily and songs may feel a little ‘lighter’ then usual. That’s not to say they aren’t good for a high quality audio experience, they surely are one of the best, but comparing them to speakers there’s still a little distance they could gap.

The noise isolation is quite well done, eliminating quite a large margin of the external noise assuming you have a tightly fitting tip. I would say it eliminates about 40% of external noise, there have even been times someone has been trying to get my attention and eventually had to tap me on the shoulder after being unable to reach me verbally using a typical inside talking voice.


Too Long Didn’t Read:

Klipsch s4a/s4i Earphones Scores

Price/Value
At $80AU it’s not a bad price considering what you get.
Price: 85%
Durability/Quality
Very sleek design with a thin cable which prevents tangling as much and constructed well to survive being jammed into pockets and ripped out.
Durability: 90%
Size/Weight
Ever so slightly heavier then typical earphones which is unnoticeable while wearing them. They are compact and easy to store as well.
Size/Weight: 80%
Features
Inline volume and pause buttons make changing music easy and the microphone means you can walk’n’talk. The interchangeable ear buds are essential in finding a snug fit for your ears to provide more sound isolation.
Features: 75%
Aesthetics
A delightfully dark color scheme which makes untangling easier and quite a minimalistic design in general to conserve space.
Aesthetics: 80%
Usefulness/Innovation
The combination of features on these earphones makes them highly sought after with it’s microphone, inline buttons, thin cable and small connection jack.
Usefulness: 70%

Total

This cornucopia of delightful additions make the S4a my favourite set of earbuds for any mobile device, although they don’t quite have the bass of a larger headset, they do well considering their size.

Total: 80%

Legend

0% – 25% = Terrible Item, The item will break shortly after purchase and will leave you with a paperweight only left for discarding.
26% – 50% = Meh Item, A very poor item that you would use and forget about after a few months of use, or may break quickly and degrade over that time.
51% – 75% = Good Item, This item would satisfy your needs for a long time but isn’t the best quality around and may need replacing or become outdated after a year or so.
76% – 90% = Fantastic Item, An item that you need but may either cost lots or wear out over time and may eventually need replacing after 3 or so years.
91% – 100% = Amazing Item, An extremely durable item that will suit all your needs for the device and more, as well as lasting many many years.

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