August 1, 2011
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Headphone review
So....time has had its effect on this blog again. Well, here is something for a change of pace. A headphone review! The Bose IE2 ($99; pictured right) vs. the Klipsch S4 ($65; pictured left). As a test songs I used Tower of Power's What is Hip, Backstreet Boys' This is Us, Doobie Brothers' Long Train Runnin', Escala's version of Requiem for a Tower, and Amici Forever's Canto Alla Vita. The mp3 player used was the Samsung P2.
So I've been using the Bose IE2 for some time now and find them adequately perform. These are not noise canceling headphones. Rather, they sit in the bowl or your ear and channel sound through silicone buds. This makes for a comfortable fit, and unlike the previous model, the buds have a curved triangular tip that wedges up on the middle part of your outer ear. This keeps the buds in place during a workout. I have used them during 10 mile skates and rarely had to adjust them. They also allowed the ambient noise to filter which in the case of skating about is probably safer. The buds themselves come in three sizes, S, M, L. I found that for my left ear I need the L while my right needed the M. Overall, these buds are very comfortable and you can listen to music for extended periods of time without feeling uncomfortable.
As for the sound, I noticed a lot more high end then usual which was a bit startling. At times the treble seemed to be just too much, which took away from the bass of the music. Nevertheless you could hear much more detail. Cymbals and high hats were clear and crisp, and the bass was thumping per usual of Bose products. Coupled with the P2 player, the sound was fantastic.
Comparatively, the Klipsh's S4 are in-ear noise canceling headphones. For these to work right, a proper seal needs to take place between the buds and the ear canal. I took these on a 10 mile skate and was surprised to find that the held in place very well. They did a good job of noise canceling. In fact I had to turn down the volume to lower levels than I had with the IE2 headphones. However, during my skate I found the cord to thump annoying against my shirt. I could hear the beating of the chord as I took each skating stride. I can only imagine what this would be like if I was running. I also found the S4s to be much more intrusive. I had to take them out because they became uncomfortable after awhile. The buds do come in the same three sizes, but I could not find the same seal with the M or S buds. Because I felt uncomfortable with the L buds, I switched to the M ones for a while, but because they didn't seal as well as the L ones, they allowed as much ambient sound in as the IE2s.
This is problematic because the bass sound of the S4s depends on that seal and without it falls off dramatically, which was not the case with the IE2s. Unfortunately, the seal also "muddles" the sound, since there is some "bone conduction," and becomes quite bothersome....on top of the sound of the chord (which btw has bad chord management and feels flimsy) tugging on the ears or tapping on the shirt. However, in a quiet room, the S4s did a fantastic job of reproducing sound and detail, just as good or even better than the IE2s. I would venture to say that the deepest bass and the highest treble were found in the S4s, but you had to have the right listening environment to be able to appreciate it.
My recommendation? If you are going to be active with them, I would spend the extra money on the IE2s. The combination of sound quality and comfort justifies the price premium. If however, you want an indoor pair the cheaper S4s are a good alternative.
