Gadget review: Klipsch Image X7i in-ear headphones with 3-button control
Price: £170 (RRP)
Rating:
The Klipsch X7i headphones are nearly perfect. Nearly.
The sound is excellent - and in headphones, that's 90 per cent of the battle won. They have a balanced frequency, impressive bass and vocals come through crisply.
They seem to provide a flat response but don't sacrifice the bass. So many pairs of headphones like these have excellent detail but don't pay enough attention to the strength of the bass, which can leave the sound underwhelming.
Beautiful: The Klipsch X7i headphones both look and sound superb
So far, so excellent. So what keeps the Klipsch from being a five-star purchase? It's the design.
The headphones look exquisite. The non-tangle rubber cable, one side black, one side grey, runs long, up to the in-line controls. This is a standard three-button job, which only works for the iPod/phone, rather than on Android.
From the other side of the controls the wire splits into two, one for each earphone. They reach small, perfectly formed, and delicate heads. White covers sit on the end of each and there are various size options available.
The problem lies in the size of the earphones. They are so petit that even with the largest covers on, they can easily be knocked and you have to adjust their angle in your ear. It was rare to get through an hour of listening without having to re-position them a couple of times, sometimes more.
When you use the clip that comes with the phones, attaching it to the bottom of a t-shirt or similar, it reduces the need to re-arrange the headphones. But if they do get knocked, to point directly upwards in your ear, you can't actually hear any music at all. There is also cable noise - when it knocks against you while walking, it's fairly loud.
These failings aren't enough to spoil the product - the headphones still come highly recommended. They sound great and they look great.
And like I said, that's 90 per cent of the battle won.
Follow Rik on Twitter here: @rbsfeatures or contact him rik.sharma@dailymail.co.uk
- Muscle man who is out-flexed by woman at football game
- Pimple porn: Dermatologist becomes viral YouTube star
- Shocking moment police deputy shoots dead pet Rottweiler
- 'Not heroes, just tourists': Swedish cops stop subway...
- Sawyer Sweeten interviewed with siblings Madylin and...
- Kim Richards leaves hotel after explosive Dr Phil interview
- How does my story end?: Bruce Jenner ponders the future
- 15-year-old charged as mom identifies him in surveillance
- Sawyer and Sullivan Sweeten on Everybody Loves Raymond
- Once you pop! Girl tries Kylie Kenner challenge with Pringle...
- Angelina Jolie pleads with UN to help Syrian refugees
- Nurse yelps with joy as previously paralysed girl stands up
- 'He showed no sign of depression, no sign of anything':...
- 'I'm a woman': Tearful Bruce Jenner reveals he considered...
- Father pens candid obituary for drug-addict daughter, 24,...
- Special Envoy Angelina rips UN's 'paralysis' over Syria's...
- Images of transgender prisoner whose face was 'pulverized'...
- Jealous 'hillbilly' ex, 24, found guilty of murder after...
- Charles' and Di's 'secret daughter': Wills and Harry have an...
- William and Kate's pre-baby shopping spree: Duke and Duchess...
- Anger after white people and men are banned from...
- Teen, 15, who sexually assaulted, robbed and beat woman in...
- Revealed: Harrowing photo collection smuggled out of Armenia...
- Kris Jenner DID know about Bruce Jenner's transition attempt...