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Gadget review: Klipsch Image X7i in-ear headphones with 3-button control

Published: 21:20 EST, 14 September 2013 | Updated: 23:28 EST, 14 September 2013

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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