Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is my first "real" headphones review, so please try to bear with me. All updates made are located at the bottom, so if all you care about in this review is how it will perform in X amount of months, please scroll to the bottom, as updates are all situated at the bottom of this review. DESIGN These headphones are gorgeous! When I opened them for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised with how they looked. They are of a coppery color with a slight red hue. They look astounding! They are very Sturdy, and could probably withstand some damage before breaking, though I wouldn't dare think of risking it with these headphones. These headphones also have the ability to fold up. Which makes them a lot more portable than many other full sized headphones. My rating 5/5 Style (They are classy, not eye popping) 5/5 Strength (While I haven't dropped these yet, I'm not too worried about doing so.) 5/5 Foldability (While these can't fit into your pocket, the ability to reduce their size can be very handy.) COMFORT One of the things I noticed with these headphones when I opened them were, "Wow, these are kind of heavy!" Yes, you will most likely notice this as well, because they are heavier than most would think if this is one's first "nice" headset. When you put it on, you will also notice how wonderful the ear pads (Which are memory foam) are. They fit nicely over the ear, and produce a nice passive noise canceling from the sound outside. These headphones do this without performing a death grip on the head, but bear in mind that the headphones that do this, tend to have a stronger passive noise canceling. Also, prolonged listening will cause one's ears to become warm, which also may deter some. Also, after allowing a few friends to borrow this for a few hours on long car trips to places, I've heard a fair share of complaints, mostly due to ear fatigue (pain to the wearers ears, not by sound, but headphone shape over prolonged time). I've heard a good share of this from other reviews as well. These are headphones I'd strongly recommend trying before buying, and bear in mind how long you will be wearing these headphones at a time. Weight 3/5 (These are quite heavy, and may turn off some.) Passive Noise Cancelling 4/5 (I like it, but I feel it could be better.) Ear Pads 4/5 (These are the comfiest headphones I have ever worn, but they do heat up after a good amount of listening, approximately 3+ hours) *Ear fatigue varies between people. It is comfy for me, but it might not for you. You should try it if you can. Check a local Brookstone perhaps. That's where I tried mine first.* SOUND The most important part of a headphone. These headphones do sound on the weaker side when opening. Keep in mind thought that for optimal sound quality, a "break in" of a headphones require 40 hours of listening at 25% - 50% louder than normal. Burn in varies on every headset, and burn ins can take over 100 hours, and some even believe that a headphone is "burning in" for the whole use of the headphone (i.e. they never have a specific peak performance level)! I haven't had these for a particularly long time, but I have been breaking mine in, and they have been steadily improving sound. I can't wait till they reach their peak! These headphones also come with a active noise cancelling system, that require a AAA battery. Active noise cancellation is a complicated process that would take another review to summarize. So in short, it will selectively block noise, particularly at lower frequencies. This explains why the bass seems louder when the active noise cancelling in on. This feature isn't only for those who wants more bass, but it also breathes new life into the headphones creating a more 3-D soundstage. Sound Quality 4/5 (I have heard a pair broken in at a store, and they sound great!) Active Noise Cancelling 5/5 (This feature is very handy, and one will be sad when their battery dies, and they have to listen to their music without this feature) OPTIMAL MUSIC TYPE FOR THESE HEADPHONES These headphones edge a tad bit more on the "warm" side, having best sound reproduction in the midrange to midbass range. This makes, in my opinion, the optimal music for these headphones to be Rock, Alternative Rock, Jazz, Classical Music, and other related genres. However, the best way to figure this out yourself to try them out yourself if you can at all. THE EXTRAS These headphones also come with some bells and whistles. They come with a 2 Cases, a mesh case (klipsch logo all over), and a leather case. The leather case is wonderfully beautiful and the mesh case is Average. It comes with a two types of connecting cords (to your music player) that are 3.5 mm. One is a plain cord that is very sturdy, while the other had a 3 button control with a mic. The mic is very clear and won't disappoint. Also it comes with an airport adapter (which I haven't used) and a 3.5 mm to 1/4 in adapter (mostly used with receivers or amps). These are very handy, but I haven't been able to see a use for all of these on a daily basis. Case (mesh) 4/5 (Average, but does the job) Case (leather) 5/5 (beautiful, and very sturdy) Wire (plain) 4/5 (Great and sturdy, but I can't find a reason to rate it 5/5) Wire (with button control) 5/5 (Great, sturdy, handy, and clear (sound)! What more do you need?!) 3.5 mm to 1/4 in adapter 3/5 (Plain, but sturdy) Airport adapter ?/5 (Haven't used it) OVERALL Design 5/5 This is a beautiful set of headphones, that the owner will fall in love with, without being, as I said, an "eye popper". Their compact nature also is a plus. Build and Comfort 4/5 They are comfortable, but the weight and tendency to "warm the ears" may deter some. The ear pads are very comfortable and will attract many, but ear fatigue will deter others. Sound 4/5 Pleases the listener, but it won't cause someone to cry from the music's beauty. Give the headphones some time as well, they need to break in. The Extras 5/5 May just be too much (which isn't bad). The extras are of high quality as well. Overall 4.5/5 Great headphones, but little quirks may bother some. Certain people will mind, while others won't notice. It is all personal preference. These headphones are great, but to enjoy headphones of this caliber, a portable amp such as FiiO E11 Portable Headphone Amplifier - E11 may be a good idea for on the go, due to the increased sound range and larger soundstage this will bring. This is up to personal preference though, and headphones sounds great by themselves as well. In the end, this is a love headphone or "just another headphone". It is just up to personal preference. ***UPDATE 1/15/12*** I have been using these headphones for almost a month now, and boy has the audio quality improved! In fact, reflecting on what I had heard from the headphones when I first got them, I have to admit, I wasn't so impressed. Now, I have no buyers remorse (i.e. bought something, then after having it, wished they didn't get it). When you get the headphones, yes, they do sound very weak and restrained. This, according to what I've heard, is perfectly normal! So don't get rid of the headphones, the audio quality will dramatically improve! MOVIES I have recently tried using these babies on my computer and watched a movie. The movie was INCEPTION. If you are familiar with this movie, you know that there are a lot of video/ audio effects. Well after using these headphones, I couldn't believe what I was missing! In fact, during many scenes that involved explosions, with ANC (active noise canceling) I felt the headphones vibrate! It was like being in the theatre, minus the hundred people. In fact, I watched the movie in stereo surround sound, and was blown away, then I found out after the movie, that I didn't even use full surround sound! I can't wait to try that out! In short, not only do these headphones shine in music quality, but in movie quality as well! Movies 5/5 The Headphones Though I love these headphones, after using these for a while (3+ Hours) , I really noticed that these will really heat up! Though I do have to admit that I hate taking these off for 10 minutes for them to cool off after 3 hours. This will definitely annoy people. Trying to look on the brighter side, since these headphones do heat up, they make for really good headphones to wear in cold weather, as they keep the ears comfortably warm while you listen to music (or maybe you want to use them just to use as earmuffs, I have done that as well and it does work!) That being said, since there are pro's and con's to these headphones, I will leave my rating the same. ***Update (Again) 1/27/12*** Active Noise Canceling Honestly, Everyone thinks that this feature does absolutely nothing. I stated that it does block out lower frequencies, but honestly, I have to admit, it awfully felt like a "volume booster" like everyone stated. Another thing that I have noticed is that the soundstage is larger, and people will point that out (the main improvement is a punchier bass. Finally, a few days ago, I was riding in a bus, and I was wearing these headphones. I got on the bus, put these headphones on, turned on the active noise canceling, then turned on the music. I paused, and promptly shut off the music, then the active canceling. I heard the muffled rumbling of the bus (passive noise canceling) and felt it (you know, before it gets going) with ANC (active noise canceling) off. I then switched it on, and the rumbling was dramatically less. I could feel it, but it was weird sensation having the sound of the rumbling not matching the actual rumbling (sound volume wise). Also, when you turn on the ANC it takes a few seconds before it really gets going (from what I have noticed). In short, the Active Noise Canceling WORKS! It isn't a perfect ANC system, as it won't block out a ton of sound. It is more subtle, something more taken for granted, but it is more than "just a volume booster". ***Update 4/10/12*** *I flew in a plane again, and decided to change a couple of things what I wrote* Sound VS. Airplane Finally I get to try these headphones against a plane on my recent trip to Florida. Unfortunately, since it isn't too long of a flight and I rode a Bowing 737, I still wasn't able to try using the airplane adapter... Anyways, back to the point. I was able to use these headphones, no problem throughout the whole trip, though I do admit, the headphones got a little warm, but not uncomfortably warm during the flight. The headphones did a good job with the ANC for the flight, though i did notice that my ears popped due to altitude a lot more frequently with ANC on rather than off. It does help though, as it is pretty effective blocking out the lower frequencies during the flight. Due to the airplane being loud (Who can help that?), I had to turn the volume on my iPod touch approximately 55% up in order to block out the plane. This still allows sound in, but it is minimal. To completely block out the sound 100%, you will need to crank up the volume to approximately 75%. This may be loud for people, as it was for me but I didn't mind a little bit of airplane sound, as it isn't very noticeable at 50%. Also, Some people complained about the headphones initially being tight. I didn't stretch my headphones, as I like mine relatively tight, but as they are loosening up, I notice that with the tightness of the headphones, the passive noise canceling is better the tighter the headphone. Sound VS. Normal Environment 4/5 The sound is continually getting better and more natural, with a stronger response with the bass as time goes by, but I still don't think it is a bass heavy headphone. Also, I still recommend getting a portable headphone amp for this headphone to improve the sound. I recommend the FiiO E11 Portable Headphone Amplifier - E11 for solely a headphone amp as it does a good job though if you want to improve the sound quality of your computer as well as your portable music device, I'd recommend the FiiO E7 USB DAC and Portable Headphone Amplifier (Black) as it is a Digital Audio Converter as well as a portable amp as well. It just costs more. ***The updated version, the Fiio E07K has come out, and has taken care of many minor problems in the E7 along with better equipping it with better acoustic playback and such. Essentially an upgrade in components. It drove down the prices of the E7 as well, and is what I currently use FiiO E07K Andes Portable USB DAC Headphone Amplifier, Black . *** Also, if you have money to do so, I'd recommend the Fiio E17FiiO E17 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier, 18-pin Docking Interface, as those who have gotten their hands on it state that it is the best for their price range at around $150. Sound VS. Plane *4/5* With the experience of using these for a few flights now, I definitely recommend using a relatively new battery when you fly, as it made a difference for me. With a good battery, flights will be quieter as babies will be hushed and the low rumbling of the plane will disappear with the ANC. The ANC is crucial with flights, as it does a wonderful job at cancelation on the plane. My only quip, I wish that it could be a tad better for a headphone of this price range, but by no means will this disappoint someone. The only reason that there are asterisks around the rating is that I haven't tried enough other headphones to make a fair statement on how these compare against others. Whether you are Jamming to Bob Marley or Flyin' Like a G6, on a plane these won't disappoint. UPDATE 12/20/12 Well, I've had this headphone for a year now, so what has changed? Sound This headphone has changed to become a lot more "colored". This headphone has become a tad bit warmer (being slightly more dominant in the midrange to bass) to me, which I like but that is based on preference. The thing that I noticed a lot is the bass continuously is opening up. Overall, the headphones are breaking in nicely, but I can't state that I have used them religiously, but my set has a very nice, long burn in on them, yet they still continue to burn in. The Bass in this set have opened up, and seem less recessed than they originally were (in my opinion). Another thing that I really enjoy is that pushing the EQ (musical equalizer) to the limits doesn't push the limits of the headphones. The breaking noise you're hearing? Yeah, that's the track's fault. Try checking the kilobits per second(kbps). For these headphones go for 320kbps or higher if you can. You'll notice if you were listening to it at 128 kbps. To do so (assuming you're ripping music from a CD, legally of course), just bump up the kbps in the settings. Then, enjoy! Confort Not really changed. I guess I became more accustomed to it, but you STILL GOT TO TEST THEM BEFORE BUYING THEM. These are discomforting to many, so keep that in mind. Accessories Still in tip top condition. Nothing less functional since day one. Strength and Durability Besides impossibly small dust particles that all headphones collect, these things still look the same since say one (bear in mind that I have essentially babied these headphones. Overall They are still breaking in. A lot of people like to break in by just having them play over night for multiple nights, but I don't personally like doing that. For me though, it makes a difference, so definitely keep that in mind. Also, like mentioned above, the addition of a headphone AMP or DAC (digital audio converter) can up the quality on these headphones, so if you have the opportunity, try it out for yourself.