The iPhone's great success has meant that earphone manufacturers haven't been reluctant to create earphones especially for it, including the mic/clicker arrangement used for calls and to control playback.
There are relatively few that have volume controls on the same clicker; but the Image S4i earbuds from Klipsch do.
While volume controls are a nice convenience for, say, iPhone users, they're vital for anyone who wants to add better third-party earbuds to a new iPod shuffle, as is the Image S4i's support for VoiceOver.
They're reasonably comfortable, though we found it tricky to get a good fit with the supplied tips, and the over-the-ear route the thin cable takes isn't to everyone's taste.
Also the lightness of the clicker meant that there was nothing keeping the over-the-ear cable from riding up and unhooking over the top of the ear.
The quality of the mic for hands-free calls was variable. In a quiet room, callers reported good results, but the mic's placement on your sternum puts it rather far away from your voice, doesn't shield it from wind and ambient noise, and means you can't really thread the cable neatly through clothing. (An optional clip in the package can help with both issues, but it's inelegant.)
They sound good, but certainly not 'ninety quid' good – the bass is too flabby. Note that very few iPhone and iPod models can use all the Image S4i's features.
Owners of the volume-rocker-less original iPod touch especially would have loved these, but the volume controls don't work with that model.
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Your comments (2) Click to add a new comment
jezwillmar
December 7th 2010
2. I aggree with arbiter,i needed a direct replacement for my iphone ones.I never even realised you were meant to put the wires over ear as i used the supplied clip to jacket etc.The sound quality is as good as my bose ones but at a fraction of the price! 4 or 5 star for me too!
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arbiter
February 27th 2010
1. Bought one of these last week after about 3 years using Sennheiser buds. When it comes to musicality - and that's the no1 priority for m - these are way better than anything I've listened to so far. Personally i find them really comfortable - the fit is such that they do a great imitation of noise-cancelling earphones - and the bass quality is spot on, really well balanced from top to bottom with bags of presence. The comments about the positioning of the mic seem a bit silly... exactly where else could the mic be placed other than where it is? A 3-star rating? Absolutely no way... these are an easy 4-star, going on 5.
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