Review on Enhanced Klipsch Reference S4 In-Ear Headphones (No Longer Manufactured) by Jorge Tupou

This S4 set delivers clean mids, decent highs and some punchy mid-lows that are a bit sporadic but not enough for the listener to feel their effect on mid-range enhancement. The mids or voice are crisp, almost of audiophile quality, although they are somewhat muffled when the same signal is compared to the S4i model. The mids of the S4 are overall pleasant, but not as rich in detail and dynamic as in the slightly more expensive S4i. The bass is more pronounced on the S4i and the mids are a bit louder when the S4i is played on a device that the S4i's volume control cannot work with. The S4 is still a bit muted at the same volume, although its audio reproduction is (IMO) more responsive than bass-boosted models. for example the Sony MDR XB41EX or EX300 series, which are good but can be a bit overdone (i.e. these Sonys sound like they've been run through an equalizer that boosts bass or treble too much, making the voice deeper). anemic or artificial, bass not clear (like the XB.EX series) and treble with a hissing effect (XB300) which may not be bad at all for some tastes, especially the EX300 which has bass boost (though not muddy bass ) and good or bad) in short I recommend the S4i over the S4, although not much given the price difference. By the way, the volume control on the S4i only works with advanced versions of your iPod (4G or higher). If the S4i is around $60, preselect this model; and if you prefer boosted bass, the Ex300 is preferable to the MDR-XB.EX series (IMO)