Reviews for Klipsch IMAGE S5i Rugged All-weather, All-sport In-ear Headphones with Mic

I've really been trying to find something that replaces my Shure E2c's, but these certainly aren't the ones. I did try the Shure SE210m+ and wrote a review on them here, so I'll explain why these S5i's are getting returned, and make some comparisons to SE210m+'s, and the E2c's.

Start at the connector - it is the typical straight style. I prefer an angled one, but this seems OK.

Up to the controls - yes, it it looked large in the box, and it truly is HUGE compared to the S4i's and the Shure SE210m+'s I tried. By huge, I mean it measures almost 2.5"/6.5mm long, and .5"/1.5mm wide.

However, the size alone wasn't the problem with this - the cables are attached to it sloppily. If I hold the left and right ear buds, the control twists sideways, as if the cables should have been inserted/soldered/attached with more precision. if I hold the left and right apart, the control should lay flat, it doesn't, no matter how many gentle twists I try on the cable.

Another reviewer mentioned the cable noise - it is bad - especially compared to the E2c's and the SE210m+. Klipsch seems to use a similar material to the headphones that come with an iPhone - the rubbery feel. You can somewhat lessen the effect of it by using what they call "Sport Fit" - which means placing the cable up and over the top of your ear, which is how I wear my E2c's anyway, but with the large control, as light as it is, it isn't enough to keep the cable over the top of my ears. That simple little clear plastic slider on the Shure E2c's is still the thing I am really after in terms of fit.

Finally - the buds themselves - I switched to the large at first, then onto the double flanges - they held OK, and insertion was easy enough. The sound was pretty darn good. Not over-exaggerated bass, treble was a little lacking, and mids, well, were OK, but not too well defined.

Oh, and lastly, the case - really - do we need an LED case, with a belt clip? If these are supposed to be the "Rugged" ones, it makes even less sense, and seems like a waste of packaging and plastic...

How I arrive at the 2 stars:
-2 for the cable noise (yes, it was that bad)
-1 for the control sloppiness

I really wish the rating was broken out by build quality and other factors...In sound quality, they would have scored pretty well overall...