If the Klipsch Image One (II) sounds as good as it looks, not many headphones can match it.
Its on-ear design is meant to apply less pressure on the ears and keep your music to yourself.
The music part is true. But the headphones are not a good fit. After adjusting the headband for more than a minute, I thought I had got the length and fit right.
Then the earcups began to slip. And slip. Because of the comfortable cushioning, I could get a good 30 minutes out of the headphones before "sweaty ear syndrome" set in.
Unlike the wireless Klipsch Image One Bluetooth headphones, this set of cans relies on an audio cable to relay your favourite tunes.
Plugged in to the left earcup, the cable detaches too easily and is prone to tangling with the USB cables in my bag.
I am partly to blame, as I was reluctant to stuff its hard carrying case into the limited space in my bag. If you fold the cups to flatten the set and store it in the hard case with the audio cable, you will not have to deal with cable spaghetti.
Along the audio cable is the usual in-line controller, which consists of a microphone and three buttons to control the media player.
The buttons were easy to use and there was no problem making multiple clicks to skip or reverse tracks.
A caller remarked that my voice sounded slightly hollow when I used the microphone to answer a call. Background noise was minimal.
Pay attention bass lovers, because the bass delivery of the Image One (II) will give you an adrenaline rush. Low tones from The Dark Knight soundtrack are strong and full of punch.
When the volume was pushed to 80 per cent, the bass tracks stayed clear and solid, without a hint of audio distortion.
When Lana Del Rey sang Young And Beautiful, I was surprised to hear the percussion overtake her sultry vocals. Even Adele's powerful voice sounded buried in Skyfall.
The punchy experience will be its strongest selling point for the bass-loving crowd, but the overly strong low tones put the mid and high range at a slight disadvantage.
stdled@sph.com.sg