Klipsch Custom 3 headphones
Manufacturer: Klipsch Group, Inc. Part number: CNETCUSTOM3
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- If you're looking for a stylish pair of in-ear headphones that don't lack for low end and can withstand daily abuse, the Klipsch Custom 3s are an expensive treat.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Klipsch Custom 3 headphones price range: $299.99
- Reviewed by: Donald Bell
- Reviewed on: 10/20/2008
- Released on: 11/01/2007
The good: The Klipsch Custom 3 in-ear headphones offer rich sound with dramatic bass, rugged construction, tangle-resistant cables, multiple ear tips, and effective noise isolation.
The bad: The Klipsch Custom 3s are relatively large, lack foam ear tips, tend to emphasize bass, and touch more of your ear than traditional consumer earphones.
The bottom line: If you're looking for a stylish pair of in-ear headphones that don't lack for low end and can withstand daily abuse, the Klipsch Custom 3s are an expensive treat.
Klipsch is a relatively new player in the headphone game, but its reputation as a high-end speaker manufacturer dates back to the 1940s. Building on the success of the company's knockout Image X10 earphones, the Klipsch Custom line delivers impressive sound quality in a larger, more durable design.
Design
The Klipsch Custom 3 ($299) headphones have a streamlined, space-age look that features a round 0.7-inch sound chamber packed with two balanced-armature drivers managed by an integrated crossover. Unlike conventional earbuds, the Klipsch Custom's cables shoot out from the top of the earpiece and wrap around the back of the ear along a coated 2-inch length of moldable memory wire. The Klipsch Custom 3's cables measure 4 feet long and are covered in a braided, tangle-resistant cloth.
One of the more interesting design features across the entire line of Klipsch earphones are the slightly oval shape of their interchangeable ear tips. According to Klipsch, the oblong shape is a better match to the ear canal's natural shape. We failed to notice any appreciable difference between the slightly oval fit of the Klipsch earphones and the uniformly round ear tips included with most earphones, but earphone fit is always a highly subjective experience. The Klipsch Custom 3s come packaged with five pairs of differently sized silicone tips (three single flange pairs and two dual-flanged). No foam tips are offered, however, the variety and design of included gel ear tips should satisfy even the smallest or largest ears.
Klipsch didn't give the Custom 3s the light and ultraportable design of its Image earphones or a pair of Etymotic HF5 earphones, but the design offers many practical advantages. We found the Klipsch Custom 3s' behind-the-ear memory wire made them easier to quickly slap on than the loose-wire design of our trusty Shure SE310s. The moldable wire also lets you dangle the Klipsch Custom 3s loosely over your ears for moments when you need to hear what's going on around you (i.e. bicycling, walking through sketchy neighborhoods, feigning attention to a conversation).
Performance
The Klipsch Custom 3 earphones bill themselves as a "Studio Reference Experience," however, we found that they leaned too hard on the low end to be useful as a balanced pro-audio reference. We may not recommend the Custom 3s to audio engineers, but that shouldn't stop the rest of you from seeking them out, especially if you like your music on the heavy side. We really enjoyed using the Custom 3s for watching movies on our laptop, where the extra oomph of the headphones' dedicated woofer driver made blockbuster sound effects knock us out of our seat.
Some tunes suffered for the Klipsch Custom 3s' bass-heavy sound. For instance, the upright bass on Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison rendition of "Cocaine Blues" crowds outs many of the subtleties of the live room. Other songs, such as Moondog's relatively sparse "Bird's Lament" and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You" really come alive with the extra heft of the Custom 3s' powerful woofer. Hip-hop and electronic tunes such as Prefuse 73's "Uprock and Invigorate" also sound phenomenal. Those of you looking for a more balanced set of Klipsch earphones should consider the less-expensive Custom 2s or Image X5s.
As far as fit and comfort are concerned, we feel the wide range of ear tips and the memory wire's capability to distribute weight across the ear make the Klipsch Custom 3s easy to wear for long stretches without discomfort. Compared with the invisible-feeling Image X5 earphones, however, the Custom series makes much more contact with the ear, which may irritate some users.
The Klipsch Customs come with a two-year limited warranty against defects, although it remains to be seen whether the company's policy is as forgiving Shure's.
User reviews
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Awesome!! But it did take some adjusting.......
by DJ-MattyC on September 3, 2008
Pros: Rich, but not too Bassy. No Distortion. They look great. Great Noise cancellation. The most comfortable in-ear buds I have tried.
Cons: Takes some adjusting (don't give up on them). The price (although I think they're worth it)
Summary: These pups are awesome. However, it did take some adjustment for me to experience the full potential. When I first heard them, I noticed the noise cancellation right away and ...
Summary: These pups are awesome. However, it did take some adjustment for me to experience the full potential. When I first heard them, I noticed the noise cancellation right away and was pleased. However, I am a bass hog and they weren't quite getting to the level i like. I did panic a little and said, "I just dropped 300 bucks and they sound like this??" But I also told myself, "no, thats a lot of money, give them a shot." So anyway, I started to fiddle around with the ear pieces to find the right fit. My ear canals are different sizes (which is one of the reasons I was attracted to the customizable ear pieces), so I had to test them all out. After some work, I found the right fit, and let me tell you, you know when you have found the right fit. These things start to sing when you hit it. Bottom line: awesome sound, great noise cancellation. Give them time, there may be an adjustment period.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Absolutely Amazing
by alveha on April 19, 2008
Pros: Bass, very comfortable, carrying case (fits your Ipod)
Cons: Price (but you get what you pay for)
Summary: I bought both the Klipsch Image and Custom 3 headphones. I wanted to see which one was better then return the inferior one. I spent hours listening to both - ...
Summary: I bought both the Klipsch Image and Custom 3 headphones. I wanted to see which one was better then return the inferior one. I spent hours listening to both - switching back and forth. I listened to both headphones with the EQ off on songs, and I set the EQ to different settings to see which sounded better. I listened to various music from classical, jazz, pop, metal, rock, country, etc. It was so hard for me to decide which headphones were better. They were clearly different, yet very similar. The bottom line is both headphones are Excellent. Both have bass, mids, and highs.
Which is better? Hard to say. So I will break it down in categories.
Comfort: Image is more comfortable. The The Custom 3 is very comfortable too, however, Image is by far the most comfortable IEM headphones on this planet. But the Custom 3 are very comfortable.
Sound (Highs): The Image is better. The Image's highs seem cleaner, crisper, tighter, and brighter. The Custom 3 Highs are good, but you have to set the EQ setting to "treble booster" to match the Image.
Sound (lows): Custom 3 has more bass. Don't get me wrong, the Image has plenty bass, but the Custom 3 has more bass and you can really push the bass to extreme where as if you push the bass in the Image, the sound will distort.
Sound (Mids): Custom 3 have better mids. I think the reason for this is because they have dual drivers and the mids come through more.
Misc: The Image is easier to use and is more practical. The Custom 3's cloth cords are better then the plastic ones of the Image.
Bottom Line: I love both and you can not go wrong with either one. It depends and what sound you prefer. The highs are cleaner, crisper, and come through more on the Image, but the lows and mids are better on the Custom 3. Strangely though, on some songs I like the Custom 3 better, and on some songs I like the Image better. I will probably return the Image because they are $50 more then the Custom 3 and I am a Bass addict. But again, I know I sound like a broken record, but the Image is amazing. You won't regret buying either one.2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Clean, worm, and accurate- excellent headphones
by holmholm on December 17, 2008
Pros: Comfort
Sound isolation is very good
Sound quality is superior- the full range of music comes across in perfect balance
Plugs into the original iPhone without an adapterCons: Not sure- perhaps the cord behaves like a stethoscope- when it rubs you can hear it through the phones a little- Personally, I could care less, and I suspect this is true with all headphones
Summary: My Shure E2Cs shorted out recently and needed a new pair for the plane, etc. I rarely wore my Shure's around the house because they were simply too invasive ...
Summary: My Shure E2Cs shorted out recently and needed a new pair for the plane, etc. I rarely wore my Shure's around the house because they were simply too invasive and uncomfortable. These, however, are night and day in terms of comfort- amazing. More importantly, the sound quality is oustanding- better than my Grado S60's for sure, and those are excellent phones. A good test was plugging these phones into my Yamaha Clavinova digital piano- just about perfect. Others may talk of big bass- me- I'd describe these phones as delivering a near perfect sound stage across all frequencies (everything is as it should be- in excellent balance)- its like listening to B&W reference speakers through a McIntosh amp or something. Very excellent. I'm thrilled.
I TYPO'd WARM!!!
Updated on Dec 17, 20081 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Brilliant.
by callumc on June 28, 2008
Pros: Extremely Comfortable, Excelent Smooth Sound, Deeper Realistic Bass
Cons: None that I can think of
Summary: I purchased the Klipsch Custom 3 earphones about 2 weeks ago, after reading the reviews in the press. I have to say that I have a perfectly good pair of ...
Summary: I purchased the Klipsch Custom 3 earphones about 2 weeks ago, after reading the reviews in the press. I have to say that I have a perfectly good pair of Shure E4C earphones, that I have been using for that last few years, but from what the magazine reviews were saying, the Custom 3's were supposed to be outstanding. I have to say that I am very critical about my sounds (the majority of the music I listen to is recorded in lossless files) so the magazine reviews had tempted me enough to order a set and judge for myself.
Upon receipt, I took the Custom 3's out of their packaging and tried them out, quickly finding that the large gel inserts were the best fit for me. The comfort of wearing the in-ear type of earphones plays a large part in the enjoyment of using them. In this respect, I can say that the Custom 3's are extremely comfortable. I think this is down to the very flexible and soft material that the gels are made from and also the overall light weight of the earphones and cable. By comparison, I always found that the Shure earphones, once fitted placed a lot more pressure on my ear to keep them in place. The Custom 3's really do feel like they are almost not there at all.
On my first listen to the Custom 3's my thoughts were that the sound was pretty good with lots of potential. I say this as all new electrical components require a bit of time to bed in to a point where they reach their full potential. Over a period of 2 hours the Custom 3's settled down and the base started to come through better. It became deeper and cleaner and the highs played in tune.
By comparison to the Shure E4C's that I have been using for a few years, the Custom'3s have a warmer and smoother sound with much richer bass presence. The music appears to be presented in an effortless manner, which makes it easier and more enjoyable to listen to. Overall, I am very happy with my new purchase and imagine that anyone else buying the Custom 3 earphones will be as well. The only caveat to that is that I expect that everyone's ears are unique and peoples tastes differ so therefore I expect that most people will be very happy with the Custom 3's and some will have a personal reason for not liking them.
If I were to be picky, I would say that I do not like the carry case that comes with the Custom 3's, its large and bulky and the material it is made from has an unpleasant burnt rubber type smell. I have to say that the Shure carry cases are much nicer, but hey, I didn't buy the Custom 3's for the carry case.
The paperwork which came with the Custom 3's offers free new gels if the product is registered with Klipsch. I duly registered them online with Kilpsch and the new gels arrived in the post to the UK within 3 days.
It is now two weeks on I am very impressed with the Custom 3's and cannot fault them. I can't wait to enjoy them on holiday in a weeks time.
Callum
Scotland1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Simply amazing!
by jp00711 on April 1, 2008
Pros: Excelent Sound, Very Comfortable, very well made, lots of extras
Cons: A little pricey
Summary: These ear buds are the best. I would rather listen to them over my home theater system( over $3000 in equipment). When I first got them I did not know ...
Summary: These ear buds are the best. I would rather listen to them over my home theater system( over $3000 in equipment). When I first got them I did not know how to use them so I thought they were completely useless until I made a proper seal with the included ear pieces and discovered their true value. I also needed a little time to adjust the buds so they conformed to my ears but now its like wearing clouds on my ears. The only thing I did not like was that these buds are pretty expensive but I got them on sale and they were totally worth the money. I will never use any other buds again(and I previously used shure and ultimate ears).
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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very tangle-prone cord!
by alouba on April 16, 2009
Pros: Sound quality is quite good, comprable to Shure lines, though I can't say I'm the most discening listener. Sound isolation also quite good.
Cons: The cable is very easily tangled. The cloth covering does not help, it just worsens the issue by permanently creating kinks in the cord. My left ear bud recently gave out after much less then a year of use, probably from the perpetually tangled wires
Summary: Great until they break, which is likely soon. Tangled wires is the most frustrating thing in my life (other then slow internet)
Summary: Great until they break, which is likely soon. Tangled wires is the most frustrating thing in my life (other then slow internet)
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Best in Class - If you love music on the go !
by Barty1958 on January 9, 2009
Pros: I purchased these for MP3 use. Initially used Sennheiser CX300 which are excellent. I then upgraded to Ultimate Superfi 5. Bad move, good sound but awkward.,large and poor fit. The Klipsch are a revelation.Quality construction - Highly recommended.
Cons: I am still waiting....
Summary: Without writing an essay. I feel why these earbuds get the top marks here. On sound, solid bass, excellent mid and high ranges. Easy simple ear fit with good choices ...
Summary: Without writing an essay. I feel why these earbuds get the top marks here. On sound, solid bass, excellent mid and high ranges. Easy simple ear fit with good choices of bud sizes. Overall, Small is size, excellent design, so you don't look like a dork. The first time I used them after the usual fiddling around with earbud covers etc., I felt a perfect seal and very comfortable. After a short time, I forgot that I had earphones in and just heard the music. Heaven !
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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You can go very wrong here! I did!!
by Mr-Wants-Good-Sound on March 29, 2009
Pros: Flexible ear wires..
Cons: "Canny" sound.
Tried everything to get a "tight" fit. Got something you could call that, but that I got with a pair of ear tips, looking like the Etymotic hf5. I think I should have bought them..Summary: NOT inpressed! Tried to put: them into my brain, just barely into my ears, on the sides, regular fit, but they never got a good sound or sealed of the ...
Summary: NOT inpressed! Tried to put: them into my brain, just barely into my ears, on the sides, regular fit, but they never got a good sound or sealed of the noice. My old Shure E2c was MUUUCH better. Both for sound and noice cancelling! But they broke..
Sorry again!
I can NOT recommend Klipsch Custom 3
Sorry!
Updated on Mar 29, 2009
The English language is not my first, as you can see, so I just have to repair my review!
"You can go very wrong here! I did!!"
Pros:
Flexible ear wires..
Cons:
"Canny" sound.
I tried everything to get a "tight" fit. Got something you could call that, but that I got with a pair of ear tips looking like the Etymotic hf5. I think I should have bought them..
I?m NOT impressed! I tried to put them: into my brain, just barely in my ears, on the sides of the canals, regular fit, but they never got a good sound or sealed out the noise. My old Shure E2c was MUUUCH better. Both for sound and noise cancelling! But they broke..
I can NOT recommend Klipsch Custom 3
So be it0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Klipsch Group, Inc.
- Part number: CNETCUSTOM3
- Description: Custom-3 earphones come in a black soft-feel paint finish with copper accents and include a high-quality vinyl carrying case that will also fit an 80G iPod. Also includes a ¼-inch adaptor, an airline adaptor, five sets of ear gels, and a cleaning tool.
General
- Product Type Headphones
- Weight 0.5 oz
- Color Black
Headphones
- Headphones Type Headphones - Binaural
- Headphones Form Factor In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount)
- Headphones Technology Dynamic
- Connectivity Technology Wired
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Sensitivity 115 dB
- Impedance 32 Ohm
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
Miscellaneous
- Cables Included Headphones cable - 4.3 ft
- Included Accessories Carrying case, Cleaning tool, Airplane adapter, 6.3 mm (1/4") stereo adapter
Product series
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Manufacturer: Klipsch Group, Inc.
Specs: Headphones, In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount), Black, 0.5 oz, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
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Manufacturer: Klipsch Group, Inc.
Specs: Headphones, In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount), Black, 0.5 oz, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
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Manufacturer: Klipsch Group, Inc.
Specs: Headphones, In-ear ear-bud (with over-the-ear mount), Black, 0.5 oz, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
Manufacturer info
- Klipsch Group, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Klipsch Group, Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.klipsch.com/
- Address:
3502 Woodview Trace, Suite 200, Indianapolis, IN 46268 - Phone: 317-860-8100
- Fax: 317-860-9170
