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Klipsch has been manufacturing high-quality earphones for many years and they have a long line that covers a wide variety of earphone styles and types. If you haven’t purchased many pairs of earphones or do not know much about all the various offerings, choosing the right set can be a difficult task. There are many different models available from a wide range of manufacturers. However, the Klipsch S3M earphones have attracted quite a bit of attention and many consider them a great value. Let’s take a closer look at these earphones and see if they might be perfect for your ears.
Klipsch S3M Overview
These earphones are available in several color choices black, white, red, blue, and jade. Klipsch chose to not offer some of the more standard colors which are so common with many earphone models and it gives the S3M’s something a bit unique. This model can be considered a budget set of earphones so they will definitely not require a large investment by any measure. However, because they are in the budget category, they are made entirely of plastic without a lot of extra metal or flashy finishing touches you might find with more expensive models.
The design of the earpieces themselves offsets the all-plastic appearance somewhat as they have a much more contoured design compared to many other models in their price range. They offer a firm but comfortable fit within the ear and do not present any hard edges or discomfort that sometimes comes with outright cheap models. While all-plastic construction may not be the absolute best look on the planet but it does offer some advantages. One advantage is the earphones are very light which makes them ideal for use while on the go or when you are traveling. Additionally, they tend to be very comfortable even when wearing them for many hours and no weight becomes aggravating to the edges of the ear.
The S3M’s come with three sets of rubber tips included in the box which gives you a variety of sizes to choose from based on your preferences. It is not uncommon with lower-priced earphones for the design of the rubber tips to be somewhere between bad and just barely okay. However, with the S3M earphones, we found the design of the rubber tips to actually be quite refreshing. They fit nicely into the inner depths of the ear cavity and provide a good seal almost immediately. There is nothing more frustrating than to have to constantly keep jamming earpieces into the ear canal trying to get them to fit properly. Not to mention, it typically causes a certain degree of irritation or even pain after a while. Anyhow, you won’t find this to be the case with the S3M model.
If we have one complaint about the general design of these earphones it would probably be that they need to include another couple of sizes of rubber tips. Three different sizes are about the standard that many models offer but it would be nice if they came with five or six choices for those that may have ear canals that are not within what might be considered the normal range.
Klipsch S3M Features and Design
Being that these earphones are in the budget category Klipsch does not overload you with lots of extras or fancy features but they offer a solid set of features and performance that is above average.
What’s in the Box:
- 3 sets of rubber tips
- 3.5mm jack
- Carrying case
- Available colors are Black, White, Red, Blue, Jade
- 12 – 18,000Hz freq. response
- Manufacturer Name: Klipsch
The carrying case is well done, and perhaps, even better designed than many that are offered with earphones in much higher price ranges. It is a zip-up style case that offers a Velcro strap as well as a small pouch on the inside for extra tips or any small accessories you might need to store. The earphones are designed with a straight 3.5mm jack, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Straight jacks do have a tendency to be less durable especially if you use earphones in various conditions while traveling or out and about.
This can result in connection issues after a fair amount of wear and right-angle connections seem to hold up a bit better. However, the advantage they have is they are much more user-friendly with devices that might have strange or tightly designed input ports. While the durability issue is not always a problem is something that should be taken into consideration. Of course, given the price range of the earphones, it should not be a big issue either way for most people.
When designing the S3M earphones Klipsch made an effort to reproduce the sound quality of higher-priced models and offer it in a lower-priced earphone. They did not achieve this 100% with this model but we must say they made a pretty good effort. The S3M’s have coil speakers that are 5.83mm which are also known as dynamic drivers. These are very common with budget category earphones as you will not find the more expensive and efficient multi-driver speaker designs in the budget category. However, despite the lower-end speaker design, these earphones offer a very nice level of audio quality. The low-end is nicely balanced and sounds solid and the higher end does have its occasional issues but still comes through in decent form. The treble is powerful and at higher volumes, it can be downright piercing although the detail leaves a little to be desired with some genres of music.
An important feature to note is the warranty that Klipsch offers with this product as it is not every day you get a solid warranty with an item that is considered to be in the budget category. Klipsch offers a two-year warranty with the S3M’s which means consumers can purchase these earphones with confidence. It is normal when purchasing any product in a lower price category to wonder how long it will last and have some level of concern it will only hold up for a few short weeks or months. However, this isn’t a concern with the Klipsch S3M Earphones as they can be replaced at any time within two years from the date of purchase.
Finally, the S3M earphones come with a one-button remote and microphone which you can use for Skype or any other voice communication apps that you might prefer. The remote is solid and the one-button design makes it easy to use without a lot of fumbling around or trying to figure out which button controls which function. The mic offers clear transmission without distortion and presented no issues in our tests with various apps. Additionally, the unit is compatible with the complete range of operating systems Apple, Android, Windows, and even Blackberry.
For some reason these days, it seems common to find manufacturers that offer headphones that are only compatible with a certain operating system, which seems strange to us. It is nice to see that Klipsch opened the doors to everyone no matter what type of device they prefer to use.
Final Thoughts
Just because a product is in a lower price range or even a budget category doesn’t mean it can’t be a great value. While the S3M’s may not be a good fit for music lovers with a highly trained ear, if you need a set of earphones for multiple devices that offers good sound quality and a nice price, then the S3M’s are a solid choice.