Optimal Portability / iPhone Compatibility
The Klipsch Image One is a great choice for the on-the-go headphone user who wants to cover a lot of bases without spending a lot of money. The Image One is super light, portable and comes with a protective travel pouch which we have come across and feels near weightless on the head. It offers good passive noise isolation, not to be confused with active noise cancellation (more on this later). The cable features Apple controls and a microphone. And what about the sound of the Image One? In a word – Slammin'!
Design & Features
I am very impressed by the lightness and comfort of the Image One. I can barely feel them on my head. The grip of the headband is not too tight, but is still very well fitted to my head. The earpads rest on the ear but do not exert any significant pressure. They are on 'on-ear' design yet provide ample coverage of my ear with no discomfort often associated with other on-ear models. The earcups fold flat to fit inside the very compact hard shell carrying case.
The Image Ones feature a decent amount of passive noise isolation. What this means is that when you wear them, you will notice a drop in outside noise. It is not, however, as affective at cancelling outside noise as an active noise canceling model would be. Active noise cancelling headphones use a microphone to capture outside noise and send an inverse wave of that noise to your ear. In this instance your brain hears less noise because the sound wave of the noise is literally cancelled out. The drawbacks of active noise cancellation are that the batteries constantly need to be recharged and/or replaced and some users find the slight pressure of the inverse wave reaching the ear to be uncomfortable. Passive noise isolation like we experience with the Image One is achieved by the materials used in the ear cups and ear pads. I was pleased and surprised by the amount of passive isolation achieved by this extremely light headphone.
The Apple remote and microphone is found where the left and right cables intercept at about chest level. I found the call quality to be very good – voices were clear and my voice was heard quite well despite my initial concern that the microphone was placed too far away from my mouth. The controls only work with Apple products but are very easy to use. Due to the size of the buttons, the buttons are easy to differentiate even when I'm not looking.
All About The Sound
The sound of the Klipsch Image One will delight you if you prefer a really impactful bass response. These on-ears have BIG bass. Their sound is best suited for R&B, Pop, Reggae and Hip Hop and other percussive genres with an emphasis on bass. If you're preference is for a more neutral tone offering refined trebled extension and an accurate bass impact response, the Image One will probably not be your first choice. However, if you like that "in the club" feeling, the Image One will be a top choice in its price range. When listening to Erykah Badu's "On & On" I greatly enjoyed the way the Klipsch Image One made me literally feel like I was immersed in the thump of the music. For all the hip hop and R&B I tried, the bass was truly unbelievable. The Klipsch Image One is quite a marvel for having similar qualities to a Subwoofer set up, but at such a compact size. Listening to Funkadelic's "One Nation Under A Groove" I couldn't help tapping my feet. With rock, I found that these did the job quite well, but I personally prefer a bit less bass at times to make out more detail in the mids and highs. For classical, I prefer a flat frequency response. However, the Klipsch Image One has few rivals at its size and price in the Hip Hop / R&B and Pop markets.
Last Word
The Klipsch Image One is a seemingly weightless travel-friendly headphone with Apple controls & microphone well implemented for a one stop on-the-go headphone experience. If you enjoy your bass raised for ultimate impact, you will enjoy these!
Rating At Pricepoint
| Sound |
8 |
| Design & Features |
8.5 |
| Portability |
8 |
| Value |
8 |