A few weeks ago during the live show after CES you may have seen the un-boxing of the new Klipsch Reference On-Ear Headphones. From the moment I left the studio the testing began. These headphones were announced earlier this year at CES 2015 and I have thoroughly put them through real world tests.
For those of you that are not familiar with Klipsch, they are well known for their loudspeakers and product line of high fidelity audio products, these headphone fit in perfectly with the rest of their portfolio.
Design and Features
The headphones come in two different finishes white and black. We received the black pair for review. The first thing we noticed out of the box was the included soft case for the headphones. It is a soft micro-fabric bag that is perfect for storage and travel. The two-tone built it tangle resistant cord worked well. The cord somehow has gone weeks without getting tangled up, something not typical of cords in my possession. A few inches down from the headphones is a a remote and microphone. The multifunction button worked on several devices including some Android and Windows devices, however the volume toggle did not. The remote was designed for most new iOS devices, and worked well as intended.
Klipsch made a clear effort with these headphones to be comfortable and sound good. I really put theses headphones to the test and after several hours they became uncomfortable. In all fairness almost any headphones that I use for more than four hours in one sitting become uncomfortable. Everyone has a different head, but overall everyone in the studio that tried the headphones on has liked their comfort.
Audio
I found the headphones provided a clean balanced response, exactly what you would expect from a reference pair of headphones, after all they are Klipsch. These were the first and best on-ear reference headphones I have used, and I preferred them over some of the more traditional over-ear reference headphones that I have used. Generally reference headphones are used in recording studio, and these make a great pair of headphones for for work and home. I loved using them at the office because it offered great audio quality, but also allowed me to be work effectively in a team environment by allowing me to still be aware of conversations and environment around me.
Summary
The Reference On-Ear Headphones are a great pair of reference headphones for anyone looking for studio quality on ear monitors in a small and foldable form factor. You can find the Klipsch Reference On-Ear Headphones from Amazon or directly from Klipsch for $199
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