What Hi-Fi? Verdict
If you want to hear exactly what your MP3 player is capable of, these 'phones will tell you. Startling fidelity for the money, the price notwithstanding
Pros
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Comfortable, lightweight fit
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revealing, detailed, substantial sound
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great noise isolation
Cons
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£230-worth of almost anything looks more impressive
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
If you're skeptical about the merits of high-end in-ear headphones, insert a pair of the Award-winning X10s and you'll soon change your mind. They've been the benchmark for high-end buds for the past 18 months.
The beauty of the X10s is that they manage to get the most out of your digital music collection whether it's uncompressed or squashed down to around 256kbps.
They produce a wonderfully balanced sound, and pay as much attention to the subtleties of a track as they do to all the bangs and crashes.
Bass notes are textured and tightly defined: the vibrant drum beat of The Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition rolls along energetically.
Play a more subtle track such as Beyonce's If I Were A Boy, and they do a superb job of capturing the natural tone of guitar and drums.
The X10s take the positives of their cheaper brethren, the X5s, and ramp them up to even greater heights. These are extremely classy in-ear headphones
Click here to watch our video review of the Klipsch Image.
