vapman
Member of the Trade: bhobuds.com
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2006
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A while ago, I was sick and bored of my lifeless Etymotic HF5's (a claim sure to stir up much controversy in the flaming bandwagon that is the IEM sub-forum), and as I was more than content with my Ultrasone Pro 650's, I had no desire to get another pair of high-end headphones. I was, however, lacking a usable pair of cheap kickaround headphones, as my next best choice was a pair of iBuds with the right earbud ripped off. So I went on head-fi and found what was the most portable and bassy headphone I could get for under $20. I decided on the Marshmallows, got a pair on eBay for $5.72 shipped, and I am convinced it would be impossible to do better for the money.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
My ear canals are very small (I can just barely fit in the Etymotic small tips). I had some trouble with the stock Marshmallow tips, which seem to very similar to Shure medium sized silicon tips. They were very dense, which allowed for massive quantities of thumping, muddy bass. I found that the high range was almost painful and very tinny, the midrange was acceptable and I would have liked the bass to be a little clearer. Unpleased with the sound, I jumped straight into the Kramer mod.
POST-KRAMER MOD
Worlds of difference. I did not have any Grado-type foam as the original Kramer recipe called for, so I used some cotton from a (new and unused) q-tip. I took out the paper filter and filled the sound canals about quarter-way deep with q-tip cotton, put the silicon tips back on, and tried again. The highs were much more controlled and less tinny, the bass was still present but definitely clearer, and the midrange was more present. All around it was much, much better. However, the tips were still uncomfortable (and too large to even stay in my ears), so I ordered some new tips.
SHURE ORANGE FOAMIES
They are not very comfortable, but they're kind of like Grado pads if you're familiar with them. They were very rough to put into my ears for the first week or so, but after getting them in I immediately noticed how much better the sound became. The bass was much, much clearer, although still not lacking in quantity at all, but there was definitely less bass than the silicon tips had (I blame this on the fact that the silicon tips were much denser than the foam). The highs and mids were a bit softer sounding, but I found them to be a bit harsh with the silicon tips so I was happy with this change. I used them for nearly 7 hours nonstop every day at work, and I enjoyed them a lot. My biggest problems were how annoying they were to put in, at times they were uncomfortable, and that they had a tendency to easily fall out. However, once they are in, they are very comfortable. I never had any problems with the treble being too much to handle while using the foamies. Curiosity got the better of me, though, and I ordered a pair of tri-flanges off of eBay from Hong Kong.
TRI/BI-FLANGES
I always have my Etymotic earplugs with me (they are on my keychain, because that is how cool I am. No, but seriously, I am very cool). Occasionally I use them at work when my ears need a break. Although the foamies felt nice when they were inside my ears, I still found the tri-flanges to be more comfortable. I am not sure what official Shure E2c tri-flanges are like, but I was slightly dissapointed to find that the ones I got from Hong Kong seemed much less solid/thick than the Etymotic flanges I was used to.
As soon as I put the tri-flanges on my Marshmallows, I noticed right away they looked absurdly long. I put them in, and was immediately impressed with the sound. The most bass out of any of the three tips I used. The sound characteristic actually seemed almost no different from the foamies. I noticed that the mids and highs were slightly more present with the flanges than with the foamies, but they were neither overwhelming nor painful. The bass is definitely more present. I think the bass sounded a bit better with the Foamies, but the bass will reverberate through your skull with the flanges, which makes up for the slightly more muffled bass the flanges provide.
I couldn't deal with the tri-flanges for more than a minute or two before my ears started hurting. I realized it was uncomfortable to put these tips in as far as I was (my Etymotics tri-flanges always felt great all the way in). I promptly took them off, and with the confidence of never having made a bad modification to my headphones, I flipped up the third flange on each tip, cut them off cleanly with an Xacto knife, washed the tips again and used them again. There was absolutely no difference in sound quality whatsoever, but they were ten times more comfortable.
One interesting thing worth mentioning is that all my music on my iPod (which I use at work, and only in my car and with my Marshmallows at work) is in 128kbps AAC. Before the flamefest ensues, I would like to mention that I was not aware of the iTunes setting that converted all my music to 128kbps AAC before loading it onto the iPod. When using the iPod with the stock tips or foamies I had no idea as all my music sounded just fine to me. However it was not until I used the flanges that I started to notice all my bass sounded strangely warbly and glitchy. There is no question the flanges provide the best detail of the three tips, as I tried out the other tips with the same songs afterwards, but I could only hear the MP3 artifacts with the flanges.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I don't regret selling my Etymotic HF5's one bit. In fact, I prefer these to my Etymotics. I'm sure I'd enjoy another bassy IEM a lot more, like a Hippo or higher end JVC, but I have absolutely no complaints with what I got. I brought my Marshmallows over to one of my friends (who is a fellow Head-Fier and has owned well over 20 or 30 different pairs of high-end headphones). He listened to my Marshmallows with some of his own silicon tips, and was amazed at how they sounded. I am extremely content with these. I would never use them at home, as my Ultrasones are vastly superior in every way, but I bought these headphones with the intention of using them at work/on the bus/on the train, because I would never use IEMs in a household setting. Therefore I never am concentrating on the details of the music when I am listening to these. Since I wanted some headphones I could toss around and not worry about, the Marshmallows were the best I could have done for the money. In fact, I would say without hesitation that after the Kramer mod and with different tips, I would put these above KSC75's and probably even stock PortaPros (yes, the tips make that much of a difference). Any basshead will be pleased with these, as I can hear the mids and highs just fine (and they sound great), but there is still enough bass and sub-bass to rattle your skull. For $5, there is no reason NOT to get these, unless you hate bass (and by extension, hate fun), especially if you want some headphones you can toss around and not worry about. Because not all of us like travelling around with our pockets stuffed with amplifiers and $100 cables.
My next projects will to be to recable the Marshmallows (the stock cable is pretty short - about 3 feet, just barely makes it to my back pocket. Also there is a chance a recable will increase quality - I don't believe in recabling all my headphones but I am curious to see if these are like Etymotic ER4 or PortaPros or other cheap headphones where a recable really does increase the quality of the sound drastically) and get customs tips made for them (PayPal donations accepted for this as I definitely don't have the funds to get custom tips right now).
POST-KRAMER MOD
Worlds of difference. I did not have any Grado-type foam as the original Kramer recipe called for, so I used some cotton from a (new and unused) q-tip. I took out the paper filter and filled the sound canals about quarter-way deep with q-tip cotton, put the silicon tips back on, and tried again. The highs were much more controlled and less tinny, the bass was still present but definitely clearer, and the midrange was more present. All around it was much, much better. However, the tips were still uncomfortable (and too large to even stay in my ears), so I ordered some new tips.
SHURE ORANGE FOAMIES
They are not very comfortable, but they're kind of like Grado pads if you're familiar with them. They were very rough to put into my ears for the first week or so, but after getting them in I immediately noticed how much better the sound became. The bass was much, much clearer, although still not lacking in quantity at all, but there was definitely less bass than the silicon tips had (I blame this on the fact that the silicon tips were much denser than the foam). The highs and mids were a bit softer sounding, but I found them to be a bit harsh with the silicon tips so I was happy with this change. I used them for nearly 7 hours nonstop every day at work, and I enjoyed them a lot. My biggest problems were how annoying they were to put in, at times they were uncomfortable, and that they had a tendency to easily fall out. However, once they are in, they are very comfortable. I never had any problems with the treble being too much to handle while using the foamies. Curiosity got the better of me, though, and I ordered a pair of tri-flanges off of eBay from Hong Kong.
TRI/BI-FLANGES
I always have my Etymotic earplugs with me (they are on my keychain, because that is how cool I am. No, but seriously, I am very cool). Occasionally I use them at work when my ears need a break. Although the foamies felt nice when they were inside my ears, I still found the tri-flanges to be more comfortable. I am not sure what official Shure E2c tri-flanges are like, but I was slightly dissapointed to find that the ones I got from Hong Kong seemed much less solid/thick than the Etymotic flanges I was used to.
As soon as I put the tri-flanges on my Marshmallows, I noticed right away they looked absurdly long. I put them in, and was immediately impressed with the sound. The most bass out of any of the three tips I used. The sound characteristic actually seemed almost no different from the foamies. I noticed that the mids and highs were slightly more present with the flanges than with the foamies, but they were neither overwhelming nor painful. The bass is definitely more present. I think the bass sounded a bit better with the Foamies, but the bass will reverberate through your skull with the flanges, which makes up for the slightly more muffled bass the flanges provide.
I couldn't deal with the tri-flanges for more than a minute or two before my ears started hurting. I realized it was uncomfortable to put these tips in as far as I was (my Etymotics tri-flanges always felt great all the way in). I promptly took them off, and with the confidence of never having made a bad modification to my headphones, I flipped up the third flange on each tip, cut them off cleanly with an Xacto knife, washed the tips again and used them again. There was absolutely no difference in sound quality whatsoever, but they were ten times more comfortable.
One interesting thing worth mentioning is that all my music on my iPod (which I use at work, and only in my car and with my Marshmallows at work) is in 128kbps AAC. Before the flamefest ensues, I would like to mention that I was not aware of the iTunes setting that converted all my music to 128kbps AAC before loading it onto the iPod. When using the iPod in my car (which I always drive with the windows down), with the stock tips or foamies I had no idea as all my music sounded just fine to me. However it was not until I used the flanges that I started to notice all my bass sounded strangely warbly and glitchy. There is no question the flanges provide the best detail of the three tips, as I tried out the other tips with the same songs afterwards, but I could only hear the MP3 artifacts with the flanges.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I don't regret selling my Etymotic HF5's one bit. I'm sure I'd enjoy another bassy IEM a lot more, like a Hippo or higher end JVC, but I have absolutely no complaints with what I got. I brought my Marshmallows over to one of my friends (who is a fellow Head-Fier and has owned well over 20 or 30 different pairs of high-end headphones). He listened to my Marshmallows with some of his own silicon tips, and was amazed at how they sounded. I am extremely content with these. I would never use them at home, as my Ultrasones are vastly superior in every way, but I bought these headphones with the intention of using them at work/on the bus/on the train, because I would never use IEMs in a household setting. Therefore I never am concentrating on the details of the music when I am listening to these. Since I wanted some headphones I could toss around and not worry about, the Marshmallows were the best I could have done for the money. In fact, I would say without hesitation that after the Kramer mod and with different tips, I would put these above KSC75's and probably even stock PortaPros (yes, the tips make that much of a difference). Any basshead will be pleased with these, as I can hear the mids and highs just fine (and they sound great), but there is still enough bass and sub-bass to rattle your skull. For $5, there is no reason NOT to get these, unless you hate bass (and by extension, hate fun), especially if you want some headphones you can toss around and not worry about. Because not all of us like travelling around with our pockets stuffed with amplifiers and $100 cables.
My next projects will to be to recable the Marshmallows (the stock cable is pretty short - about 3 feet, just barely makes it to my back pocket. Also there is a chance a recable will increase quality - I don't believe in recabling all my headphones but I am curious to see if these are like Etymotic ER4 or PortaPros or other cheap headphones where a recable really does increase the quality of the sound drastically) and get customs tips made for them (PayPal donations accepted for this as I definitely don't have the funds to get custom tips right now).
POST-KRAMER MOD
Worlds of difference. I did not have any Grado-type foam as the original Kramer recipe called for, so I used some cotton from a (new and unused) q-tip. I took out the paper filter and filled the sound canals about quarter-way deep with q-tip cotton, put the silicon tips back on, and tried again. The highs were much more controlled and less tinny, the bass was still present but definitely clearer, and the midrange was more present. All around it was much, much better. However, the tips were still uncomfortable (and too large to even stay in my ears), so I ordered some new tips.
SHURE ORANGE FOAMIES
They are not very comfortable, but they're kind of like Grado pads if you're familiar with them. They were very rough to put into my ears for the first week or so, but after getting them in I immediately noticed how much better the sound became. The bass was much, much clearer, although still not lacking in quantity at all, but there was definitely less bass than the silicon tips had (I blame this on the fact that the silicon tips were much denser than the foam). The highs and mids were a bit softer sounding, but I found them to be a bit harsh with the silicon tips so I was happy with this change. I used them for nearly 7 hours nonstop every day at work, and I enjoyed them a lot. My biggest problems were how annoying they were to put in, at times they were uncomfortable, and that they had a tendency to easily fall out. However, once they are in, they are very comfortable. I never had any problems with the treble being too much to handle while using the foamies. Curiosity got the better of me, though, and I ordered a pair of tri-flanges off of eBay from Hong Kong.
TRI/BI-FLANGES
I always have my Etymotic earplugs with me (they are on my keychain, because that is how cool I am. No, but seriously, I am very cool). Occasionally I use them at work when my ears need a break. Although the foamies felt nice when they were inside my ears, I still found the tri-flanges to be more comfortable. I am not sure what official Shure E2c tri-flanges are like, but I was slightly dissapointed to find that the ones I got from Hong Kong seemed much less solid/thick than the Etymotic flanges I was used to.
As soon as I put the tri-flanges on my Marshmallows, I noticed right away they looked absurdly long. I put them in, and was immediately impressed with the sound. The most bass out of any of the three tips I used. The sound characteristic actually seemed almost no different from the foamies. I noticed that the mids and highs were slightly more present with the flanges than with the foamies, but they were neither overwhelming nor painful. The bass is definitely more present. I think the bass sounded a bit better with the Foamies, but the bass will reverberate through your skull with the flanges, which makes up for the slightly more muffled bass the flanges provide.
I couldn't deal with the tri-flanges for more than a minute or two before my ears started hurting. I realized it was uncomfortable to put these tips in as far as I was (my Etymotics tri-flanges always felt great all the way in). I promptly took them off, and with the confidence of never having made a bad modification to my headphones, I flipped up the third flange on each tip, cut them off cleanly with an Xacto knife, washed the tips again and used them again. There was absolutely no difference in sound quality whatsoever, but they were ten times more comfortable.
One interesting thing worth mentioning is that all my music on my iPod (which I use at work, and only in my car and with my Marshmallows at work) is in 128kbps AAC. Before the flamefest ensues, I would like to mention that I was not aware of the iTunes setting that converted all my music to 128kbps AAC before loading it onto the iPod. When using the iPod in my car (which I always drive with the windows down), with the stock tips or foamies I had no idea as all my music sounded just fine to me. However it was not until I used the flanges that I started to notice all my bass sounded strangely warbly and glitchy. There is no question the flanges provide the best detail of the three tips, as I tried out the other tips with the same songs afterwards, but I could only hear the MP3 artifacts with the flanges.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I don't regret selling my Etymotic HF5's one bit. I'm sure I'd enjoy another bassy IEM a lot more, like a Hippo or higher end JVC, but I have absolutely no complaints with what I got. I brought my Marshmallows over to one of my friends (who is a fellow Head-Fier and has owned well over 20 or 30 different pairs of high-end headphones). He listened to my Marshmallows with some of his own silicon tips, and was amazed at how they sounded. I am extremely content with these. I would never use them at home, as my Ultrasones are vastly superior in every way, but I bought these headphones with the intention of using them at work/on the bus/on the train, because I would never use IEMs in a household setting. Therefore I never am concentrating on the details of the music when I am listening to these. Since I wanted some headphones I could toss around and not worry about, the Marshmallows were the best I could have done for the money. In fact, I would say without hesitation that after the Kramer mod and with different tips, I would put these above KSC75's and probably even stock PortaPros (yes, the tips make that much of a difference). Any basshead will be pleased with these, as I can hear the mids and highs just fine (and they sound great), but there is still enough bass and sub-bass to rattle your skull. For $5, there is no reason NOT to get these, unless you hate bass (and by extension, hate fun), especially if you want some headphones you can toss around and not worry about. Because not all of us like travelling around with our pockets stuffed with amplifiers and $100 cables.
My next projects will to be to recable the Marshmallows (the stock cable is pretty short - about 3 feet, just barely makes it to my back pocket. Also there is a chance a recable will increase quality - I don't believe in recabling all my headphones but I am curious to see if these are like Etymotic ER4 or PortaPros or other cheap headphones where a recable really does increase the quality of the sound drastically) and get customs tips made for them (PayPal donations accepted for this as I definitely don't have the funds to get custom tips right now).
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
My ear canals are very small (I can just barely fit in the Etymotic small tips). I had some trouble with the stock Marshmallow tips, which seem to very similar to Shure medium sized silicon tips. They were very dense, which allowed for massive quantities of thumping, muddy bass. I found that the high range was almost painful and very tinny, the midrange was acceptable and I would have liked the bass to be a little clearer. Unpleased with the sound, I jumped straight into the Kramer mod.
POST-KRAMER MOD
Worlds of difference. I did not have any Grado-type foam as the original Kramer recipe called for, so I used some cotton from a (new and unused) q-tip. I took out the paper filter and filled the sound canals about quarter-way deep with q-tip cotton, put the silicon tips back on, and tried again. The highs were much more controlled and less tinny, the bass was still present but definitely clearer, and the midrange was more present. All around it was much, much better. However, the tips were still uncomfortable (and too large to even stay in my ears), so I ordered some new tips.
SHURE ORANGE FOAMIES
They are not very comfortable, but they're kind of like Grado pads if you're familiar with them. They were very rough to put into my ears for the first week or so, but after getting them in I immediately noticed how much better the sound became. The bass was much, much clearer, although still not lacking in quantity at all, but there was definitely less bass than the silicon tips had (I blame this on the fact that the silicon tips were much denser than the foam). The highs and mids were a bit softer sounding, but I found them to be a bit harsh with the silicon tips so I was happy with this change. I used them for nearly 7 hours nonstop every day at work, and I enjoyed them a lot. My biggest problems were how annoying they were to put in, at times they were uncomfortable, and that they had a tendency to easily fall out. However, once they are in, they are very comfortable. I never had any problems with the treble being too much to handle while using the foamies. Curiosity got the better of me, though, and I ordered a pair of tri-flanges off of eBay from Hong Kong.
TRI/BI-FLANGES
I always have my Etymotic earplugs with me (they are on my keychain, because that is how cool I am. No, but seriously, I am very cool). Occasionally I use them at work when my ears need a break. Although the foamies felt nice when they were inside my ears, I still found the tri-flanges to be more comfortable. I am not sure what official Shure E2c tri-flanges are like, but I was slightly dissapointed to find that the ones I got from Hong Kong seemed much less solid/thick than the Etymotic flanges I was used to.
As soon as I put the tri-flanges on my Marshmallows, I noticed right away they looked absurdly long. I put them in, and was immediately impressed with the sound. The most bass out of any of the three tips I used. The sound characteristic actually seemed almost no different from the foamies. I noticed that the mids and highs were slightly more present with the flanges than with the foamies, but they were neither overwhelming nor painful. The bass is definitely more present. I think the bass sounded a bit better with the Foamies, but the bass will reverberate through your skull with the flanges, which makes up for the slightly more muffled bass the flanges provide.
I couldn't deal with the tri-flanges for more than a minute or two before my ears started hurting. I realized it was uncomfortable to put these tips in as far as I was (my Etymotics tri-flanges always felt great all the way in). I promptly took them off, and with the confidence of never having made a bad modification to my headphones, I flipped up the third flange on each tip, cut them off cleanly with an Xacto knife, washed the tips again and used them again. There was absolutely no difference in sound quality whatsoever, but they were ten times more comfortable.
One interesting thing worth mentioning is that all my music on my iPod (which I use at work, and only in my car and with my Marshmallows at work) is in 128kbps AAC. Before the flamefest ensues, I would like to mention that I was not aware of the iTunes setting that converted all my music to 128kbps AAC before loading it onto the iPod. When using the iPod with the stock tips or foamies I had no idea as all my music sounded just fine to me. However it was not until I used the flanges that I started to notice all my bass sounded strangely warbly and glitchy. There is no question the flanges provide the best detail of the three tips, as I tried out the other tips with the same songs afterwards, but I could only hear the MP3 artifacts with the flanges.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I don't regret selling my Etymotic HF5's one bit. In fact, I prefer these to my Etymotics. I'm sure I'd enjoy another bassy IEM a lot more, like a Hippo or higher end JVC, but I have absolutely no complaints with what I got. I brought my Marshmallows over to one of my friends (who is a fellow Head-Fier and has owned well over 20 or 30 different pairs of high-end headphones). He listened to my Marshmallows with some of his own silicon tips, and was amazed at how they sounded. I am extremely content with these. I would never use them at home, as my Ultrasones are vastly superior in every way, but I bought these headphones with the intention of using them at work/on the bus/on the train, because I would never use IEMs in a household setting. Therefore I never am concentrating on the details of the music when I am listening to these. Since I wanted some headphones I could toss around and not worry about, the Marshmallows were the best I could have done for the money. In fact, I would say without hesitation that after the Kramer mod and with different tips, I would put these above KSC75's and probably even stock PortaPros (yes, the tips make that much of a difference). Any basshead will be pleased with these, as I can hear the mids and highs just fine (and they sound great), but there is still enough bass and sub-bass to rattle your skull. For $5, there is no reason NOT to get these, unless you hate bass (and by extension, hate fun), especially if you want some headphones you can toss around and not worry about. Because not all of us like travelling around with our pockets stuffed with amplifiers and $100 cables.
My next projects will to be to recable the Marshmallows (the stock cable is pretty short - about 3 feet, just barely makes it to my back pocket. Also there is a chance a recable will increase quality - I don't believe in recabling all my headphones but I am curious to see if these are like Etymotic ER4 or PortaPros or other cheap headphones where a recable really does increase the quality of the sound drastically) and get customs tips made for them (PayPal donations accepted for this as I definitely don't have the funds to get custom tips right now).
POST-KRAMER MOD
Worlds of difference. I did not have any Grado-type foam as the original Kramer recipe called for, so I used some cotton from a (new and unused) q-tip. I took out the paper filter and filled the sound canals about quarter-way deep with q-tip cotton, put the silicon tips back on, and tried again. The highs were much more controlled and less tinny, the bass was still present but definitely clearer, and the midrange was more present. All around it was much, much better. However, the tips were still uncomfortable (and too large to even stay in my ears), so I ordered some new tips.
SHURE ORANGE FOAMIES
They are not very comfortable, but they're kind of like Grado pads if you're familiar with them. They were very rough to put into my ears for the first week or so, but after getting them in I immediately noticed how much better the sound became. The bass was much, much clearer, although still not lacking in quantity at all, but there was definitely less bass than the silicon tips had (I blame this on the fact that the silicon tips were much denser than the foam). The highs and mids were a bit softer sounding, but I found them to be a bit harsh with the silicon tips so I was happy with this change. I used them for nearly 7 hours nonstop every day at work, and I enjoyed them a lot. My biggest problems were how annoying they were to put in, at times they were uncomfortable, and that they had a tendency to easily fall out. However, once they are in, they are very comfortable. I never had any problems with the treble being too much to handle while using the foamies. Curiosity got the better of me, though, and I ordered a pair of tri-flanges off of eBay from Hong Kong.
TRI/BI-FLANGES
I always have my Etymotic earplugs with me (they are on my keychain, because that is how cool I am. No, but seriously, I am very cool). Occasionally I use them at work when my ears need a break. Although the foamies felt nice when they were inside my ears, I still found the tri-flanges to be more comfortable. I am not sure what official Shure E2c tri-flanges are like, but I was slightly dissapointed to find that the ones I got from Hong Kong seemed much less solid/thick than the Etymotic flanges I was used to.
As soon as I put the tri-flanges on my Marshmallows, I noticed right away they looked absurdly long. I put them in, and was immediately impressed with the sound. The most bass out of any of the three tips I used. The sound characteristic actually seemed almost no different from the foamies. I noticed that the mids and highs were slightly more present with the flanges than with the foamies, but they were neither overwhelming nor painful. The bass is definitely more present. I think the bass sounded a bit better with the Foamies, but the bass will reverberate through your skull with the flanges, which makes up for the slightly more muffled bass the flanges provide.
I couldn't deal with the tri-flanges for more than a minute or two before my ears started hurting. I realized it was uncomfortable to put these tips in as far as I was (my Etymotics tri-flanges always felt great all the way in). I promptly took them off, and with the confidence of never having made a bad modification to my headphones, I flipped up the third flange on each tip, cut them off cleanly with an Xacto knife, washed the tips again and used them again. There was absolutely no difference in sound quality whatsoever, but they were ten times more comfortable.
One interesting thing worth mentioning is that all my music on my iPod (which I use at work, and only in my car and with my Marshmallows at work) is in 128kbps AAC. Before the flamefest ensues, I would like to mention that I was not aware of the iTunes setting that converted all my music to 128kbps AAC before loading it onto the iPod. When using the iPod in my car (which I always drive with the windows down), with the stock tips or foamies I had no idea as all my music sounded just fine to me. However it was not until I used the flanges that I started to notice all my bass sounded strangely warbly and glitchy. There is no question the flanges provide the best detail of the three tips, as I tried out the other tips with the same songs afterwards, but I could only hear the MP3 artifacts with the flanges.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I don't regret selling my Etymotic HF5's one bit. I'm sure I'd enjoy another bassy IEM a lot more, like a Hippo or higher end JVC, but I have absolutely no complaints with what I got. I brought my Marshmallows over to one of my friends (who is a fellow Head-Fier and has owned well over 20 or 30 different pairs of high-end headphones). He listened to my Marshmallows with some of his own silicon tips, and was amazed at how they sounded. I am extremely content with these. I would never use them at home, as my Ultrasones are vastly superior in every way, but I bought these headphones with the intention of using them at work/on the bus/on the train, because I would never use IEMs in a household setting. Therefore I never am concentrating on the details of the music when I am listening to these. Since I wanted some headphones I could toss around and not worry about, the Marshmallows were the best I could have done for the money. In fact, I would say without hesitation that after the Kramer mod and with different tips, I would put these above KSC75's and probably even stock PortaPros (yes, the tips make that much of a difference). Any basshead will be pleased with these, as I can hear the mids and highs just fine (and they sound great), but there is still enough bass and sub-bass to rattle your skull. For $5, there is no reason NOT to get these, unless you hate bass (and by extension, hate fun), especially if you want some headphones you can toss around and not worry about. Because not all of us like travelling around with our pockets stuffed with amplifiers and $100 cables.
My next projects will to be to recable the Marshmallows (the stock cable is pretty short - about 3 feet, just barely makes it to my back pocket. Also there is a chance a recable will increase quality - I don't believe in recabling all my headphones but I am curious to see if these are like Etymotic ER4 or PortaPros or other cheap headphones where a recable really does increase the quality of the sound drastically) and get customs tips made for them (PayPal donations accepted for this as I definitely don't have the funds to get custom tips right now).
POST-KRAMER MOD
Worlds of difference. I did not have any Grado-type foam as the original Kramer recipe called for, so I used some cotton from a (new and unused) q-tip. I took out the paper filter and filled the sound canals about quarter-way deep with q-tip cotton, put the silicon tips back on, and tried again. The highs were much more controlled and less tinny, the bass was still present but definitely clearer, and the midrange was more present. All around it was much, much better. However, the tips were still uncomfortable (and too large to even stay in my ears), so I ordered some new tips.
SHURE ORANGE FOAMIES
They are not very comfortable, but they're kind of like Grado pads if you're familiar with them. They were very rough to put into my ears for the first week or so, but after getting them in I immediately noticed how much better the sound became. The bass was much, much clearer, although still not lacking in quantity at all, but there was definitely less bass than the silicon tips had (I blame this on the fact that the silicon tips were much denser than the foam). The highs and mids were a bit softer sounding, but I found them to be a bit harsh with the silicon tips so I was happy with this change. I used them for nearly 7 hours nonstop every day at work, and I enjoyed them a lot. My biggest problems were how annoying they were to put in, at times they were uncomfortable, and that they had a tendency to easily fall out. However, once they are in, they are very comfortable. I never had any problems with the treble being too much to handle while using the foamies. Curiosity got the better of me, though, and I ordered a pair of tri-flanges off of eBay from Hong Kong.
TRI/BI-FLANGES
I always have my Etymotic earplugs with me (they are on my keychain, because that is how cool I am. No, but seriously, I am very cool). Occasionally I use them at work when my ears need a break. Although the foamies felt nice when they were inside my ears, I still found the tri-flanges to be more comfortable. I am not sure what official Shure E2c tri-flanges are like, but I was slightly dissapointed to find that the ones I got from Hong Kong seemed much less solid/thick than the Etymotic flanges I was used to.
As soon as I put the tri-flanges on my Marshmallows, I noticed right away they looked absurdly long. I put them in, and was immediately impressed with the sound. The most bass out of any of the three tips I used. The sound characteristic actually seemed almost no different from the foamies. I noticed that the mids and highs were slightly more present with the flanges than with the foamies, but they were neither overwhelming nor painful. The bass is definitely more present. I think the bass sounded a bit better with the Foamies, but the bass will reverberate through your skull with the flanges, which makes up for the slightly more muffled bass the flanges provide.
I couldn't deal with the tri-flanges for more than a minute or two before my ears started hurting. I realized it was uncomfortable to put these tips in as far as I was (my Etymotics tri-flanges always felt great all the way in). I promptly took them off, and with the confidence of never having made a bad modification to my headphones, I flipped up the third flange on each tip, cut them off cleanly with an Xacto knife, washed the tips again and used them again. There was absolutely no difference in sound quality whatsoever, but they were ten times more comfortable.
One interesting thing worth mentioning is that all my music on my iPod (which I use at work, and only in my car and with my Marshmallows at work) is in 128kbps AAC. Before the flamefest ensues, I would like to mention that I was not aware of the iTunes setting that converted all my music to 128kbps AAC before loading it onto the iPod. When using the iPod in my car (which I always drive with the windows down), with the stock tips or foamies I had no idea as all my music sounded just fine to me. However it was not until I used the flanges that I started to notice all my bass sounded strangely warbly and glitchy. There is no question the flanges provide the best detail of the three tips, as I tried out the other tips with the same songs afterwards, but I could only hear the MP3 artifacts with the flanges.
FINAL IMPRESSIONS
I don't regret selling my Etymotic HF5's one bit. I'm sure I'd enjoy another bassy IEM a lot more, like a Hippo or higher end JVC, but I have absolutely no complaints with what I got. I brought my Marshmallows over to one of my friends (who is a fellow Head-Fier and has owned well over 20 or 30 different pairs of high-end headphones). He listened to my Marshmallows with some of his own silicon tips, and was amazed at how they sounded. I am extremely content with these. I would never use them at home, as my Ultrasones are vastly superior in every way, but I bought these headphones with the intention of using them at work/on the bus/on the train, because I would never use IEMs in a household setting. Therefore I never am concentrating on the details of the music when I am listening to these. Since I wanted some headphones I could toss around and not worry about, the Marshmallows were the best I could have done for the money. In fact, I would say without hesitation that after the Kramer mod and with different tips, I would put these above KSC75's and probably even stock PortaPros (yes, the tips make that much of a difference). Any basshead will be pleased with these, as I can hear the mids and highs just fine (and they sound great), but there is still enough bass and sub-bass to rattle your skull. For $5, there is no reason NOT to get these, unless you hate bass (and by extension, hate fun), especially if you want some headphones you can toss around and not worry about. Because not all of us like travelling around with our pockets stuffed with amplifiers and $100 cables.
My next projects will to be to recable the Marshmallows (the stock cable is pretty short - about 3 feet, just barely makes it to my back pocket. Also there is a chance a recable will increase quality - I don't believe in recabling all my headphones but I am curious to see if these are like Etymotic ER4 or PortaPros or other cheap headphones where a recable really does increase the quality of the sound drastically) and get customs tips made for them (PayPal donations accepted for this as I definitely don't have the funds to get custom tips right now).
