souperman
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2007
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I'm finally getting around to review Hippo headphones, the Shroom and the VB. Just FYI, I love hippos, and I love the company's name! I give all headphones I review at least 50 hours of burn-in before I listen to them closely. I use three pieces of music at V0 variable bitrate to test my headphones to test different genres that I listen to:
Nujabes - Blessing It (hip hop jazz: good beats and instrumentation)
Rachmaninov - The Piano Trios (classical: beautiful piano)
Mutemath - Spotlight (percussive rock: percussion separation and speed and vocals)
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (indie vocals)
Both can be bought from jaben.net who possibly the best customer service possible.
For pictures of these, I'd like to direct you to ClieOS's review of these headphones; he's given me permission to do so. His pictures will be better than any I can take.
Hippo Shroom
Specifications:
Freq Response: 10 Hz - 20 KHz
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Sensitivity: 95 dB
Driver size: 6 mm
Driver design: Dynamic Neodymium
Plug type: L-shaped
Accessories: The Shrooms come with a leather pouch, black S/M/L sized ear tips, red and blue differently colored pairs of S/M/L sized ear tips. It all comes in a nice plastic box.
Build: The earpieces are so very tiny! With the ear tips they look just like shrooms! Put on the blue/red tip for a more shroomy flavor. I love the right angled plug which is great for DAP's. The cable itself is pretty good, and they can take normal on-the-go usage. Overall the build quality is above average; it needs a tad bit of care, but you don't have to worry about them snapping on you!
Another thing to notice on the Shrooms is that the transducer is on the very tip of the earpiece. Also, the tips are pretty good in quality. Microphonics is just like any average budget IEM out there and same with the isolation. These are comfortable headphones in my opinion.
Sound Quality: Overall I would describe the sound signature of the Shrooms as a very clean and transparent sound. It's as if you were looking through clear glass at the music, but with your ears. There is a very nice airiness to these headphones.
I have to say that the Hippo Shrooms do the best with Rachmaninov and Grizzly Bear. These headphones are very analytical and neutral. The piano in both Rachmaninov and Grizzly Bear sound fantastic. Vocals from both Mutemath and Grizzly Bear are beautiful. The mids on these babies are upfront and sound so sweet. Mutemath is a very percussive band and the Shrooms have good separation so that you can pick out different instruments. The treble is sparkly, but occassionally be SLIGHTLY sibilant on the highest notes. Bass quantity is not excessive, and is not boomy. Bassheads will find these slightly anemic for their music. The overall speed and impact of these are decent as well. Soundstage is average, but again, excellent for the price you pay.
Conclusion: If you love a clean, transparent and analytical sound, the Shrooms are for you. It is hard to find a headphone that is this clean at this price.
Hippo VB
Specifications:
Freq Response: 18 Hz - 22 KHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Sensitivity: 105 dB
Driver size: 10 mm
Driver design: Dynamic Mylar
Plug type: L-shaped
Accessories: The VB's come with a hard case, shirt clip, S/M/L sized ear tips, and three pairs of bass plates (dotless, 2-dot, 3-dot). Less dots on the plates equals more bass.
Build: The headphones are made out of anodized aluminum which makes the VB's feel very nice and solid. The variable bass plates are located on the back of the housing, and feels like it will stay on. The headphone case is pretty awesome though, and I am so glad that these were included. The wire feels very sturdy and I wouldn't hesitate to take these out to use. These are also comfortable.
Isolation depends on the bass plate. The more dots, the more isolation. Again, like the Shrooms, the microphonics are similar, but marginally better than the Shrooms. Tips are OK, but very usable.
Sound Quality: Listening to the VB's and playing with the different plates was an absolute delight. These do not sound like an $80 IEM when using the right bass plate (which I will reveal soon enough!).
I started with the dotless plate first. These have the most bass. It has a very warm and boomy sound and tends to muddle up the mids. The soundstage seems to be small as well. The dotless plate is a no-go. It performed best on Nujabes, though. Thumping beats filled my ears. Didn't make me happy, but bassheads will be very happy.
With the 2-dot plate, the VB's transformed into a completely different beast. The bass was less boomy, but still has great impact, in fact the perfect amount. Nujabes was pumping awesome bass that seemed to hit me in the head. Mids are nice and sweet as exhibited by Grizzly Bear. The soundstage and separation is also very good as I could pick out the different percussion instruments. Treble was sparkly and a pleasure to hear. This was the best bass plate.
The 3-dot plate makes the VB's into a more neutral headphone. Bass was muchless, but still had good impact. These actually sound a lot like a warmer Shrooms. What's best about these plates are the mids. They are very sweet and lush. There is also a nicer airiness to these. I would say if you like neutrality and transparency, I would go with the Shrooms instead of the VB's with the 3-dot plate. Overall, these plates are nowhere as good as the 2-dots.
All of the bass plates were neither laid-black or upfront. It was somewhere in between.
Conclusion: VB's with the 2-dot plate are so fun to listen to. You get much more than you pay for. I recommend these headphones to people who are looking for a fun and lively sound. You definitely won't regret it.
Warning: I'd like to say that this review with the fact that these are MY opinions and only mine. You may agree or disagree, but this is a review to help you find the perfect choice for your ears. The sound and the fit will vary between everybody. I'd also like to note that I didn't do much of a comparison of these headphones with others that I have tried. All my comments are constrained by the price, so if I say that the treble is the best I have heard, that means at that price. That is, unless I say they outperform their pricepoint.
Nujabes - Blessing It (hip hop jazz: good beats and instrumentation)
Rachmaninov - The Piano Trios (classical: beautiful piano)
Mutemath - Spotlight (percussive rock: percussion separation and speed and vocals)
Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (indie vocals)
Both can be bought from jaben.net who possibly the best customer service possible.
For pictures of these, I'd like to direct you to ClieOS's review of these headphones; he's given me permission to do so. His pictures will be better than any I can take.
Hippo Shroom
Specifications:
Freq Response: 10 Hz - 20 KHz
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Sensitivity: 95 dB
Driver size: 6 mm
Driver design: Dynamic Neodymium
Plug type: L-shaped
Accessories: The Shrooms come with a leather pouch, black S/M/L sized ear tips, red and blue differently colored pairs of S/M/L sized ear tips. It all comes in a nice plastic box.
Build: The earpieces are so very tiny! With the ear tips they look just like shrooms! Put on the blue/red tip for a more shroomy flavor. I love the right angled plug which is great for DAP's. The cable itself is pretty good, and they can take normal on-the-go usage. Overall the build quality is above average; it needs a tad bit of care, but you don't have to worry about them snapping on you!
Another thing to notice on the Shrooms is that the transducer is on the very tip of the earpiece. Also, the tips are pretty good in quality. Microphonics is just like any average budget IEM out there and same with the isolation. These are comfortable headphones in my opinion.
Sound Quality: Overall I would describe the sound signature of the Shrooms as a very clean and transparent sound. It's as if you were looking through clear glass at the music, but with your ears. There is a very nice airiness to these headphones.
I have to say that the Hippo Shrooms do the best with Rachmaninov and Grizzly Bear. These headphones are very analytical and neutral. The piano in both Rachmaninov and Grizzly Bear sound fantastic. Vocals from both Mutemath and Grizzly Bear are beautiful. The mids on these babies are upfront and sound so sweet. Mutemath is a very percussive band and the Shrooms have good separation so that you can pick out different instruments. The treble is sparkly, but occassionally be SLIGHTLY sibilant on the highest notes. Bass quantity is not excessive, and is not boomy. Bassheads will find these slightly anemic for their music. The overall speed and impact of these are decent as well. Soundstage is average, but again, excellent for the price you pay.
Conclusion: If you love a clean, transparent and analytical sound, the Shrooms are for you. It is hard to find a headphone that is this clean at this price.
Hippo VB
Specifications:
Freq Response: 18 Hz - 22 KHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Sensitivity: 105 dB
Driver size: 10 mm
Driver design: Dynamic Mylar
Plug type: L-shaped
Accessories: The VB's come with a hard case, shirt clip, S/M/L sized ear tips, and three pairs of bass plates (dotless, 2-dot, 3-dot). Less dots on the plates equals more bass.
Build: The headphones are made out of anodized aluminum which makes the VB's feel very nice and solid. The variable bass plates are located on the back of the housing, and feels like it will stay on. The headphone case is pretty awesome though, and I am so glad that these were included. The wire feels very sturdy and I wouldn't hesitate to take these out to use. These are also comfortable.
Isolation depends on the bass plate. The more dots, the more isolation. Again, like the Shrooms, the microphonics are similar, but marginally better than the Shrooms. Tips are OK, but very usable.
Sound Quality: Listening to the VB's and playing with the different plates was an absolute delight. These do not sound like an $80 IEM when using the right bass plate (which I will reveal soon enough!).
I started with the dotless plate first. These have the most bass. It has a very warm and boomy sound and tends to muddle up the mids. The soundstage seems to be small as well. The dotless plate is a no-go. It performed best on Nujabes, though. Thumping beats filled my ears. Didn't make me happy, but bassheads will be very happy.
With the 2-dot plate, the VB's transformed into a completely different beast. The bass was less boomy, but still has great impact, in fact the perfect amount. Nujabes was pumping awesome bass that seemed to hit me in the head. Mids are nice and sweet as exhibited by Grizzly Bear. The soundstage and separation is also very good as I could pick out the different percussion instruments. Treble was sparkly and a pleasure to hear. This was the best bass plate.
The 3-dot plate makes the VB's into a more neutral headphone. Bass was muchless, but still had good impact. These actually sound a lot like a warmer Shrooms. What's best about these plates are the mids. They are very sweet and lush. There is also a nicer airiness to these. I would say if you like neutrality and transparency, I would go with the Shrooms instead of the VB's with the 3-dot plate. Overall, these plates are nowhere as good as the 2-dots.
All of the bass plates were neither laid-black or upfront. It was somewhere in between.
Conclusion: VB's with the 2-dot plate are so fun to listen to. You get much more than you pay for. I recommend these headphones to people who are looking for a fun and lively sound. You definitely won't regret it.
Warning: I'd like to say that this review with the fact that these are MY opinions and only mine. You may agree or disagree, but this is a review to help you find the perfect choice for your ears. The sound and the fit will vary between everybody. I'd also like to note that I didn't do much of a comparison of these headphones with others that I have tried. All my comments are constrained by the price, so if I say that the treble is the best I have heard, that means at that price. That is, unless I say they outperform their pricepoint.
