[Jaben]

Greetings Head-Fiers,
 
It has been quite a while since Hippo introduced any new IEMs. Finally after a long wait, they have introduced the Hippo ProOne, a Single Balanced Armature, available now at Jaben! 
 
 

 

The “Next-Generation-Single-Blanced-Armature” ProOne made its debut in the Tokyo show and it was very well received. The low profile of the ProOne allows you to sleep with the IEM in your ears. Traveling with the ProOne will be absolute fun.

The noise-isolation characteristic of the ProOne simply means that you will hear the music as it is, no sonic artifacts… nothing but the real stuff. You hear it as it is and with isolation from external noise. You may ask what is so great about good isolation… in a nutshell, the greater the isolation, you will naturally listen at a lower volume. And the lowered volume means protecting your hearing. 

So what’s so awesome about the ProOne; For many who have heard it, the deeper and extended bass of the ProOne with the clear and distinct highs was not something they thought possible from the single BA earphone.

Take a look at the silicon tips and you will notice they are different from the usual ones. These extend beyond the normal half-dome types and it provides a better seal. 

To cater to different preferences, HippoFoams are available and these provide both isolation and comfort.

Special Introductory promos will be up and there will be early-bird specials available at Jaben Online Store. Stay glued…
 
- The Jaben Team

 

[Zelda]

what single BA it uses (if i may ask) ?

 

[SpringBiscuit]

did a review on it, amazing earphone and thanks Jaben for the chance =D.

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  what single BA it uses (if i may ask) ?

From these pictures, judging from the size/shape and the central bass vent, I'd say it's a Sonion 235X driver. However, that's not a guarantee. If Hippo's order quantity is high enough (10000+), then they could easily order a custom-application driver with their own coil impedances, armature system stiffnesses, and internal damping schema (there are three types). I'm not sure what benefit knowing this information has for you, but I hope it helps.
 

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[Zelda]

Quote:

From these pictures, judging from the size/shape and the central bass vent, I'd say it's a Sonion 235X driver. 

do you know other iems that use it? for reference

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

do you know other iems that use it? for reference

 
Phonak PFE, Creative Aurvana InEar2, CanalWorks CW-L01/P, etc.
It's a wide range of earphones, some of them block the rear vent, others don't. The choice of damper is extremely important as well, and that probably impacts sound even more.

 

[Zelda]

Quote:

 
Phonak PFE, Creative Aurvana InEar2, CanalWorks CW-L01/P, etc.
It's a wide range of earphones, some of them block the rear vent, others don't. The choice of damper is extremely important as well, and that probably impacts sound even more.

 very very interesting. thanks for the info

 

[Swimsonny]

My ears tell me that this could well use the same driver as PFE so i think Tom may have hit the nail on the head with his suggestion!
 
EDIT:
 
I then had a look and can confirm it is the 2354!
 
 

2354

12c

109

4

10

ST

zero

5.92 mArms

Spec.

vented headset rec.

 
 
Nice work TOM!

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  I then had a look and can confirm it is the 2354!

 
Cool. It'll have a good base for sound then. The PFE, I believe, plugs up the vent. Based on sound potential alone, I'd say this is going to be a far better buy than a Westone UM1 (which is probably its closest competitor in terms of form factor and usage). What are your thoughts so far, or have you already posted them elsewhere?

 

[goodvibes]

Swim, are you sure it the 54 variant? That impedance seems a poor choice. Under 5 ohms below 500hz. Can you throw an ohm meter across it to verify it isn't perhaps a custom vaiant? You will find that response curves are clearly different between the variants even though of the same family so phonak similarity would be coincidence unless it's a 2356.

 

[tomscy2000]

Regardless, I can already see this thing as being great for mods. There's plenty of space inside (to stick a resistor/cap), and that cable can be swapped out with MMCX connectors, or perhaps even a two-prong converter like this.

 

[goodvibes]

Wow! No offense intended tomscy but I think we may want to hear it first, LOL
 
I bet it's just a higher impedance version of the 54 like in the Phonak so Swim is likely correct and why the similar sound. I just remembered that I took apart a pfe112 and came up with the same part #. It's 32 ohms without any added circuitry so even though custom for Phonak, the driver may now have new home since Phonak is no longer a customer. I bet it measures about 22 ohms with a meter.

 
I took a pair apart to find this driver, a Sonion 2354. Either version 1033 or maybe it was made the 33rd week of 2010.
 

 

[Swimsonny]

Quote:

 
Cool. It'll have a good base for sound then. The PFE, I believe, plugs up the vent. Based on sound potential alone, I'd say this is going to be a far better buy than a Westone UM1 (which is probably its closest competitor in terms of form factor and usage). What are your thoughts so far, or have you already posted them elsewhere?

I have not posted anything so far, i have just started a review but thats about all i have done. So thoughts, it sound certainly resembles the PFE in the soft, smooth and detailed approach that it has. So maybe it would have been like the black. Bandwidth does not seem as good as the PFE as well as overall technicality, Phonak certainly done a great job with the driver, but this delivers a slightly warmer but still well balanced sound that is very pleasant. Oh and the cable is such a bloody pain, i mean it tangles itself why wearing it, its just the biggest off put ever.
Quote:

Swim, are you sure it the 54 variant? That impedance seems a poor choice. Under 5 ohms below 500hz. Can you throw an ohm meter across it to verify it isn't perhaps a custom vaiant? You will find that response curves are clearly different between the variants even though of the same family so phonak similarity would be coincidence unless it's a 2356.

Yes it is certainly the 54 variant. I am not sure i have an OHM meter?! If it is something i have i will certainly give it a go but i do not think i do!
Quote:

Regardless, I can already see this thing as being great for mods. There's plenty of space inside (to stick a resistor/cap), and that cable can be swapped out with MMCX connectors, or perhaps even a two-prong converter like this.

Yes i need to get rid of the stupid cable so will certainly try and give it removable cables, ideally westone connectors as toxic sell the female ports. As for resistors/capacitors, can you explain benefits and how id do this?

 

[Swimsonny]

Okay i have done a direct a/b and my memory served very poorly the grey PFE has a noticeable amount more bass boost. It also seems generally better to be personally honest. It also needed a bit more juice than the Hippo!

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  Wow! No offense intended tomscy but I think we may want to hear it first, LOL

 
Well, it very well might not need any modding to sound good, but it's certainly a great platform for modding. Like I mentioned, the fact that the basic design is of a 2300 driver gives it great potential.
 
Quote:

  Oh and the cable is such a bloody pain, i mean it tangles itself why wearing it, its just the biggest off put ever.
 
Yes i need to get rid of the stupid cable so will certainly try and give it removable cables, ideally westone connectors as toxic sell the female ports. As for resistors/capacitors, can you explain benefits and how id do this?

 
Yeah, that cable doesn't seem to be as good. About resistor "rolling", the principle works like it does with the ER4. The 4P has an 18 ohm resistor attached to the ED-29689 in series, while the 4B has 100 ohm resistors divided by a 2.2 uF cap. While they don't use the same driver, the ED and the 2300 are very similar in design. The CW-L01 has an 100 ohm resistor attached to the 2354, and is said to sound similar to the 4S. Blocking the rear port of the 2354 will reduce the bass response by ~3 dB, I'm guessing. Of course, this has to be paired with the right acoustic damper, at the right distance from the driver. I assume that if we fill up the housing with damping material, the bass response will feel more solid as well. These are all potential alterations that can be made. That's why I say that the ProOne is ripe for modding.