[Isaac B]

Hello, I'm trying to decide on my very first IEM, sub-$100. I was about to order the Nuforce NE-6 / 7M after reading lots of good things about them in this forum, but after reading this review of 5 Jaben phones, the Hippo VB caught my attention:

Quote:

Hippo VB (Variable Bass) Enter the Hippo VB. They have the deepest bass of the bunch, or at least appear that way because they lack a distracting midbass hump. Their bass is also quite controlled and rich in texture, more like a good full-sized phone, and clearly performing way above its price range. Dare I say it? … Ok, here we go: their bass is more or less as refined as the one coming from the $1150 UE11 – but the VB put less weight on midbass and provide more real sub-bass, so they win. At the same time they also have the best clarity of all five phones in this review. That’s quite a feat, not a lot of IEMs can pull that off easily. Their midrange appears linear, without peaks and valleys, and it’s “lush” and “sweet” like the Shure SE530. Their treble can be a tiny bit harsh at times, same as the other phones reviewed here – but it’s not overly distracting. Since the VB have open sound canals, one can stuff some foam, cotton wool, or similar materials in it to tune the treble response to one’s liking. All in all the Hippo VB are like beefier, more “substantial” Head-Direct RE0 with better bass, more or less equal midrange but slightly less refined treble – and they’re perhaps a full step up from phones like the Atrios. The best, albeit a bit far-fetched, comparison I can think of is that the VB sound like the Ultrasone HFI-780, but with more forward sounding midrange.

Um, wow. Now I'm a bit confused. I have no personal experience with IEMs, and no real budget to try a bunch of them, so I can only go by the verbal descriptions. Yet there isn't much more to read online about these beyond that review. Can these be better then NE-6, for those that are familiar with those phones?

 

[ClieOS]

If you can wait for a week or two, I will be getting a VB for review and able compare it to NE7M.

 

[DigDub]

I own the hippo vb and have listened to the ne6 before. Imo, the ne6 sounds veiled and thick. The hippo vb sounds very open and natural. The changeable plates also caters to different listening tastes.

 

[Isaac B]

Yes, I can wait a couple more weeks for another review.
DigDub, I just found your Hippo VB thread, it was helpful.

 

[BLOX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you can wait for a week or two, I will be getting a VB for review and able compare it to NE7M.

awaiting for your review

 

[Faheem]

I got a Hippo boom while another friend of mine got the Hippo VB and frankly speaking neither of us liked the VB , the treble is a bit too high and lot of sibilance too .Infact the Boom was better than the VB , in my opinion.Especially when you think of the fact it's online price at Jaben store is 79$ ,it just doesn't seem worth it.

 

[PolloLoco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you can wait for a week or two, I will be getting a VB for review and able compare it to NE7M.

I'm eagerly awaiting your review.

 

[Isaac B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faheem /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got a Hippo boom while another friend of mine got the Hippo VB and frankly speaking neither of us liked the VB , the treble is a bit too high and lot of sibilance too .Infact the Boom was better than the VB , in my opinion.Especially when you think of the fact it's online price at Jaben store is 79$ ,it just doesn't seem worth it.

Yes, I have read about the sibilance issue, that's why I want another opinion. Hippo Boom, hmm.. the "Boom" part worries me. I want controlled bass. And also I read the VB soundstage is wider. Anyway, I particularily want to compare it to the NE-6.

 

[Faheem]

If your looking for good soundstage consider the Head Direct RE-1 as well .They are one of the IEMs which really impressed me with the soundstage and smooth,laid back sound with as well without the amp. Ofcourse with a decent amp like the Meier corda Corda 3 that i tried it with, it sounded very musical.

Do consider them ,especially the thanks giving sale price of 79$.

 

[brendon]

^^ Hey Faheem good to see you here !

I am waiting to hear your RE0s !

@Issac - It seems I am the only one with a sibilance problem with the VBs. I am burning in the Hippo VBs for another 40 hours with normal music at normal volume and seeing whether the sibilance issue is resolved.

 

[ClieOS]

Got my review pair of VB and Shroom last night. My initial impression is very good, but I will need to burn them in first before any actual review (and I still have to write up two other reviews), so it will take some time. As far as sound signature goes, I think dfkt's described it quite well but I won't want to pass my judgment to how it compares to other IEM so early on - however, I can say in certainty that NE7M is no-match for VB.

 

[brendon]

Damm now that everyone is talking so highly of the VB, I stopped the burn-in process after 30 hours just to get a quicky to see if the sound has improved in any way.

And I was stunned ! The sibilance that was ever so present just seems to have reduced drastically ! I played many of my tracks where the sibilance was most prevalent and guess what, it was so much reduced that those tracks started to sound pretty good.

I wish I had one of those burn-in non believers around to hear the VB before and after sound. I sure as hell couldn't have imagined sibilance if there wasn't any before.

I will continue burning in for another 48 hours or so to see if there is any further improvement.

 

[charpi]

I have not tried the vb yet. But i could recommend you something from the same maker, the hippo shroom.

I have been a super fi5 pro user as well as a UM3X, but have since sold the latter.

To be honest, i felt that the shroom was more to by liking than my ultimate ears.

One thing that strikes me is the clarity of the shroom, in my opinion, it is more transparent than the other 2 IEMs I have used. To compare, both others were more immersive than the shroom, probably because of their better separation and creation of soundstage. However, the shroom is so crystal clear that I find myself not using my ultimate ears nowadays. Although the shroom has a very "earphone" sound, meaning that you will still feel that you are listening to a earphone rather than the real thing, i feel that it's one of the best "earphone" sound I've heard. The highs, so clear, the lows are so crisp, abet not as impactful as my superfi5.

Many a times, during the quiet passages, the clarity makes me want to turn up the volume a notch, until the complex passages kicks in and i find myself upping the volume too much, but i feel that this is a testiment of its transparency.

I'm currently posting on my mobile right now so I can't say too much, might do a small review depending on my coming schedule. But I can say that I received this phones while waiting for my JH13PRO, and these makes the wait so much more bearable. I'd highly recommend it, or at least find out more info about it, i feel that the shroom is just that good.

Disclaimer, all are my opinions, and might differ from others, like how others felt the Um3x were comfy and i did not.

 

[Faheem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brendon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Damm now that everyone is talking so highly of the VB, I stopped the burn-in process after 30 hours just to get a quicky to see if the sound has improved in any way. And I was stunned ! The sibilance that was ever so present just seems to have reduced drastically ! I played many of my tracks where the sibilance was most prevalent and guess what, it was so much reduced that those tracks started to sound pretty good. I wish I had one of those burn-in non believers around to hear the VB before and after sound. I sure as hell couldn't have imagined sibilance if there wasn't any before. I will continue burning in for another 48 hours or so to see if there is any further improvement.

Get it when you meet me next time , would love to hear it .
Most probably by then i will have the RE0 and PL-50 too.

 

[Isaac B]

I will be listening to the NE-6 this weekend when my friend who bought it in the states will return. He simply loves it, but I still want to read more opinions about the VB before I give in to my impatience... Both phones are regarded as sounding way above their price, but I only want to get one.