[filipelli]

Hi guys,

I am about to pull the trigger on a pair of marshmallows for the gym...but I don't know which one to get! Sorry if this has already been discussed. Are these the right ones?

Amazon.com: JVC HAFX34B Marshmallow headphones: Electronics

Those are the FX34B. What is the difference between this and the FX33B? And why the heck are they rated so low? Did they just come out or something?

 

[GSurge]

FX33 are the "normal" ones. I don't know what the FX34 is.

 

[MusicallySilent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by filipelli /img/forum/go_quote.gif And why the heck are they rated so low? Did they just come out or something?

No idea what the difference is, might be very minor, however I can take a guess at low ratings

People are Bassheads, Marshmallows are bassy, however if you dont spend the time or your ears and tips dont work well together they will sound tinny and quiet as a result because they arent extremely loud, as a result people say they are tinny because they dont have the seal needed for bass

 

[triggerc]

The FX34 should be identical to the FX33 sound-wise. The only difference is that the FX34 has a minijack that fits the iPhone.

 

[filipelli]

Pardon the noob question,

but does the iPhone have the standard 3.5mm? I noticed in the link that they said the 34s are compatible with the nano and such so I guess it does... and the "mini jack" would be just a smaller plug. I don't know..

 

[triggerc]

The iPhone does have a 3.5mm jack, but it is recessed into the unit, so a lot of headphones with a large diameter base around the 3.5mm jack, or headphones with the perpendicularly angled 3.5mm jacks, will not fit all the way down.

 

[moogoob]

Just a quick Marshmallow question as I picked up a pair at a whim yesterday, for portable use and all that. I plugged them into my amp and... whoa. Are they supposed to have such a messed-up sound signature, or do mine just need burning in? It sounds like little sub-bass, a huge midbass/lower midrange hump, recessed midrange and next to no highs. At all. Have my Grados just spoiled me in this regard?

 

[FreeZ5]

In addition to the iphone compatible plug, the FX34 Marshmallows have a different colour range. For example, the FX-33 blue is darker (if I recall rightly) than the FX-33 blue.

Steve

 

[nylan8301]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogoob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just a quick Marshmallow question as I picked up a pair at a whim yesterday, for portable use and all that. I plugged them into my amp and... whoa. Are they supposed to have such a messed-up sound signature, or do mine just need burning in? It sounds like little sub-bass, a huge midbass/lower midrange hump, recessed midrange and next to no highs. At all. Have my Grados just spoiled me in this regard?

Nope. I'd say that describes the sound signature of the Marshmallows pretty darn well. A fairly rolled-off, U-shaped sonic curve.

However, you did pay around $20 for these (I hope).

You could perform the Kramer mod on them as well...as it tends to help control the bass and bring the mids forward. If you listen to highly compressed music while working out, then they should be fine.

If you want tip recommendations, PM me.

Nylan

 

[moogoob]

Yeah, I was afraid of that.

They'll pair well with my old iPod Nano though for ultra-portable use, once I Kramer-mod them.

 

[triggerc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nylan8301 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nope. I'd say that describes the sound signature of the Marshmallows pretty darn well. A fairly rolled-off, U-shaped sonic curve. However, you did pay around $20 for these (I hope). You could perform the Kramer mod on them as well...as it tends to help control the bass and bring the mids forward. If you listen to highly compressed music while working out, then they should be fine. If you want tip recommendations, PM me. Nylan

What sleeves would you recommend? I'm having a hard time finding ones that fit.

 

[nylan8301]

Quote:

Originally Posted by triggerc /img/forum/go_quote.gif What sleeves would you recommend? I'm having a hard time finding ones that fit.

The best for isolation and comfort that I've found are using some old shure e2c orange foam tips.

In order to get it to fit, you have to use a pen/pencil to stretch out the inner plastic tube by gently forcing the pencil/pen into the tube and twisting (not too hard, you don't want to tear the inner-tubing), removing the gray plastic slip cover off the sound tube, and then sliding them on the sound-tube. If it doesn't fit at first, stretch them with the pencil/pen again.

Hope that helps,

Nylan

 

[moogoob]

Hmm. Simply removing the paper from the driver tubes did wonders, though the midrange is still pretty screwed up.

 

[triggerc]

get some pad cubes down the tube there, or it'll get owned by ear wax.

BTW moogoob, did you see Opeth with Dream Theater on their current tour? I saw them in Cleveland, one of the best concerts I've been to.

 

[4ki]

Kramer mod ASAP and burn the crap out of them for at least 50 hours to see notable differences. Out of my D2, they're a pretty incredible bang-for-buck ratio and are my "warm" canalphones for when I just want stupid amounts of bass for some music. The bottom line is that they really need time to settle; some users reporting hundreds of hours before they become quite balanced. I'm quite satisfied with mine, only there are unfixable merits being grainy highs and cloudy bass (compared to more expensive IEMs like my e4cs). For what they're worth, I'd always keep a pair in my arsenal.

For US buyers they're only $8-10. Can't complain. I'd like some better eartips, too, but am not too inclined to shell out another $10 for shure foamies.