[legcramp]

Ehh call me crazy but they are a side-grade to the UE700, midrange is not extremely forward as the 700, bass is a more impactful, extension is about the same. The high-end is not as extended as the 700, but also not as sibilance/shrill sometimes. Clarity and instrument separation is about the same also.
 
Using my brother's UE700 on comply, using comply on these Hippos also.

 

[bigandtall]

I've been listening to the Hippo 10's for a few hours now. I really like the fit. I like that it's a half in/half out design. With other things like Etymotic's where there's a lot that is stuffed into your ear canal, I just found the earphones to be very uncomfortable. This fit nicely with the small tips and though the seal is good, I can still hear what's going on around me to some degree-- a good thing. 
 
The bass is not great so far, but I'm hoping that with burn in that will improve. 

 

[onefatsurfer]

Just got my pair along with the ES8 cable that I'll be using for my TF10's.  I'll give a quick out-of-the-box review, which probably isn't fair, since I've been listening to my TF10's all morning/afternoon and only took a 2 hour break before I started listening to the Hippo-10's.  
 
Listening to Jonsi's album "Go".  Very weak mid-low bass.  There's almost no thump at all. Vocals sound OK (Jonsi's voice is fairly high-pitched though, so I'll reserve judgement for the next album I check out).  The treble is decent, but nothing spectacular.  Mids are probably their best trait.  You can hear a decent amount of detail in the midrange, which is pretty cool.  The rest of the spectrum is pretty bad, though, IMO.  
 
 
I really have to crank these things to get any kind of fullness out of them, but then they get sibilant.  
 
 
Switched over to Fun's "Aim and Ignite".  Started out pretty much the same.  I'm not sure if it's my ears/brain adjusting or if burn-in is actually real (I've been skeptical) but by track 5, the bass has seemed to tighten up and become a bit more pronounced.  The mids are feeling even more pronounced.  These aren't bad IEMs, especially for the price. 

 

[legcramp]

Quote:

Just got my pair along with the ES8 cable that I'll be using for my TF10's.  I'll give a quick out-of-the-box review, which probably isn't fair, since I've been listening to my TF10's all morning/afternoon and only took a 2 hour break before I started listening to the Hippo-10's.  
 
Listening to Jonsi's album "Go".  Very weak mid-low bass.  There's almost no thump at all. Vocals sound OK (Jonsi's voice is fairly high-pitched though, so I'll reserve judgement for the next album I check out).  The treble is decent, but nothing spectacular.  Mids are probably their best trait.  You can hear a decent amount of detail in the midrange, which is pretty cool.  The rest of the spectrum is pretty bad, though, IMO.  
 
 
I really have to crank these things to get any kind of fullness out of them, but then they get sibilant.  
 
 
Switched over to Fun's "Aim and Ignite".  Started out pretty much the same.  I'm not sure if it's my ears/brain adjusting or if burn-in is actually real (I've been skeptical) but by track 5, the bass has seemed to tighten up and become a bit more pronounced.  The mids are feeling even more pronounced.  These aren't bad IEMs, especially for the price. 

Your brain is adjusting, don't compare them to the TF10 since they have a lot more bass and when switching over to the Hippo it will feel like nothing.