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- Sep 20, 2008
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Hippo VB
Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 10mm, with variable bass plates
Frequency range: 18Hz – 22KHz
Impedance: 32Ohm
Sensitivity: 105dB/mW
RRP: $79
Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of metal and the cable is 140cm/55in, with a 90 degree jack. The cable is quite plasticky and microphonic, yet soft and smooth with a good quality feel to it.
The included accessories are, three pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L), three different bass tuning plates a hard case and a shirtclip. All in all a generous amount of accessories.
Comfort and fit.
The VB’s are light even if they are fairly big. They can be worn with the cable running over the ear, as well as straight down. Comfort is high for my ears, but be warned that the stem is rather thick/large, so small ears may suffer. Isolation from ambient noise is average and the microphonic noise can be minimized thanks to the clip and wearing them with the cable over the ear.
Sound quality.
Being a dynamic IEM they require time to settle (burn in) to sound their best, they may sound harsh if not burned in properly. Once settled the VB’s offer three different sound signatures. Changing the bass plates you can achieve a very warm/bassy sound from the dotless plate, a more natural/neutral sound from the two-dot plate and finally a nearly analytical sound from the three-dot plate. This is the exact opposite to what is described on the box, must be a mix-up at the factory.
My personal favourite is the middle, two-dotted plate, which gives a quite natural sound with good detail in the mids and highs as well as providing plenty of energy in the lower, without overpowering or sounding muddy. The soundstage is big on all three bass plates, but slightly wider on the bssiest and narrower on the most analytical. With the VB’s everyone should be able to find a sound signature that suits your personal preferences. They also respond well to EQ and DSP, if that would be necessary.
To sum up.
The good: user changeable sound signature, overall sound quality, build quality.
The bad: the nozzles/stems may be uncomfortable for small ears, somewhat noisy cable, not easily available.
Verdict: freedom of choice is always a good thing, and with the VB’s you get three different sounding IEM’s in one. They look stylish and sound good. Recommended.
Hippo Pearl
Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 9mm
Frequency range: 10Hz – 20KHz
Impedance: 16Ohm
Sensitivity: 106dB/mW
RRP: $43
Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of metal and the cable is 140cm/55in, with a 90 degree jack. The cable seems to be the same as used on the VB’s, i.e. quite plasticky and microphonic, yet soft and smooth with a good quality feel to it.
The included accessories are, three pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L) in blue and red, a soft pouch and a shirtclip. Everything needed to use them, but not that generous.
Comfort and fit.
The Pearls are light and about average size. They can be worn with the cable running over the ear as well as straight down. Isolation from ambient noise is average and microphonic noise can be minimized when wearing the cable over the ear..
Sound quality.
As nearly all dynamic IEM they require time to settle (burn in) to sound their best.
The Pearls have a very neutral/natural sound that does not really emphasize on any part of the audible soundspectrum. Everything is there, the bass is deep and fast, mids are smooth and detailed and the highs are sparkly without being too bright. The soundstage is slightly above average. They sound very pleasing to the ear, and can be used for hours on end without any fatigue. The Pearls are well suited for any music really, the nearly “flat” response allowes the music to sound natural, as it was intended by the artist. This also means that they are very bassy with the right sort of music, without sacrificing the mids and highs, bassheads rejoice. Being nearly flat also means that they respond very well to the use of EQ and DSP.
To sum up.
The good: neutral and overall very good sound, build quality, red/blue sleeves.
The bad: somewhat noisy cable, not easily available to buy.
Verdict: for the price they offer a very good and neutral sound. Recommended.
Hippo Shroom
Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 6mm
Frequency range: 10Hz – 20KHz
Impedance: 16Ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB/mW
RRP: $57
Also available as Shroom-i, with built in mic, for iPhone and BlackBerry
Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of high quality plastic and the cable is 130cm/51in, with a 90 degree jack. The cable seems to be the same as on the VB and Pearl, i.e. quite plasticky and microphonic, yet soft and smooth with a good quality feel to it.
The included accessories are, six pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L) in red/blue and black, a pouch. The sleeves are very good, especially the different coloured ones make the right/left channel so easily recognizable.
Comfort and fit.
The Shrooms are light and small. They can be worn with the cable running over the ear as well as straight down. Comfort is excellent, due to the very small form factor. Isolation from ambient noise is very good and microphonic noise can be minimized thanks to the clip and cable over the ear way of wearing them.
Sound quality.
This is from the official announcement: “The Shroom design philosophy is different from the usual earphone. It uses a very small driver/speaker mounted way up front so the distance to the ear is as short as possible. The shorter path eliminates sound diffusion. The noise isolation also improves as a result of the deeper insertion”
Sounds good, and the Shrooms do deliver.
Remember to give them time to burn in before passing judgement. Once settled they offer a dynamic yet very detailed and balanced sound, with great detail and a clear mids focus. They offer a tight bass, with quality over quantity, that blends in perfectly with the rest of the soundspectrum, the mids are smooth, detailed and forward, the highs are crisp if slightly in the background, and finally the soundstage is big and very wide. The Shroom suits all music styles, and will make them sound lively and natural, but especially vocal and acoustic music is very well presented. I can also confirm that they respond well to the use of EQ and DSP, if needed.
The Shrooms offer a detail that is exceptional in a dynamic IEM, and in this price bracket simply astonishing! They seem to have the best from both worlds, the detail of a balanced armature and the fun factor of a dynamic driver. The Shrooms are among my absolute favourite IEM’s.
To sum up.
The good: superb detail and excellent sound, build quality, design, red/blue sleeves.
The bad: somewhat noisy cable, not easily available to buy.
Verdict: they offer stylish design and a sound quality that shames many of the much more expensive offerings on the market. Highly recommended!!
Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 10mm, with variable bass plates
Frequency range: 18Hz – 22KHz
Impedance: 32Ohm
Sensitivity: 105dB/mW
RRP: $79
Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of metal and the cable is 140cm/55in, with a 90 degree jack. The cable is quite plasticky and microphonic, yet soft and smooth with a good quality feel to it.
The included accessories are, three pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L), three different bass tuning plates a hard case and a shirtclip. All in all a generous amount of accessories.
Comfort and fit.
The VB’s are light even if they are fairly big. They can be worn with the cable running over the ear, as well as straight down. Comfort is high for my ears, but be warned that the stem is rather thick/large, so small ears may suffer. Isolation from ambient noise is average and the microphonic noise can be minimized thanks to the clip and wearing them with the cable over the ear.
Sound quality.
Being a dynamic IEM they require time to settle (burn in) to sound their best, they may sound harsh if not burned in properly. Once settled the VB’s offer three different sound signatures. Changing the bass plates you can achieve a very warm/bassy sound from the dotless plate, a more natural/neutral sound from the two-dot plate and finally a nearly analytical sound from the three-dot plate. This is the exact opposite to what is described on the box, must be a mix-up at the factory.
My personal favourite is the middle, two-dotted plate, which gives a quite natural sound with good detail in the mids and highs as well as providing plenty of energy in the lower, without overpowering or sounding muddy. The soundstage is big on all three bass plates, but slightly wider on the bssiest and narrower on the most analytical. With the VB’s everyone should be able to find a sound signature that suits your personal preferences. They also respond well to EQ and DSP, if that would be necessary.
To sum up.
The good: user changeable sound signature, overall sound quality, build quality.
The bad: the nozzles/stems may be uncomfortable for small ears, somewhat noisy cable, not easily available.
Verdict: freedom of choice is always a good thing, and with the VB’s you get three different sounding IEM’s in one. They look stylish and sound good. Recommended.
Hippo Pearl
Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 9mm
Frequency range: 10Hz – 20KHz
Impedance: 16Ohm
Sensitivity: 106dB/mW
RRP: $43
Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of metal and the cable is 140cm/55in, with a 90 degree jack. The cable seems to be the same as used on the VB’s, i.e. quite plasticky and microphonic, yet soft and smooth with a good quality feel to it.
The included accessories are, three pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L) in blue and red, a soft pouch and a shirtclip. Everything needed to use them, but not that generous.
Comfort and fit.
The Pearls are light and about average size. They can be worn with the cable running over the ear as well as straight down. Isolation from ambient noise is average and microphonic noise can be minimized when wearing the cable over the ear..
Sound quality.
As nearly all dynamic IEM they require time to settle (burn in) to sound their best.
The Pearls have a very neutral/natural sound that does not really emphasize on any part of the audible soundspectrum. Everything is there, the bass is deep and fast, mids are smooth and detailed and the highs are sparkly without being too bright. The soundstage is slightly above average. They sound very pleasing to the ear, and can be used for hours on end without any fatigue. The Pearls are well suited for any music really, the nearly “flat” response allowes the music to sound natural, as it was intended by the artist. This also means that they are very bassy with the right sort of music, without sacrificing the mids and highs, bassheads rejoice. Being nearly flat also means that they respond very well to the use of EQ and DSP.
To sum up.
The good: neutral and overall very good sound, build quality, red/blue sleeves.
The bad: somewhat noisy cable, not easily available to buy.
Verdict: for the price they offer a very good and neutral sound. Recommended.
Hippo Shroom
Specs.
Single dynamic driver, 6mm
Frequency range: 10Hz – 20KHz
Impedance: 16Ohm
Sensitivity: 95dB/mW
RRP: $57
Also available as Shroom-i, with built in mic, for iPhone and BlackBerry
Build quality and accessories.
Build quality is very good. The housing is made of high quality plastic and the cable is 130cm/51in, with a 90 degree jack. The cable seems to be the same as on the VB and Pearl, i.e. quite plasticky and microphonic, yet soft and smooth with a good quality feel to it.
The included accessories are, six pairs of different sized silicone sleeves (S, M, L) in red/blue and black, a pouch. The sleeves are very good, especially the different coloured ones make the right/left channel so easily recognizable.
Comfort and fit.
The Shrooms are light and small. They can be worn with the cable running over the ear as well as straight down. Comfort is excellent, due to the very small form factor. Isolation from ambient noise is very good and microphonic noise can be minimized thanks to the clip and cable over the ear way of wearing them.
Sound quality.
This is from the official announcement: “The Shroom design philosophy is different from the usual earphone. It uses a very small driver/speaker mounted way up front so the distance to the ear is as short as possible. The shorter path eliminates sound diffusion. The noise isolation also improves as a result of the deeper insertion”
Sounds good, and the Shrooms do deliver.
Remember to give them time to burn in before passing judgement. Once settled they offer a dynamic yet very detailed and balanced sound, with great detail and a clear mids focus. They offer a tight bass, with quality over quantity, that blends in perfectly with the rest of the soundspectrum, the mids are smooth, detailed and forward, the highs are crisp if slightly in the background, and finally the soundstage is big and very wide. The Shroom suits all music styles, and will make them sound lively and natural, but especially vocal and acoustic music is very well presented. I can also confirm that they respond well to the use of EQ and DSP, if needed.
The Shrooms offer a detail that is exceptional in a dynamic IEM, and in this price bracket simply astonishing! They seem to have the best from both worlds, the detail of a balanced armature and the fun factor of a dynamic driver. The Shrooms are among my absolute favourite IEM’s.
To sum up.
The good: superb detail and excellent sound, build quality, design, red/blue sleeves.
The bad: somewhat noisy cable, not easily available to buy.
Verdict: they offer stylish design and a sound quality that shames many of the much more expensive offerings on the market. Highly recommended!!
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