oicdn
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2006
- Posts
- 3,381
- Likes
- 11
Target has these beasts for $12.99. I decided I'd pick up a pair, along with some Denon AH-C351 for $44.99 on sale from $50 as I've always wanted to hear the Denon's.
So I get home and unwrap the Denons and pop them in.Physically, the wire feels cheap and thin. Also, one cable is shorter than the other so that teh wire for one wraps behind your head. Also, it's terminated VERY short, so unless the player or amp is in your front shirt pocket, it will be too short, so you HAVE TO use the included extension. Comes with a nice velvet pouch too.
The other 1st thing I notice is how dry and open they sound. Detailed and resolving, but there's a slight veil over the mids. Also, there's no bass. I switch out tips from medium to small and it gets worse. So I try the larges and there's a marginal improvement, but there's still no bass. I thought maybe it was just the phones, but after fiddling with them for about 15 minutes, I get a seal and there's bass, but it's still pretty weak, and the positioning for it is funky. I read the manual and noticed these buds are "open". And if you look at the bud itself right at the chrome strip, there are infact slits in the bud so it functions as an open driver. That's why it was one of the 1st characteristics I noticed, cause it actually is an open design. Worth the $40? Maybe... The packaging says "extended frequencies" but the only extension seems to be on the higher end as the lower registers really get clipped and it sounds thuddy.
Then I open up these Skullcandy INK'd buds and surprisingly, the quality is a bit better. Thicker cable, much longer cord. Although, the buds themselves are made of plastic rather than the metal like the Denon's.
When I put them in my ear, I hear like a plasticky sound. Like you know, the film material of the driver is moving back and forth from the seal my ear is creating when inserting and moviing them around. But the seal is MUCH easier to get...almost just by putting them in my ear I get a seal. With ALL tips, but the medium tip sounded the best.
How do these sound? The highs are a little edgy, and the presentation is definitly more upfront than the Denons and in comparison to Marshmallows, brighter. There does seem to be a little congestion or a veil, but what cheaper buds don't? The bass is SLIGHTLY more abundant, but not as boomy and definitly not as sloppy as Mallows. But there is more impact for sure. Definitely more impact. It makes for a GREAT rock bud with how punchy it is.
IMO, the skullcandies actually beat the Marshmallows in every aspect. The highs are bright ala Grados, and the bass isn't as boomy and there's a little more punch to it. It can handle faster bass MUCH better. Also, they're a bit more resolving and don't seem to smear all the music together. Don't get me wrong, these aren't K701 clear, but definitly the clarity is deifnitely better than the Mallows.
And being $14.99 (normally $19.99) they're in the same price bracket, and being on sale definitly worth the $15 since they isolate a better to boot.
I personally just didn't like the sound of the Denons, and I couldn't get them to seal where the bass was past the point of anemia. But in comparison to either, it sounded thin in the bass. Pretty nice in other areas, but it's just not my preference in sound sig it being dry and all. Also, seeing that it over $50 with tax, deifnitely not even worth a listen at that price point. In short, they're getting returned.
But if you don't like the way Mallows sound, or how they fit in your ear, give the Skullcandies a shot. I think they are a staple as to what everybody should have, ala, a bud version of the KSC 75s...for $14, you won't be disappointed, at all. And it's a hard sound to beat for even the full price of $20...
So I get home and unwrap the Denons and pop them in.Physically, the wire feels cheap and thin. Also, one cable is shorter than the other so that teh wire for one wraps behind your head. Also, it's terminated VERY short, so unless the player or amp is in your front shirt pocket, it will be too short, so you HAVE TO use the included extension. Comes with a nice velvet pouch too.
The other 1st thing I notice is how dry and open they sound. Detailed and resolving, but there's a slight veil over the mids. Also, there's no bass. I switch out tips from medium to small and it gets worse. So I try the larges and there's a marginal improvement, but there's still no bass. I thought maybe it was just the phones, but after fiddling with them for about 15 minutes, I get a seal and there's bass, but it's still pretty weak, and the positioning for it is funky. I read the manual and noticed these buds are "open". And if you look at the bud itself right at the chrome strip, there are infact slits in the bud so it functions as an open driver. That's why it was one of the 1st characteristics I noticed, cause it actually is an open design. Worth the $40? Maybe... The packaging says "extended frequencies" but the only extension seems to be on the higher end as the lower registers really get clipped and it sounds thuddy.
Then I open up these Skullcandy INK'd buds and surprisingly, the quality is a bit better. Thicker cable, much longer cord. Although, the buds themselves are made of plastic rather than the metal like the Denon's.
When I put them in my ear, I hear like a plasticky sound. Like you know, the film material of the driver is moving back and forth from the seal my ear is creating when inserting and moviing them around. But the seal is MUCH easier to get...almost just by putting them in my ear I get a seal. With ALL tips, but the medium tip sounded the best.
How do these sound? The highs are a little edgy, and the presentation is definitly more upfront than the Denons and in comparison to Marshmallows, brighter. There does seem to be a little congestion or a veil, but what cheaper buds don't? The bass is SLIGHTLY more abundant, but not as boomy and definitly not as sloppy as Mallows. But there is more impact for sure. Definitely more impact. It makes for a GREAT rock bud with how punchy it is.
IMO, the skullcandies actually beat the Marshmallows in every aspect. The highs are bright ala Grados, and the bass isn't as boomy and there's a little more punch to it. It can handle faster bass MUCH better. Also, they're a bit more resolving and don't seem to smear all the music together. Don't get me wrong, these aren't K701 clear, but definitly the clarity is deifnitely better than the Mallows.
And being $14.99 (normally $19.99) they're in the same price bracket, and being on sale definitly worth the $15 since they isolate a better to boot.
I personally just didn't like the sound of the Denons, and I couldn't get them to seal where the bass was past the point of anemia. But in comparison to either, it sounded thin in the bass. Pretty nice in other areas, but it's just not my preference in sound sig it being dry and all. Also, seeing that it over $50 with tax, deifnitely not even worth a listen at that price point. In short, they're getting returned.
But if you don't like the way Mallows sound, or how they fit in your ear, give the Skullcandies a shot. I think they are a staple as to what everybody should have, ala, a bud version of the KSC 75s...for $14, you won't be disappointed, at all. And it's a hard sound to beat for even the full price of $20...
