Casper Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 So, I went on a mission the past few weeks trying out different headphones under my helmet. I tried different sets from the $19.99 JVC Marshmallow earbuds to the $79.99 Klipsh S4 earbuds, and damn near everything in between. I tried Sony MDR, Skullcandy Ink'd, Skullcandy Asym, Etymotic er6i, Yurbuds Ironman, etc. I'm happy to say I picked a clear winner. Now, my requirements weren't great sound or anything like that. I simply wanted a pair that would stay in my ears when I put my helmet on without having to mess around with them. This was a much harder task than I thought it would be. The ONLY pair to not give me a hassle, not even once, was the JVC Marshmallow. While they tend to fall out when I pull my helmet off, that isn't a big deal. When I pull the helmet on, they never once have fallen out. The biggest difference between these and the rest of the earbuds on the market are the piece that fit in your ear. The JVC's are memory foam, like the orange safety earbuds you use while shooting. The others were all a silicon/rubber material. With the Marshmallows, you simply squeeze them, put them in your ear, and wait a few seconds while the foam expands and fills your ear. This has two major benefits, at least in my mind. First, they pretty much won't ever fall out. I was amazed. Even with my Shoei RF1000 with the funky earpads, these Marshmallows didn't fall out. Second, they're freaking ear plugs. Without music playing, the noise level is so low, I kept forgetting to shift because I could barely hear my engine revving. Now, at first I was worried about this possibly being too quiet on the bike. However, during my test ride Saturday, I could hear emergency vehicles and horns pretty well. The really nice part about this is I don't have to crank the volume to hear the music. So that's it. Two weeks worth of trying different earbuds and a clear winner for me is the JVC Marshmallow. Oh did I mention these little guys start at $6 online? Yeah. Imagine that. The cheapest pair, one of the last ones I tried, were the best ones for my purpose. And, they sound pretty damn good too. Woot. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flounder Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 Why didnt you try out some that wrap around your ear instead of the just earbuds which have always been notorious for falling out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted November 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 Why didnt you try out some that wrap around your ear instead of the just earbuds which have always been notorious for falling out?I did, but I couldn't remember the models of them. They sucked worse. There was a Sony pair and a cheap pair I tried. They sucked for two reasons, they still pulled out, which hurt like fuck because of the piece around your ear. Also, with the helmet on, they were very uncomfortable and didn't allow room for my sunglasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obesityrules Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 thanks for the report, i have been using the jvc marshmellows since 2006 with no complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblosser Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 thanks for the report, i have been using the jvc marshmellows since 2006 with no complaints.You coulda told Ben that at the beginning and saved him a lot of trouble... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flounder Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 I did, but I couldn't remember the models of them. They sucked worse. There was a Sony pair and a cheap pair I tried. They sucked for two reasons, they still pulled out, which hurt like fuck because of the piece around your ear. Also, with the helmet on, they were very uncomfortable and didn't allow room for my sunglasses.Makes sense on the sunglasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted November 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 You coulda told Ben that at the beginning and saved him a lot of trouble...cmh_sprint suggested them as well. All of those earbuds were suggested. That's why I tried them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e-flores Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 yep i use the mellows as work headphones, they do put out bearable sound quality and for $15 at wal-mart what else do you want? and this is coming from a guy whos next investments going to be a $250 set of AKG studio headphones, so for most the sound quality is going to be better than expected. but i will say this hold onto the extra set of marshmellow pads, after a while they become brittle and very uncomfortable in your ears. it usually takes mine around three months before they become like that but i wear them day in and day out for 8-10 hours a day so im not sure how long they will last with normal wear and tear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted November 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 yep i use the mellows as work headphones, they do put out bearable sound quality and for $15 at wal-mart what else do you want? and this is coming from a guy whos next investments going to be a $250 set of AKG studio headphones, so for most the sound quality is going to be better than expected. but i will say this hold onto the extra set of marshmellow pads, after a while they become brittle and very uncomfortable in your ears. it usually takes mine around three months before they become like that but i wear them day in and day out for 8-10 hours a day so im not sure how long they will last with normal wear and tear.You can make your own using the orange safety ear plugs. FYI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 A popular mod for the Marshmallows is to pull the grey tube out that's under the foam, remove the paper filter, put a small piece of foam (like from an old pair of ear phones) into the exposed tube, replace grey tube and foam.enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e-flores Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 You can make your own using the orange safety ear plugs. FYI. true didnt think of that... but after six months of wear and tear at a metal shop its usually time for a new pair of headphones anyway....A popular mod for the Marshmallows is to pull the grey tube out that's under the foam, remove the paper filter, put a small piece of foam (like from an old pair of ear phones) into the exposed tube, replace grey tube and foam.enjoy. hhhhrrrrmmmm, may have to try this on an older pair i have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 (edited) I'll try the marshmellows (sic). I don't have the problem with falling out so much, but at 6 bucks it's worth checking out.Marshmallow Edited November 24, 2010 by ReconRat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crf69 Posted November 24, 2010 Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 i run speakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienpi Posted November 24, 2010 Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 Thank you for the review. I can't wait to ride with music! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomcat0403 Posted November 24, 2010 Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 I use the monster turbines which are the older version of the beats by dr dre. I love they and have phenomenal sound quality and are ridiculously quiet, I use them as earplugs when I shoot without music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleaveTheGreat Posted November 24, 2010 Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 Thanks for the info, I'm gonna have to check those out. I like the skullcandy ones that I have but they always fall out when I put my helmet on. I used to use the Sony ones that go behind the ear, but like you said they don't really allow you to wear sunglasses and after a few hours they really started to hurt my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywood3586 Posted November 24, 2010 Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 Iv tried a few different types and iv been using the marshmallow's since about mid season. I love them.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienpi Posted December 14, 2010 Report Share Posted December 14, 2010 (edited) Based on Casper's praise of the JVC Marshmallows I purchased them and am impressed. i listened to them inside my motorcycle helmet (RF1000) for a bit and they worked great. I used them yesterday while snow blowing and they blocked out a sufficient amount of noise and were very comfortable. I had no issues with the sound quality, but I don't usually expect much from the music coming straight out of the jack of my ipod. I was very impressed with the sound blocking.The sound was actually unusually good coming out of the old iPod Nano with the Marshmallows sounding like what I expect mp3s to sound like. Could these really be $20 headphones? The bass was spot on, if not a tad heavy (which is fine when there's a lot of background noise to drown it out). The middle frequencies seemed a bit recessed, but with background noise to drown out a little of the bass, I'm guessing the middle frequency recession would seem absent. The highs were there and seemed to have better than average resolution, but also seemed slightly recessed relative to the bass. I was curious to how good they sound hooked up to my reference system. Naturally, I wasn't expecting a miracle, but I was expecting an improvement. After the first few tracks of the Marshmallows hooked up to my Headroom Maxed-Out Home Headphone amplifier, is when I realized the genius of the people at JVC. In my opinion, the Marshmallows sound better powered by the iPod than by my $1000 reference level headphone amplifier. The accentuation of the bass frequencies was too much when connected to the headphone amplifier. The bass seemed to be so powerful that it sounded like one of those stereo systems that the kids have where all you can hear is the bass. Listening to some organ, I felt like I could feel the organ notes moving my outer ear. The recession of the middle frequencies made female vocals sound almost male. And then where most other headphones sound much bigger and have a vastly more spacious sound, the Marshmallows clammed up to where I could clearly hear their soundstage compress to something smaller than what I heard straight from the ipod. My impression is that these things are perfectly tuned to their application, and that by using reference level equipment with them just exposes there flaws, which are actually engineered compensations for the low powered portable player market, specifically the ipod since they are color coordinated with their colors.Connecting the $20 marshmallows to the $1000 amplifier (connected to other reference level equipment) is probably not going to be a common occurrence, so I'm pretty sure that this is not a problem in general.As a side note, I had to get out my much pricier Ultimate Ears (in-ear style headphones that wouldn't fit in my ears with the helmet) to compare, and as usual they sounded amazing with the headphone amp and average from the ipod. I looked at reviews on JVC's website and found some reviews that confirmed my review of these headphones. One reviewer in particular said they sounded better than his $200+ in-ear systems of the past.I can definitely recommend these, and then if you want something to listen to when you're not wearing a helmet, try some Grado SR80s. The Grados will sound great with the ipod and even better if you add a Headroom amplifier. Edited December 14, 2010 by alienpi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conn-e-rot Posted December 14, 2010 Report Share Posted December 14, 2010 I use these work great with helmet and have good soundhttp://www.skullcandy.com/shop/asym-black.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted December 14, 2010 Report Share Posted December 14, 2010 I use these work great with helmet and have good soundhttp://www.skullcandy.com/shop/asym-black.htmlagreed, so far my favorite hands down. I must have odd shaped ears because I can't get the marshmallows to stay with or without a helmet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykill Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 I just picked up some marshmallows per Casper recommendation. I had no problems with them moving when I put the helmet on. The noise cancelling is a plus and the sound from these lil things are not bad at all. Ordered a set of Asyms from Bad's post to try as well and just waiting on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfd37buckeye Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 I buy the Sony Fontopia off of e-cost for 9.99. They have a short cord, an extension with a built in pause button, and 2 size plugs that will work with most of the smaller plugs on smartphones. They sound really good, and do not fall out of the ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagger Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 I prefer the Etymotic ER6i for sound quality, never had a problem with under helmet fitment, replaceable buds and filters are a plus as well.. on my second pair since 05 only because I tore the cord on the first pair in a lowside at DG. To each their own and what works for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modular Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Good to hear about the Marshmallows as I have a pair arriving today from Amazon ($12.95). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YSR_Racer_99 Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 You can make your own using the orange safety ear plugs. FYI. Similar:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0m_RseMrokI've got some goo on the way, kind of like the Earfuze stuff,and going to try implanting buds in them. Will keep you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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