HiFiMAN RE-600

General/Build/Packaging
Hifiman needs no introduction, it has already made itself well known in the audiophile community with various headphones ranging from the budget range all the way to their top of the line. Today i have with me the RE600 which was released some time ago, i’m here to find out in today’s day and age, is it still relevant?
The packaging is very premium and not gonna discuss much about the packaging, you may refer to the pictures from Hifiman’s site.
Product Packaging Page
The only gripe I have with RE600 is the cable. It doesn’t look like it will break anytime, but it is easy to get tangled, the plus point of the cable is that it doesn’t have much microphonic noise. The IEM itself is also very light, you can go to sleep with it as well

Specifications * From Hifiman’s site
Frequency Response : 15Hz-22KHz
Sensitivity : 102 dB
Impedance : 16 Ohms
Weight : 13.7g (0.48 Oz)
Plug : 3.5mm

Gears used for this review

• Earmen Angel -> Earmen ST-Amp
• iFi Go Blu
• Hidizs S9 Pro Red Copper
• Macbook Air M2 3.5 Out
• RE600

Sound Impression
RE600 is not some IEM where you plug it in and you will be wow-ed by it. To me, it is the kind where you need to take some time to let it settle and grow to like. I find the RE600 to be neutral and balanced sounding. Despite sounding neutral, there is still some musicality in it. The timbre sounds natural to my ears as well, it does lack a little texture but not so much that it compromises the experience.

Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Bass

• Bass isn’t the star of the show for RE600, however, i would say the bass is realistic and non boosted. It is fast and tight, hence it is very suitable for rock/metal tracks. Slow bass will make those tracks sound muddy
• The bass has got a slight warmth to it, giving it a pleasant texture that doesn’t sound too thin
• Sub bass is slightly rolled off, i find that it is often overpowered by the mid bass at certain track
• This IEM is definitely not for basshead nor it is suitable to listen to EDM

Mids

• The mids are detailed to my ears, especially when paired with DAC like Chord’s Mojo
• Vocal doesn’t sound recessed but rather intimate to me (It is a matter of preference)
• Both male and female vocal does sound a little crisp to me without sounding too harsh
• Due to lacking some texture on the timbre, certain instruments like Piano does sound a little less vivid (Lacking in texture)

Treble

• Treble is smooth and plenty of details in this range
• Doesn’t sound harsh nor anywhere near sibilant
• It has got a good amount of air to not make RE600 dark sounding
• I would say that the treble on RE600 is balanced, nothing that sounds too peaky to my ears
• Details are picked up easily without feeling fatigue

Driveability

• RE600 is fairly easy to drive, but as with most micro drivers, they perform better with more power
• Something like Apple’s Lightning Dongle will make RE600 sound good, however it does scale better when it is being fed with better source
• Using Earmen Angel with Gain+ mode, the dynamics are even more impression

Comparison (Final Audio E3000)

• E3000 is a lot harder to drive, pair it with a weak source and it will sound muddy and non dynamic
• Construction wise, they are more or less the same in terms of weight, both of them are quite light.
• E3000 has got more bass emphasis compared to RE600 which has the bass tuned quite neutral
• Treble on the RE600 doesn’t sound as warm as E3000’s
• In terms of imaging and separation, hands down to RE600 as RE600 has got better separation and better imaging compared to E3000

Final Thoughts
Having the RE600 throughout the month, I enjoyed it thoroughly, it is very easy to like because it has got the balanced and mature tuning and it is very smooth. It’s not the kind of IEM where you put on and you are WOW-ed by it, it takes time to grow on you and some day you just find yourself listening to it on a daily basis.

At about 199$, the price is definitely on the higher side for a non detachable cable IEM, however, there is a special price for EU at 65$ which is a steal, perhaps you may consider using a forwarder service or get someone from EU to help you with the purchase.

Ultimately, sound is very subjective and if you are going after a balanced sound signature, i’m more than happy to recommend RE600 to you, if you are looking for slight emphasis on the low end or soundstage, there are several models out there for your consideration.

For the performance of RE600, I’m giving it 4/5 stars

*Hifiman RE600 is being sent over by Hifiman for the purpose of this review. I thank them for the opportunity. If you are interested in getting a pair, head over to the following link:

Hifiman RE600 Product Page - Non Affiliated

HIFIMAN RE-600 SONGBIRD V2 REVIEW

SOUND: 7.5/10
CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN: 7/10
PACKAGING&ACCESSORIES: 9/10
VALUE: 8/10

Click to expand...

HIFIMAN does not need a presentation, this company is now well known by audiophile as it makes more than 15 years they work in DAP, earphones and headphones market.
Still, they look like to concentrate more on Planar headphones as well as TWS iem these last years, because apart from RE-800 silver and RE-2000 silver, not a lot are going on in their cabled earphones. This perhaps explains why I will review the RE-600 old boy today.
Hifiman RE-400 receive wide acclaim, and priced at around 40$ today, is still excellent value in term of sound quality. The pricier RE-600 was gently falling into shadow, which is perhaps explainable by its 200$ price tag that cannot keep up with the competitive sub-300$ iem market that takes a big boost in last years, especially in hybrid and multi-balanced armature form.
But due to a BIG PRICE DROP, the RE-600 are now priced at 65$. This change the game in terms of value, and I will judge now these earphones in comparison to other single dynamic drivers in the sub-100$ price range.
Let’s see if this IEM made back in 2006 can still hold it’s ground in 2020.

You can buy the RE-600 for 65$ directly from official HIFIMAN STORE.

PACKAGING&ACCESSORIES



This is a very particular packaging here, as their no official box and come in the shipping box. But when we open it we are overwhelmed by an extremely generous number of accessories as well as the real proper luxurious packaging which is an (overly?) fancy metal-leather box with magnetic doors…it’s sure very beautiful for the eyes, but this isn’t a case, the case is very basic and come apart from the package. As said presentation is very glorious, but the practical side isn’t there, you will struggle to take of ear tips and at the end of unpackaging, you don’t really know what to do with this fancy box. Well, it can be used for ranging your earphones collection. Accessories are nothing less than 11 pairs of different silicone ear tips, a 3.5mm balanced to 3.5mm unbalanced cable, 5 pairs of mesh filter sticker, 1 cable organizer and the round protective case.

CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN



The RE-600 do not look like a 200$ pair of earphones, the construction is very average from housing to cable. Even for 65$, lot of better-constructed earphones is available, think BQEYZ KB100 which have a detachable cable too. We became very severe about price value nowadays, and the fact Hifiman isn’t able to offer high-quality construction for a lot of their products is problematic. The housing is basic aluminium, which is okay, but the cable is half nylon and rubber, the part that is connected to housing feels very cheap and prompt to easy damage. The whole cable came bended and keep it’s none elegant bent.

COMFORTWISE I have not a lot to complain about apart from high microphonic noise coming from cable movement. This can be avoided by wearing cable above the ears. The RE-600 is very small so it will fit any ears without issue. These are good IEM to sleep on too. All in all, very comfy.
DRIVEABILITY
At 16ohm of impedance and 102db of sensitivity, the RE-600 will be properly driven with whatever source. In fact, these don’t like too powerful amping which can create distortion at high volume if unstable like Xduoo XD-05Plus with Burson V5i opamp.
ISOLATION

Due to a rather deep insertion, metal body and no venting hole in the back of the housing, the isolation is good in passive noise cancellation. For sound leakage, the venting hole under nozzle do leaks sound.

SOUND

The Hifiman RE-600 sound signature is mids and treble centric, slightly dry in timbre, neutral and punchy. Bass is flat and level of clarity is very high even if upper treble isn’t very sharp or sparkly. The RE-600 are serious and balanced, it offer an entry-level reference sound.

SOUNDSTAGE is on the intimate size, not very wide but with impressive deepness. It struggles to sound out of your head.
IMAGING is above average, with precise instrument placement that has good space between them apart from very busy tracks where it will struggle to don’t sound congested.
TONALITY is smooth and well balanced, it’s a little dry and have high level of realism.
TIMBRE is transparent, rather thin, smooth and enough natural.
BASS isn’t the highlight of HE600, though not exactly what I would call bad, it’s flat, slightly dry and extend hardly to its end. This kind of bass stay in the back and never really struggle your attention apart from the energic mid bass punch. The sub region is slightly rolled off, lack both thickness and rumble, and is shadowed by mid bass when it occurs. With the HE600, acoustic bass sound like a guitar playing in its lowest range, it does not have bass gauge, but the slap is well rendered. For synth sub, it can show weakest point and even create slight distortion. So nope, HE600 isn’t neither for bass lover or even less for basshead. It’s as flat as it can be with exception of nicely done mid bass, wich tough little tame in impact, have natural roundness and some weight to it which make it smoothly thumping when it’s asked to.
MID RANGE is clear, accurate, well-articulated and quite revealing. It has hint of dryness without sounding harsh, sibilant or shouty. Though timbre is little thin, we have a good edge to the definition that even if less sharp than treble, give a good snap to instrument notes. Male vocal sound good enough, especially in tonality and texture details, but females have more presence and body, even if the presentation isn’t super wide or airy. The separation of vocal with other instruments is excellent too, it’s precisely centered, realist and clear. Due to thin timbre, the weight of some instruments like the piano is less feel, but this isn’t a problem for violin or woodwinds instruments. In some way, we can consider the HE600 as mid centric, but it’s so well balanced and refined, that most will find them vividly neutral.
TREBLE is sharp, detailed, fast and balanced. Tonally, it’s less accurate than mid-range, but what I like about it is his control and the fact it deliver high level of microdetails without unbalancing the sound or making it overly coloured. Highs are clean, never grainy or shouty, but not very sparkly either. Percussions are thigh, agile, not very rich in timbre but very snappy in attack. Treble presentation tend to add silence between instrument instead of mixing their decay. Guitar keep it’s individuality in the mix, playing clearly, well separated from vocal and drum. Snares are slightly bright, but thin timbre make it soft to the ears. High pitch violin is very well rendered, making the HE600 very appealing for classical music. When it come to electric guitar, perhaps a little more crunch will make it more realistically abrasive, but again, this is the talent of RE600 : delivering a vivid detailed sound without being aggressive in it’s musicality.

COMPARISONS
VS MOONDROP STARFIELD (110$)
The STARFIELD SOUNDSTAGE is notably wider but not as deep, IMAGING isn’t as sharply clear too, but have better layering which permits to deal better with busy tracks. BASS extend way better, is both more natural and bodied, and even if it has more presence than RE-600 it does not feel unbalanced or particularly boosted, it’s just a realistically full-bodied bass versus a weak rolled off bass. MIDS are fuller and more natural, the vocal has a wider presence but the definition is sharper with the RE-600, still, the thin edgy sound isn’t very musical compared to smooth lush sound of STARFIELD. TREBLE is similar with both, it digs lot of info in lower and mid-treble but is smoothen on top, anyway, the RE-600 dig more micro details to the cost of sounding less balanced and sometimes offering artificial highs.
All in all, the STARFIELD sound more natural and full, both in bass and mids, and transient response is faster to avoid distortion that more vivid and detailed RE-600 encounter.

VS FINAL AUDIO E2000 (50$)
The E2000 have again a bigger soundstage with slightly less deepness, the IMAGING is as good but not as clear. BASS dig deeper, is warmer in timbre and less forward in mid-bass punch. MIDS is slightly more recessed but thicker in timbre and less intimate in presence, the definition is not as accurate and clear as the RE-600 but overall tonality is smoother. TREBLE is less thin and more natural, but it does not show as many micro details as RE-600 which have more snappy highs.
All in all, the E2000 is a fuller and more natural iem with better tonal balance and more enjoyable sound than colder more technical and neutral RE-600.

CONCLUSION


We have come a long way since 2006 in term of price value audio performance, and while the RE-600 are competitively priced at 65$ it doesn’t mean it became a giant killer in sub-100$ iem world.
Still, this type of mature neutral sound is very rare to find in the ultra-budget price range, and for this very reason, the RE-600 is sure a good value.
If you don’t care about bass performance or construction durability and search for a neutral, clear and accurate sound with an overall smooth tonality, the Hifiman RE-600 are among the fews that can deliver that under 100$.

I have been a home audio buff and proud audiophile snob  for decades and have only really gotten back into portable audio gear in recent months. I was looking for a nice pair of audiophile IEM's to replace  - on a limited budget - my failing, seven year old Etymotic ER-4P's. I value tonal accuracy and sound-staging, and while I want bass to be present I am not a "bass-head." Oh, and I cannot stand upper-register sibilance and harshness masquerading as "detail." 
 
So, now you know my biases!  
 
After doing lots of research on Head-fi, I ordered a pair of RE-600's on Amazon.com.
 
Sonically, I was beyond thrilled with them! They "play it right down the middle" as one reviewer put it, with a neutral yet compelling tonal signature and a way with human voices which is positively enchanting. This is one of those "I could listen for hours" 'phones. Wonderful!
 
Beyond that, the housings are well made and feather light. They are tiny and inconspicuous and a pleasure to wear.
 
I believe that the RE-600 might have actually been my end-game IEM's, if not for the fact that the lower, cloth-covered cable is incredibly fragile and prone to shorting out. In the process of coiling and uncoiling the cable (that is, taking it out of and putting it into the lovely little zipper case) the cable will develop kinks that cannot be smoothed out. Eventually, one of these kinks will turn into a short that will get worse and worse until the phones are unusable.
 
Lest you think this is my one-off experience, go to the RE-600 Impressions thread and skip to the most recent 8 or 10 pages, and you will read the complaints of multiple, outraged owners of shorted out RE-600's. 
 
The nice lady who answers the phone at USA Hifiman customer service in New Jersey was unfailingly pleasant and sent me a warranty replacement pair in a reasonable amount of time, but as other owners in the above thread have noted, that's all the company will do. They won't acknowledge the problem and (maddeningly) continue to sell this failure prone "flagship" product at a not-inexpensive price. I ended up selling my replacement pair at a bargain price while making sure the buyer knew what tended to happen to these IEM's.
 
I'll only add that I review home audio gear on my Audio Blog and have never written a review quite this negative. I only want to spare readers of this review the kind of frustration and disappointment that I and so many others have experienced. I can only hope that Hifiman will get its act together and upgrade this wonderful sounding IEM with a decent and durable cable. I'd buy one in an instant if they did. But as things now stand, I'm avoiding their products, even their prized headphones, because I don't think their behavior vis a vis the RE-600 should be rewarded.
 
Hope this helps someone!