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Are the RE0s really the best bang for your buck? - Page 2

post #16 of 33
10/7/09 at 12:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by abellaw View Post
This is becoming a hard choice for me. I thought that getting an intro level IEM that has good SQ and is under a $100 dollars would be easy. Now i am stuck between the RE0, the grado IGI and now the klipsch S4.
Heh, that is the problem/great thing about this place. Too much information!

I have had paralysis by analysis for every little step I have taken into this world. I actually feel more relief than anything else when I finally buy something. I am actually stuck between finding something under $100 or just biting the bullet and paying $300 or so for one of the top players of the mid tier (SE530 or Westone 3).
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post #17 of 33
10/7/09 at 3:13pm
i think for around us$100 its RE-0 or denon C751 or 710
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post #18 of 33
10/9/09 at 12:30pm
What about Ety HF5? I have not heard the REO but here is why I would put HF5 in that group as well.

- Instrument separation is as good or better than any triple driver universal I have ever heard (TFPro, SE530, W3, UM3X).

- Midrange and treble is as good or better than any triple driver universal I have ever heard. Exceptional clarity and never siblant.

- Ergonomics are as good as any IEM I have ever used.

Only single complaint may be that it lacks some body and weight in the lower end. This may be a deal breaker for some but it adjusts well to EQ to help this deficiency out. For this to be the only area to fall short on a $100 IEM versus $300-$400 triple drivers is exceptional. I'd like to A/B ER4P and HF5. I think HF5 may be better unamped. It seems (pleasently) warmer and not as analytical/cold and also seems to handle busy passages in music better than ER4P. Perhaps this is due to it being 16 ohms versus 27 ohms? Not sure...
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post #19 of 33
10/10/09 at 5:53pm
I am listening to my new REOs and they are definitely the most bang for the buck I have heard. I used to have Ety Er4S with the apuresound cable and custommolds, and I find these REOs easier to listen to for long periods. They are smoother and yet still very detailed. And maybe I am not a basshead, but there is plenty for me. I am actually enjoying these more right now than my MarkL modded D5000s, but that might be due to the newness of the sound. I also like the sound isolation of an iem and the d5000s do not isolate much at all.

Edit added later: Now that I have had a little more time with the REOs, I would say that the bass is definitely a bit light as many have noted. For me it only affects about one song in 20 because of the music I listen to. The rest of the spectrum sounds wonderfully natural and real, but occasionally the lack of body to the bass interferes with the illusion and distracts me from the music. Overall, I am still enjoying them a lot.

And, I will still probably keep these for travel since they are so inexpensive, and 95% of the time the musical experience they provide is great. It has reminded me of why I enjoy iems (the sound isolation) so the next thing I may try is a pair of UMX3s
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post #20 of 33
10/15/09 at 12:22am
Just wanted to add that I find these are very sensitive to the depth of insertion like most iems. I think some of the times I was missing bass was because they needed to be pushed in a little bit more (I use the smaller biflanges that come with the REO). Also, it seems like every 15-20 minutes or so I need to give them a very slight nudge to set them back into place.

However if I push them in too far, then the sound gets muddy and congested.

Because they were the only other iem I have owned, I was used to Ety Er4s which seemed to sound best when pushed in very far, but these REOs have a sweet spot that is not anywhere near as far into the ear. Which is good, because they are much more comfortable than the Etys were when properly positioned for sound.
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post #21 of 33
10/16/09 at 5:00am
Try some decored Shure olive tips. The depth will be just right and they'll stay put.
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post #22 of 33
10/16/09 at 5:42am
Or cored, just stretched out. It's doable if you've got half a day to sit around and do it. I even put a pair on some Triple.Fis and the nozzle on them is a good bit larger. I pretty much try to use Olives on everything I own just because they're so darn good.
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post #23 of 33
10/16/09 at 8:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nirmalanow View Post
Just wanted to add that I find these are very sensitive to the depth of insertion like most iems. I think some of the times I was missing bass was because they needed to be pushed in a little bit more (I use the smaller biflanges that come with the REO). Also, it seems like every 15-20 minutes or so I need to give them a very slight nudge to set them back into place.

However if I push them in too far, then the sound gets muddy and congested.

Because they were the only other iem I have owned, I was used to Ety Er4s which seemed to sound best when pushed in very far, but these REOs have a sweet spot that is not anywhere near as far into the ear. Which is good, because they are much more comfortable than the Etys were when properly positioned for sound.
I second this, I keep having to readjust my pair every once in a while because they seem to move about a bit when I'm wearing them. I'm using the medium Bi Flangle tips. Going to try the olives soon and might splurge on some Comply T400's if the olives dun stay put.
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post #24 of 33
10/16/09 at 7:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luhaine View Post
I second this, I keep having to readjust my pair every once in a while because they seem to move about a bit when I'm wearing them. I'm using the medium Bi Flangle tips. Going to try the olives soon and might splurge on some Comply T400's if the olives dun stay put.
Decore both the olives and the T400s. Put the decored olives on the tubes from the T400s. The T400 tubes will stay firm on the RE0 and the olives will be comfortable, isolating and secure in your ear.

IMO the olives improve the sound over the bi-flanges too.
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post #25 of 33
10/16/09 at 8:22pm
Thread Starter 
I just got my RE0s today and they're pretty incredible so far. Amazing clarity and detail. I don't see why people think these are bass-shy, they render bass with great accuracy, they just aren't boomy.
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post #26 of 33
10/16/09 at 8:54pm
Haven't heard the RE0, but have owned the RE2 and now own the RE3 (a prototype I had for review), and right now I have the Klipsch S4s in my ears after 150 or so hours of burn-in, and they blow me away. The rig I am using right now is the simple old Amp3, UM56 custom sleeves on the S4s (they are for my UM3X, but work on the S4s too), and listening to Renaud Garcia-Fons, Dire Straights, and some other similar stuff, and the S4s are punching way above their weight class, as they say in boxing. Bass is deep, rich but not boomy, mids are solid and present, and the treble, which was harsh out of the box, is spot on. Sultans of Swing never sounded so good.
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post #27 of 33
10/16/09 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrazmar View Post
Thank you for your reply. Actually, I'm loving every second with my PFE which is amped by T4-E5 (daisy-chained) and the combo sounds big and great to me.

The added warmth and soundstage of these amps make me feel that my PFE has become more mature in sound. Because of this also, I can now use the gray filters without the overbrightness/sibilance but with a nice, sparkly highs and amazing details. Balance is not a problem anymore. Bass is very accurate, not boomy but tight and impactful (more impact would be great).

Why I'm asking this is because I'm really curious how such earbuds can make a big sound like that of a full-sized can plus all the positive reviews I have read here and there about the PK1. I might not be that interested with the RE0. Just want to know if it sounds better than the PFE.

If I have the $, my options would be either to buy PK1 or a DAP like the AMP3 or Clip+. Just not sure for now.
Personally I would get the Clip and RE0 - it's an awesome sounding combo IMO, as long as you are using the Hifiman bi-flanges which warm up the sound very nicely and take the somewhat irritating edge off the treble. AMP3 will sound a bit analytical with RE0 IMO, but it will pump out more detail and a bigger soundstage than the Clip.

Yes, and I very much prefer RE0 over Phonak PFE and Yuin PK1 as well. RE0 is in a different league than those two IMO.

There may be a better bang for the buck in lower price ranges, for instance Soundmagic PL50 or a Fischer Audio IEM but for $99 RE0 is the absolute best IEM you can get for that price IMO. I just can't imagine how it can get better than that for sound quality at this price. Well, maybe in ten years or something. lol
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post #28 of 33
10/17/09 at 7:17pm
Someone on another thread mentioned using a 75 ohm P to S adaptor on the REOs to reduce hiss from the Amp3. So I thought I would try it on my REOs coming out of my Predator.

It softens the high end a little which can be very nice on overly bright recordings, and it really brings out the bass. Overall I think it makes the REOs a little more well-rounded, warmer and smoother. Part of the effect may be that with a little less high-end, I can turn the music up a little higher and therefore hear more midrange and bass, but I also think it does give a very natural sounding boost to the bass. Also with the resistor in place, I use the higher gain setting on the Predator which may be affecting the sound also, although I do balance for fairly equal levels when directly comparing the sound with and without the adaptor.

There is less hiss also, although that was never a problem for me at normal sound levels. However there may be a very slight sense of a blacker background and cleaner transients with the plug in place, but it is hard to say for sure.

And using the little adaptor plug with the built-in 75 ohm resistor means I can quickly switch back if I want a slightly different sound just for a change of pace. All in all a great little tweak to the REOs.The one thing I was not thrilled about with these phones was the bass which not only sounded light but also not quite as natural as the rest of the spectrum, and this helps with that.

I got my adaptor on ebay for $18 here:
ETYMOTIC ER4P TO ER4S RESISTOR ADAPTOR (3.5MM PLUG) - eBay (item 290339218619 end time Nov-09-09 18:53:01 PST)
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post #29 of 33
10/18/09 at 10:00am
brilliant, can you try it straight from an ipod classic headphone out or similar DAP please?
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post #30 of 33
10/18/09 at 11:01am
I will try it from my Iriver H340 and report back.
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