My head direct RE0 just arrived from Amazon. I just bought a pair of Super Fi 5 Pros about a week ago because someone was offering them for just $80. After buying them I was reading some reviews and found out about the RE0s and decided I may as well get them.

Sound quality: First thing I noticed was how clear and uncolored the sound was. It sounded a little too harsh to me though, at least compared to my Super Fi 5s and Senn HD 25 II.
The treble on these is very good. I've been re-listening to allot of songs in my library just to hear what I was missing.
Mids are good too, voices are clear and detailed, but for some voices I like my other fones better because they're warmer and more smooth.
Bass overall seems good, but it depends a bit on which song. On some it seemed a little weak, on others it was great..

More so than others volume makes a big difference with these. As it gets higher they become more forward and the bass gets to where it really should be. They sound pretty "distant" to me when it's on low volume.

I'm not sure why but the sound produced by these seems to me more emotion-evoking than my other fones. Maybe it's the harshness?

Tips/mods: The double flange tips were great but after half an hour or so my ears started to ache. I traded them out for the smallest black tips that come with these and they're perfect. Good noise isolation, comfortable, etc.
I did the foam-removal mod on these after a bit of listening beforehand. It's easy to do on these, and they ship extra felt covers(like 9) if you end up going back and forth seeing what you like best.
Personally I think it improves the sound. It's a little more clear in the mids/treble and soundstage/instrument separation gets a boost too(weak point with these originally).

Other tid bits:
Microphonics - not great. I was a bit worried at first, but once you've got sound coming through them it's much less noticeable. They come with a shirt clip that might help.

Practicality - This is important to me as they're going to be my primary headphone for portable use, with AD900s at home. Every day use them on the way to school, on the way back, and twice walking to and from my tutors place, then biking later..so I'm loving how easy they are to put in and take out. Quite small too, so they won't put much bulk in your pockets.

Conclusion: They're really great at some things, and not really bad at anything. Really low price is the icing on the cake.. highly recommended

Thanks for the write-up!

Amp them. IMHO, they are OK unamped, but a much better IEM when amp'd. I even went so far as to plug them into my home receiver and was blown away at how great they sounded.

I contacted Head-Direct enquiring about how the REO would fare unamped and they advised that it requires amping.

Re RE0 First Impressions, nice post. I've been enjoying my RE0 for about 6 weeks mostly in bed and I "listen" all night while sleeping. They are great for $80 and I have no complaints. I've been using the medium silicone tips from my PFE. I like IEMs but since these are compared to HD25 here, I would prefer to listen to the Senns but they just don't work in bed.

Yeah they're good for lying down, tho I couldn't sleep with music like that i don't think.

What amp should I look into? Preferably something not that expensive and that would also benefit ADH AD900s

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Do you want a full-sized amp or a portable amp?

May as well be full sized, unless the portables are what occupy the lower end of amps.

You need to burn them in. I had to burn them in a solid 50hours before the harshness subsided. They are a lot more laid back sounding now than when I first received them.

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Yeah I love my HD25s but I need to get a good IEM to use in bed also.

amazon sells re0? interesting.....

Good to here about the burn in, doing it now.

Yeah they sell them through head direct.

Any recommendations on an amp?

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You'll end up buying from Head Direct, they just list it.

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Actually, I think RE0 is in a higher league than HD25. It sounds much smoother, has better detail, much better treble clarity and extension and tighter, deeper bass and is just a more neutral, technically capable headphone overall IMO. If I had both, I would sell the HD25, because I see no need for it at all if one has RE0. Isolation is about on par, but RE0 is more comfortable and can be used in any environment where HD25 can be used while providing better sound quality.

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I agree with you re RE0 vs. HD 25, I just did a back-to-back comparison. I prefer full size listening when possible. The RE0 is not my favorite fitting IEM due to the shallow fit. I haven't experimented with some tips that I read people using. The fit that I get is very finicky. My top preference fit is ER4 with stock black foam...very deep and stable.

The RE0 is great for the $80 I paid. After complaining about the shallow fit, it is an advantage for times when I tend to remove/insert often. My experience comparing the RE0 to ER4 & PFE is that it loses. I still give ER4 & PFE equal play time for serious listening.

I have 10 monitors and I try to give them all some attention or else I force myself to sell them off. For serious sessions the big JVC woodies are tops.