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Ipod Classic (120GB) + RE0 hifiman

post #1 of 17
2/8/10 at 8:48am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

I'm sorry to bring up this subject again, but throughout the internet I have read so many different advises that I don't know what to do.
In the Netherlands there is a saying wich applies here:
'Because of all the trees I cannot see the forest anymore".

I recently purchased an ipod and I flew in the hifiman's RE0 earphones after thourough review-reading. This already sounds beautiful, however, two things could be better:
- I have to set the volume almost to maximum in classical or jazz-records (which I mostly listen to). On rare occassions, the maximum volume isn't enough when riding a bicycle (which we do often in the Netherlands).
- In the acoustic records, I would like some more bass. I can change the ipod EQ to acoustic (or more bass), however, when I listen to jamiroquai (did I write this the right way?), the bass get's 'overloaded', so to speak. Then I have to set back the EQ, which I consider to be annoying.

As much as I like the RE0 while listening to acoustic music (incredibly detailed, I hear every high note, piano key etc.), sometimes I like to listen with some more bass (d'angelo, erikah bady).
Would it be necessary for me to buy, let's say, a Fiio E1/E5?
The downside of the E1 would be 'pocket-carrying-inconvenience', so I'd prefer the E5.
FYI: all the music I listen to is in lossless-format

Hope to hear something, and again I apologize asking questions which have been asked so many times!

Greetings, Geert
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

HEAD-DIRECT RE0 In-ear Headphones
post #2 of 17
2/8/10 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geertidow View Post
Hey guys,

I'm sorry to bring up this subject again, but throughout the internet I have read so many different advises that I don't know what to do.
In the Netherlands there is a saying wich applies here:
'Because of all the trees I cannot see the forest anymore".

I recently purchased an ipod and I flew in the hifiman's RE0 earphones after thourough review-reading. This already sounds beautiful, however, two things could be better:
- I have to set the volume almost to maximum in classical or jazz-records (which I mostly listen to). On rare occassions, the maximum volume isn't enough when riding a bicycle (which we do often in the Netherlands).
- In the acoustic records, I would like some more bass. I can change the ipod EQ to acoustic (or more bass), however, when I listen to jamiroquai (did I write this the right way?), the bass get's 'overloaded', so to speak. Then I have to set back the EQ, which I consider to be annoying.

As much as I like the RE0 while listening to acoustic music (incredibly detailed, I hear every high note, piano key etc.), sometimes I like to listen with some more bass (d'angelo, erikah bady).
Would it be necessary for me to buy, let's say, a Fiio E1/E5?
The downside of the E1 would be 'pocket-carrying-inconvenience', so I'd prefer the E5.
FYI: all the music I listen to is in lossless-format

Hope to hear something, and again I apologize asking questions which have been asked so many times!

Greetings, Geert
1. I hate to say this and pls pardon me but I have always found the Ipods to
be a pure gutless Mp3 player without a doubt even for something that size.
On the other note, as your living in Europe I know as a fact that the Ipods
there has a Cap on the Vol on it, the same rules applies for the Ipods here
in Australia.

2. I know as a fact the Re0 is over a 100 ohm IEM and to really make these
shine, you will need to have headphone amp or cmoy to run these, I
would even say a Creative ZVM or other Zen players will run these at
least better than an Ipod

3. I am sure you can increase the Volume limiter on your Ipod which will be in
the setting functions somewhere, I did it to my Fathers Nano and it worked
fine.

Good luck
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post #3 of 17
2/8/10 at 12:04pm
Thread Starter 
1. I know it isn't the audiophile's dream, but I think it's a very easy to work with (I had a lot of cd's to convert) device, that's why I chose it
3. That I already did, but I have some beautiful (and old) chopin recordins wich are recorded very soft
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post #4 of 17
2/8/10 at 1:49pm
get a portable amp for ur RE0... prolly provide a lot more power than the stock in ipod esp. considering the EU volume limit, also u get the added benefit of the ipod line out
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post #5 of 17
2/9/10 at 11:25am
Quote:
1. I hate to say this and pls pardon me but I have always found the Ipods to
be a pure gutless Mp3 player without a doubt even for something that size.
On the other note, as your living in Europe I know as a fact that the Ipods
there has a Cap on the Vol on it, the same rules applies for the Ipods here
in Australia.

2. I know as a fact the Re0 is over a 100 ohm IEM and to really make these
shine, you will need to have headphone amp or cmoy to run these, I
would even say a Creative ZVM or other Zen players will run these at
least better than an Ipod

3. I am sure you can increase the Volume limiter on your Ipod which will be in
the setting functions somewhere, I did it to my Fathers Nano and it worked
fine.

Good luck
Have you ever try listening to an iPod through LOD? The iPod alone sound pretty much "horrible" like you said but with LOD and an amp, it's a different story.

In addition, with a setup like that you don't have to worry about volume limit (:
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post #6 of 17
2/10/10 at 7:43am
Thread Starter 
Well I have two very important (and restrictive) demands for a lod or/and amp:
1-it has to be small and wearable (i use my ipod outdoors)
2-it has to be reasonably priced.

Any suggests (fiio?)
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post #7 of 17
2/10/10 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geertidow View Post
Well I have two very important (and restrictive) demands for a lod or/and amp:
1-it has to be small and wearable (i use my ipod outdoors)
2-it has to be reasonably priced.

Any suggests (fiio?)
iBasso T3, tried and tested on with the RE0, will give you the base you miss along with the other bits, looks smallish and nice
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post #8 of 17
2/10/10 at 8:28am
E5 does fine but you need a LOD for your ipod, if not the E5 acts like an attenuator rather than an amplifier.

RE0 is very hard to drive even with my sansa fuze, my E5 is almost on max to get the dynamics out if not everything sounds very dull.
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post #9 of 17
2/11/10 at 4:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Albinoni View Post
2. I know as a fact the Re0 is over a 100 ohm IEM and to really make these
shine, you will need to have headphone amp or cmoy to run these, I
would even say a Creative ZVM or other Zen players will run these at
least better than an Ipod

The RE0 is a 64 ohm IEM and it runs fine out of an iPod. It doesn't need an amp to sound good, it just sounds better with one.
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post #10 of 17
2/11/10 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 
So the iBasso T4 is defenitely a good option then.
But how about the Fiio E1, that uses a LOD right?

If i wasn't to use a LOD, would the iBasso T4 still do it's work all right?
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post #11 of 17
2/11/10 at 8:28am
From my opinion, the LOD is a must. I never *dare* to listen to my iPod classic via its 3.5 mm.
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post #12 of 17
2/12/10 at 5:35am
Thread Starter 
Then what would be (in your opinion), the most perfect (small and affordable) combination of LOD and amp for an ipod classic + RE0?
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post #13 of 17
2/12/10 at 7:07am
get a cheapo lod off ebay and pair it with your amp.
If all else fails then get the E1
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post #14 of 17
2/12/10 at 7:48am
I am afraid there is no solution to your problem. You even ask for amps/phones that automatically adjust different recordings to your taste without touching any EQ setting.

At its current price point, there is no overall better earphone for the iPod than the RE0. Buy a Yuin PK2 ($80) or even a OK2 ($130) and you trade the RE0's resolution, highs extension and bass-control (with roll-off, of course) for boomier bass and higher volume. But while walking around or cycling, you likely won't notice the deficits of the PK2 or OK2. I compared my iPod classic 160GB (US purchase) with an older classic 30GB (EU purchase). The former plays RE0 louder, but still with bass roll-off.

To really improve, you either should go for a RE252 (>$200) or buy an amp with LOD (clumsy and bulky).

After all, I don't think it is a good idea to use a hard disk player and isolating in-ears for cycling (unless on smooth roads without any traffic).
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post #15 of 17
2/13/10 at 2:22am
After using a Fiio E1 + RE0 combination with my iPod Video 5G, I will never go back to using the 3.5mm jack. So I'd definitely recommend the Fiio E1.

But, since you crave more bass from your RE0s, the E5 and its bass boost feature might be your best choice for pairing with them. I'd head to eBay and pick up a cheap iPod LOD connector before doing so. The difference between using the LOD and the standard 3.5mm jack can be astounding.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

HEAD-DIRECT RE0 In-ear Headphones
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