Multi-IEM Review - 286 IEMs compared (LG Quadbeat & TDK MT300 Added 06/16/13 p.711) - Page 12

I finaly bought my Head-Direct RE0. I'll be using them for plane trips and portable audio. I'm looking forward to hearing how they sound plugged into my new Levono W500 laptop PC.

The only decent headphones I can compare them to are my newly acquired Senn. HD650. Stay tuned.

Interesting operation you did there on the ADDIEMs. Any thoughts on how they sound after the procedure versus before?

ADDIEM with meelectronics cable and triple flanges? Nicely done.

@TheGame21x
There won't be any direct sound difference, but because the cable is so much less microphonic you will get a defacto improvement when on the move.

that's a nice recable. good thing you didn't choose the M6 cable (version 2 was the one I had at least) as the M9 cable looks much better

Great thread! I check it infrequently and enjoy reading your reviews.
Not to sound intrusive, but could you consider reviewing the Phiaton PS200? I personally enjoy my pair quite a bit, and they're reportedly similar to the CK10s. It's a shame that they were $130 on Amazon a week or so ago, seeing as the price has risen to $180 as of late.

i hope you change your plan from review hippo shroom to hippo VB , many people prefer vb than shroom

You make the CK100 sound kind of like the SE530.

I wish I knew what the SE530 sounded like to respond to that :P

I'll have to read that long writeup on the CK100 soonish..They are pretty ridiculously expensive however. Even with a forwarding service its $360 which makes it too expensive :P

on another note, any interest in the alpha brainwavz? i got them bundled up in a purchase recently and probably got no plans to use them or probably even open the plastic wrapping since I got no use for them and seeing as you got like a trillion budget iem's.

a different perception of the REO's

I bought the REO's after reading the reviews here after having 3 pairs of cx300's breaking in just over a year and these are what I compare the REO's to, that and my HD280's.

First off their sensitivity is WAY less than the cx-300's (100dB vs.112dB) This is a huge difference and so their max volume is also less and if you are like myself, using them with your phone, this is a deal breaker in itself because walking down a street at peak hour they just arent loud enough, not to mention I am draining my battery faster. Admittedly my nokia n82's amp is under powered but so are a lot of phones.

Moving on to the sound, the REO's definitely respond more to dynamics in music and fidelity is better generally than the cx300's which I liked but the mid to upper range is without a doubt far to emphasized making cranking choruses with singers pushing the point just plain painful to listen too.

The bass?....well there isnt much, I like what my sub does for music bellow a 100hz and the RE0's just dont represent it accurately/enough below around 70hz , especially emphasized against the inflated mids and while the cx300 bass is a little over done and loose at least it has some that u can tame with eq if u wish, increasing bass with eq is not as good a solution for the REO's, I had to push my eq to 80% to get a track of mine I am mixing to a close approximation of what it should sound like with the sub bass melody.

A big part of the reason IEM has taken off is because of the increased bass they are capable of compared to earbuds, I have earbuds with more bass than the REO's.

The high's are nice enough but sibilance is a problem as u move into the mids on some tracks.

Music making and mixing is my life so it is with at least some experience I make these comments, that and I have seen how damaged ears perceive sound in the mid range with the desire for terribly inflated mid/highs that result from it and continue to damage those ears. This is an important point to consider when it comes to IEM's while they inject the sound right into your ear drums.

I am still 'breaking in' the REO's but I cant see this changing much of the above and while the cx300's are nothing special in regards to creating space/detail/dynamics they are still a better solution (while they work) than the REO's and I will now never buy another pair of IEM's under 110dB sensitivity. The RE3's seem like the next thing to try.

the search for a decent pair of IEM's at a sane price continues.

Congrats again joker, your CK100 review is excellently written and spot-on!

Don't make the mistake of interpreting it this way. Apart from both being 3-driver BAs, these don't have much in common.

Not meaning to recommend the HJE900 (they are just 100db), nevertheless you might be interested in reading this and my subsequent reply.

BTW from your description I believe that you would like the $50 Soundmagic PL50, even though their sensitivity is only 109db.