iemmustiane
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 25, 2010
- Posts
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VIDEO REVIEW:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a6BQv8t-Xo
[size=10pt]Introduction: [/size][size=10pt] I'm a young audiophile who has grown a boundless addiction for great sound. I'm only in high school right now so it's quite a challenge for me to test high-end headphones like you guys. Therefore most of my reviews will be on low to mid end headphones.[/size]
[size=10pt]Company Info:[/size][size=10pt]Head-Direct is well-known company in the audiophile world that imports many high-end audio products as well as producing their own line of headphones, Hifiman. [/size]
[size=10pt]Product: [/size][size=10pt]Head-Direct Hifiman RE0 (Revision version 3, with PPE cable)[/size]
[size=10pt]Price: [/size][size=10pt]Retail: $79, I bought these of Amazon form Head- Direct for $79 + approximately $4 shipping.[/size]
[size=10pt]Specifications: [/size]
[size=10pt]Equipment Used:[/size]
[size=10pt]Packaging and Accessories:[/size][size=10pt]The packaging is very similar to the packaging Apple uses with their iPods. The clear plastic shell packaging is quite sleek; it shows off the earphones in a very clean fashion. After opening the packaging, below the packaging lie the accessories. 3 different sized pairs of black single flanged tips are included. Two pairs of different sized bi-flange tips are also included. The larger bi-flange tips come already installed on the earphones. A shirt clip and 5 pairs of replaceable filters are also included. The bi-flange tips fit the earphones very well, however the single flange tips take some effort to get on due to the fact that the holes are a little small.[/size]
[size=10pt] Build Quality: The housings are made of a very solid-feeling me[/size][size=10pt]tal that I believe is to be aluminum; they are light and not tiresome on the ears at all. The housing feature are knurled finish similar to V-Moda Vibes, there are two very small port holes on the back of the housings. The filters on the sound tubes is a little iffy, the RE0’s use a fabric style filter which seems quite cheap, but so far they are holding up pretty well. The stress relief that enters the housing is decent, has some nice flex but is a little stiff. Moving onto the PPE cable, I noticed that the cable has a very rubbery texture, which I like. There is one quirk with the cables, they have quite an amount of memory; they straighten overtime but slower than other earphones. The RE0’s have a nice metal splitter that endorses the words “RE0” and “HiFiMAN” on them. The adjuster is just a small metal ring; it is a little tight and requires some force to move it up and down. The plug is a 90-degree style plug; the stress relief is very good. The plug is gold plated; the gold seems to be duller than other gold plugs from other manufactures. However I believe it does not affect the sound too much. (Top Right is the plug compared to another gold plug.[/size]
[size=10pt]Isolation: [/size][size=10pt]I used the bi-flanged tips from my Meelectronics M9’s; they are exactly the same size as the smaller bi-flanges that are included with the RE0’s. Both tips give me the same amount of isolation but for some reason I can achieve a seal much faster with the Meelectronics tips. However I do feel that the included clear bi-flanges look much better than the Meelectronics black bi-flanges. Anyways onto the isolation, the RE0’s isolate very well, well above average. The isolation is very good for bus rides and commuting. I even think the isolation might be sufficient for lawn mowing.[/size]
[size=10pt]Comfort: [/size][size=10pt]The RE0’s are quite comfortable; the comfort is very dependent on the tips used as with many other in-ear monitors. They are not very comfortable to sleep due to the fact that they protrude a little bit. [/size]
[size=10pt]Microphonics:[/size][size=10pt]There is quite a bit of microphonics with the RE0’s, enough to make these unsuitable for working out with. However, when worn over the ear in combination with the shirt clip, microphonics is greatly reduced, reduced to the point that they are eligible for workout use.[/size]
[size=10pt]Sound Signature:[/size][size=10pt]I had ran around 30 hours of burn-in time using pink noise and frequency sweep files. I have been listening to them for about 3 days. [/size]
[size=10pt]Songs:[/size]
[size=10pt]Amped vs. Unamped:[/size][size=10pt]Amplification of the RE0’s does indeed make a difference. I used the Fiio E5 headphone amplifier, and even though the E5 is a pretty cheap budget amplifier, boy did the RE0’s open up. Everything just seems better, highs are even more detailed and the soundstage opened up. With the bass boost turned on the E5, the RE0’s are my cup of tea. They are absolutely perfect with the bass boost on my E5 turned on. Details and the highs suffer very little, so little that it isn’t even noticeable. The bass however improved tremendously. The bass is now very impactful and now has great depth it was lacking.[/size]
[size=10pt]Comparisons: [/size][size=10pt]These are surely the most detailed earphones I own, they beat all my earphones and headphones when it comes to being neutral and transparent, but the bass unamped ranks pretty low on the RE0’s. [/size]
[size=10pt]Conclusion: [/size][size=10pt]The RE0’s are a pair of earphones that can compete with earphones 3,4, even 5 times its price. The neutralness and detail is unmatched at its price. When amped, the RE0’s is surely a candidate to end one’s headphone buying addiction.[/size]
[size=20pt]Verdict: For $79, nothing matches these. The RE0’s are worth much more than they are being sold for.[/size]
[size=10pt]Introduction: [/size][size=10pt] I'm a young audiophile who has grown a boundless addiction for great sound. I'm only in high school right now so it's quite a challenge for me to test high-end headphones like you guys. Therefore most of my reviews will be on low to mid end headphones.[/size]
[size=10pt]Company Info:[/size][size=10pt]Head-Direct is well-known company in the audiophile world that imports many high-end audio products as well as producing their own line of headphones, Hifiman. [/size]
[size=10pt]Product: [/size][size=10pt]Head-Direct Hifiman RE0 (Revision version 3, with PPE cable)[/size]
[size=10pt]Price: [/size][size=10pt]Retail: $79, I bought these of Amazon form Head- Direct for $79 + approximately $4 shipping.[/size]
[size=10pt]Specifications: [/size]
- [size=10pt]Driver: 9mm driver [/size]
- [size=10pt]Frequency Range: 15 – 20000Hz[/size]
- [size=10pt]Impedance: 64 ohms[/size]
- Sensitivity: 100dB/1mW
- Rate input: 10mw
- Max. input: 30mw
- [size=10pt]Connector: 3.5mm gold plated[/size]
- [size=10pt]Cable Length: Exact Length is unavailable, but it is around 4 feet. [/size]
[size=10pt]Equipment Used:[/size]
- [size=10pt]My custom-built desktop with a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium sound card[/size]
- [size=10pt]32GB 3rd generation iPod touch[/size]
- [size=10pt]Fiio E5 amplifier[/size]
[size=10pt]Packaging and Accessories:[/size][size=10pt]The packaging is very similar to the packaging Apple uses with their iPods. The clear plastic shell packaging is quite sleek; it shows off the earphones in a very clean fashion. After opening the packaging, below the packaging lie the accessories. 3 different sized pairs of black single flanged tips are included. Two pairs of different sized bi-flange tips are also included. The larger bi-flange tips come already installed on the earphones. A shirt clip and 5 pairs of replaceable filters are also included. The bi-flange tips fit the earphones very well, however the single flange tips take some effort to get on due to the fact that the holes are a little small.[/size]
[size=10pt] Build Quality: The housings are made of a very solid-feeling me[/size][size=10pt]tal that I believe is to be aluminum; they are light and not tiresome on the ears at all. The housing feature are knurled finish similar to V-Moda Vibes, there are two very small port holes on the back of the housings. The filters on the sound tubes is a little iffy, the RE0’s use a fabric style filter which seems quite cheap, but so far they are holding up pretty well. The stress relief that enters the housing is decent, has some nice flex but is a little stiff. Moving onto the PPE cable, I noticed that the cable has a very rubbery texture, which I like. There is one quirk with the cables, they have quite an amount of memory; they straighten overtime but slower than other earphones. The RE0’s have a nice metal splitter that endorses the words “RE0” and “HiFiMAN” on them. The adjuster is just a small metal ring; it is a little tight and requires some force to move it up and down. The plug is a 90-degree style plug; the stress relief is very good. The plug is gold plated; the gold seems to be duller than other gold plugs from other manufactures. However I believe it does not affect the sound too much. (Top Right is the plug compared to another gold plug.[/size]
[size=10pt]Isolation: [/size][size=10pt]I used the bi-flanged tips from my Meelectronics M9’s; they are exactly the same size as the smaller bi-flanges that are included with the RE0’s. Both tips give me the same amount of isolation but for some reason I can achieve a seal much faster with the Meelectronics tips. However I do feel that the included clear bi-flanges look much better than the Meelectronics black bi-flanges. Anyways onto the isolation, the RE0’s isolate very well, well above average. The isolation is very good for bus rides and commuting. I even think the isolation might be sufficient for lawn mowing.[/size]
[size=10pt]Comfort: [/size][size=10pt]The RE0’s are quite comfortable; the comfort is very dependent on the tips used as with many other in-ear monitors. They are not very comfortable to sleep due to the fact that they protrude a little bit. [/size]
[size=10pt]Microphonics:[/size][size=10pt]There is quite a bit of microphonics with the RE0’s, enough to make these unsuitable for working out with. However, when worn over the ear in combination with the shirt clip, microphonics is greatly reduced, reduced to the point that they are eligible for workout use.[/size]
[size=10pt]Sound Signature:[/size][size=10pt]I had ran around 30 hours of burn-in time using pink noise and frequency sweep files. I have been listening to them for about 3 days. [/size]
- [size=10pt]Bass:[/size][size=10pt]The bass does indeed lack a bit of impact, but the detail is incredible. Short bass notes lack impact but long bass notes, like a cello playing, produces incredible results. The low note of cellos just engulfs you with great detail. To me, I felt like the bass was not lacking at all, I was quite satisfied with them. The bass is also very quick and speedy. bass heads look elsewhere.[/size]
- [size=10pt]Midrange: [/size][size=10pt]The mids are forward and are absolutely fantastic. They are neutral and uncolored. Instruments like electrical guitars come through cleanly and clearly. The forwardness brings out the micro and subtle details that lay hidden in music.[/size]
- [size=10pt]Highs:[/size][size=10pt]The highs are incredible on the RE0’s. They stand out as the greatest strength of the RE0’s. I find the highs to be very neutral, it is very clean, transparent, and detailed. Listening to the detail that the RE0’s can put out is just a wonderful feeling. With the RE0’s cymbals sound very crisp and enjoyable.[/size]
- [size=10pt]Soundstage: [/size][size=10pt]The soundstage of the RE0’s is average, nothing too special. Separation is very good. Overall, the soundstage is quite enjoyable.[/size]
- [size=10pt]Conclusion: [/size][size=10pt]These headphones are great for people who like detail. I can’t say the same for bass junkies.[/size]
[size=10pt]Songs:[/size]
- [size=10pt]Take No Prisoner (Demo) by Megadeth: [/size][size=10pt]The song is a recording demo. I caught things in this song that I was not able to catch before. For instance, with regular apple earphones, the first 6 seconds of the song is static. However, with the RE0’s you can clearly hear someone count off 123…123…123…123. Truly amazing detail[/size]
- [size=10pt]All Eyez On Me by 2Pac: [/size][size=10pt]I was surprised that the RE0’s did pretty well with Hip Hop and Rap. The bass had adequate impact, the vocals were very clear. Overall I enjoyed the song with the RE0’s even though I enjoy over exaggerated bass when I listen to Rap.[/size]
- [size=10pt]One by Apocalyptica:[/size][size=10pt]A cello cover of the heavy metal song by Metallica; the bass is pretty good with the RE0’s, The RE0’s even reveal recording flaws that I could easily discern. [/size]
[size=10pt]Amped vs. Unamped:[/size][size=10pt]Amplification of the RE0’s does indeed make a difference. I used the Fiio E5 headphone amplifier, and even though the E5 is a pretty cheap budget amplifier, boy did the RE0’s open up. Everything just seems better, highs are even more detailed and the soundstage opened up. With the bass boost turned on the E5, the RE0’s are my cup of tea. They are absolutely perfect with the bass boost on my E5 turned on. Details and the highs suffer very little, so little that it isn’t even noticeable. The bass however improved tremendously. The bass is now very impactful and now has great depth it was lacking.[/size]
[size=10pt]Comparisons: [/size][size=10pt]These are surely the most detailed earphones I own, they beat all my earphones and headphones when it comes to being neutral and transparent, but the bass unamped ranks pretty low on the RE0’s. [/size]
[size=10pt]Conclusion: [/size][size=10pt]The RE0’s are a pair of earphones that can compete with earphones 3,4, even 5 times its price. The neutralness and detail is unmatched at its price. When amped, the RE0’s is surely a candidate to end one’s headphone buying addiction.[/size]
[size=20pt]Verdict: For $79, nothing matches these. The RE0’s are worth much more than they are being sold for.[/size]
