RE0's unamped and with 128k?

If you're buying earphones for other people I think you're better off with the bassier one's, a lot of people (myself included) are shocked when they first listen to earphones like the re0 and if it's not their money that may very well be enough for them not to pick them up again. I wouldn't bother too much about sources, most daps can drive most earphones well (if not to their full potential).

Quote:

Originally Posted by smm11 

When you say "shocked" do you not mean that in a good way?

Yes, he does mean not in a good way.
 

i'm actually curious about this too. haven't fellow head-fi'ers said that unamped RE0 makes the whole frequency range less pronounced and the soundstage and separation worse too? Is this true? 

Also I've found that audio file quality, once it's above or at about 128k doesn't really make too substantial a difference. 

why don't you try the M2 by Brainwavz?  I have the the M1's and M2's, and the m2's are easy to run, forgiving of low bit rates and have nice bass weight. 

What about the klipsch s4? i bet that'll do. the RE0s need effort to grt used to them. and when gifted, the user (most probably) wouldnt know what they are actually dealing with. i mean, here, i bought my RE0s and the the first time i listened to them, i was like, seriously? was this what the reviews were talking about. so get them something good that sounds good right out of the box.they'll like it.

yea the S4's would probably be more suited for your needs, but be sure to check my review of them first

The S4s are a bit out of range, but Klipsch advertises them as being able to cover up the imperfections of low-bitrate music.  And your non-audiophile friends will be really, really impressed by what comes out of the klipsch s4 (you know, such heavily colored sound)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaqueh 

i'm actually curious about this too. haven't fellow head-fi'ers said that unamped RE0 makes the whole frequency range less pronounced and the soundstage and separation worse too? Is this true? 

 

Also I've found that audio file quality, once it's above or at about 128k doesn't really make too substantial a difference. 

The RE0s do respond well to extra power but the difference isn't as pronounced as you may think. There's definitely a difference in quality but it's more subtle than overt.

I've ran my RE0s through an iBasso D10 and an ALO Rx, neither of which did a ton for them, and if you're buying these for a non-audiophile they probably won't be able to discern the difference between amped and unamped anyways. I would suggest something a little more balanced though.