RE-ZERO dissapointment - Page 3

I have the RE-ZERO's for a couple of days and compared to the RE0's they're a very different kind of beast.

The midrange is very forward, almost like Brainwavz M1 forward. Bass is better but still not dominating. Treble is not there, or so it seems at first.

It gives a very different representation compared to RE0's, but details are there and there is better texture overall, soundstage is excellent. Guitar is superb, with details I have never thought of hearing. I'm happy with them, but you cannot compare, I found XCapes v1 a lot closer to RE0's than RE-ZERO's are.

If RE0 was an apple, XCape would be an orange and RE-ZERO would be a strawberry.

I get an excellent seal and very good comfort with Sony hybrids.

Quote:

Originally Posted by s0lar 

I get an excellent seal and very good comfort with Sony hybrids.

 

OK - so just seconds after almost writing off these suckers for good, I read your post about the Sony hybrid tips. I immediately ordered some off Amazon and they just came in this afternoon. I've been spending some time with the Zero's and the Med sized tips, and I can say this with confidence. I was absolutely wrong about the RE Zero's.

The seal and fit of a good quality tip changed these IEMs into something completely different. They evolved from a pair of tinny and  hollow sounding buds to a pair of grown up IEMs that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys critical listening, vocals, and high detail. These strong characteristics are displayed with forwardness and confidence. All of this without blowing up the highs with sibilance and harsh brightness...actually, the Zero's aren't bright at all, and instead, have a wonderful maturity in the upper extensions. There are moments in some passages where I'm expecting a harshness to kick in, but alas, it never appears. Lovely.

Although this very forward sound quality is not normally my style, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I absolutely enjoyed some artists that I never really touch anymore, such as Rufus Wainwright, Tom Petty, Tony Bennet and quite a few world instrumental albums. It was awesome. Most notably, the Trio Joubran - Majaz album. This album punched me in my gut while saying, "Dude,  I told you I was important!! You just had the wrong tools to enjoy me the right way.". Touché, Le Trio Joubran.

I plan on doing a full video review of these guys as well as suggesting the wonderful Sony hybrid tips to pair with the Zero. A big thanks to s0lar for noting them. If it weren't for your last post, I would have buried the Zero's in my dust drawer. A truly wonderful, but highly finicky, pair of IEMs!

-davy

I'm just a little surprised you didn't suspect fit and seal issues earlier.

There are alot of things that could be better on the RE-ZEROs, instrument separation is pretty weak and the soundstage could be a little larger and stay in front of me and not creep up behind my head, to name two. But the one and only thing that bugs me is where vocals are placed, which is towards the back of the stage instead of at the very front where I want them to be. Balance, texture, detail and clarity are all very good at its price point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mangamonster 

 

OK - so just seconds after almost writing off these suckers for good, I read your post about the Sony hybrid tips. I immediately ordered some off Amazon and they just came in this afternoon. I've been spending some time with the Zero's and the Med sized tips, and I can say this with confidence. I was absolutely wrong about the RE Zero's.

 

The seal and fit of a good quality tip changed these IEMs into something completely different. They evolved from a pair of tinny and  hollow sounding buds to a pair of grown up IEMs that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys critical listening, vocals, and high detail. These strong characteristics are displayed with forwardness and confidence. All of this without blowing up the highs with sibilance and harsh brightness...actually, the Zero's aren't bright at all, and instead, have a wonderful maturity in the upper extensions. There are moments in some passages where I'm expecting a harshness to kick in, but alas, it never appears. Lovely.

 

Although this very forward sound quality is not normally my style, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I absolutely enjoyed some artists that I never really touch anymore, such as Rufus Wainwright, Tom Petty, Tony Bennet and quite a few world instrumental albums. It was awesome. Most notably, the Trio Joubran - Majaz album. This album punched me in my gut while saying, "Dude,  I told you I was important!! You just had the wrong tools to enjoy me the right way.". Touché, Le Trio Joubran.

 

I plan on doing a full video review of these guys as well as suggesting the wonderful Sony hybrid tips to pair with the Zero. A big thanks to s0lar for noting them. If it weren't for your last post, I would have buried the Zero's in my dust drawer. A truly wonderful, but highly finicky, pair of IEMs!

 

-davy

 

 

I used several tips on the Zero that I've used with my other IEMs and have had good seals with. The Zero didn't fair well with any of them. So, I tried a last resort method of buying 3rd party tips (sony) and it was a pleasant surprise. I'd say that I truly persevered with this one...I'm surprised I didnt give up long ago. The Zero really is picky with the perfect seal and fit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mangamonster 

I used several tips on the Zero that I've used with my other IEMs and have had good seals with. The Zero didn't fair well with any of them. So, I tried a last resort method of buying 3rd party tips (sony) and it was a pleasant surprise. I'd say that I truly persevered with this one...I'm surprised I didnt give up long ago. The Zero really is picky with the perfect seal and fit.

Oh, there's much worse.

I had them on loan a couple of weeks ago, was not impressed and it sounded very thin. Now I have a lot of respect for them I just really wish the bass had more involvement, but isn't bad with some recordings. Their timbre is amazing but it's also very specialized into the upper mids, flutes sound amazing with these. This isn't my first time saying this, but people need to give them time. My prefer tips are Meelec M6 tripleflanges, but I stretch them to the limits until they reach the very back of the iem. It ends up looking like a shortened ER4 with triflanges lol.  

I like it with Sony hybrids aswell, but managed to get a good fit and seal with some of the stock tips too. On my first pair the stock large single-flanges worked well - the same tips looked entirely different on my second pair, flat up top and just impossible to fit inside my ear canal. The double-flanges on this replacement pair did fit fine, though they didn't with the first pair. Looks like they get batches of tips that are more different from eachother than I'd normally expect and just throw that in there.

All I'm saying is that for most the Sony hybrids won't turn this into something it isn't in the first place - though it's a great tip to go for if you're not satisfied with the sound and comfort you get out of the stock tips.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mangamonster 

I used several tips on the Zero that I've used with my other IEMs and have had good seals with. The Zero didn't fair well with any of them. So, I tried a last resort method of buying 3rd party tips (sony) and it was a pleasant surprise. I'd say that I truly persevered with this one...I'm surprised I didnt give up long ago. The Zero really is picky with the perfect seal and fit.

To me the bass is almost perfectly balanced as long as I'm in a noise free environent. I wouldn't mind a more visceral impact, but I think the quality of bass is just beautiful. It does absolutely great with quick metal, but I quite loved it listening to Gustav Holst's 'The Planets' last night aswell. It's just a tad under-sized when in a noisy environment, as ambient noise and vibrations (when in my car or on the bus) tend to drown out the bass on normal listening volume. In such circumstances I've sometimes applied a bass boost of 1-2db and it pretty much solves the problem - it's still as tight and controlled as when not EQd.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inks 

I had them on loan a couple of weeks ago, was not impressed and it sounded very thin. Now I have a lot of respect for them I just really wish the bass had more involvement, but isn't bad with some recordings. Their timbre is amazing but it's also very specialized into the upper mids, flutes sound amazing with these. This isn't my first time saying this, but people need to give them time. My prefer tips are Meelec M6 tripleflanges, but I stretch them to the limits until they reach the very back of the iem. It ends up looking like a shortened ER4 with triflanges lol.  

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you've used this coupled with your Arrow - how'd they fare in that set-up?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anaxilus 

Oh, there's much worse.

 

I love my RE-ZERO's.  I prefer them to my AD700's and my M-Audio AV-40 speakers.  I never even tried the stock tips because the silicon rubbery material seems extremely thin.  I use the Sony Hybrids with mine also and feel that they have a good balance of comfort and isolation.  My only gripe with the zero's is the stupid 4-sleeve balanced connector they have.  Using the soft adapter adds an extra right angle in the cord that shouldn't have to be there.  Is there an easy mod for the the zero's to replace the stupid balanced connector?

As somebody who would prefer a little more bass and less sharp highs while preserving the high quality detail, which tips should I go for?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenAdamson 

As somebody who would prefer a little more bass and less sharp highs while preserving the high quality detail, which tips should I go for?

The real Sony Hybrids.

When you say "Sony Hybrid tips" from Amazon, do you mean these? 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-EPEX10A-BLK-Replacement-Earbuds/dp/B001RB24UA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351809238&sr=8-1&keywords=Sony+hybrid+tips

I would also like to add my name to the list of disappointed with the RE-ZEROs. They sound very canned and thin... like all IEMs sound if you pull them out of your ears and listen to them, except, I've shoved these suckers in my ear so deep, and have tried every different way I can conceive to insert them to get a better sound. I have only burned them in about 10 hours, but I don't think they have enough lower-midrange for me (ie: cello warmth). The detail on them is infinitely better than any IEM I have personally used, but that lower-midrange is so non-existent in power that everything else just sounds too darn thin for my liking. I will say, while gaming with these headphones I heard MUCH more micro-detail with them than anything else but, alas, its not enough to make up for the overall enjoyment of the sound. It is also very sibilant to my ears, though I'm sure that would tone down with more burn in... I don't think I'm getting more cello warmth with burn in on these guys though. I guess I really do need more bass than I thought even though I don't listen to hip-hop.

After having now owned 6 different IEMs, I've come to the conclusion that, if you are looking in the sub $100 range, you will have to make serious compromises to sound quality. You either get something with a good soundstage, decent bass, ok highs and bad mids or you get something slightly more analytical with better detail, great highs, good mid-highs, inadequate bass/lower-midrange and reduced soundstage. Hell, I am right now listening to my $20 Sennheisers, and even though they are in no way as detailed as the RE-ZEROs they are just way more enjoyable and less fatiguing to listen to.

I'm going to try and burn in these RE-ZEROs for 50 hours since my 30 day return is pretty far away, but I don't expect the lower-midrange to open up and get warmer... maybe I'll try the Xears 200pros since I am not as "analytical" in sound signature as I once thought I was.

I'm glad to see this thread. I cannot get used to the zeros. I was convinced it was me, given the rave reviews on this site and all over the web. I feel the bass is too recessed, and I was expecting a lot more clarity of the instrumentation overall. And yes, I gave them about 60 hours burn-in.