Hifiman RE272: Review - Page 2

 

WTF!!! WHAT THE H#CK is going on??!! I just stopped listening to the DT880, and decided to switch to the RE272 just to confirm that DT880 rips the RE272 apart and all that. Well... RE272 actually sounds jsut as good to me right now as the DT880 if not better. What?!  Perhaps listening to the DT880s somehow made me notice some qualities of the RE272s I haven't noticed before? Basically, RE272s sound more accurate to me now than they did before. More dynamic, more focused and with better timbre. Some sounds that were dull before no seem to come through much clearer. Perhaps the excitement of listening to the DT880s made me focus better on the music.

 

Does something similar happen to any of you guys or am I just going crazy?

Edited by Pianist - 8/24/11 at 1:30pm

I'm sure we've all experinced it at some point. In fact, it happened to me more than once with the SM3.

Edited by i2ehan - 8/24/11 at 2:41pm

I guess you are right. I also found SM3 a strange beast BTW, which also sounded great to me sometimes and really bad at other times.

The SM3 remains the only in-ear which is a complete mystery to me even still. There are a few days when the SM3 sounded veiled, and I was forced to recall what it was that struck me in the first place. Then there are many days where one listen to the SM3, and I feel as though my music never sounded this good. As of late, the latter holds true, and having to choose between the GR07/EX1000/SM3 has proved to be the most difficult decision yet. I certainly don't intend to keep all 3, and considering that they each sound exceptional to my ears, the GR07's price tag seems to be drawing me in closer and closer.

 

I also think the DT880 is one of the most balanced cans I have heard despite the slightly recessed midrange.  You must really get a T1 as it is a HUGE leap ahead of the DT880.  Always a pleasure to listen to.

 

From what you describe, the RE272 sounds a lot like an entry level, in-ear version of the HE-6, at least from the treble side. 

 

Will I see you as a frequent visitor of the full-sized section from now on?

 

 

Hey esanthosh, I just looked over your review again. Great review - well written and thoughtful and gives the RE272 a fair treatment I think.

 

I do have to disagree on some things though. For example, I think RE272 has fantastic bass and does present a very well filled note. In fact, fullness of sound is one of RE272's main strengths IMO. From top to bottom, it sounds very full bodied. I think the bass is extremely tight, clean and well defined and extends deep enough for me. I compared the RE272 directly against Shure SE535 and Westone 4 a few days ago and the RE272 had the cleanest, most articulate low end of the three to my ears and by quite a margin. The Westone 4 and especially SE535 sounded muddy by comparison. Is it hyper clarity? Maybe, but to me it sounds very natural.The mids and highs on RE272 follow its bass in quality and character. They are also extremely clean and clear and will make most other headphones and IEMs sound impure by comparison. Again, some people may find the sound unnaturally clean, but I think provided you use the IEMs with a good source and good recordings, it sounds very natural.

 

I don't feel like RE272 lacks any dynamics or articulation. I think they are just right on RE272. I compared them directly against FX700 many times and never did the RE272 fail to reproduce the dynamic range, nor any other nuances in my music that the FX700 could. In fact, I would consider RE272 more articulate than FX700 in a way. It is cleaner, clearer than FX700 and has a better frequency balance with better presence in the mids.

 

Timbre on RE272 sounds wonderful to me. I think it's very natural. Instruments like saxophone and piano are presented especially well IMO. Especially the sax. Did you try any good music with saxophones on it with the RE272? If not, try this track. Sounds superb with the RE272. I don't think RE272 lacks timbre compared to the FX700 at all. In fact, for some instruments like the sax, I prefer RE272 over FX700 because the former sounds more full bodied while preserving the realistic timbre of the instrument IMO.

 

Do you really think RE272 lacks some clarity? I never heard the EX1000 or CK10, but I can't imagine a cleaner, more pure sound than what RE272 produces. Or perhaps you mean something else by clarity.

Edited by Pianist - 8/25/11 at 8:04am

@ esanthosh, very nice review!

 

 

Interesting list. Can't say I can agree with most of them, but then again, it is a good example on how individual preference as an important factor on headphone choice.

 

 

I agree completely. I ran a few frequency sweeps on the RE272 and I can also confirm the peak at ~2 kHz and an emphasis from ~8-14 kHz. I also hear a gentle, gradual roll off above ~14.5 kHz. But overall, like you said, these are indeed pretty even in their frequency response. There are certainly not sharp peak or dips that I can hear either - every emphasis or dip is gentle and rather subtle. Although out of the box I think the 2 kHz peak was more noticeable. I will try to EQ that 2-5 kHz region and will report my findings.

 

 

There's nothing wrong with a peak at 2kHz, and a peak between 8-14kHz (if that's what it is) is a pretty difficult task to achieve in IEM's, especially BA's, I think the ER-4 and CK10 both drop off sharply right after their spikes at 10kHz ~for example~

 

Flat ≠ best

 

 

 

I agree. The more I listen to the RE272, the more I realize how lively they sound thanks to those peaks. A flat headphone is a boring headphone. You really need some emphasis (but not too much and in the right places) for a natural sound. RE272 nails it IMO providing a really natural frequency response that works especially well with stuff like jazz. Saxophones in particular sound unbelievable with these IEMs.

 

Also, I just realized that with a sufficiently deep insertion, the RE272s can also be made to sound really neutral. Think about it - the bass is a bit lean, but with a deep fit it will become stronger and just about right, the peak at 2 kHz will become less apparent the deeper you put the IEMs in and may disappear alotgether and the upper highs will be tamed as well. The result should be a very neutral sound and not a bassy, dull sound like what most other IEMs provide with a deep fit.

Edited by Pianist - 8/26/11 at 8:41am

Nice review esanthosh. Your thoughts are honest and your approach is sound. You are also one of the few that's willing to admit our poor auditory memory, instead of giving out an inaccurate picture.

If it has less bass than the CK10, I'll expect a thin note. Also disappointed it doesn't seem to have the dynamic range if the Re262 or Ex1000.
Edited by Inks - 8/26/11 at 8:59am

The bass of RE272 is phenomenal to my ears, but it requires a deep insertion to bring out the fullness of mid/upper bass and the sub bass. Without a perfectly tight seal, the low bass is missing and the mid/upper bass can sound too weak. I compared the bass directly to that on the FX700 and with a shallow fit the RE272 just misses out on the low bass completely vs. the FX700 and the mid/upper low frequencies sound a bit closed in and lacking scale and dynamics next to FX700. But the deeper I put the RE272 into my ears, the better the bass became and eventually I was able to get the body in the mid/upper bass to come close to that of FX700 and the sub bass to be adequately represented. I think these really deserve some custom tips.

Edited by Pianist - 8/26/11 at 9:03am