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HiFiMan RE262 Review (Of sorts…) Is this normal???

post #1 of 6
2/8/12 at 4:40pm
Thread Starter 

 

After doing a lot of research on this site (largely on the 220 IEM review by |joker| I finally decided to go for the HiFiMan RE262’s.  I would have purchased them through Head-Direct (supporting the smaller business outfit) but because I had some unused credit went with Amazon. 

 

I received the shipment today.  Package looked fine and undamaged – the box inside was inside of a ziplock baggie; thought that was a bit strange but I figured that these things probably aren’t being purchased in mass quantities and also the box itself and the contents inside looked fine.

 

So after plugging it into my MP3 player, the first thing I noticed was that there seemed to be very little sound coming out of the right earbud.  On top of that the sound that was coming out didn’t sound very good.  I thought “perhaps this is the burn-in period that I’ve read about”.  So I then plugged it into my new FiiO E6 amp and it didn’t sound much better.  (For the record, the FiiO E6 has made my previously lackluster Sennheiser CX300’s sound pretty good, at least to my ear.)   I took out the 262’s and plugged in the Sennheisers – sure enough there’s nothing wrong with the MP3 player or the amp, it sounds just fine. 

 

Then I go to plug the 262’s back into the MP3 player – now the song is stopping as if there’s a short or the player is not sensing a jack’s been inserted.  So I’m unplugging it and plugging it back in trying to get it to work properly and that’s not happening.  I did get the song to play but it would just randomly stop.

 

I’m pretty sure I received some defective IEM’s; and yet:  1) how often does it happen that one orders a part like this from a small manufacturer only to receive a lemon?  2) with the substandard sound I received right out of the box (at least in the left ear) – was that to be expected in terms of sound quality as a new set?  Was this the burn in time – there was literally NO bass and I had the MP3 player at its highest volume and it wasn’t very loud at all. 

 

Needless to say they’re on their way back to Amazon.  Should I take another chance on the HiFiMan’s, or should I settle for a cheaper set that still are highly rated (I almost went with the MEElectronics A515, which were 1/3 the cost)???  Was my experience with the HiFiMan’s a complete anomaly?  Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

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post #2 of 6
2/8/12 at 5:21pm

So, did you plug in "un-balance" adapter before you used them? If not, you would have only got sound out of one side.

 

Onto the sound, assuming you did that. Unfortunately for me, with how much I loved the mids, I couldn't get a good fit. I think my ears detest the wide nozzled IEMs, but I'm not sure. I just know I could never get an even balance between ears, yet, the earphones themselves still sounded good. Bass is not one of it's selling points though, yet I still find it of good quality and is definitely apparent. The signature of that IEM is obviously in the midrange, and everything else just kinda falls into place.

 

Personally, I think I was the only person that absolutely did not like the A151. I think they sound very unclear and muffled. Not a fan.


Edited by Katun - 2/8/12 at 5:58pm
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post #3 of 6
2/8/12 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for your reply.  At the risk of sounding rather dumb, how does one unbalance the adapter?  I didn't see a control to accomplish this, nor was it included on the instructions.

 

Which are your go-to IEM's?  Do you like your VSonics?  (I'm not going to be able to cough up the dough for the Westones, if those are your daily users...)

 

 

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post #4 of 6
2/8/12 at 7:39pm

Well, the RE262's are balanced out of the box. Basically, plugging them into any ordinary MP3 or audio device will result in only one channel working. So, they have included "unbalance adapters". Yours should have came with 3 extra cords that look like extension cords. One is grey, and serves as that exact purpose. One is black, and will restore audio to L and R channels. And one is white, which will reverse L and R channels for over the ear type wear. So basically, just plug your RE262 into the black mini cable, and the black mini cable into your audio device. It should tell you all this in that little piece of paper that came with it.

 

My GR07 and W4 are coming tomorrow. I've got the W2 currently. Had the GR07 before, but really want to re-try it again. I was the biggest fan of budget IEM use for the longest time (with use of an EQ), but now I want to re-dip my toes in higher end waters. I'm finding I'm liking these W2's better than my budget EQ'ed champions, so that's definitely a good thing. It's been awhile since I tried something that has been "technically" good. Hopefully, the W4's will impress me even more than the W2, in which I'm sure they will. I guess I'll just have to wait and find out tomorrow.

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post #5 of 6
3/12/12 at 7:46pm

Did you end up getting them to work? That was my first thought, you have to use one of the adapters in order to get both channels to work, unless you're using a balanced source like the Hifiman 801. Here's a list of the included adapters and their functions:

 

Black- Converts from the balanced connector to the single-ended connector, standard wearing style

Grey- For balanced sources, swaps the left and right channels

White- Converts from balanced to single ended, swaps the left and right channels.

No adapter- Standard wearing style, balanced connector

 

Hope this helps. They are truly wonderful IEMs (the best I've heard to date). If one of the adapters doesn't solve your problem, then you've got a defective IEM. Contact Hifiman for replacement.

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post #6 of 6
5/23/12 at 3:24pm

I had a similar experience with the RE-262.

 

After the first listen I was not happy with it at all, as I had very high expectations from these earphones. I was expecting them to outshine my modded Fostex T50RP, but they hardly been able to keep up with the Fostex.

 

The comfort level of these earphones is very poor. I am using the bi-flange but not really enjoying the sound quality when worn normally. When I wear them upside down the sound improves a bit but the comfort level is very low. I have to keep them pushing inside the earphone to get a good sound but this lead to pain in my ear canal. 

 

May be getting a foam tip for these will provide a better fitting and comfort.

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