Quote:

tinyman392 said:

 
When you pull out the cable, pull out using the base of the headphone jack, don't pull on any cables or you'll damage it (regardless of what kind of cable it is).  This is the only thing I can think of that'll cause the kink.  If you're not using balanced output, there is no reason to unplug the adapter at any point, even for storage, leave it plugged in (I'm sure you don't do this, but just in case). 
 
Keep in mind that all cables do have a natural twist in them, that's why when you wind up the cables using the over-under method. 

Click to expand...

 
I'm definitely not pulling on cables at all (ever) so that's not the issue (I have had many earphones before and never had this problem even with the cheaper ones - most of my previous experience was with Etymotics and TF10's).
The issue is that due to having that plug between balanced and unbalance cables being present that particular connection part is heavier than the cables coming out on either side of that connection spot, so that weight pulls everything down and creates weird angles and pulls on both cables (but you are not easily aware of it unless you stick you hand into your pocket - then you can actually feel the cables kinking).

tgdinamo said:

I'm definitely not pulling on cables at all (ever) so that's not the issue (I have had many earphones before and never had this problem even with the cheaper ones - most of my previous experience was with Etymotics and TF10's).
The issue is that due to having that plug between balanced and unbalance cables being present that particular connection part is heavier than the cables coming out on either side of that connection spot, so that weight pulls everything down and creates weird angles and pulls on both cables (but you are not easily aware of it unless you stick you hand into your pocket - then you can actually feel the cables kinking).

Click to expand...

Oh, OK. I gotcha now. The adapter is annoying and causes weird issues.

tinyman392 said:

Oh, OK. I gotcha now. The adapter is annoying and causes weird issues.

Click to expand...

I don't like the adapter either and had been desperately looking for a replacement balanced trrs to se trs adapter. An extremely skillful diyer shared a very elegant solution in great details which is unfortunately beyond my limited crafting skills:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/675333/trrs-to-trs-adapter-3-5mm-balanced-trrs-to-single-ended-trs-adapter

Let me know if anyone can find a vendor to make it!

Quote:

kkcc said:

I don't like the adapter either and had been desperately looking for a replacement balanced trrs to se trs adapter. An extremely skillful diyer shared a very elegant solution in great details which is unfortunately beyond my limited crafting skills:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/675333/trrs-to-trs-adapter-3-5mm-balanced-trrs-to-single-ended-trs-adapter

Let me know if anyone can find a vendor to make it!

Click to expand...

 
Thanks for that link (even though after I read those instructions they gave me instant headache - no way I would ever want to attempt that).
Is it really possible that nobody other than hifiman currently makes this type of cable (and that whole design idea is such a disaster for everyone other than 901 users).

Initial impressions :
 
Just received my re-600.  I've been trying different tips, and having somewhat large ear canals, have settled on the fat white colored ones.  I didn't try the the comply tips yet because in the past, I've tended to not like the fit of them.  I'll try them at some point.
 
Well, no surprise, but the sound is very dependent on tip selection, good seal, and depth of insertion.  I think I'm pretty much at the optimal and I find them very linear and extended into the lows and highs.  I was just a tad disappointed at first, but have begun to really enjoy them now.  They didn't bowl me over at first, like the VSonic GR07, for example, but after a short while you realize they're performing the way they're intended to perform - faithful across the whole frequency spectrum.  With my current tips and insertion depth I find them just a tiny, tiny (very tiny) tad bright of neutral.  The bass is present and extended but not at all overemphasized.  If I were to EQ, I'd probably play with bumping the bass up ever so slightly.  Many will like the bass just the way it is; bass-heads will want to EQ.
 
These are nice and small, and I find they stay in place well as I lay in bed and roll around, good news for those, like myself, who like to go to sleep plugged in.  
 
All-in-all, I'm pretty pleased.  Does anyone know if these will benefit from burn-in (other than my own acclimation)?

Quote:

kkcc said:

I don't like the adapter either and had been desperately looking for a replacement balanced trrs to se trs adapter. An extremely skillful diyer shared a very elegant solution in great details which is unfortunately beyond my limited crafting skills:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/675333/trrs-to-trs-adapter-3-5mm-balanced-trrs-to-single-ended-trs-adapter

Let me know if anyone can find a vendor to make it!

Click to expand...

 
Moon Audio agreed to re-terminate my RE-600 with one of the following plugs (this will in effect also take care of balanced->unbalanced conversion without the need for extension cord).
 
http://www.moon-audio.com/oyaide-3-5-stereo-mini-plugs.html
 
They say it's impossible to completely replace the cable because of the design of the phones, but this solution will be good enough for me as it gets rid of the need for the hated balanced->unbalanced extension cord (even after I replace the one that broke under warranty I can easily see another one go bad after a month or two).
The cost Moon Audio quoted me is $20 labor which includes shipping back (I'm in USA), and the cost of the plug which is $12.50 (so you still need to add to this the cost of shipping the item to them).
Obviously it is also understood that this will waive the Hifiman warranty. I don't have any previous experience with Moon Audio but the email exchange with them gives me confidence that they know what they are doing or otherwise would not have offered to do this job.

Quote:

bobjs said:

[…]
With my current tips and insertion depth I find them just a tiny, tiny (very tiny) tad bright of neutral.  The bass is present and extended but not at all overemphasized.  If I were to EQ, I'd probably play with bumping the bass up ever so slightly.  Many will like the bass just the way it is; bass-heads will want to EQ.
[…]

Click to expand...

 
Just received mine tonight as well. Initial impressions have been… a bit opposite yours? Coming off of the RE-400, my reaction is that they sound a bit heavy, the bass is more prominent than I would like. This will take some getting used to, or possibly EQing the bass down. On the other hand, the RE-400s sound downright congested compared to the 600s. Everything seems more open, considerably better in terms of soundstage and imaging. Will reevaluate after a few days of commuting here…
 
Quote:

tgdinamo said:

Moon Audio agreed to re-terminate my RE-600 with one of the following plugs (this will in effect also take care of balanced->unbalanced conversion without the need for extension cord).
[…]

Click to expand...

This… could very well be worth it, thanks for the heads-up!

brhfl said:

Just received mine tonight as well. Initial impressions have been… a bit opposite yours? Coming off of the RE-400, my reaction is that they sound a bit heavy, the bass is more prominent than I would like. This will take some getting used to, or possibly EQing the bass down. On the other hand, the RE-400s sound downright congested compared to the 600s. Everything seems more open, considerably better in terms of soundstage and imaging. Will reevaluate after a few days of commuting here…

Click to expand...

Agreed with the comparison to re400. I also see where Bobsj came from. I guess how much bass you feel a factor to your frame of reference: more than re400 and less than gr07. To me it is just sufficient as I find re400's bass not extending to low enough.

Wish all of re600 owners got to hear it on 901 balanced. It is simply marvelous and can compete with the best totl I have, especially on classical symphonies.

Quote:

brhfl said:

 
Just received mine tonight as well. Initial impressions have been… a bit opposite yours? Coming off of the RE-400, my reaction is that they sound a bit heavy, the bass is more prominent than I would like. This will take some getting used to, or possibly EQing the bass down. On the other hand, the RE-400s sound downright congested compared to the 600s. Everything seems more open, considerably better in terms of soundstage and imaging. Will reevaluate after a few days of commuting here…
 

Click to expand...

I am also of the same initial impression, they are definitely not bright. Matter of fact they are a tad south of neutral, but still very extended. I find it a much welcome sound since there's not alot of extra treble energy that can be fatiguing. I listened for about 2 hours out of the HM-901 with stock amp card and no ringing in my ears what so ever. They are very dynamic, bass goes low and is tight. I found myself turning the volume down because of the deep bass in some tracks, not because of treble. If impactful bass is prominent in a track, it will play it. The extension of the treble is fantastic and it does indeed sound like a turntable, which was the goal of the HM-901/RE-600 pairing. It's palpable, airy and smooth. No treble harshness at all and i also dont feel like im missing anything. Female vocals are lush and articulate as they should be, not nasaly nor heavy chested. I really can't wait to receive my balanced amp card soon.
 
Major noticeable difference between 400 vs. 600 is that the 400's bass is a bit wooly and doesn't extend as low. The upper-mids and treble sound a bit harsh and congested too, with a lesser sound stage. I find the upgrade worth it, and it will only further separate itself with the balanced amp card. The 600 also sounds better out of basic portable devices, but the only major difference is the quality of the bass. Therefore i recommend sticking with the 400 if you're only pairing it with basic gear as i don't find the cost of the 600 worth it in this case.

Quote:

brunk said:

[…]
Major noticeable difference between 400 vs. 600 is that the 400's bass is a bit wooly and doesn't extend as low. The upper-mids and treble sound a bit harsh and congested too, with a lesser sound stage. I find the upgrade worth it, and it will only further separate itself with the balanced amp card. The 600 also sounds better out of basic portable devices, but the only major difference is the quality of the bass. Therefore i recommend sticking with the 400 if you're only pairing it with basic gear as i don't find the cost of the 600 worth it in this case.

Click to expand...

Yes, I did neglect to mention in my rather brief… thing… that while I feel more (again, bordering on too much for me) bass presence, the bass extension is very, very welcome. I have not yet, but look forward to attempting a bit of organ listening… I think that, aside from bass, the other upgrades are considerable enough so as to not be outshone by the bass — my listening is from an iPhone 5 and the improvement in clarity up top and soundstage left quite an impression on me. 

Quote:

kkcc said:

Wish all of re600 owners got to hear it on 901 balanced. It is simply marvelous and can compete with the best totl I have, especially on classical symphonies.

Click to expand...

 
Quote:

brunk said:

I am also of the same initial impression, they are definitely not bright. Matter of fact they are a tad south of neutral, but still very extended. I find it a much welcome sound since there's not alot of extra treble energy that can be fatiguing. I listened for about 2 hours out of the HM-901 with stock amp card and no ringing in my ears what so ever. They are very dynamic, bass goes low and is tight. I found myself turning the volume down because of the deep bass in some tracks, not because of treble. If impactful bass is prominent in a track, it will play it. The extension of the treble is fantastic and it does indeed sound like a turntable, which was the goal of the HM-901/RE-600 pairing. It's palpable, airy and smooth. No treble harshness at all and i also dont feel like im missing anything. Female vocals are lush and articulate as they should be, not nasaly nor heavy chested. I really can't wait to receive my balanced amp card soon.
 
Major noticeable difference between 400 vs. 600 is that the 400's bass is a bit wooly and doesn't extend as low. The upper-mids and treble sound a bit harsh and congested too, with a lesser sound stage. I find the upgrade worth it, and it will only further separate itself with the balanced amp card. The 600 also sounds better out of basic portable devices, but the only major difference is the quality of the bass. Therefore i recommend sticking with the 400 if you're only pairing it with basic gear as i don't find the cost of the 600 worth it in this case.

Click to expand...

Seems to me the general consensus over the heated 400 vs 600 argument over the past few months always points to the same thing: the 600 is truly a masterpiece and worth 4x the price of 400, if u stack another $1300 on it with the HM-901. The irony. 

fnkcow said:

Seems to me the general consensus over the heated 400 vs 600 argument over the past few months always points to the same thing: the 600 is truly a masterpiece and worth 4x the price of 400, if u stack another $1300 on it with the HM-901. The irony. 

Click to expand...

For the priceerformance ratio re400 simply can't be beat. It would still be a bargin at $200. It even competes well with the $300 ones for the type of neutral and accurate sound sig. Basshead won't be pleased tho.

I still think Hifiman did them a great disservice but served us well but putting out the re400 first and at this crazy price point. The "oh it's too pricey" perception of the re600 would have been replaced by "oh sweet jesus what a crazy bargin" of the re400 if they reversed the release.

Quote:

kkcc said:

For the priceerformance ratio re400 simply can't be beat. It would still be a bargin at $200. It even competes well with the $300 ones for the type of neutral and accurate sound sig. Basshead won't be pleased tho.

I still think Hifiman did them a great disservice but served us well but putting out the re400 first and at this crazy price point. The "oh it's too pricey" perception of the re600 would have been replaced by "oh sweet jesus what a crazy bargin" of the re400 if they reversed the release.

Click to expand...

True that. Seems like a marketing strategy error on their part. RE400 completely overshadowed the RE600 by its magnificent bang for the buck 

the RE-400 is a good IEM for its price,
but not the second coming of jesus.
 
Reading rinchois blog it's pretty obvious to me what the RE-600
and what it was intended for.

Quote:

bobjs said:

Initial impressions :
 
...
 With my current tips and insertion depth I find them just a tiny, tiny (very tiny) tad bright of neutral.  The bass is present and extended but not at all overemphasized.  If I were to EQ, I'd probably play with bumping the bass up ever so slightly.  Many will like the bass just the way it is; bass-heads will want to EQ.
...
 

Click to expand...

 
I acknowledge others who thought this was bass heavy coming from RE-400 .... where you see this depends on your frame of reference.  I wanted to post one more observation. I listen to my IEM's exclusively from my Sansa Fuze (old version) or iPod Touch, and that's where I initially sampled the RE-600.  Just to be fair (to my evaluation), I then plugged it into my headphone setup, high bit-rate (or broadband Spotify) from my computer through the DAC/Amp of my Burson Conductor (low gain, next to lowest volume pot setting).
WOW.  The sound was stunning; crystal-clear detail and full, extended bass,  beautiful mids, rivaling some higher end headphones (without the soundstage).
 
Even though I won't be listening to them that way, it was revealing to see what they're capable of with high quality source and amping.  A good portable amp may be in order here.
 
-!@#$%^ -  I just looked up the price of the hm-901 .....