[AstralStorm]

Auvio tips look like gel single flanges, perhaps slightly larger.
Unfortunately, cannot have any kind of super deep insertion with such tips or silicones - they get rotated at the 2nd bend and blocked.
Sometimes that even happens at the first bend, but usually it's possible to just insert to the reference plane.
Comply on the other hand get "squashed" at the 2nd bend and keep securely in place.
 
I don't know of any audiologist in Poland, Warsaw who can make ear canal impressions way past second ear canal bend. If I knew one, I'd have made such very deep ones for SE-5 - all of them put the otoblock right there and thus make impression that go up right to the second bend - just at the reference plane.
A long small triple flange can't do it for me either, as the ear canal is curving there - they get very uncomfortable.
 
RE-400 shell is just the right shape to go itself past the 1st bend (well, could be slightly more rounded reducing the minimal discomfort), similarly to Etymotic ER-4S shell, or perhaps VSonic GR01, which I haven't tried yet. The tricky proposition is removing it - have to pull gently by the strain relief.

 

[steveting99]

Quote:

RE-400 seems to remind me a little of Sennheiser HD-650 with the slightly withdrawn treble. What is there is really good quality but it is a little in the background. Not bothering me that much, I like it.
 

 
Had a listen to a friend's HD-650 and really liked the smooth laid back sound signature of the Sennheiser. Great for relaxing and chilling out.
 
If the RE-400 has the same sound signature - this is going to be the next purchase. 
 
Would appreciate if those who have both to do a comparison.
 
Steve

 

[AstralStorm]

The sound is definitely laid back with deep insertion. With shallow, it depends on how the peaks fall for your hearing.
 
Here's another tip rolling experiment - Sennheiser small size cylindrical (non-tapered) large bore biflanges, deep insertion.
These are 5.5mm bore, but do fit RE-400 4mm nozzle snugly as well.
 
They slightly lag in bass "roundedness" behind Comply T-400 S, but definitely win in impact and quality everywhere, beating SE-5 (from memory) and definitely beating Brainwavz B2. BA-like control in almost all of the range with slightly longer decay. Especially excellent is the airiness - feels like a huge, slightly bright room - perhaps a slight metallic tinge.
Decay is very even across all bands. (Unlike the other tips - long biflange had long highs decay, while Comply had long decay in the mids.) I think the FR peaks just fall on the natural resonances of the shell in this case, so they get suppressed by equalization.
 
Unequalized, they sound just like this graph - shelved, bassy and a bit nasal, quite acceptable.
 

 
I'm 100% certain RE-400 have a 2500 Hz resonant frequency. How they squeezed out *this* bass out of such a tweeter must be black magic or vodoun.
 
Darn, these are so tunable with tips it's like having a bunch different IEMs. Comply T-400 S -> a highly dampened studio. Senn biflanges -> w/ eq, huge stone walled space (like a concert hall or open air venue); w/o eq, smooth hall (like a wood-lined auditorium). Long biflanges w/ shallow insertion -> small resonant room.
 
The only real flaws are that they have some midrange channel imbalance and really perform at their best equalized and very deep fitted.

 

[15avigil]

Figured I'd chime in here. My re400's came in yesterday. I am VERY impressed, they lived up to every ounce of hype I've seen about them. Excellent build quality and detail, good soundstage for an IEM, and I love the cable. The accessories were a bit disappointing, but that's easily excusable for how amazing the rest of the package is. I ended up usinf a pair of bi-flanges from my Vsonic gr06's, they worked perfectly for me. I've been considering grabbing some comply foams, at least to try them out.

 

[FlySweep]

Project86 was kind enough to send me his RE-400 a few weeks ago.. I've used them nearly everyday since they arrived and have been really impressed with their sound.  They sound great with my portable sources.. but where I'm most impressed is using them in my desktop rig (see signature).  I've rolled a highly-respected Amperex US/"white label" PQ (6922) tube into the TD-11.. which runs to the Violectric V200 (gain dropped to -12).  The presentation and sound quality is simply phenomenal.  What really jumped out at me was the soundstage & spaciousness that these diminutive phones are capable of.  In fact, it was reminiscent of what I'd expect from a full sized pair of (open) cans.  I'm somewhat spoiled with a terrific soundstage as I have the HD800 not more than a few feet away.. and despite that, I'm still mighty impressed with the RE-400's staging in this rig.
 
The quality, depth, and texture of the bass is was excellent.  There was a very natural feel to the bass.. impressive extension and just the right amount of punch.  The mids, as expected, were sublime.  The RE-400 already has a very special midrange (as most all HFM phones do).. paired with the famous "Amperex" midrange, the resulting sound is one that's slightly warm, liquid, and airy.  The immersiveness was astonishing as the midrange had terrific depth and dimensionality.  I found the treble presentation very much to my liking, too.  Again.. it was airy and detailed, but velvety smooth and never fatiguing.. perfectly in line with the midrange's presentation.  The sound was reminiscent of a mixture of the HD600, BA200 & RE262.. coupled with better treble presence.
 
I've sent my (original) Meridian Explorer in to get the revised version (with the lower OI on the headphone out).. but when I had the original version, I used it as a DAC and fed it to the Objective2.  The RE-400 in this portable rig sounded excellent as well.  I like the RE-400 with very neutral upstream gear, as well.. but, technicalities aside, I find it most pleasing when used with tube gear or a gently colored DACs. 

 

[zachgraz]

any news about the RE600 ?

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  Project86 was kind enough to send me his RE-400 a few weeks ago..

 
How does it compare with the RE262? The RE400 is not my cup of tea, as it's not high enough in impedance, but I'm looking forward to the RE-600 if it really is higher in impedance like it's rumored to be.

 

[Mimouille]

Why do like high impedance ?

How does it compare with the RE262? The RE400 is not my cup of tea, as it's not high enough in impedance, but I'm looking forward to the RE-600 if it really is higher in impedance like it's rumored to be.

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  Why do like high impedance ?

 
Because amps these days are too high in gain, and I like very low volumes (60-75 dBA), so I'm forced to look for low-sensitivity or high-impedance products.

 

[Gozzer]

Quote:

 
How does it compare with the RE262? The RE400 is not my cup of tea, as it's not high enough in impedance, but I'm looking forward to the RE-600 if it really is higher in impedance like it's rumored to be.

 The biggest difference is the soundstage. Re262 are out head where the 400 are more at the border of in/out.
The 262 mids are also more forward. Guitars and are more in your face and drum rolls are more defined.
 
The bass is about the same however the 262s is percieved less due to the more foward mids.
Highs on the 400s are bit more crisp/forward.

 

[Deni5]

Quote:

  Why do like high impedance ?

 
Quote:

 
Because amps these days are too high in gain, and I like very low volumes (60-75 dBA), so I'm forced to look for low-sensitivity or high-impedance products.

 
Why not add an impedance adapter? Impedance of the RE-400 is very flat so you won't change signature that much.
 

 

[FlySweep]

Originally Posted by tomscy2000 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

How does it compare with the RE262? The RE400 is not my cup of tea, as it's not high enough in impedance, but I'm looking forward to the RE-600 if it really is higher in impedance like it's rumored to be.

 
I find the RE-400 to be a better rounded phone than the (very midcentric, but EQ friendly) RE262.  The RE262 is a wonderful IEM.. but I found it's signature a little too 'specialized'.. the RE-400 is more versatile in that regard.
 
I wholly agree with you about (excessively) low impedance/high sensitivity with many 'hifi' IEMs.  I didn't find the RE-400's impedance an issue with my portable amps (Objective2 & Meier PCSTEP).  32 ohms/102 dB isn't all that unmanageable considering what I've been seeing from many other hyper-sensitive IEMs more recently.  Speaking more generally though, it's ridiculous how sensitive many 'audiophile grade' IEMs are these days.  Considering that these are the very phones that tend to benefit (more often than not) from using dedicated (sources and) amplification, it's frustrating being unable to use a nice amp with them due to ridiculous sensitivity ratings.
 
Aside from your impedance issues, what didn't you like about the RE-400, Tom?

 

[steveting99]

I was going to do an impulse purchase of the RE-400 then discovered the Sony MH1C and the positive feedback coming from the head-fi community on it, the thread on it is long. The value proposition for good IEM seems to be getting better all the time.
 
I'm still interested in the RE-400 and would like to know the difference between it to the MH1C on sound signature and quality.
 
Count me in as one of those who's waiting for the RE-600.
 
Steve

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

I find the RE-400 to be a better rounded phone than the (very midcentric, but EQ friendly) RE262.  The RE262 is a wonderful IEM.. but I found it's signature a little too 'specialized'.. the RE-400 is more versatile in that regard.
 
I wholly agree with you about (excessively) low impedance/high sensitivity with many 'hifi' IEMs.  I didn't find the RE-400's impedance an issue with my portable amps (Objective2 & Meier PCSTEP).  32 ohms/102 dB isn't all that unmanageable considering what I've been seeing from many other hyper-sensitive IEMs more recently.  Speaking more generally though, it's ridiculous how sensitive many 'audiophile grade' IEMs are these days.  Considering that these are the very phones that tend to benefit (more often than not) from using dedicated (sources and) amplification, it's frustrating being unable to use a nice amp with them due to ridiculous sensitivity ratings.
 
Aside from your impedance issues, what didn't you like about the RE-400, Tom?

 
Oh, I haven't tried the RE400 yet; it's actually kind of hard to get hands on HiFiMAN stuff where I live, and I try not to buy impulsively. That's why I asked about your thoughts between it and the RE262, since the 262 has become my default universal these days. These days, I listen to a lot of spoken word, instructional videos, so the 262's smooth demeanor and vocal-centric behavior sits really well with me. It's also a very "set it and forget it" type of earphone, so when I study, I hardly know it's there. I find that the 262 needs a +3.5 dB shelf boost starting at around 2 kHz for better neutrality, but in general its relaxed nature is good for me. However, if I'm looking for a more versatile phone, the 400 seems like a good choice. How's the cloth cord?

 

[Bina]

Steveting: Re-400 is much more clearer, detailed, neutral, faster, ... Overall technicaly superior and its quite big difference. 
 
MH1C has much more bass, less highs and not so prominent mids. Also Its not as comfortable to use, with flat cable and J-Cord.
 
They sound really different, but for me, RE-400 is clearly much better IEM.