[proedros]

  Of course, I understand that measurements do not convey the full picture. But even based on subjective/ear review, ljokerl, and several other reviews I vaguely remember reading back in 2013 when the RE-600 came out, mentioned that the RE-600 sounded darker in the top-end, especially upper treble, than the RE-400.
 
If this is the case, I'd be inclined to pass on the otherwise excellent Black Friday deal, because when I auditioned a friend's RE-400, I did find the upper-treble to be noticeably south of neutral, lacking some of the expected air and treble shimmer and brilliance in recordings that I know very well, or have produced or mixed myself. That was my only complaint about the RE-400, during that audition.

i had read the same - and then i listened to it and said 'always trust your ears'

also, at 200$ you have 0% of not selling it here if you don't like it and having a loss

i hated the re400 but love the re600 - and i have tried the whole re-xxx line

once more, for 200$ this sounds like april fool's day sale

 

 

[conquerator2]

  Rin definitely doesn't sound very positive in his comparison of the RE-600 to the 400, there.

I have both at hand [RE-400 and RE-600] and I share the same sentiments.
I find the RE-400 tonally superior to my taste, having a lighter and more airy tonality and the RE-600 being darker and thicker.
I do believe that technically [imaging, natural soundstage] the RE-600 is a better headphone but I am not a fan of the tonality shift.
IMO. YMMV. For $200, it's a good deal and closer to what it should have retailed for.

 

[Neosk]

I bought the RE400 for $49 on Amazon the other day and just received it today, and HOLY AMAZING BALLS. Best $50 dollar audio purchase I ever made. I was afraid that the treble will be too bright for me, but the headphone is not that bright at all. It's actually darker than what I consider "Neutral". The midrange also seems to be slightly forward as well. These are quite enjoyable.
 
The build quality does feel fragile though, I wish hifiman could build sturdier IEMs. They could completely dominate the market if they did that. 
 
I am still going to grab the RE600 for $200 since the deal seems too good to pass and I am pretty sure they won't disappoint either. 

 

[Phosphenetre]

Related question, does the RE-600 have similar build issues as the RE-400?

 

[james444]

  Related question, does the RE-600 have similar build issues as the RE-400?

 
Yes, definitely. And I'd be more worried about those than about their tonality, which can be adjusted with a simple filter mod.

 

[Phosphenetre]

Okay, that doesn't sound very good. I'm a bit tempted by this Black Friday deal on the RE-600, but the probably more laid-back treble (than the RE-400, which to my ears is already a bit laid-back) and HiFiMan's poor cables are making me hold back.
 
Not to derail the thread, but is there anything in the 200 dollar range like an RE-400/600 without the lowered treble presence and slightly darker than neutral sound, and also with solid extension on both ends?

 

[proedros]

  Okay, that doesn't sound very good. I'm a bit tempted by this Black Friday deal on the RE-600, but the probably more laid-back treble (than the RE-400, which to my ears is already a bit laid-back) and HiFiMan's poor cables are making me hold back.
 
Not to derail the thread, but is there anything in the 200 dollar range like an RE-400/600 without the lowered treble presence and slightly darker than neutral sound, and also with solid extension on both ends?

 
like the re400, definitely
like the re600, probably not

this is the bargain of this deal  actually - that there is no other iem with the quality of the re600 on the 200$ range

 

[Neosk]

  Okay, that doesn't sound very good. I'm a bit tempted by this Black Friday deal on the RE-600, but the probably more laid-back treble (than the RE-400, which to my ears is already a bit laid-back) and HiFiMan's poor cables are making me hold back.
 
Not to derail the thread, but is there anything in the 200 dollar range like an RE-400/600 without the lowered treble presence and slightly darker than neutral sound, and also with solid extension on both ends?

Have you looked at the DUNU DN-1000/DN-2000 models yet? The DN-2000 definitely has the treble sparkle and bass response that you are looking for but they are priced at $300. DN-1000 is priced at $200 and should be similar, but I haven't personally listened to this model so I can't say anything about them. Joker has a review of the DN-1000 in his big IEM review thread if you want to research further.  

 

[getclikinagas]

Some people may not know about the RE400 vs RE600 tour thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/674031/hifiman-re600-vs-re400-tour-thread
 
It has a few impressions on how the RE400 and filter modded RE400 compare to the RE600
----------------------
 
And here is how close Rin got with the filters

Graphs definitely don't tell the whole story but it does give you a small snapshot of what to expect.

 

[james444]

  Okay, that doesn't sound very good.

 
It has to be mentioned though that HiFiMAN's customer support is very good, and that the RE400/600 can be re-cabled if all else fails.

 

[Phosphenetre]

  Have you looked at the DUNU DN-1000/DN-2000 models yet? The DN-2000 definitely has the treble sparkle and bass response that you are looking for but they are priced at $300. DN-1000 is priced at $200 and should be similar, but I haven't personally listened to this model so I can't say anything about them. Joker has a review of the DN-1000 in his big IEM review thread if you want to research further.  

 
Thanks for the recommendations, but the DN-2000 is out of my budget, and the DN-1000, from all reports, will be too V-shaped for my tastes. What I'm looking for is neutral with a gentle, but controlled shelf boost in the mid-bass and below, to help the IEM sound more natural in its delivery of the low-end. For comparison, I auditioned the RE-400 briefly, and felt that the mid-bass boost was welcome, but the top-end was definitely noticeably south of neutral.

 

[getclikinagas]

   
Yes, definitely. And I'd be more worried about those than about their tonality, which can be adjusted with a simple filter mod.

Father James, how do the modded RE600 compare to the RE400(stock/modded). Does the added treble presence match the tonality of the RE400.
 
Sorry in advance if you've already covered this in a previous post. I didn't find it in my search.
 
TIA

 

[proedros]

   
It has to be mentioned though that HiFiMAN's customer support is very good, and that the RE400/600 can be re-cabled if all else fails.

 
vesperaudio.com
 
i have their page bookmarked in case my 272/600 need recabling - they seem like they know what they are doing.

 

[james444]

I've never heard the RE400, but ime the RE600's treble still retains its smoothness and gains noticeably better presence with half of the original damping.
 
There are even some who run them with no filters at all, but to my ears they sound peaky that way.

 

[robm321]

So, where are you finding the Amazon Re-400s for $49? I've only seen $79.