[Raketen]

I don't have the Re-2000, only the Re-800. Yet from looking at the audio frequency response graphs, it appears the Re-2000 has a slightly deeper bass and a very small u-shaped dip in the mids. However, I'm not quite advanced enough in my audio knowledge to analyze the differences in treble.

Just in case you haven't seen this chart I'll link it here, I find it pretty indispensible for trying to figure out what I'm hearing or what a FR graph might be indicative of: http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm

 

[Arysyn]

The two have somewhat similar tonality. The RE2000 has a little more body and fullness - RE800 comparatively leaner. The main difference is in the 6-8 k/Hz area - and it's a big peak, not a bump. This area often gives a lot of presence to cymbals, and for some can be pretty sibilant and quite shouty. The issue for me is that the RE2000 treble is already quite extended, and pretty well balanced. The RE800 is leaner, and then there is the large +12dB spike. It's too much (imo) for a headphone of this value. I think they over-did it. YMMV

I'd say that RE-800 is more forward in their cymbals than RE-2000 while RE-2000 has a fuller sound in general.

EQ is usually your best friend for those kind of situations. I will always prefer having too much treble over having too little

Thank you both for your responses. This gives me a better idea of the differences in the treble region between the two iems.

As I've mentioned, I've used two very different sources for the Re-800. One being the Zorloo Zuperdac, which is helpful for my two Moving Armature Driver - based Grado iems, but almost quite bad for the Re-800, in terms of too much bass and a loss in detail. Switching over to my other source, the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Roadie, it helped the Re-800 sound more like how the graph for it shows it to be. Less bass and more treble detail.

My sound signature preference I've posted a few times here on Head-Fi might have some here wondering why I don't look into Balanced Armature Driver - based iems instead of those with Dynamic Drivers. I think I've explained why this is in another post, but I'll mention it again. BA drivers sound too unnatural to me for some reason. Its not so much an issue in the instrumentals, but rather in the vocals. Others may not mind the sound so much, and they may even prefer it to DDs, which is fine. Yet, I'm going to keep trying out DD iems that cone close to my ideal sound signature, and hope to find that best one someday.

Speaking of that, I'm waiting on some information from Flare Audio on the Flares Pro. Also, I'm curious how the i4 compares with the Re-2000 and the Re-800, and am hoping to see an audio frequency response graph of it eventually. Not to forget to mention, I received the Meridian Explorer2 today, and I'll be posting a review of both it and the Re-800 on Friday.

 

[twister6]

The two have somewhat similar tonality. The RE2000 has a little more body and fullness - RE800 comparatively leaner. The main difference is in the 6-8 k/Hz area - and it's a big peak, not a bump. This area often gives a lot of presence to cymbals, and for some can be pretty sibilant and quite shouty. The issue for me is that the RE2000 treble is already quite extended, and pretty well balanced. The RE800 is leaner, and then there is the large +12dB spike. It's too much (imo) for a headphone of this value. I think they over-did it. YMMV

We might disagree on some things, but here my miles are aligned with yours! That treble spike is a bit hard to swallow. @Dobrescu George, true, EQ can fix many things, but in my opinion if you need to apply a noticeable EQ adjustment after paying $700 for a pair of IEMs to make it sound tolerable, you probably need to revisit and choose another pair with your sound sig of preference

 

[Dobrescu George]

We might disagree on some things, but here my miles are aligned with yours! That treble spike is a bit hard to swallow. @Dobrescu George, true, EQ can fix many things, but in my opinion if you need to apply a noticeable EQ adjustment after paying $700 for a pair of IEMs to make it sound tolerable, you probably need to revisit and choose another pair with your sound sig of preference

Well... All IEMs in the 800$ area need a bit of EQ to those old ears, ie800 needs a bit more mids, RE-800 needs a bit less low highs, ER4XR needs a bit more treble and a bit less mids, but as long as the final results are awesome, I don't mind doing a bit of EQ. On the contrary, I feel better because the differences I equalize for are sometimes in the DAC, using multiple DAPs and such means having to do this again, but I am having fun EQ-ing and such

On a more serious note, RE-800 has a sprinkle of stronger treble there, easily EQ-able if someone wants a different signature though.

Now, how responsive to EQ something is, it is good to keep in mind that some things are NOT very responsive to EQ and distort easily, while some other things can take lots of EQ without any issues. ie800 takes very little EQ until you might feel some increase in THD, while RE-800 take more EQ without any increase in THD. Same for RE-2000, no increase in THD if someone wants to play with an EQ profile.

 

[Arysyn]

Just in case you haven't seen this chart I'll link it here, I find it pretty indispensible for trying to figure out what I'm hearing or what a FR graph might be indicative of: http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm

That is an interesting chart I hadn't seen before, at least I don't remember having. It seems to verify what the Rtings site wrote regarding frequency placement, which is good to know. Another site I had seen somewhere online recently gave a different interpretation to it, and as I'm learning more about this, I'd like to have some form of a standard reference to rely on.

 

[Arysyn]

Another thing I'm curious about from seeing many here on Head-Fi mention treble spikes. Is there a certain sound that is representative of this when listening, or does this refer generally to sibilance? I have a pair of Ortofon E-Q8s I'm unfortunately unable to use at the moment, though I did listen to them back when I received them earlier this year, which did have a static-like sound to the vocals I was told is sibilance.

 

[FastAndClean]

Another thing I'm curious about from seeing many here on Head-Fi mention treble spikes. Is there a certain sound that is representative of this when listening, or does this refer generally to sibilance? I have a pair of Ortofon E-Q8s I'm unfortunately unable to use at the moment, though I did listen to them back when I received them earlier this year, which did have a static-like sound to the vocals I was told is sibilance.

usually in the upper mids lower treble area

 

[FastAndClean]

there is something more, if your headphone have a peak in the upper treble at 15 khz for example, you will not hear it as a problem but after couple of hours you can feel ringing in your ears,it can cause fatigue but not right away like the peak in the lower treble

 

[glassmonkey]

Hi folks. I thought I'd chime in here. I'm a bit away from doing the full review of the RE2000. Still have Susvara, some Meze stuff, Simgot, Aune, Shanling, cables, etc... before they are up in the queue, but I thought I'd share some impressions. I posted these on my blog, too.

The RE-2000, along with the Flares Pro and the Mee Pinnacle PX have been my rotation of on the go headphones lately. The RE-2000 is the top performer so far, but the Flares Pro is not far behind. I’m looking forward to when I have the time to really put these guys through the paces.

Here are some initial impressions, followed by pictures:

• Directly out of the box, no burn-in with Comply tips: great stage height, narrow width, slow slow bass (attack & decay), fast mids with good detail, kind of a soft haze over the stage, bass has excellent extension and power, mids have excellent separation and definition, treble heavy instruments are placed perfectly.
• After some more playtime, the sound is suberb, smooth, yet detailed. Bass gets better pace as driver gets a bit more work.
• The sound quality competes with anything I’ve listened to this year. It may be my current favourite headphone in house (just heard some ridiculous stuff at CanJam).
• It has a little bit of warmth and boost to the bass without sounding overdone.
• Treble is non-fatiguing
• Signature has weight and body but isn’t heavy
• Fit will be a problem for many as the shell is large and has square edges. Last I knew, most people have round ears.
• Over time, due to the weight of the shell, my ear gets sore where the shell sinks into it.
• The included tips are terrible with an inadequate variety of sizes. I’m not a huge fan of Comply, but they were easily the best included tips. The tip selection is not the kind of selection to put with a $2000 headphone. HiFiMAN has been offering these same kinds of tips for the better part of 10 years. It wasn’t good 10 years ago either.
• Insertion is shallow and at a particular angle due to the shell size, so fit can be difficult. I tried many tips, and found that Spinfit CP-220 biflange tips and Mandarines Symbio W (ebay link) provide the best sound and most secure fit. RHA large tips worked well for me too (I’m normally a medium). Regular Spinfits worked, but not as well as other options.
• The packaging is an odd combination of fancy and inexpensive
• The unboxing experience is fancy in appearance with a decent box complete with metal placard, a nice embossed insert and a well arranged interior, but hounded by a smell of solvent/glue off-gassing. The kind of petrol rubber smell that comes off the packaging is not fitting for a flagship headphone. Air out your headphones, HiFiMAN.
• The case that the RE-2000 come in is a thin sheet metal with a plastic press-seal ring in the centre. It isn’t clear whether this case is water resistant or not. It looks like something that would come with a much less premier product. It is also a little difficult to open and prone to scratching as the surface is not anodized.
• The IEMs look excellent. I voted for the blingy gold, and I like my vote!
• The cable has a rubbery build that looks durable enough, but not as premium as the stock cable of Noble, Ultimate Ears, or Unique Melody. The double twist configuration is much more attractive and is also flexible to retermination to balanced configuration.
• Given that HiFiMAN has their own balanced standard, this should have come with an extra balanced cable. Not including a balanced cable is a bizarre business decision as this probably would have sold some HiFiMAN SuperMinis.

Now for the pictures!

 

[FastAndClean]

they look great, the price tag is scary though

 

[Arysyn]

glassmonkey,

Could you please describe the differeces in the sound signatures between the Re-2000 and the Flares Pro?

 

[Dobrescu George]

We posted our first impressions as well, here at Audiophile Heaven!

You're invited to read and kindly let us know about our impressions!

https://audiophile-heaven.blogspot.ro/2017/07/hifiman-re-2000-unboxing-and-initial.html

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

Wow....i'm so....so what (don't know how to describe, between forced jealousy and total incomprehension I guess)....need to export canjam in Quebec (Canada) so I can hear crazy stuff like this once in my lifetime because I will never spent 2000$ on iem....my max was Grado GS1000 and I paid 300$ and it isn't iem.

I read this listening to 20$ ZS5 lol......................

No but seriously, how can a step in price range like this can be justify, did the 24K gold plating is responsible for this? I've always been against ''Luxury market'' wich can even be in water bottle market....anyway, i'm curious for real about sound value of this type, but we do not talk about value here I guess.

 

[Raketen]

nvm, don't want to restart that whole debate

Brooko addressed the "value question" pretty well in his review IMO

 

[FastAndClean]

Because it sound good