I snagged this combo for $300 new from Audio Advisor through Amazon during HiFiMAN’s fall sale. I needed an alternative solution to my 16gb iPhone 5S. I use iTunes Match but ran through data so fast and there’s hardly any storage room on the phone for all of the music I want. I’ve really been enjoying my HE-400s so I thought I’d continue to trust in HiFiMAN for my portable music needs as well. This review will be primarily for the combination of HM-700 and RE-600, I won’t be separating the two all that much. My previous portable setup was my iPhone and a pair of Klipsch S4is. I will do some comparisons to see how the HM-700/RE-600 combo compares to the iPhone/S4 setup at the end. I’m very much new to head-fi so please don’t read this thinking I’m a seasoned veteran or anything. I don’t have much experience with other high-end IEMs or high end over-ear besides the HE-400s so the main purpose of this review is to give my best analysis in this context and compare this combo to my previous portable music listening solution. I could have reviewed each product separately but I felt since these were designed for each other, I should just review the entire system as a whole.
Packaging/Accessories
I think there’s plenty of info online about the packaging and accessories that come in this package so I won’t go too much in detail. The packaging did it’s job and kept everything safe. There’s an adapter for using other non-balanced headphones that also needs to plug in to the USB port and another adapter so you can use the RE-600s with other, non-balanced, sources. Came with a bunch of tips but the stock, black bi-flange have worked for me from the get-go so I've not done much experimentation. There’s also an armband included so you have a place to put your HM-700 when you’re running, kind of a nice, unexpected bonus. I've no real gripes or highlights really, I didn't feel like they should have included anything else. It's part of the design of the product but keep in mind if you want to use these separately with other equipment, you'll likely need an adapter due to both components' balanced design.
Build Quality/Design/Comfort
HM-700: Maybe I’m weird, but I really love the simplistic design of the HM-700. Smooth and minimal. I do wish the four directional buttons were closer to the edge of the device, would be easier to find them without looking, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. Buttons all feel solid, not too hard to press, not too squishy. The screen won’t win any awards (unless the award is for which screen can attract and retain the highest amount of smudges) but it’s certainly serviceable and I think was the right choice for the type of device the HM-700 is. The whole device seems really durable to me, no bending or creaks here. I feel like I could drop this a bunch and it’d come away without a scratch, not really interested in trying that though! Overall it feels durable, fairly comfortable to use and it fits perfectly in a Pelican 1010 Micro Case (highly recommend this $10 case) with the RE-600s.
RE-600: I do love the jacket material but the cable does not inspire me with the most hope so I've been babying it. The strain reliefs seem okay but I've been burned by IEM cables too many times, so this one gets treated cautiously. The buds themselves look and feel well made in my opinion. They are extremely comfortable too, I have definitely fallen asleep with them in no problem but I’m worried about tossing and turning in my sleep and wearing down the cable so I don’t do this often.
UPDATE: So after about two months, the cable has already shorted, only playing music in one ear. I've babied these more than any headphone I've used and my Klipsch S4s even accidentally went through the wash and survived. The RE-600 is the least durable headphone I've ever used and durability is important to me in a portable headphone. I'm sending it off to get re-cabled hopefully. If durability is important to you in an IEM, DO NOT PURCHASE THE RE-600. Unless you're willing to deal with likely returns or get it re-cabled.
HM-700 UI/Performance/Features
The whole UI is pretty bare-bones. It’s easy enough to play your music but it isn't exactly slick or pretty. Album art doesn't appear to work for flac. files (does not support hi-res formats either, unfortunately) but that doesn't bug me, the screen is not anything I need to spend my time looking. Though the navigation will take you a little bit to get used to if you’re coming from an iPhone like I am, it’s still pretty quick to find the music you want to listen to and if you’re like and usually listen to whole albums rather than selected songs, I think you’d get along fine with the HM-700 as far as usability goes, I expected to be annoyed by it more than I am. If you have a giant library of different songs from different artists, you’ll probably want to find a special way to organize files on the device, scrolling through by artist or album isn't the fastest but I have had no gripes about it. It is a bummer the storage is not expandable but for essentially what is a $100 DAP(RE-600s were $200 during the sale), 32gb of onboard storage is plenty is plenty. I've been using JRiver to sync my files to the 700 and find the process easier and quicker than the manual method. I should mention though, if you’re syncing over 25gb of songs in one go, it’ll take 3-4 hours. I encountered no problems getting music on to the device right away, it’s real easy to get started. The 5 band EQ is one of my favorite features on this thing. Super helpful, in my case, for when I’m listening to doom metal. The lows need just a bit of a boost and the EQ worked perfectly. The HM-700 certainly doesn't have a slick and beautiful UI but I’ve found it to be fast and easy to navigate. It didn't blow me away but it does the job well and I've had no complaints.
Sound
I’m sure most of you skipped to this like I do when I read reviews. Let me preface this by saying just listening to the HM-700 throughout work makes the day go by so much faster. This combination has seriously impressed me in making my portable listening almost as fun and engaging as my vinyl/Asgard 2/HE-400 setup. When playing flac audio the soundstage is impressive for IEMs (take this with a grain of salt, I’ve not listened to any high-end IEMs before this). To me, the added depth using this HiFiMAN combo as opposed to my iPhone/S4 was breathtaking. On well recorded and mastered material, cymbals have such a natural decay and I can hear the intricacies of the fuzz pedals being used by guitarists and bassists, reverb and delay effects sound very lifelike. Even with more DIY recorded stuff (I’m a fan of lo-fi DIY style if done right) and lower quality mp3s, everything feels more present. One of the big selling points (to some people) of the HM-700 is the balanced output. Balanced vs. unbalanced I noticed just a bit more depth in the treble and a slightly wider soundstage, nothing too drastic.
I should note that there’s an audible hiss coming through the 600s when the HM-700 is on and nothing is playing, it’s kind of annoying. It has not affected actually listening to music at all, I simply don’t hear it. It’s not really a big deal to me and I can’t imagine you’ll notice it when playing music, but maybe you have vastly more superior ears than I do.
I’ll start the obligatory sound breakdown now. As a note I have boosted 200hz, 3khz and 14khz by one unit (not sure how that transfers to dB) using the EQ. With generally downtuned guitar music the 200hz thickened up the rhythm guitars and reduced the the thinness I was hearing with most doom and death metal. The 3khz boost is so guitar solos and synth leads do not get lost in the mix and the 14khz boost maintains the more open treble I’m hearing and makes cymbals crisp and gives the music a very open feel while still being focused in the bass and lower mids.
I’ll use this for a few different genres of music, I’ll post links to songs so you have a reference. I primarily listen to metal but I’ll get some rock, experimental, hip-hop and electronic stuff too. I’ll try to continually add more. I always felt it was helpful (to me, at least) to discuss headphones based on genre for a frame of reference:
*Note: All flac files are 16/44.1 and all mp3 files are 320 kbps.
Artist: Abysmal Dawn
Album: Obsolescence
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Format: flac
Keeps up with the fast and extremely technical playing very well, very responsive. Guitars sound thick but not muddy, leads and solos are liquid and smooth. I love how good this combo makes cymbals sound, very crisp and detailed with a more natural decay than I’m used to hearing in recorded music. I feel the bass drum kick is kind of weak but that is more likely the production with the double kick as some low end has to be shaved off in order to keep the drumming crisp. As a bass player myself I felt the bass presence to lack authority or really carve out it’s spot in the mix. This is death metal though so the bass isn’t super prevalent when mixed for a lot of bands, you can feel it in the mix but can’t really pick out a distinct bass line. Low and high growled vocals are very well reproduced. Overall this album was pretty enjoyable, the guitars sound thick but are still very responsive, the playing sounds very clean for an album with a blazing fast tempo and technical playing. The soundstage wasn’t huge, very deep and focused (likely what most listeners of this genre prefer).
Artist: Myrkur
Album: Myrkur
Genre: Black Metal
Format: flac
This album is one of my favorites to listen to on this system. Amalie Bruun’s (the vocalist/bassist/guitarist) voice is haunting and completely enveloping, it’s very easy to just get lost in it, like you’re standing in the perfect spot in a giant cathedral. The incredible detail provided gives the reverb on guitars and vocals a very natural decay, it’s almost as if you’re in the room and can hear the sound bouncing around. The guitars sound, bright, raw and cutting, as they should for this album. Drums do sound okay, lacking a bit of punch, likely a combination of the headphones and the production style on this album. There’s great sub bass on the kick though. The amazing treble response of the RE-600s leads to this record feeling quite spacious and engrossing. This album is one of my recent favorites and hearing it for the first time with the HM-700/RE-600 is one of the factors that got me hooked besides how beautiful this album is.
Artist: Locrian & Mamiffer
Album: Bless Them That Curse You
Genre: Noise/Avant Garde/Drone
Format: flac
The HM-700 and RE-600 really shine with more ambient and less focused music. With more experimental drone like Locrian and Mamiffer. Female vocals are again, ethereal and haunting. The piano and strings all sound beautiful in every way. The percussion has surprising impact. Listening to this album on this setup gives it a completely new sound, it revealed many new details in the highly layered music and it sounds incredibly spacious. Certainly “Bless Them That Curse You” is another joy to listen to on this and it’s very easy to hear the improved dynamics and soundstage compared to on my iPhone or over my desktop speakers. Truly incredible.
Artist: **** Buttons
Album: Tarot Sport
Genre: Electronic/Drone
Format: flac
This is one of my all-time favorite albums and I don’t know if I’ve heard it sound better, I need to give the vinyl copy another listen with my desktop setup. It’s downright hypnotizing with this combo. The bass has amazing punch and impact, the mids have never made synths sound so sweet and the treble provides the perfect sparkle. I do feel it’s a bit too focused as opposed to my desktop setup where the soundstage is bigger as is the instrument separation. I’m not expecting this to compete against my desktop vinyl setup though. I am finding when there’s more instruments that dominate the treble space that the bass loses a bit of impact but as a whole this album sounds brilliant.
Artist: Sleep
Album: Dopesmoker
Genre: Stoner Doom
Format: flac
Being just a massive slab of monolithic stoner doom and one of my all time favorites, I had high hopes for this album. It mostly delivers. Vocals are powerful, Al's bellow has never sounded better. The guitar has a great punch and detailed texture but the drums sound a bit muddy and not very articulate aside from the cymbals. I can’t help but feel a bit more bass extension could be used here, I want to really feel the rumble, but it is only faintly present. Still sounds really good and it’s amazing to zone out to. It’s just the vinyl copy on my desktop setup points out some shortcomings in comparison (not really a fair one, mind you). I should emphasize this gripe is fairly minor, this album certainly sounds quite massive, I just believe this album was made for huge speakers and full-sized headphones.
Artist: Wavves
Album: Afraid of Heights
Genre: Punk/Surf Rock
Format: mp3
Wasn’t as blown away here. Still coherent and more present and detailed than the same version on my iPhone, not very drastic though. Again, a lossless format likely would have shown more improvements but I also wanted to test mp3s on this device (as a more direct comparison to the iPhone. Everything sounds good. Just nothing blew me away (and I love listening to this on my turntable, really fun listen).
Artist: Sims
Album: Field Notes
Genre: Hip-Hop
Format: flac
If you’re a big basshead who listens to a lot of hip-hop, these might not quite be dark enough for you, the really deep, dirty sub bass just isn’t there, sometimes I like that but I’m floored with the presentation of this album. The bass still has solid punch and impact without being overbearing or muffling everything else. Synths buzz about in between your ears and the vocals are as articulate and aggressive as ever. I had no idea a rap album could have such a wide soundstage. I’m really impressed with this one, there’s not really anything I would change but bassheads might like something a tad darker/warmer.
Artist: Ariel Pink
Album: Pom Pom
Genre: Indie Pop/Rock
Format: mp3
This one is kind of tough to review. Ariel uses a very lo-fi but still densely layered production sound. I absolutely love it and it sounds great on this set too. Bright, chimey and full of energy. The bass synths lacked a bit of impact but this wasn’t a lossless file either. Made the album really articulate and enjoyable but lacked a bit of warmth I’d heard listening to it in other ways.
Artist: J Mascis
Album: Tied to a Star
Genre: Folk/Acoustic
Format: 320 kbps mp3
I’m impressed by the space and instrument separation on this album even though it is in a lossy format. Again, this won’t work miracles on your mp3s, but it’ll make them sound as good as they can. They provide plenty of depth and a bit more instrument detail than the iPhone does. This really surprised me and I’m sure I’ll be listening to his a lot more as the days go by.
Conclusion
Well this was probably a lot longer than you’d like but I enjoyed writing it and I’m not quite done either. I may update the review with some pictures and also a more in-depth comparison to my iPhone/S4 combo and anything else if someone asks. The HM-700/600 is a noticeable step up in sound quality and a big step back in convenience. Thankfully I can use my iPhone in the car and on various stereo hookups and use the HM-700/RE-600 for more deliberate listening sessions. I will say if you’re looking for a budget flac player and new IEMs, this was a steal at the $300 price tag. At the current $500 price tag, I maybe would have explored cheaper options, I probably would have went with the RE-400 instead. That said, the HM-700 and RE-600 have made portable music listening infinitely more pleasant and interesting. Both are very well designed and sound excellent. There’s not a lot of bells and whistles or a very slick UI but it's a utilitarian device that’s perfect for when you just want to put on an album and zone out to great sounding music.
Packaging/Accessories
I think there’s plenty of info online about the packaging and accessories that come in this package so I won’t go too much in detail. The packaging did it’s job and kept everything safe. There’s an adapter for using other non-balanced headphones that also needs to plug in to the USB port and another adapter so you can use the RE-600s with other, non-balanced, sources. Came with a bunch of tips but the stock, black bi-flange have worked for me from the get-go so I've not done much experimentation. There’s also an armband included so you have a place to put your HM-700 when you’re running, kind of a nice, unexpected bonus. I've no real gripes or highlights really, I didn't feel like they should have included anything else. It's part of the design of the product but keep in mind if you want to use these separately with other equipment, you'll likely need an adapter due to both components' balanced design.
Build Quality/Design/Comfort
HM-700: Maybe I’m weird, but I really love the simplistic design of the HM-700. Smooth and minimal. I do wish the four directional buttons were closer to the edge of the device, would be easier to find them without looking, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. Buttons all feel solid, not too hard to press, not too squishy. The screen won’t win any awards (unless the award is for which screen can attract and retain the highest amount of smudges) but it’s certainly serviceable and I think was the right choice for the type of device the HM-700 is. The whole device seems really durable to me, no bending or creaks here. I feel like I could drop this a bunch and it’d come away without a scratch, not really interested in trying that though! Overall it feels durable, fairly comfortable to use and it fits perfectly in a Pelican 1010 Micro Case (highly recommend this $10 case) with the RE-600s.
RE-600: I do love the jacket material but the cable does not inspire me with the most hope so I've been babying it. The strain reliefs seem okay but I've been burned by IEM cables too many times, so this one gets treated cautiously. The buds themselves look and feel well made in my opinion. They are extremely comfortable too, I have definitely fallen asleep with them in no problem but I’m worried about tossing and turning in my sleep and wearing down the cable so I don’t do this often.
UPDATE: So after about two months, the cable has already shorted, only playing music in one ear. I've babied these more than any headphone I've used and my Klipsch S4s even accidentally went through the wash and survived. The RE-600 is the least durable headphone I've ever used and durability is important to me in a portable headphone. I'm sending it off to get re-cabled hopefully. If durability is important to you in an IEM, DO NOT PURCHASE THE RE-600. Unless you're willing to deal with likely returns or get it re-cabled.
HM-700 UI/Performance/Features
The whole UI is pretty bare-bones. It’s easy enough to play your music but it isn't exactly slick or pretty. Album art doesn't appear to work for flac. files (does not support hi-res formats either, unfortunately) but that doesn't bug me, the screen is not anything I need to spend my time looking. Though the navigation will take you a little bit to get used to if you’re coming from an iPhone like I am, it’s still pretty quick to find the music you want to listen to and if you’re like and usually listen to whole albums rather than selected songs, I think you’d get along fine with the HM-700 as far as usability goes, I expected to be annoyed by it more than I am. If you have a giant library of different songs from different artists, you’ll probably want to find a special way to organize files on the device, scrolling through by artist or album isn't the fastest but I have had no gripes about it. It is a bummer the storage is not expandable but for essentially what is a $100 DAP(RE-600s were $200 during the sale), 32gb of onboard storage is plenty is plenty. I've been using JRiver to sync my files to the 700 and find the process easier and quicker than the manual method. I should mention though, if you’re syncing over 25gb of songs in one go, it’ll take 3-4 hours. I encountered no problems getting music on to the device right away, it’s real easy to get started. The 5 band EQ is one of my favorite features on this thing. Super helpful, in my case, for when I’m listening to doom metal. The lows need just a bit of a boost and the EQ worked perfectly. The HM-700 certainly doesn't have a slick and beautiful UI but I’ve found it to be fast and easy to navigate. It didn't blow me away but it does the job well and I've had no complaints.
Sound
I’m sure most of you skipped to this like I do when I read reviews. Let me preface this by saying just listening to the HM-700 throughout work makes the day go by so much faster. This combination has seriously impressed me in making my portable listening almost as fun and engaging as my vinyl/Asgard 2/HE-400 setup. When playing flac audio the soundstage is impressive for IEMs (take this with a grain of salt, I’ve not listened to any high-end IEMs before this). To me, the added depth using this HiFiMAN combo as opposed to my iPhone/S4 was breathtaking. On well recorded and mastered material, cymbals have such a natural decay and I can hear the intricacies of the fuzz pedals being used by guitarists and bassists, reverb and delay effects sound very lifelike. Even with more DIY recorded stuff (I’m a fan of lo-fi DIY style if done right) and lower quality mp3s, everything feels more present. One of the big selling points (to some people) of the HM-700 is the balanced output. Balanced vs. unbalanced I noticed just a bit more depth in the treble and a slightly wider soundstage, nothing too drastic.
I should note that there’s an audible hiss coming through the 600s when the HM-700 is on and nothing is playing, it’s kind of annoying. It has not affected actually listening to music at all, I simply don’t hear it. It’s not really a big deal to me and I can’t imagine you’ll notice it when playing music, but maybe you have vastly more superior ears than I do.
I’ll start the obligatory sound breakdown now. As a note I have boosted 200hz, 3khz and 14khz by one unit (not sure how that transfers to dB) using the EQ. With generally downtuned guitar music the 200hz thickened up the rhythm guitars and reduced the the thinness I was hearing with most doom and death metal. The 3khz boost is so guitar solos and synth leads do not get lost in the mix and the 14khz boost maintains the more open treble I’m hearing and makes cymbals crisp and gives the music a very open feel while still being focused in the bass and lower mids.
I’ll use this for a few different genres of music, I’ll post links to songs so you have a reference. I primarily listen to metal but I’ll get some rock, experimental, hip-hop and electronic stuff too. I’ll try to continually add more. I always felt it was helpful (to me, at least) to discuss headphones based on genre for a frame of reference:
*Note: All flac files are 16/44.1 and all mp3 files are 320 kbps.
Artist: Abysmal Dawn
Album: Obsolescence
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Format: flac
Keeps up with the fast and extremely technical playing very well, very responsive. Guitars sound thick but not muddy, leads and solos are liquid and smooth. I love how good this combo makes cymbals sound, very crisp and detailed with a more natural decay than I’m used to hearing in recorded music. I feel the bass drum kick is kind of weak but that is more likely the production with the double kick as some low end has to be shaved off in order to keep the drumming crisp. As a bass player myself I felt the bass presence to lack authority or really carve out it’s spot in the mix. This is death metal though so the bass isn’t super prevalent when mixed for a lot of bands, you can feel it in the mix but can’t really pick out a distinct bass line. Low and high growled vocals are very well reproduced. Overall this album was pretty enjoyable, the guitars sound thick but are still very responsive, the playing sounds very clean for an album with a blazing fast tempo and technical playing. The soundstage wasn’t huge, very deep and focused (likely what most listeners of this genre prefer).
Artist: Myrkur
Album: Myrkur
Genre: Black Metal
Format: flac
This album is one of my favorites to listen to on this system. Amalie Bruun’s (the vocalist/bassist/guitarist) voice is haunting and completely enveloping, it’s very easy to just get lost in it, like you’re standing in the perfect spot in a giant cathedral. The incredible detail provided gives the reverb on guitars and vocals a very natural decay, it’s almost as if you’re in the room and can hear the sound bouncing around. The guitars sound, bright, raw and cutting, as they should for this album. Drums do sound okay, lacking a bit of punch, likely a combination of the headphones and the production style on this album. There’s great sub bass on the kick though. The amazing treble response of the RE-600s leads to this record feeling quite spacious and engrossing. This album is one of my recent favorites and hearing it for the first time with the HM-700/RE-600 is one of the factors that got me hooked besides how beautiful this album is.
Artist: Locrian & Mamiffer
Album: Bless Them That Curse You
Genre: Noise/Avant Garde/Drone
Format: flac
The HM-700 and RE-600 really shine with more ambient and less focused music. With more experimental drone like Locrian and Mamiffer. Female vocals are again, ethereal and haunting. The piano and strings all sound beautiful in every way. The percussion has surprising impact. Listening to this album on this setup gives it a completely new sound, it revealed many new details in the highly layered music and it sounds incredibly spacious. Certainly “Bless Them That Curse You” is another joy to listen to on this and it’s very easy to hear the improved dynamics and soundstage compared to on my iPhone or over my desktop speakers. Truly incredible.
Artist: **** Buttons
Album: Tarot Sport
Genre: Electronic/Drone
Format: flac
This is one of my all-time favorite albums and I don’t know if I’ve heard it sound better, I need to give the vinyl copy another listen with my desktop setup. It’s downright hypnotizing with this combo. The bass has amazing punch and impact, the mids have never made synths sound so sweet and the treble provides the perfect sparkle. I do feel it’s a bit too focused as opposed to my desktop setup where the soundstage is bigger as is the instrument separation. I’m not expecting this to compete against my desktop vinyl setup though. I am finding when there’s more instruments that dominate the treble space that the bass loses a bit of impact but as a whole this album sounds brilliant.
Artist: Sleep
Album: Dopesmoker
Genre: Stoner Doom
Format: flac
Being just a massive slab of monolithic stoner doom and one of my all time favorites, I had high hopes for this album. It mostly delivers. Vocals are powerful, Al's bellow has never sounded better. The guitar has a great punch and detailed texture but the drums sound a bit muddy and not very articulate aside from the cymbals. I can’t help but feel a bit more bass extension could be used here, I want to really feel the rumble, but it is only faintly present. Still sounds really good and it’s amazing to zone out to. It’s just the vinyl copy on my desktop setup points out some shortcomings in comparison (not really a fair one, mind you). I should emphasize this gripe is fairly minor, this album certainly sounds quite massive, I just believe this album was made for huge speakers and full-sized headphones.
Artist: Wavves
Album: Afraid of Heights
Genre: Punk/Surf Rock
Format: mp3
Wasn’t as blown away here. Still coherent and more present and detailed than the same version on my iPhone, not very drastic though. Again, a lossless format likely would have shown more improvements but I also wanted to test mp3s on this device (as a more direct comparison to the iPhone. Everything sounds good. Just nothing blew me away (and I love listening to this on my turntable, really fun listen).
Artist: Sims
Album: Field Notes
Genre: Hip-Hop
Format: flac
If you’re a big basshead who listens to a lot of hip-hop, these might not quite be dark enough for you, the really deep, dirty sub bass just isn’t there, sometimes I like that but I’m floored with the presentation of this album. The bass still has solid punch and impact without being overbearing or muffling everything else. Synths buzz about in between your ears and the vocals are as articulate and aggressive as ever. I had no idea a rap album could have such a wide soundstage. I’m really impressed with this one, there’s not really anything I would change but bassheads might like something a tad darker/warmer.
Artist: Ariel Pink
Album: Pom Pom
Genre: Indie Pop/Rock
Format: mp3
This one is kind of tough to review. Ariel uses a very lo-fi but still densely layered production sound. I absolutely love it and it sounds great on this set too. Bright, chimey and full of energy. The bass synths lacked a bit of impact but this wasn’t a lossless file either. Made the album really articulate and enjoyable but lacked a bit of warmth I’d heard listening to it in other ways.
Artist: J Mascis
Album: Tied to a Star
Genre: Folk/Acoustic
Format: 320 kbps mp3
I’m impressed by the space and instrument separation on this album even though it is in a lossy format. Again, this won’t work miracles on your mp3s, but it’ll make them sound as good as they can. They provide plenty of depth and a bit more instrument detail than the iPhone does. This really surprised me and I’m sure I’ll be listening to his a lot more as the days go by.
Conclusion
Well this was probably a lot longer than you’d like but I enjoyed writing it and I’m not quite done either. I may update the review with some pictures and also a more in-depth comparison to my iPhone/S4 combo and anything else if someone asks. The HM-700/600 is a noticeable step up in sound quality and a big step back in convenience. Thankfully I can use my iPhone in the car and on various stereo hookups and use the HM-700/RE-600 for more deliberate listening sessions. I will say if you’re looking for a budget flac player and new IEMs, this was a steal at the $300 price tag. At the current $500 price tag, I maybe would have explored cheaper options, I probably would have went with the RE-400 instead. That said, the HM-700 and RE-600 have made portable music listening infinitely more pleasant and interesting. Both are very well designed and sound excellent. There’s not a lot of bells and whistles or a very slick UI but it's a utilitarian device that’s perfect for when you just want to put on an album and zone out to great sounding music.
