[my2crazy]

I am in need of some IEMs for my Cowon J3. I have read that the RE0 IEMs are pretty nice for the price and was wondering if I should look elsewhere if I do not plan on using an amp since I have also heard they are hard to drive. My current headphones are Grado SR 80s and I love them, but nothing portable worth mentioning.

 

[ZARIM]

The RE0 is better sounding IEMs than most in the same price range or more but it need AMPs to shows it's bes ( out of J3 HP jack it will not get loud as SR80).  I will recommend few more IEMs like Radius DDM, GR07, IE7 and EX600.

 

[mephiska]

Without an amp the RE0 will sound like they severely lack bass on the J3. Your best bet is to go with lower impedance IEMs like the TF10 if you want to go unamped.

 

[my2crazy]

Thanks for the advice so far, helped a ton. Looking at the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 on amazon for about $200. Seems like they are pretty good based on everything I have been reading, although they are about double what I wanted to spend. (my wife is going to kill me if I buy these...guess its time to buy her something nice)
 
I have troubles with alot of IEMs because my ear canals are pretty small, do you think I will have any troubles with that using these?

 

[TheGomdoRi]

The TF10s are dual bore and have a slightly bigger nozzle than westone/shures and they are a bit tricky the first time you put them on. Just something to consider - but they sure do sound fun lol

 

[esteban92]

I had the same combo but the RE-0 broke. About the SQ...indeed the RE-0 laked of bass seriously but in all other aspects they were very good!! IMO you should consider other options if you dont have an amp!!!

 

[my2crazy]

Hm sounds like I might have troubles with the TF10s, I'll definately not get the RE-0s, probably great, but not the best for me it seems. I think I will keep looking for something else or find somewhere that I can return the TF10s if I don't like the fit.

 

[sari0n]

You should be able to do better than 200 for TF10's, check around the classifieds section and ebay, there aren't any fake tf10's to worry about as far as I know.
The TF10, GR07, and IE7 are all fairly bassy headphones, the RE0 will be more bass light and focused on highs.  The new Brainwavz B2's are also very good, they're somewhat bass light with a slightly analytic sound.

 

[Bkew]

late post but I have a J3 and REO's...using them now while typing!  I used it for a about 8 months like this until I picked up PA2V2 amp and I did not know what I was missing. 
 
It sounded good without the amp but was missing impact to the bass unless you pushed into the 30's on the volume.  With the AMP it is a amazing, the REO's are some the best headphones period when you compare what the price is.
 
So, can you use it without an amp, sure but you will miss some of the breadth of the sound until you get an amp.  I would say buy the REO's and just use them until you can spend 60-100$ on a decent protable amp.  Call the time "Burn in" for the REO's   ahahahaha

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

late post but I have a J3 and REO's...using them now while typing!  I used it for a about 8 months like this until I picked up PA2V2 amp and I did not know what I was missing. 
 
It sounded good without the amp but was missing impact to the bass unless you pushed into the 30's on the volume.  With the AMP it is a amazing, the REO's are some the best headphones period when you compare what the price is.
 
So, can you use it without an amp, sure but you will miss some of the breadth of the sound until you get an amp.  I would say buy the REO's and just use them until you can spend 60-100$ on a decent protable amp.  Call the time "Burn in" for the REO's   ahahahaha

 
Yeah, I have to agree with this.  I ran the RE0s through my iPod stock and did get bass impact.  However, using an amp, even a small one like the FIIO E1, the bass become more bodied and had a stronger presence.  The treble also did extend a little deeper, everything got better overall. However, the additional cables required from the amps turned me away from the settup as I normally use headphones for portable use.
 
 

 

[my2crazy]

I actually just recently ordred the Brainwavz B2 with the fiio e11 amp and an ipod line out cable(havn't picked up the J3 yet, can't spend all that money at once.) all for 180 dollars. Appreciate the extra imput even if it is late. I wasn't actually planning on getting an amp at first...but the deal was decent.