[psgarcha92]

Hey Guys,
now, i've got 1 day today to decide between RE-ZERO ans RE0s.
my RE0s died a day before yesterday, and i'd be getting the replacement -or- a pair of RE-ZEROs as a replacement
 
the points to be taken care of are below:
i)if i get the RE0s, the money i have would be spent in getting an LOD for my Fuze and SoundMagic foam tips.
ii)if i get the RE-ZEROs, well, i'd have to arrange more money for it.
 
for someone wondering, i am pretty broke right now, and and and, with a generalisation, any guy out there with a dollar, compared to me with an Indian Re, i would like to tell that you sir, are 45 times richer then me right now.so 20 dollars here in India would make a difference to an almost starving student.
 
i can surely get the RE-ZEROs, but i need to know what i'd be missing with the RE-ZEROs if i get the RE0s.
people with RE0s and RE-ZEROs, chime in, tell me the cons of RE0 over RE-ZEROs and vice versa.
i want to know which is superior amped and unamped.
just 1 day i have.
 

 

[esanthosh]

I think lJokerl's review covers it well enough (reproducing relevant portions only. Emphasis and editing is of course mine)
 
Quote:

RE-ZERO is meant to be an easier-to-drive alternative to the slightly cheaper RE0 with a touch more bass.

Whether the ZEROs have more bass than the RE0, however, is open to interpretation. For me, the difference in bass quantity and power between the RE0 and RE-ZERO is little more than barely noticeable – both lag behind the BA-based CK10 in quantity of impact, with the ZERO sounding slightly more filled-out. The ZERO is just as tight and punchy as the RE0s were with a low end that is slightly fuller. While very accurate and fairly detailed, the RE-ZERO presents bass (and indeed everything else) with a delicacy that is lacking in most of the competition and which may or may not appeal to the individual listener.

Moving on to the midrange, the RE-ZERO greets the listener with the usual clarity and detail of RE-series earphones. The mids are very slightly warm and transparency is good. The midrange of the RE-ZERO is generally extremely competent – I can’t call it forward or recessed, thin or full, wet or dry. I remember finding the mids of the RE0 a bit thin but the RE-ZERO has none of that.
 
The treble itself is very clear and detailed but rather gentle as far as analytical earphones go. I remember the RE0 being quite effortless and energetic when it comes to treble reproduction and the RE-ZERO doesn’t really make me feel quite the same way.

In terms of presentation, the RE-ZERO is again as competent as the RE0 but doesn’t quite run with the top-tier big boys. Its soundstage is only slightly bigger than average and while it does convey both intimacy and space well, it is not the best earphone for those who must be able to pinpoint the source of every sound in the soundscape.

The Head-Direct RE-ZERO is not an up-and-out upgrade over the legendary RE0. Instead, it is a somewhat more versatile take on the same design with a new-but-not-unfamiliar angle on the Head-Direct house sound.
 
The RE-ZERO is clearly not designed to appeal to current RE0 owners as an upgrade. Those who were unimpressed with the RE0 or RE252 should probably keep away from the RE-ZERO as well. However, anyone who’s ever heard the RE0 and found them to be slightly too energetic or even piercing at the top or a bit too thin or laid-back in the midrange should like the RE-ZERO more. New users should likewise choose between the two sound signatures but keep in mind that the differences between the two earphones are quite minute.

 

[psgarcha92]

So this basically means, RE0s are more analytical less musical, and i guess the RE0s are also more detailed.
am i right?

 

[TuNeCedeMalis]

Perhaps but only slightly I would imagine. I don't think it would be a whole paradigm shift or anything.

 

[psgarcha92]

I felt the bass was more then the RE0s.and i dont know its placebo or not, but, i felt they were not as clear as the RE0s.
also, i was thinking, if the RE0s have a Neutral sound, and that with a smooth and flat frequency response, then i can probably make the RE0s sound like the RE-ZEROs using EQ on my RockBoxed Sansa.makes sense until somebody can prove it wrong.

 

[mvw2]

They differ in key ways.  I personally would call the RE-ZERO an upgrade to the RE0 because it fixes some of the key "issues" (what I feel are issues) with the RE0.  To me, the RE0 while well textured lacked a lot of dynamic range and sound stage suffered greatly for this.  It had a generally smooth but not flat frequency response that make the earphone sound dark in tone.  The treble at least to me was strong and fast but not musical being more noise than actual well defined note once you got to the top end.  The bass is well extended but light and does not respond well to EQing.  The need to run a powerful amp with the RE0 is also an issue.  I personally did not like the RE0.  I didn't like the lack of dynamics, the lack of sound stage, the weak and small presence, and how it strained on the very top and bottom ends trying to cover the entire spectrum.  I've long viewed the RE0 as something like a single full range speaker in the home audio world.  It's an attempt to cover everything, not leaving anything out, but also not excelling either.  It's value is in that it doesn't really do anything blatantly wrong, but it's shortcoming is in that it doesn't specifically excel either.
 
The RE-ZERO steps up the game some, although it does also trade off a couple things.  The RE-ZERO brings a more effortless driver.  It is more dynamic and articulate.  It's not as textured as the RE0, but it's more natural and effortless with the sound.  This isn't to say the RE-ZERO lacks texture because it doesn't.  It's just that all the RE0 had was texture and it made good use of it.  The RE-ZERO also has dynamics and only relies on texture and articulation of details more naturally.  With the improved dynamics comes a better sound stage as well as presence.  You get a better sense of location and space with the RE-ZERO than you do with the RE0.  It doesn't sound weak or small in presence like the RE0.  The frequency response doesn't carry the same high highs and low lows of the RE0, but it's more balanced and even.  Tonality is natural and neutral instead of dark.  There's a better sense of realism to the sound.  While the RE0 extends better at the extremes, the RE-ZERO covers the spectrum it does play better than the RE0.
 
The RE0 annoyed me.  It's an earphone I couldn't live with.  The RE-ZERO, I like and is an earphone I can be content with.  I feel it does a lot more right.

 

[psgarcha92]

i also felt the RE-ZEROs were less harsh than the RE0s.the problem with me is that i had my RE0s for less than two weeks, and i couldnt decide or compare if i really loved them.i was falling in love with them, just when they broke, and, when i consulted the dealer, he said that i can get the RE-ZEROs in place, paying the cost difference.i certainly felt the RE-ZEROs sounded more musical, but they also did not sound as sharp/clear as the RE0s.i cant dicide in 15 mins what earphones i want to keep and what not.dunno what to do still.

 

[psgarcha92]

Hey guys,
is there anything like the RE-ZEROs being less detailed than the RE0s?
and what about hiss? do the RE-ZEROs hiss with a sansa Fuze/sansa clip?

 

[TuNeCedeMalis]

I'm using the RE-ZERO with a zune HD. I used the Fiio E5 with it for a while, but recently my IEMs have (I believe) burnt in. It turns out I enjoy the sound more without the amp, everything sounds alot more "live" sounding. Everything's very crisp and the bass is fine. I have no regrets about these headphones. I only notice hissing when the file itself contains it. These things are amazingly clear.

 

[psgarcha92]

i am afraid the RE ZEROs might have less detail/clarity than the RE0s.

 

[paulypaul]

The RE0s seemed dryer in the mids to me and the ZEROs more forward and fluid in the mids.
The lows to me seemed pretty similar, both responded to EQ in the Lows.
The RE0s extend higher, but could seem quite harsh to me at times.
The ZEROs handles the highs nicely though.
The magic is in the mids for the ZEROs.
As far as detail, the RE0s may seem to have more detail in its extended highs, but because of the more forward mids of the ZEROs I felt the ZEROs provided more detail in the mids.
I had them both at the same time and sold the RE0s after about 2 weeks.
I dont have either now, but I had them for long enough to know which ones I preferred.

 

[c61746961]

Just to let you know that I find my RE-ZEROs more detailed in general than both my Grado SR 80s and the ATH-M50s coming out from the same source, haven't tried the RE0s, though.

 

[as1is]

I've listened to both RE0 and RE-ZERO, and I can say, that of these two: RE0 sound as much better, as better the souce is. On the simple player, like ipod or sansa clip, ZERO may sound better, but with good source 0s are better

 

[psgarcha92]

Now i got a Fuze v2, is that not a good enough source?
and by good enough you mean Powerful, as in an amp right?
am planning a Mini3, how about the 0s with that?