MD1032
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2003
- Posts
- 5,977
- Likes
- 20
Fang and Head-Direct have struck again with a fine piece of equipment here. The RE252 is a direct upgrade from and improvement to the RE0. The soft silicone molded piece that goes around the driver actually has a lot to do with the sound…it brings the driver and the sound it produces into contact with your ear and the vibrations substantially improve the bass and fullness of sound.
Equipment: EMU 0404 USB into a Head-Direct EF1
Compared: Grado HF2, Head-Direct RE0
Fit. Let’s get something straight here: If you don’t get the fit right on these earphones, they simply will not sound right. I tried the prototype at the NJ meet over the summer before Fang modified the housing and they absolutely would not fit in my ears. I told him that they sounded good, but I preferred the RE0 because they had more bass. He told me that for him, the RE252 has much more bass and the problem was that the housing was not in contact with my ears and that he would fix the housing so it would be compatible with more shapes of ears. I was suspicious, then I got my sample RE252 in the mail and witnessed the same problem for a while but had a feeling I could get them to fit correctly. I ripped off the double-flange tips and put on the small rubber tips…immediately, I noticed a complete change in the sound. This wasn’t even a seal issue, it was a fit issue. With the earphones really jammed into my ear, the sound is heaps better. I ended up using the medium tips, which still allow the housing to come into contact with the ear but give me a better seal than the smalls.
Sound. I’ll first compare these to the RE0 using some symphonic band works. I don’t really know how else to describe the sound but just completely fixed. The RE0’s only weakness was that it could sound bright at times. These earphones do not have that slight treble spike and the detail at the same time has been improved. Instruments sound very realistic and the positioning of them is far more accurate. The bass is way, way better. I can safely say I’ve never, ever heard better IEM’s in this department and these are the ones to beat. Everything sounds so, so perfect without any odd peaks. The instrumental separation is superb. The soundstage isn’t AD2000 huge, but the positioning is still very accurate and nothing ever gets smudged together. Trombones have some serious balls which indicates excellent midrange. The RE0 by comparison just seems to add more distance between you and the instruments and decrease the detail and fullness of sound. And again, you won’t hear any of the above without an absolutely perfect fit, so get it right.
Now I’ll use some blues like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy (I have amped and unamped records of his). The RE0 does surprisingly well in this genre, but the RE252 just blows them out of the water. The bass is substantially better and way more gratifying. The guitar tone is also improved…much fuller and more realistic in the high end at the same time. The drums have way more impact and the cymbals have a real nice crash and decay without sounding too bright, which is usually difficult. These earphones also have less of a U-shape than my HF-2’s, so the mids are just more prominent and it makes guitar solos really, really gratifying. Overall, I’m floored at how good these earphones are so far. They sound hundreds of dollars better than their asking price. With acoustic guitar, the differences are subtle. Both do an excellent job, frankly, but the RE252 still has the advantage because the sound just seems much smoother and more even. That slight peak in the treble of the RE0 can be problematic on strings that have been plucked hard and it can be harsh. The RE252 not only addresses this issue, it seems to lift a sort of very slight veil on the RE0 I never really noticed that much before that makes the sound much clearer and more realistic.
Now let me try some metal. I ordered a Paul Gilbert CD…why not? Here’s an interesting scenario in which people might prefer one or another. The RE252 has a much more in-your-face sound…like Grados on steroids with kick-butt guitar tone and extremely intimate drums and bass. The RE0’s perceived increase in distance could be an advantage if you preferred a more laid back sound with slightly less bass to highlight more of the high end. The difference is akin to the HD600 pitted against a pair of Grados, but on a micro scale. This test actually made me realize that much more fully.
Conclusion. The RE252 has learned from its predecessor and taken an already great sound and made it far better. The RE252’s ability to resolve a lot of different sounds at one and still be in your face is astounding. Frankly, I don’t know how this IEM is able to pull off such a natural, full-size sound…at times it really does feel like I’m wearing a good pair of full-size cans. Fang’s design of molding soft silicone around the housing to increase the amount of sound that hits your ear is genius and is clearly working wonders that other IEM manufacturers would be wise to copy. I would love to compare these to the Shure SE530 to see how this $200 earphone compares to one that is twice the price…personally, I don’t really hear much that can be improved in the sound of this IEM since once you get the fit right, the sound is really ridiculously good and these IEM’s are just extremely gratifying to listen to. Have I mentioned that the bass is ridiculously good for an IEM? I am digging these earphones, and hope to see more people talking about them soon. I find it ironic to find a thread claiming the RE0 rivals the ER-4P and E500/SE530 when this earphone is clearly much better than the RE0…I bet the reviewer would drop their jaw after hearing these!
Equipment: EMU 0404 USB into a Head-Direct EF1
Compared: Grado HF2, Head-Direct RE0
Fit. Let’s get something straight here: If you don’t get the fit right on these earphones, they simply will not sound right. I tried the prototype at the NJ meet over the summer before Fang modified the housing and they absolutely would not fit in my ears. I told him that they sounded good, but I preferred the RE0 because they had more bass. He told me that for him, the RE252 has much more bass and the problem was that the housing was not in contact with my ears and that he would fix the housing so it would be compatible with more shapes of ears. I was suspicious, then I got my sample RE252 in the mail and witnessed the same problem for a while but had a feeling I could get them to fit correctly. I ripped off the double-flange tips and put on the small rubber tips…immediately, I noticed a complete change in the sound. This wasn’t even a seal issue, it was a fit issue. With the earphones really jammed into my ear, the sound is heaps better. I ended up using the medium tips, which still allow the housing to come into contact with the ear but give me a better seal than the smalls.
Sound. I’ll first compare these to the RE0 using some symphonic band works. I don’t really know how else to describe the sound but just completely fixed. The RE0’s only weakness was that it could sound bright at times. These earphones do not have that slight treble spike and the detail at the same time has been improved. Instruments sound very realistic and the positioning of them is far more accurate. The bass is way, way better. I can safely say I’ve never, ever heard better IEM’s in this department and these are the ones to beat. Everything sounds so, so perfect without any odd peaks. The instrumental separation is superb. The soundstage isn’t AD2000 huge, but the positioning is still very accurate and nothing ever gets smudged together. Trombones have some serious balls which indicates excellent midrange. The RE0 by comparison just seems to add more distance between you and the instruments and decrease the detail and fullness of sound. And again, you won’t hear any of the above without an absolutely perfect fit, so get it right.
Now I’ll use some blues like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy (I have amped and unamped records of his). The RE0 does surprisingly well in this genre, but the RE252 just blows them out of the water. The bass is substantially better and way more gratifying. The guitar tone is also improved…much fuller and more realistic in the high end at the same time. The drums have way more impact and the cymbals have a real nice crash and decay without sounding too bright, which is usually difficult. These earphones also have less of a U-shape than my HF-2’s, so the mids are just more prominent and it makes guitar solos really, really gratifying. Overall, I’m floored at how good these earphones are so far. They sound hundreds of dollars better than their asking price. With acoustic guitar, the differences are subtle. Both do an excellent job, frankly, but the RE252 still has the advantage because the sound just seems much smoother and more even. That slight peak in the treble of the RE0 can be problematic on strings that have been plucked hard and it can be harsh. The RE252 not only addresses this issue, it seems to lift a sort of very slight veil on the RE0 I never really noticed that much before that makes the sound much clearer and more realistic.
Now let me try some metal. I ordered a Paul Gilbert CD…why not? Here’s an interesting scenario in which people might prefer one or another. The RE252 has a much more in-your-face sound…like Grados on steroids with kick-butt guitar tone and extremely intimate drums and bass. The RE0’s perceived increase in distance could be an advantage if you preferred a more laid back sound with slightly less bass to highlight more of the high end. The difference is akin to the HD600 pitted against a pair of Grados, but on a micro scale. This test actually made me realize that much more fully.
Conclusion. The RE252 has learned from its predecessor and taken an already great sound and made it far better. The RE252’s ability to resolve a lot of different sounds at one and still be in your face is astounding. Frankly, I don’t know how this IEM is able to pull off such a natural, full-size sound…at times it really does feel like I’m wearing a good pair of full-size cans. Fang’s design of molding soft silicone around the housing to increase the amount of sound that hits your ear is genius and is clearly working wonders that other IEM manufacturers would be wise to copy. I would love to compare these to the Shure SE530 to see how this $200 earphone compares to one that is twice the price…personally, I don’t really hear much that can be improved in the sound of this IEM since once you get the fit right, the sound is really ridiculously good and these IEM’s are just extremely gratifying to listen to. Have I mentioned that the bass is ridiculously good for an IEM? I am digging these earphones, and hope to see more people talking about them soon. I find it ironic to find a thread claiming the RE0 rivals the ER-4P and E500/SE530 when this earphone is clearly much better than the RE0…I bet the reviewer would drop their jaw after hearing these!
