[G_T_J]

If you want a more mid-forward sound signature with a good amount of energy up top (but never fatiguing), get the RE400.
If you fancy more bass, a tad less forward mids, smoother treble and better soundstage, get the RE600.

You can't go wrong with any of them. I personally love them both and wouldn't trade with any other IEM (yes they are this good!) but keep in mind the RE400 need a quite powerful player/mobile to shine. Out of an anemic player they will not sound to their full potential. RE600 are less picky with source and power.

 

[the Ortherion]

If you want a more mid-forward sound signature with a good amount of energy up top (but never fatiguing), get the RE400.
If you fancy more bass, a tad less forward mids, smoother treble and better soundstage, get the RE600.

You can't go wrong with any of them. I personally love them both and wouldn't trade with any other IEM (yes they are this good!) but keep in mind the RE400 need a quite powerful player/mobile to shine. Out of an anemic player they will not sound to their full potential. RE600 are less picky with source and power.

Thanks for your insights. Regarding your description I would have to get both xD However I took the plunge on the RE600 from Hifiman website simply because of the better "soundstage"...What would you recommend for a powerful player for the RE400 in the long run? For now I only have my iPhone 7 Plus.

 

[G_T_J]

Thanks for your insights. Regarding your description I would have to get both xD However I took the plunge on the RE600 from Hifiman website simply because of the better "soundstage"...What would you recommend for a powerful player for the RE400 in the long run? For now I only have my iPhone 7 Plus.

iPhone 7 plus should be a fairly powerful source even if I'm not familiar with Apple at all and have not had personal experience.
I got a DX160 as well as a FiiO BTR5 and they are plenty powerful for the RE400 to drive them with authority.
I used to own a Galaxy Note 4 and the difference between Note 4 and a Dragonfly Black was night and day.
If you had not heard the RE400 with a better source you'd argue they sounded fine out of the Note 4. However performing a straight comparison with the Dragonfly it'd give you an idea about how good they scale with a better source!

Currently I also own a Note 10+ which does not have an audio output so I'm not sure how TOFTL smarphones perform today -well at least those that haven't ditched the 3.5mm output yet-

You won't be disappointed withe the RE600. For me it's probably the best all round signature I have ever tried out of a ton of iems I have owned over the years.

 

[willyboyaudio]

Hi guys, I want to ask about the build quality of RE400. I’ve read about some build quality issues on the earlier units, cables broken etc. I’m looking to buy a pair, this particular one I’m looking at has an L plug (not 45 degrees like some of the ones with durability issues) and sort of new sleeving on the cable (not just plain rubber jacket).
Is this a revised model or something? How is the durability? I’m not rough on my ‘phones but still I want them to be durable. Thank you!

 

[mobbaddict]

Hi guys, I want to ask about the build quality of RE400. I’ve read about some build quality issues on the earlier units, cables broken etc. I’m looking to buy a pair, this particular one I’m looking at has an L plug (not 45 degrees like some of the ones with durability issues) and sort of new sleeving on the cable (not just plain rubber jacket).
Is this a revised model or something? How is the durability? I’m not rough on my ‘phones but still I want them to be durable. Thank you!

The newer model has great built quality. I bought mine 1 year and a half ago, it also has the L plug and the additional coating. I've spent 2 hours commuting with them every day for this period and I have no issue so far.

 

[willyboyaudio]

The newer model has great built quality. I bought mine 1 year and a half ago, it also has the L plug and the additional coating. I've spent 2 hours commuting with them every day for this period and I have no issue so far.

That's a nice testament to its durability. Thank you so much.

 

[H T T]

You won't be disappointed withe the RE600. For me it's probably the best all round signature I have ever tried out of a ton of iems I have owned over the years.

I agree with this statement with a couple caveats. At low sound volumes, I find the RE600s a little thin sounding. I also find the RE600s lacking body for some classic rock recordings. During those listening conditions I choose other IEMs. Other than that, the RE600s is all that and a bag of chips for me.

 

[addicted2music]

I grabbed the re 400a for $20. I can't believe how good these are for the price. I own the fiio fh7 that costs $499. The bass definition and texture is on par with these. RE 400s just have less impact and extension. The fh7 are better in the highs, they are more refined and extended. The re400's treble sounds slightly harsh atm, but I think burn in will take care of it. The midrange is not as refined as the fh7, but the resolution comes dangerously close. Soundstage and imaging go to the fh7, but the tone goes to the re 400s, they sound slightly more natural. The differences are not night and day imo.
Overall, the re400 have a neutral sound with slightly foward and full midrange.

 

[the Ortherion]

I grabbed the re 400a for $20. I can't believe how good these are for the price. I own the fiio fh7 that costs $499. The bass definition and texture is on par with these. RE 400s just have less impact and extension. The fh7 are better in the highs, they are more refined and extended. The re400's treble sounds slightly harsh atm, but I think burn in will take care of it. The midrange is not as refined as the fh7, but the resolution comes dangerously close. Soundstage and imaging go to the fh7, but the tone goes to the re 400s, they sound slightly more natural. The differences are not night and day imo.
Overall, the re400 have a neutral sound with slightly foward and full midrange.

Where did you get them at that price?

 

[mobbaddict]

I grabbed the re 400a for $20. I can't believe how good these are for the price. I own the fiio fh7 that costs $499. The bass definition and texture is on par with these. RE 400s just have less impact and extension. The fh7 are better in the highs, they are more refined and extended. The re400's treble sounds slightly harsh atm, but I think burn in will take care of it. The midrange is not as refined as the fh7, but the resolution comes dangerously close. Soundstage and imaging go to the fh7, but the tone goes to the re 400s, they sound slightly more natural. The differences are not night and day imo.
Overall, the re400 have a neutral sound with slightly foward and full midrange.

It makes you realize how the vast majority of hifi products are just overpriced. It got even more ridiculous with the price inflation during the 10 past years. The hifimans are untouchable for that price. Prior to them I had the entry level Phonak which were also a terrific deal 10 years ago. But I think the hifimans top them in terms of timbre realism and detail. Technology didn't really evolve during that period though, the RE0 were almost every bit as good by that time.
If smoothness is the issue maybe try to amp them with a portable amp, I think it improves the overall speed and smoothness (or maybe it's just placebo).

 

[addicted2music]

It makes you realize how the vast majority of hifi products are just overpriced. It got even more ridiculous with the price inflation during the 10 past years. The hifimans are untouchable for that price. Prior to them I had the entry level Phonak which were also a terrific deal 10 years ago. But I think the hifimans top them in terms of timbre realism and detail. Technology didn't really evolve during that period though, the RE0 were almost every bit as good by that time.
If smoothness is the issue maybe try to amp them with a portable amp, I think it improves the overall speed and smoothness (or maybe it's just placebo).

I agree. Talking about their technical ability and comparing them to today's top IEMs, they only lack the soundstage , separation, layering and some refinement. Apart from that, these are every bit as good as them. The detail retrieval and timbre is top notch.

 

[G_T_J]

IMO the only area the RE400 fall short is soundtage which is mediocre and that's something rather to be expected as they boast a mid-forward tuning. Things are much improved with their RE600 sibling. Therefore, I can understand those of you claiming these might not be the most expansive in terms of soundstage, especially compared to others costing a dozen of times more. However what I don't get is the refinement claim. I personally haven't heard more refined and natural timbre than that of the RE400/RE600 (especially the latter) and therefore I really can't see how multidriver iems with crossovers and most importantly balanced armature drivers can achieve that... That's the reason I always find myself returning to them.Those who claim the RE400 sound grainy or not refined it's because they either haven't given them the proper amount of time to burn in or they're driving them through an anemic source - mobile phone.

My argument is that there might be a whole bunch of expensive iems that outperform the Hifimans in many areas and that's definitely to be expected given the price and the evolution of headphones and in ears over the course of the last few years. For example newer TOTL IEMs might beat them in pure detail retrieval, soundstage or bass impact but can't see how this stands when it comes to lifelike naturalness and timbre.In my book, these are unbeatable in this respect - a truly masterfully tuned dynamic driver. That said, I would be really interested to hear an iem with similar character and I urge anyone to recommend me alternatives that they believe they sound more refined and natural than the Hifimans. I might have to give them a go when I have the chance and my wallet permits.

 

[mobbaddict]

IMO the only area the RE400 fall short is soundtage which is mediocre and that's something rather to be expected as they boast a mid-forward tuning. Things are much improved with their RE600 sibling. Therefore, I can understand those of you claiming these might not be the most expansive in terms of soundstage, especially compared to others costing a dozen of times more. However what I don't get is the refinement claim. I personally haven't heard more refined and natural timbre than that of the RE400/RE600 (especially the latter) and therefore I really can't see how multidriver iems with crossovers and most importantly balanced armature drivers can achieve that... That's the reason I always find myself returning to them.Those who claim the RE400 sound grainy or not refined it's because they either haven't given them the proper amount of time to burn in or they're driving them through an anemic source - mobile phone.

My argument is that there might be a whole bunch of expensive iems that outperform the Hifimans in many areas and that's definitely to be expected given the price and the evolution of headphones and in ears over the course of the last few years. For example newer TOTL IEMs might beat them in pure detail retrieval, soundstage or bass impact but can't see how this stands when it comes to lifelike naturalness and timbre.In my book, these are unbeatable in this respect - a truly masterfully tuned dynamic driver. That said, I would be really interested to hear an iem with similar character and I urge anyone to recommend me alternatives that they believe they sound more refined and natural than the Hifimans. I might have to give them a go when I have the chance and my wallet permits.

I was close to taking the plunge on the stagediver SD2 recently... Apparently these are a logical upgrade to the RE400 with larger soundstage, faster BA sound and deeper bass.
See full review and comparison here: https://theheadphonelist.com/headphone_review/inear-stagediver-2-sd-2-review/
But I'm not sure these will necessarily be an upgrade when it comes to sheer timbre realism, like you said... When I compare the Hifiman to my full-size headphones (I have a HD600, Stax Lambda and Quad Era-1), the Hifiman are actually in the same ballpark if we talk only about timbre. So yes they are really good. No need to go for TOTL iems in my opinion except if you're a detail freak (which I am also...).

 

[addicted2music]

IMO the only area the RE400 fall short is soundtage which is mediocre and that's something rather to be expected as they boast a mid-forward tuning. Things are much improved with their RE600 sibling. Therefore, I can understand those of you claiming these might not be the most expansive in terms of soundstage, especially compared to others costing a dozen of times more. However what I don't get is the refinement claim. I personally haven't heard more refined and natural timbre than that of the RE400/RE600 (especially the latter) and therefore I really can't see how multidriver iems with crossovers and most importantly balanced armature drivers can achieve that... That's the reason I always find myself returning to them.Those who claim the RE400 sound grainy or not refined it's because they either haven't given them the proper amount of time to burn in or they're driving them through an anemic source - mobile phone.

My argument is that there might be a whole bunch of expensive iems that outperform the Hifimans in many areas and that's definitely to be expected given the price and the evolution of headphones and in ears over the course of the last few years. For example newer TOTL IEMs might beat them in pure detail retrieval, soundstage or bass impact but can't see how this stands when it comes to lifelike naturalness and timbre.In my book, these are unbeatable in this respect - a truly masterfully tuned dynamic driver. That said, I would be really interested to hear an iem with similar character and I urge anyone to recommend me alternatives that they believe they sound more refined and natural than the Hifimans. I might have to give them a go when I have the chance and my wallet permits.

I have driven them with multiple sources. I have easily 200+ hours on these. Compared to my Fiio FH7 which compete against the $1000-$1500 IEMs, the treble is slightly grainy and is not as textured and extended. The midrange though is more textured ( timbre is better) and similarly detailed on the re 400 while the bass extension and texture again is slightly lacking. The soundstage width, depth and layering of the instruments is not as good as the FH7s. Anyway, my point is these differences are small. I think they are as much capable as the top IEMs . They just have some shortcomings when directly compared against the better iems, but apart from the shortcomings, they are as good as the top IEMs out there IMO.

 

[mobbaddict]

Also comparing dynamic and balanced armature drivers is always a difficult exercise (I know the Fiio are hybrids but they have BA for the mid-range and treble). It's strange but the Hifiman sound both more detailed and slower than my old balanced armature Phonak. The typical BA sound is quick and effortless, which can make a dynamic iem like the Hifiman sound grainy in comparison. But at the same time the Hifiman just convey a lot more of texture and timbre. I observed the exact same thing with the RE0 10 years ago.