[hifiman-us]

Not necessarily. Fang is actually interested in doing an in-ear that is less expensive than RE-400 (possibly $50 MSRP) but it will depend on a few things.
 
One, is our production capacity. HiFiMAN designs and builds its own phones (including the drivers) which is unusual for a company its size. RE-400 is selling well and we expect RE-600 to be successful too. So it may be a matter of capacity.  
 
We are also looking at an in-ear with controls.
 
When we have it buttoned down, we'll let everyone know.
 
Peter 

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Not necessarily. Fang is actually interested in doing an in-ear that is less expensive than RE-400 (possibly $50 MSRP) but it will depend on a few things.
 
One, is our production capacity. HiFiMAN designs and builds its own phones (including the drivers) which is unusual for a company its size. RE-400 is selling well and we expect RE-600 to be successful too. So it may be a matter of capacity.  
 
We are also looking at an in-ear with controls.
 
When we have it buttoned down, we'll let everyone know.
 
Peter 

 
I may be the minority to say I'm happy to hear that being a mobile user myself (I run just about everything off my 5G iPod and definitely prefer controls).  Hopefully this idea comes to life  

 

[Inks]

RE400 with controls will be quite an attractive item.

 

[lwien]

Quote:

RE400 with controls will be quite an attractive item.

 
That's not what they say they're doing though.    A suggested $50msrp with controls indicates that it will not be to the same caliber as the 400's.

 

[vwinter]

RE400 with controls will be quite an attractive item.

Yes it would, but I'm still curious about the $50 model. It could be a bang for your buck nightmare for vsonic...

 

[WNBC]

I have two pairs of RE-400 and it never came with an owner's guide.  The back of the box has all of the information in regards to specs.  Surely, we would have bought these RE-600 without an owner's guide 

.  The guide's can be put on the world wide web for viewing and download.
 
Quote:

HiFiMAN is considering two or three options on a third in-ear. No plan to make a higher end version than RE-600. 
 
Btw, we should be getting our first shipment of RE-600s in the U.S next week. The latest delay was finishing the owner's guide. I thought it was done months ago but discovered that was RE-400.
 
Thanks to everyone for the interest. 
 
Peter

 

[HiFlight]

I have two pairs of RE-400 and it never came with an owner's guide.  The back of the box has all of the information in regards to specs.  Surely, we would have bought these RE-600 without an owner's guide 

.  The guide's can be put on the world wide web for viewing and download.

I suspect there are many lawyers getting involved who insist upon a manual to warn you that loud music might be harmful to your hearing!

 

[kyuuketsuki]

Quote:

I suspect there are many lawyers getting involved who insist upon a manual to warn you that loud music might be harmful to your hearing!

 
LIES! LIES AND SLANDER! Loud music is like angels playing magic in your ears! That is why amps were invented!

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Yes it would, but I'm still curious about the $50 model. It could be a bang for your buck nightmare for vsonic...

 
I could have sworn Head-Direct (remember that company?) had an IEM in the past that was 40 or 50 dollars.  I don't know if it was an older model that dropped in price, but it was around when I started the headphone hobby.  I was actually considering it until I went and bought the RE0 (for 80 bucks at the time).  I forget the model name though... 

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

We'll have to just agree to disagree in regard how we personally appreciate bass presentation. I don't find the 400 bloated or slow in the least (each drum beat sounds real); if you think this is bloated, you should hear the GR07 - it has even more bloom. The 400 strikes the perfect balance in terms of bass thickness imo. As for bass timbre accuracy, even if you're correct it makes too little a difference to me.
 
Now, let's talk about something more important - midrange. On the ER4S, I can hear but can't feel the vocals. My EQ'd 400 produces vocals that are tactile, palpable, and I feel their emotions without needing to try. I can almost touch the music. Everything has flesh, whereas the 4S is more like a painting: it may look nice, but it's still just 2-D.
 
Soundstage height - the 4S has none.

 
Quote:

 
The mere thought of something less accurate sounding more realistic disqualifies you as an audiophile.

 
Quote:

This is why I'd take a little extra decay over speed any day. I just sounds more realistic.

 
Well guys, I have a bunch of other headphones that I listen to and AB on a regular basis, so these are all my impressions of how the Etys and RE-400 compare not only to each other, but also to the other headphones. And I got some great reference cans to compare against - HD650 and HE-500, both of which need no introduction. I find that RE-400 sounds more similar to HD650, while the Etys sound closer to HE-500 in character. HD650 and RE-400 both have that extra rumble that HE-500 and Etys don't have, but at the same time don't sound quite as clean and tight in the lows as the latter two. HD650 does have a big advantage over all of my IEMs in presenting the proper bass impact and power, especially in the sub bass, probably due to its really well executed open back design. I find Etys, both HF5 and ER4, to have very similar bass quality to that of HE-500, although HF5 doesn't have the extension of ER4 and is slightly muddier in comparison. Actually, I think the Etys sound a bit tighter, but roll off earlier in the sub bass than HE-500. Both the high end planars and Etys have exceptionally clean, tight and textured bass that most dynamics, with the exception of the top ones like HD800, just can't match IMO. Actually, HD650 and RE-400 come pretty close and have a sufficiently good bass quality for me. If I only listen to either of the two for a while, I become perfectly happy with their bass quality and forget about the tighter bass of the Etys or HE-500. HD650 edges out RE-400 in bass reproduction because the bass, especially sub bass, is better felt on the full sized can, although bass quality is probably a bit higher on RE-400. In the mids, HD650 beats RE-400 in resolution and timbre, while RE-400 beats HD650 slightly in clarity. Both fall short of the transparency, clarity and realism in the midrange that HE-500 and ER4 are capable of IMO. In turn, HE-500 beats out ER4 in midrange smoothness, while retaining ER4's resolution and transparency, so the former is my midrange reference. In the treble, ER4S reigns supreme over all my other headphones in micro detail definition, but falls short of HE-500's speed IMO. HD650 has more even, more detailed and smoother highs than RE-400, but falls short compared to ER4S and HE-500. Overall, I would rate RE-400 and ER4 compared to my other current cans (those that I still actually use that is) in overall sound reproduction quality in each part of the spectrum as follows: Bass: HE-500 > HD650 > ER4S >= ER4P > PFE >= RE-400 >= HF5; Midrange: HE-500 > ER4S > ER4P >= HD650 > RE-400 >= PFE >= HF5; Treble: HE-500 >= ER4S > HD650 > RE-400 >= ER4P >= HF5 > PFE.

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

It's the same core driver with different tuned coil, diaphragm too apparently. It's exactly what I've been saying.

 
Does this statement seem really weird to anyone else?
 
"It's the same driver, just the very things that are directly responsible for making the sound (the voice coil/diaphragm assembly) are different."
 
So, in other words, it's a different driver.

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

 
LIES! LIES AND SLANDER! Loud music is like angels playing magic in your ears! That is why amps were invented!

 
...and hearing aids!

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

 
Does this statement seem really weird to anyone else?
 
"It's the same driver, just the very things that are directly responsible for making the sound (the voice coil/diaphragm assembly) are different."
 
So, in other words, it's a different driver.

 
HiFiMan made a statement that the entire driver is different...  Inks said it's the same (before HiFiMan made a statement)...  It's his way of...  Well, I'll let you connect the dots. 

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

 
HiFiMan made a statement that the entire driver is different...  Inks said it's the same (before HiFiMan made a statement)...  It's his way of...  Well, I'll let you connect the dots. 

 
So, Inks saying "It's exactly what I've been saying" is like someone else saying "I was wrong".

 

[tigon_ridge]

Quote:

 
 
 
Well guys, I have a bunch of other headphones that I listen to and AB on a regular basis, so these are all my impressions of how the Etys and RE-400 compare not only to each other, but also to the other headphones. And I got some great reference cans to compare against - HD650 and HE-500, both of which need no introduction. I find that RE-400 sounds more similar to HD650, while the Etys sound closer to HE-500 in character. HD650 and RE-400 both have that extra rumble that HE-500 and Etys don't have, but at the same time don't sound quite as clean and tight in the lows as the latter two. HD650 does have a big advantage over all of my IEMs in presenting the proper bass impact and power, especially in the sub bass, probably due to its really well executed open back design. I find Etys, both HF5 and ER4, to have very similar bass quality to that of HE-500, although HF5 doesn't have the extension of ER4 and is slightly muddier in comparison. Actually, I think the Etys sound a bit tighter, but roll off earlier in the sub bass than HE-500. Both the high end planars and Etys have exceptionally clean, tight and textured bass that most dynamics, with the exception of the top ones like HD800, just can't match IMO. Actually, HD650 and RE-400 come pretty close and have a sufficiently good bass quality for me. If I only listen to either of the two for a while, I become perfectly happy with their bass quality and forget about the tighter bass of the Etys or HE-500. HD650 edges out RE-400 in bass reproduction because the bass, especially sub bass, is better felt on the full sized can, although bass quality is probably a bit higher on RE-400. In the mids, HD650 beats RE-400 in resolution and timbre, while RE-400 beats HD650 slightly in clarity. Both fall short of the transparency, clarity and realism in the midrange that HE-500 and ER4 are capable of IMO. In turn, HE-500 beats out ER4 in midrange smoothness, while retaining ER4's resolution and transparency, so the former is my midrange reference. In the treble, ER4S reigns supreme over all my other headphones in micro detail definition, but falls short of HE-500's speed IMO. HD650 has more even, more detailed and smoother highs than RE-400, but falls short compared to ER4S and HE-500. Overall, I would rate RE-400 and ER4 compared to my other current cans (those that I still actually use that is) in overall sound reproduction quality in each part of the spectrum as follows: Bass: HE-500 > HD650 > ER4S >= ER4P > PFE >= RE-400 >= HF5; Midrange: HE-500 > ER4S > ER4P >= HD650 > RE-400 >= PFE >= HF5; Treble: HE-500 >= ER4S > HD650 > RE-400 >= ER4P >= HF5 > PFE.

The ER4S's midrange is excellent in that it has sufficient energy in the lower trebles (between 3-5kHz), which none of the other 3 have (the 400 being the worst in that regard). Other than that, I can't vouch for their midrange quality over the RE-400, especially since I use EQ to correct FR flaws anyways.
 
Quote:

 
HiFiMan made a statement that the entire driver is different...  Inks said it's the same (before HiFiMan made a statement)...  It's his way of...  Well, I'll let you connect the dots. 

"It's his way of..." pulling **** out of his ass? Hifiman says they use different diaphragms, so in his genius mind, he thinks, "So the diaphragm is different, but everything else about the driver is the same" based upon looking at FR graphs. This guy will continue to state his opinions as facts, and do so in his obnoxious way until an administrator stops him.