[Dobrescu George]

RE-800 has got to be one of the most comfortable IEMs I have ever tried. Much more than exceptional when it comes to their comfort! They are small, they sit well in my ears, they disappear entirely while worn. I find them super awesome in practice!

 

[Stuff Jones]

Any sonic impressions?

 

[Dobrescu George]

Any sonic impressions?

It is early for complex impressions, just got the package today, but they are great, and the general impression is very positive. I have to listen more before I can properly describe the signature and every detail about it, but the major headline is that they fare very well so far, details are good, they sound musical and man, they are incredibly comfortable! I have never work a IEM that was this comfortable. I mean this, those are the one most comfortable IEM I have ever put in my ears, they are so tiny and weightless, the cable is supple and the ergonomics are great as well.

 

[Saoshyant]

It's tempting, awful tempting. But considering I own an IE800, I worry that'd be a bit of money for a lateral move. Maybe I need to figure out a way to audition.

 

[antonyfirst]

I have received my RE800 and they must be the most comfortable IEM I have ever used.

Obviously, I am a foamies junkie, and after ten minutes I was already listening to them with foam tips, and comfort is exceptional.
They have very deep insertion, which I believe helps a lot with the sound quality, since everything is perceived more clearly, in a multilayered manner, and in a fuller way. It's more intimate. Plus, they have really big soundstage, which is even more pleasant given it springs from the deep insertion.
They have beautiful presence, midrange and detail, and render laters very well. They are slightly upper-midrangey and, compared to the RE2000, lack some bass extension, but they are really very exciting and beautiful sounding. They have "brightness" in a good way, that tiny bit that makes the music connect more to me, and smooth treble. I am really liking these a lot.

I have taken some high-res pictures of the babies:

 

[twister6]

It is early for complex impressions, just got the package today, but they are great, and the general impression is very positive. I have to listen more before I can properly describe the signature and every detail about it, but the major headline is that they fare very well so far, details are good, they sound musical and man, they are incredibly comfortable! I have never work a IEM that was this comfortable. I mean this, those are the one most comfortable IEM I have ever put in my ears, they are so tiny and weightless, the cable is supple and the ergonomics are great as well.

We probably have a different definition of musical, George RE800 sound is on a thinner side, lacking body and naturalness in tonality, bass is neutral, upper mids are lifted, bright, closer to analytical level, treble is edging toward sibilant. Definitely plenty of airiness and transparency, but that 7k peak hits my eardrums hard I definitely think it will find fans if you are not as sensitive to bright upper mids/treble or use a warmer source, but if you are a fan of a natural musical tonality, these will sound harsh.

The shell indeed, very comfortable, reminds me a lot of their classic RE400, very lightweight. But as I mentioned in another thread, I just wish they would have a strain relief where cable connects to the shell.

That's how I captured FR of RE800 with Veritas (obviously, not a professional setup, but that's exactly how i hear it in this uncompensated measurement).

 

[PinkyPowers]

So Alex, is the RE2000 a smoother, more natural profile?

 

[Dobrescu George]

We probably have a different definition of musical, George RE800 sound is on a thinner side, lacking body and naturalness in tonality, bass is neutral, upper mids are lifted, bright, closer to analytical level, treble is edging toward sibilant. Definitely plenty of airiness and transparency, but that 7k peak hits my eardrums hard I definitely think it will find fans if you are not as sensitive to bright upper mids/treble or use a warmer source, but if you are a fan of a natural musical tonality, these will sound harsh.

The shell indeed, very comfortable, reminds me a lot of their classic RE400, very lightweight. But as I mentioned in another thread, I just wish they would have a strain relief where cable connects to the shell.

That's how I captured FR of RE800 with Veritas (obviously, not a professional setup, but that's exactly how i hear it in this uncompensated measurement).

Now that you mention it, I do hear the treble being fairly airy, and I might say that I somewhat hear a small peak, but I honestly don't mind it one bit, and it is far under what I would consider a problem. I love V and U shaped signatures with very strong treble though, so this should be taken into account. 7 - 10dB of treble emphasis is nothing new or dramatic to me, ie800 has almost 15 dB... Those are relative, ie800 has a 15 dB treble emphasis relative to mids, RE-800 has 7dB, I love both.

About musicality, I do think that the mids are quite musical, female voices sound sweet and guitar notes flow extremely natural to my ears.

Having a stress relief where the cable connects to the shell would have been better, but let's hope that the construction quality makes them fair well, even without it.

So Alex, is the RE2000 a smoother, more natural profile?

RE-2000 doesn't have that exact 7kHz peak to my ears and at this moment, but they are fairly energetic and lively IEMs, I love their sound and my recent but still in work TOTL IEM classification is something like DK-3001 = ie800 < RE800 < RE-2000 for the overall sound. RE-800 actually manages to have more details than ie800 somehow, at least to my ears and with my tests so far. I need far more time with both RE-800 and RE-2000 though since the more complex a sound is, the harder it is to describe it.

 

[twister6]

So Alex, is the RE2000 a smoother, more natural profile?

It is, for sure. That's how I measured Re2k (btw, Paul has a very similar measurement of RE800 and RE2000 he shared in RE2000 thread). Upper mids are still forward, but Re2k has more body in sound than Re800.



Plus, the advantage with RE2000 is being able to replace the cable. At least for me it can make a difference, not preaching just saying but i'm a sucker for a pure copper wires But hey, it's all a matter of a personal taste. I know you love Encore, while I find it too bright for my taste and would rather go for Katana. So, I think Re2k might be right up your valley, Caleb! That's why manufacturers make iems with different sound sigs, to suite different people

 

[PinkyPowers]

It is, for sure. That's how I measured Re2k (btw, Paul has a very similar measurement of RE800 and RE2000 he shared in RE2000 thread). Upper mids are still forward, but Re2k has more body in sound than Re800.



Plus, the advantage with RE2000 is being able to replace the cable. At least for me it can make a difference, not preaching just saying but i'm a sucker for a pure copper wires But hey, it's all a matter of a personal taste. I know you love Encore, while I find it too bright for my taste and would rather go for Katana. So, I think Re2k might be right up your valley, Caleb! That's why manufacturers make iems with different sound sigs, to suite different people

That graph does seem more to my tastes!

I'm listening to the RE800 right now. It's great in a lot of ways, and has grown on me much over the weeks. With the right source, it can be quite magical. But it's still a little to bright up top, and is prone to sibilance like nothing I've heard.

 

[ostewart]

That graph does seem more to my tastes!

I'm listening to the RE800 right now. It's great in a lot of ways, and has grown on me much over the weeks. With the right source, it can be quite magical. But it's still a little to bright up top, and is prone to sibilance like nothing I've heard.

Indeed it is a little too happy up top sometimes, I know comply does take away some of the dynamics, but they do help tame the sound somewhat for longer sessions.

I'm still in love with the RE2K, it has something in the midrange that makes vocals sound so intimate and real, they just sound so right in the midrange. They definitely don't have the brightness of the RE800, but the RE800 fits better in my tiny ears.

@twister6 I'm with you on the cables Atlas Zeno IEM + RE2K = Heaven sound wise, but not the most ergonomic cable.

 

[Stuff Jones]

Sounds similar to the Fibass. Can anyone compare them/

 

[Dobrescu George]

Sounds similar to the Fibass. Can anyone compare them/

I think that from the descriptions of FIBASS they are similar.

I do hear the little 10 kHz peak @twister6 mentioned and I agree and take back my word.

This is why I tend to have an opinion after longer time spent with something, I need to test with a variety of music before I have a total opinion, and this is why it takes me a lot of time to write a proper reiew, I want to avoid having any errors. Seems that I tested RE-800 with music that didn't show the peak before, now that I spent more time with them and with more types of music, I do understand what people are talking about and why RE-2000 is considered better.

 

[PinkyPowers]

I think that from the descriptions of FIBASS they are similar.

I do hear the little 10 kHz peak @twister6 mentioned and I agree and take back my word.

This is why I tend to have an opinion after longer time spent with something, I need to test with a variety of music before I have a total opinion, and this is why it takes me a lot of time to write a proper reiew, I want to avoid having any errors. Seems that I tested RE-800 with music that didn't show the peak before, now that I spent more time with them and with more types of music, I do understand what people are talking about and why RE-2000 is considered better.

Yeah, warm, acoustic music sounds really good with the RE800. But if the music has a natural brightness to it, they can become less pleasant. Depending on the source, they can become practically unpleasant.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Yeah, warm, acoustic music sounds really good with the RE800. But if the music has a natural brightness to it, they can become less pleasant. Depending on the source, they can become practically unpleasant.[/QUOTE

Try more like Post-Hardcore, Death Metal, Vocaloid and Metal in general - this is what usually makes my plate. Initially, I also tried RE-800 with acoustic and didn't notice that peak at all, it is incredible with Jazz, Cabaret and music that is smoother in general, but music that is already ultra aggressive might get a bit hot.