Posted this in the RE262 review thread yesterday. I shall post it here for the other readers to read as well.
The RE262 is truly something special.
Just got my hands on the RE272, the magical mids of the RE262 are gone. Unfortunately I don't have my RE262 with me anymore so I can't do a direct comparison. Do take what I type here with a pinch of salt as these will be based on memory.
You will definitely get a trade-off when you upgrade the RE262 to the RE272 (depends if you consider price difference as an upgrade but headdirect does label RE272 as their flagship iem). You get better micro details with a much colder mids in the RE272 in exchange for the warmer and more forward mids in the RE262. But what this translate to is that the RE272 is less colored and as a result more neutral sounding than its cousin.
Highs are more prominent in the RE272 which is to be expected. You get the sense of air that other people have been talking about with this iem, which wasn't prominent in the RE262. Instrument separation is also better on the RE272. As a result, tracks that once sounded congested on the RE262 is now better handled in the RE272.
I can't comment much on the bass, but it seems that the RE262 has slightly more impact.
FWIW, I think both are quite different sounding iems and it is really down to your preference if you ever want to own one. Do remember that you may need an amp for the RE262. If I had to get one, my money would be on the RE262 due to its magical mids, although you will be severly limited to songs which aren't too complex sounding, meaning genres such as techno, metal, rock music are possibly a no go for the RE262. Listen to acoustic, female tracks such as Adele, Ingrid Michaelson and you will be rewarded with aural pleasure.
Edit: I shall now add on a little to my earlier post.
My RE272 has now been burned in for slightly over 30 hours since I got them. I've decided to have another go at the RE272.
Tracks are all in FLAC or WAV format.
Source is HM-602 on high gain, EQ-ed.
LOVING the transparency and details of the RE272! Quite a breath of fresh air especially when coming from the RE262. Soundstage and imaging is pretty amazing for an IEM. I am actually very impressed although it can't be compared to a full-sized can. In fact, I think it is better than all the other IEMs I have owned so far. The closest IEM would be the Westone UM2.
The bass of the RE272 is where it gets disappointing. Even after EQing, the bass on the RE272 is nowhere near to my kind of preference. While I am not looking for Westone 3 bass, I would appreciate more bass to my music. For those who have heard the W3 before, I find its bass overpowering which only serves to muffle the music. For certain tracks the RE272 is more than adequate in providing the bass. However, very often I hear little to no sub-bass and very weak bass on the RE272.
FWIW, I do rate the RE272 better than the RE262 overall. My only wish in the RE282 (if that is what it is called) would be to bring back the mids of the RE262. I can live with a lack of bass because the mids IMO are usually what helps bring the music alive all over again.
The RE262 is truly something special.
Just got my hands on the RE272, the magical mids of the RE262 are gone. Unfortunately I don't have my RE262 with me anymore so I can't do a direct comparison. Do take what I type here with a pinch of salt as these will be based on memory.
You will definitely get a trade-off when you upgrade the RE262 to the RE272 (depends if you consider price difference as an upgrade but headdirect does label RE272 as their flagship iem). You get better micro details with a much colder mids in the RE272 in exchange for the warmer and more forward mids in the RE262. But what this translate to is that the RE272 is less colored and as a result more neutral sounding than its cousin.
Highs are more prominent in the RE272 which is to be expected. You get the sense of air that other people have been talking about with this iem, which wasn't prominent in the RE262. Instrument separation is also better on the RE272. As a result, tracks that once sounded congested on the RE262 is now better handled in the RE272.
I can't comment much on the bass, but it seems that the RE262 has slightly more impact.
FWIW, I think both are quite different sounding iems and it is really down to your preference if you ever want to own one. Do remember that you may need an amp for the RE262. If I had to get one, my money would be on the RE262 due to its magical mids, although you will be severly limited to songs which aren't too complex sounding, meaning genres such as techno, metal, rock music are possibly a no go for the RE262. Listen to acoustic, female tracks such as Adele, Ingrid Michaelson and you will be rewarded with aural pleasure.
Edit: I shall now add on a little to my earlier post.
My RE272 has now been burned in for slightly over 30 hours since I got them. I've decided to have another go at the RE272.
Tracks are all in FLAC or WAV format.
Source is HM-602 on high gain, EQ-ed.
LOVING the transparency and details of the RE272! Quite a breath of fresh air especially when coming from the RE262. Soundstage and imaging is pretty amazing for an IEM. I am actually very impressed although it can't be compared to a full-sized can. In fact, I think it is better than all the other IEMs I have owned so far. The closest IEM would be the Westone UM2.
The bass of the RE272 is where it gets disappointing. Even after EQing, the bass on the RE272 is nowhere near to my kind of preference. While I am not looking for Westone 3 bass, I would appreciate more bass to my music. For those who have heard the W3 before, I find its bass overpowering which only serves to muffle the music. For certain tracks the RE272 is more than adequate in providing the bass. However, very often I hear little to no sub-bass and very weak bass on the RE272.
FWIW, I do rate the RE272 better than the RE262 overall. My only wish in the RE282 (if that is what it is called) would be to bring back the mids of the RE262. I can live with a lack of bass because the mids IMO are usually what helps bring the music alive all over again.