[llysender]

Any suggestions for a 4,4 cable to brighten R9 a bit?

Might want to look at SPC since pure silver tanks the noteweight too much for my tastes and UP copper while it brightens up the sound makes the R9 way too smooth.

Personally I'm using from a local cable maker Arctand labs but generally open-heart makes pretty decent cables without the 1 month turn around.

Edit:
Was playing around with the ali express cables I have:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003242862074.html

This is interestingly the best(I suspect its a SPC cable or a really poor purity silver cable) Still keeps the rich warm lower mids while opening up the treble. Bass isnt as tight as I would like but for something that isnt custom its really good.

 

[touzeen]

Can RE-9s slap air around with its bass?

If you mean tickle your eardrum and shake your skull,with the right tracks,yes it can.

 

[addyaustin]

If you mean tickle your eardrum and shake your skull,with the right tracks,yes it can.

Great. Thanks for replying. How is the bass compared to something like the meze classics?

 

[addyaustin]

Mostly want to understand if these can be considered basshead headphones?

 

[touzeen]

Great. Thanks for replying. How is the bass compared to something like the meze classics?

More slam,less definition compared to the Meze 99.

Mostly want to understand if these can be considered basshead headphones?

Yes,with bass heavy tracks.

 

[addyaustin]

More slam,less definition compared to the Meze 99.


Yes,with bass heavy tracks.

Awesome. Thanks a lot!

 

[Kukuk]

I just noticed these are on sale on Amazon for $109. I gladly paid $370 for these barely over a year ago.

Not sure why the price on these is sinking like a stone, must be clearance or something, but I feel like anyone considering getting a pair should jump now.

 

[touzeen]

I just noticed these are on sale on Amazon for $109. I gladly paid $370 for these barely over a year ago.

Not sure why the price on these is sinking like a stone, must be clearance or something, but I feel like anyone considering getting a pair should jump now.

I got mine for MRP

 

[HipHopScribe]

I just noticed these are on sale on Amazon for $109. I gladly paid $370 for these barely over a year ago.

Not sure why the price on these is sinking like a stone, must be clearance or something, but I feel like anyone considering getting a pair should jump now.

Not too unusual with Hifiman, they tend to do a lot of sales and turn over their headphone models pretty quickly.

Haven't heard a lot of great things about these, but at $109 I'm definitely giving them a try, especially since I already have a Bluemini R2R with my Deva Pros

 

[SilverEars]

Thanks guys, just ordered. Price worth triggering for. Does it come with wire cables?

 

[HipHopScribe]

Amazon being Amazon, I got these today after ordering last night and I’ve been listening to them for a while. The build is typical Hifiman cheap and the frequency response is all jacked up, but they’re pretty fun with movies and some genres of music. They’re not worth anywhere near retail, but as a cheap secondary headphone for when you want some real thump? Worth the current price for sure. Remind me a bit of the old TH-X00s that Fostex made with Drop

 

[SilverEars]

This is coming from somebody that was not impressed with the TH900 one bit (quite disappointed when I heard it), and I think this headphone sounds to be on the same performance level as the 900 without the annoying 6k peak. What chall think? These are definately not detail monsters. I wouldn't go expecting hifi detail level. Tonal response seams to be better than the Audivina. Bass is fun, but definately V-shaped sound. Treble and bass are emphasized. Not as precise of bass as their planars, but great in quantity slam that their planars lack. Mids a bit on the warmer side that reduces clarity. Which is why bass and treble stands out to be V-shaped sounding.

Imaging is pretty avg because we know that high end Hifimans have impressive imaging. As far as sound stage size, not sure if it's bigger than avg or not, although the cups makes you expect big sound stage.

If you are driving these out of a portable/transportable, you probably not hearing what's it's capable of. You need to drive these with high current. Sensitivity is quite low at 100.

This response confirms what I hear. Higher mids needs more body around 2k. We see why the bass slams. If you're sensitive to 3k, you will hear it. lol

Have similarities to the TH900, which you pay mainly for the japanese labor in making the cups. You see that 6k? It's annoying as heck! I guess the 900 just goes deeper in the bass.

 

[Chad Schulz]

I've found a Parametric EQ setting that I like for the HE-R9 while leaving much of their unique character intact. It reduces the mid-bass bloat, adds ear-gain, and tames those upper-mid/treble peaks. I also increased the clamp (bending the yokes down a bit) which dramatically improves dynamics/impact with my moderately sized head.

Adjust to individual taste for best effect as no two headphones (or ears, for that matter) are the same.

Pre-Amp: -5.0 dB
Freq: 30 Hz Gain: 8.7 Q value: 0.71 Filter: Low-Shelf
Freq: 86 Hz Gain: -5.0 Q value: 0.34 Filter: Low-Shelf
Freq: 210 Hz Gain: 1.5 Q value: 3.3 Filter: Peak
Freq: 283 Hz Gain: -3.0 Q value: 1.0 Filter: Peak
Freq: 375 Hz Gain: 4.0 Q value: 1.7 Filter: Peak
Freq: 908 Hz Gain: -1.4 Q value: 1.0 Filter: Peak
Freq: 1600 Hz Gain: 6.0 Q value: 1.4 Filter: Peak
Freq: 3243 Hz Gain: -2.7 Q value: 1.5 Filter: Peak
Freq: 4971 Hz Gain: 3.0 Q value: 2.5 Filter: Peak
Freq: 7617 Hz Gain: -2.0 Q Value: 1.7 Filter: Peak

BTW, I don't recommend modding-out the reverb in these ridiculously huge cups. It's something special that should be embraced, like being in a concert hall... Distortion be damned!

I hope this helps others find extra enjoyment from these (now) exceptionally value-oriented audiophile headphones.
Chad

 

[Kerry56]

Ordered a set of these and have been trying them out today. I like headphones with a warm tone, so I thought these might be something I'd like right off the bat, but I have to say, on the first day, I've got mixed feelings about them.

I listened to a few songs that I'm familiar with, mostly in lossless flac files to test the sound from the R9. I started with a song called Ghetto Love, by Spinerette. It has thumping bass in the background, and the R9 did pretty well with this song. It doesn't slam as hard as my old Fostex TH-X00 did, however, and the bass seems diffuse and overbearing.

Next up was something to test for sibilance, which is easy to find on The Shins song, Kissing the Lipless. The R9 passed this test, but overall, the sound was a bit too dull.

Female vocals was the next category, and I was disappointed by the R9's rendition of California, by Joni Mitchell. She seemed distant, which is not something I've heard from this recording before.

Male vocals: Free Ride by Nick Drake. This was really good. Surprised me.

For something a little more orchestral, I tried Hans Zimmer's No Time for Caution. Honestly, this was the worst I've heard this particular piece. My CAL! and Fidelio X2 are both superior.

Then, just for fun, I played The Black Keys, Little Black Submarine. Oh, yes. This was very nice, both in the quiet intro section with the acoustic guitar and the climactic end.

So, a mixed bag. As to impressions about the headphone look and construction, well, they look odd. They are light, but the materials aren't what you might expect from a headphone they were trying to sell for $600. I paid $109, with free shipping, and they might be worth that much. The headband is unimpressive, and the cord is too short.

I'm going to listen to them for a few days, just to get a feel for their sound. Then I'm going to follow someone's advice and try EQ with them. If that isn't good enough, I suspect I'll try a few mods to tighten the bass. Seems like there is plenty of room in those cavernous cups.

 

[Kerry56]

As a follow-up, I gave up early while testing the original sound. The R9 is much better with EQ.

Lots of room for experimentation though, and I can try a few mods, like lining the cups and adding some acoustic foam.

Since I'm a woodworker, I picked out a nice piece of cherry in my shop, and I'll see if I can make some new cups for these. I'm not a woodturner however, and that skill would be nice to have when making cups. I'll make a post if I ever get started on that project. Weight alone might be too much for it to be a success.