[ClieOS]

 
Here is the SPOCC cable I got from Lunashops that will fit RE1000 - it is basically the same cable that will fit old Westone CIEM (or UM), with 2 pins socket that has a groove on one side so it can only go in one way. The first impression when I receive it was good - the cable itself is soft and the general build quality is well worth the $23 price tag. But upon close inspection, two things come up - First, there is no cable slider. As the cable itself already doesn't have memory wire, a cable slider will help to tighten up and secure the cable to loop over the ear. Good thing is that the cable is soft enough that it will somewhat loop around by itself, but it isn't exactly a very secure fit. In any case, this is not that big a deal as I can come up with some DIY solution as cable slider. The next issue is however more important - putting the cable on and listening to it immediately reveals that the right side is out of phase. Checking with a multi-meter shows that the right side is indeed wired the wrong way. On RE1000, the ground pin should be the one on the front (toward face) and the signal pin is the one on the back. It is an issue because the socket's groove is now on the wrong side - so how do I fix this? Well, my quick and dirty solution is just to cut a small groove on the opposite side and then flip the socket around. Mine could very well be a lemon, but there is no way to confirm it and I certainly doesn't want to ship it back fro exchange.
 
So how does the cable sounds like? Well, just like any cable (*might as well mentioned that I am not big fan of expensive "upgrade" cable). But it is ergonomically better than the stock cable for sure. Plus, silver cable goes well with my RE1000's color combo.

 

[H20Fidelity]

   
Here is the SPOCC cable I got from Lunashops that will fit RE1000 - it is basically the same cable that will fit old Westone CIEM (or UM), with 2 pins socket that has a groove on one side so it can only go in one way. The first impression when I receive it was good - the cable itself is soft and the general build quality is well worth the $23 price tag. But upon close inspection, two things come up - First, there is no cable slider. As the cable itself already doesn't have memory wire, a cable slider will help to tighten up and secure the cable to loop over the ear. Good thing is that the cable is soft enough that it will somewhat loop around by itself, but it isn't exactly a very secure fit. In any case, this is not that big a deal as I can come up with some DIY solution as cable slider. The next issue is however more important - putting the cable on and listening to it immediately reveals that the right side is out of phase. Checking with a multi-meter shows that the right side is indeed wired the wrong way. On RE1000, the ground pin should be the one on the front (toward face) and the signal pin is the one on the back. It is an issue because the socket's groove is now on the wrong side - so how do I fix this? Well, my quick and dirty solution is just to cut a small groove on the opposite side and then flip the socket around. Mine could very well be a lemon, but there is no way to confirm it and I certainly doesn't want to ship it back fro exchange.
 
So how does the cable sounds like? Well, just like any cable (*might as well mentioned that I am not big fan of expensive "upgrade" cable). But it is ergonomically better than the stock cable for sure. Plus, silver cable goes well with my RE1000's color combo.

 
Common problem.  The issue with some lunashops cable (and cheap Chinese cables). It appears they don't have any QC when building their cables, obviously cheap labour, possibly not even aware of polarity, just pick up the plugs and solder them the first way it sits in their hand. One of my cables is the same from lunashops, however luckily I can reverse the plug to fit ASG-2. I always check their cables with a multimeter as its happened more than a few times.

 

[ClieOS]

   
Common problem.  The issue with some lunashops cable (and cheap Chinese cables). It appears they don't have any QC when building their cables, obviously cheap labour, possibly not even aware of polarity, just pick up the plugs and solder them the first way it sits in their hand. One of my cables is the same from lunashops, however luckily I can reverse the plug to fit ASG-2. I always check their cables with a multimeter as its happened more than a few times.

 
Guess it is more common a problem than I think. In any case, the pins and cable are sold separately as well so one can solder it to ensure 100% correct polarity. But for $23, I guess I can't complain too much.

 

[Bina]

Does this mean re1000 is using unique socket, so other 2pin cable won't fit?

 

[H20Fidelity]

   
Guess it is more common a problem than I think. In any case, the pins and cable are sold separately as well so one can solder it to ensure 100% correct polarity. But for $23, I guess I can't complain too much.

 
Most of the time its not a major barrier providing you pick up the problem like you did when you heard it. Many IEM using Westone recessed sockets there isn't a groove inside the female socket so the plug can be spun around with a quick check on your multimeter. The only other issue is if the cable has pre-moulded ear guides, I've had to heat them and bend them the opposite direction. Anyway, they're so cheap and built relatively well besides the little dilemma.

 

[ClieOS]

Does this mean re1000 is using unique socket, so other 2pin cable won't fit?

 
It is not unique per se, just an older fashion 2 pins socket Westone used back in the back of old UM and ES series. Unique Melody is still using them so it isn't exactly obsoleted either.

 

[tinyman392]

Here's my overall review of the RE-1000 (pictures inside!): http://www.ifans.com/forums/threads/hifiman-re-1000.419278/
 
That said, I'll cut out the relevant area of the review and post that here (the audio section):
 

 HiFiMan’s full-sized models typically have a relatively flat signature; their IEMs, on the other hand, go all over the place. The RE-300 has a V-shape, the RE-400 is warm over neutral, the RE-600 is warm, smooth, and bassy… The RE-1000 is V-shaped. A powerful, bass-focused signature mixes together with slightly strong treble and a smooth seductive midrange to create a signature that is coherent and musically balanced.

As stated, there is a strong, deep focus on the sub-bass with the RE-100. This creates a well-defined slam for each and every impact with sub-bass texture that has good presence with a solid texturing with a hint of fluidity. The bass is well controlled due to the quick decay. This creates a moderately tight midbass and impacts that hit quick and hard. The presentation still retains quite a bit of accuracy to the original recording. Songs that produce heavy bass will sound heavier, songs that don't use as much bass will do just that. Things are rarely overdone.

There are two things that stick out with the midrange of the RE-1000, the smoothness and the soundstage. We'll start with the latter; the soundstage is large due to the excellent separation among instruments and staging in general. This is definitely artificially done and songs with actual sound stage (like binaurally recorded songs) don't have a larger stage than regular ones. On the other hand, the main bulk of the RE-1000 is offered through a smooth, lush midrange, which is easy on the ears. Despite having this, details and clarity are not lost at all. Vocals are lush and deep with a nice hint of sweetness when it's needed. The only real issue I had with these is that they tended to be too smooth, too easy going, too soft... This leads to a signature that needed additional midrange energy in many songs.

As we go up high, we find out where the energy of the RE-1000 comes from, the upper treble. So, we'll start there. The upper treble offers quite a strong sparkle to it with a slight edge. For very poor recordings, it can get borderline sibilant, but never quite reaching that point; generally, however, it's quite tame. Details and separation are actually rendered quite well. The lower treble has a well-defined punch and hit with a good bit of energy. The result, snares have a very strong snap, but it's not overdone. I should note that there is a specific range (closer to mid-treble than upper treble) that is focused on with the treble. This causes the RE-1000 to sound anywhere from a bassy-IEM to a V-shaped IEM.

 

[ClieOS]

Interesting. I don't find it to be V-shaped at all, as I haven't heard any (borderline) sibilance.

 

[tinyman392]

  Interesting. I don't find it to be V-shaped at all, as I haven't heard any (borderline) sibilance.

Some of my tracks are a little harsh and not mastered too well.  That would be the cause of the sibilance...  The V-shape is a weird one.  It actually goes song by song with the specific instruments the are used as well.  It's either bassy, or it has a slight V-shape to it...  Balanced may be a better term.  Maybe it's just me and my preferences, I tend to prefer a more analytical phone anyways.  

 

[immtbiker]

My right side cable falls right out of the headphone on the un-balanced cable. Not sure if it's the fit in the recessed socket, or the pinholes not grasping the pins securely.
 
Because the socket is recessed, my other 2-pin options are no valid choices. Not sure why UM went in this direction.

 

[Kunlun]

 
Some of my tracks are a little harsh and not mastered too well.  That would be the cause of the sibilance...  The V-shape is a weird one.  It actually goes song by song with the specific instruments the are used as well.  It's either bassy, or it has a slight V-shape to it...  Balanced may be a better term.  Maybe it's just me and my preferences, I tend to prefer a more analytical phone anyways.  

I can confirm the treble spikes you've heard, they are present but not too bad at all, as you said. They go under the radar for some music, unless you listen for them.
 
For those wishing to hear them, the ultrasone test cd is a good reference: http://www.head-fi.org/t/212720/ultrasone-test-cd-in-flac-free
 
Chakraphon-Improvisation I and II are places where you can listen at medium loud and find a slightly uncomfortable feeling.
 
Also, the treble doesn't extend well in comparison to other dynamic driver earphones, which, at least for me, would make the term balanced not quite accurate given the bass quantity and excellent depth.
 
But, those treble spikes are not bad at all, the midrange is clear and well dampened, and the elevated bass is well done.
 
Overall, it's a bassy signature on the dark side--a strong contender for Darth Vader's CIEM!

 

[tinyman392]

 
I can confirm the treble spikes you've heard, they are present but not too bad at all, as you said. They go under the radar for some music, unless you listen for them.
 
For those wishing to hear them, the ultrasone test cd is a good reference: http://www.head-fi.org/t/212720/ultrasone-test-cd-in-flac-free
 
Chakraphon-Improvisation I and II are places where you can listen at medium loud and find a slightly uncomfortable feeling.
 
Also, the treble doesn't extend well in comparison to other dynamic driver earphones, which, at least for me, would make the term balanced not quite accurate given the bass quantity and excellent depth.
 
But, those treble spikes are not bad at all, the midrange is clear and well dampened, and the elevated bass is well done.
 
Overall, it's a bassy signature on the dark side--a strong contender for Darth Vader's CIEM!

It's a dark, bassy signature with a hint of the light if you look hard enough...  This truly is Darth Vader's CIEM  

 

[lookingforIEMs]

Treble description sounds a bit like the se5 ult.

I think what's done is that there is a lower treble dip then a slight upper treble emphasis. This prevents it from sounding piercing but still makes cymbals sound natural.

 

[mangus]

I received my set of RE1000's today and although I have not yet had an opportunity to give them a fair listen, I can say that the fit is excellent and the build quality seems to be very well done, as is the packaging and accessories.

I do need to spend some time listening prior to submitting a review, but I can say that from a very quick audition fresh out of the box, they sound very promising. It did take about a month after UM received my impressions until they landed on my doorstep.

More to come.....

EDIT: I have a couple of hours pairing with my DX80. From what I have heard so far, this is going to be a top performer. It does not have a flat frequency response but to quote a time-worn cliche, a very musical presentation with excellent imaging and a great midrange. So far, I haven't used any of my other portable DAC's nor have I used my desktop components.

While the build quality of the earphones themselves is superb, I can't say the same for the cable. It is similar to that of the RE400 and 600 in that it is rather stiff and easily kinked.

I will eventually make some comparisons with my MG5Pro and MG6Pro customs as well evaluate the performance with my Grace M9XX, P5, and Mojo. I can say that to the best of my memory, the RE1000 sound can be compared favorably to that of the HE-6.

One caveat is that the impedance of the RE1000 is only 12 ohms which might impact its performance when using sources with output impedances much over 1 ohm.

Stay tuned!

Thanks HiFlight - I'm also considering these along with others in the price range+ (UEPro/11/18?) and plan to pair with Mojo - Have you spent much time with that combo yet? <fingers crossed>

 

[HiFlight]

Thanks HiFlight - I'm also considering these along with others in the price range+ (UEPro/11/18?) and plan to pair with Mojo - Have you spent much time with that combo yet?

To be honest, after considerable listening, comparing and pondering, I have decided that the RE1000 is not my cup of tea. I did use the Mojo, Grace M9xx, and P5 amp as well as directly from my DX80 and DX90 while comparing the RE1000 with my other phones using many reference audio files that I have used for testing over the years.

I found the bass quantity to be more than my preference and much prefer a more neutral SQ as I mostly listen to classical genre's. I also found the stock cables to be a PIA due to tangling and kinking. I also still have concerns about the long-term reliability, as it is difficult to clean the bores without the risk of foreign material entering the driver chamber.

At about the same price point, my preference remains the Future Sonics MG5Pro.

I do think that for rock and pop genre's, many will like the sound delivered by the RE1000.