[chaosfayt]

Heya all,
I've read through aloooott of reviews on both and i must say they are both very exciting affordable headphones.

Right now I'm using a crossroads quattros and i am loving the punchiness of sounds (if thats how its described, like a bounce on piano notes, maybe its called attack, idk ) and the awesome soundstage.

I'm considering upgrading to either to PFE or the RE0 cause of its affordable price and high end earphone SQ.

over here in singapore , the price for RE0 is 156 sgd with shipping and for the PFEs about 180-190sgd.

I'm a guy who likes to be immersed in the music and am also a very analytical listener, i like to listen for the details in the music, they thrill me. Not really a basshead here but i would like enough bass to feel the "impact" of the music, not the hard thud thuds , but not a complete lack of them as well. What matters to me alot is the mid and high ranges . I like soaring highs , clear mids , attack , seperation and a good soundstage (in which you can sometimes hear the echoes in live music) rather than earphones which have a 2d sound.

I hear that the RE0's soundstage improves with the mod, as well as the highs and mids and that the PFE has a small soundstage, which is not really favourable imo. Are they true? Is the mod on the RE0 more detrimental than helpful?

I need some help in deciding between these two.

Thanks a bunch

-edit- I have an E5 and a derringer amp, but i think i'll want to use the derringer if that matters .

 

[chaosfayt]

gosh cmon no help at all?

 

[mark2410]

id say RE0

not heard the pfe but the RE0 are stunningly good. for the money unbelievably so.

only commenting since no one else is

 

[chaosfayt]

haha thank you

hows the soundstage on the RE0?

 

[mark2410]

pretty good, most dynamics do get that right.

vastly better than etys but nothing spectacular in the grand scheme of things

 

[Bacon_N_Cheese]

About 10 hours into my RE0's and I find them quite boring, although you may like them since they are very analytical

 

[mark2410]

well i love them fiio'd, you tried that yet?

 

[Thrashingshrimp]

Well, since the PFE is getting no love, I'll just say that mine are great. The soundstage is nothing special, but the detail is simply amazing. The quality of the bass is great too, though the treble seems to mask it.

Have not heard the RE0's.

 

[ethan961]

I think the PFE is what you want with the exception of soundstage, it doesn't have a particularily expansive soundstage but it does have some. The PFE has the mids and highs you are looking for without a doubt.
With the FiiO Bass Boost you should have plenty of nice clean quality bass, which is also what you are looking for. Not too much, but just enough to satisfy the need.
I suggest you order the PFE from the audeoworld site and take advantage of the 2 week no questions asked return period - if you don't like them, return them and get a full refund (less shipping). I do not know if they do that in Singapore, but if they do I would recommend you try that as they sound perfect for you except for the lesser soundstage in comparison. They do improve with an amp, btw.
I have not heard the RE0 but from what I have ready I would classify the PFE as being more lively and having those soaring mids and highs, with excellent sparkle on the highs, yet still being slightly analytical. I say it's a fun analytical, not the Ety style.
With the RE0 being the FOTM (not meant negatively) with the reduced price, there should be lots of impressions for you to judge.

 

[etnt]

Have not listened to the PFE, but I wouldn't say the RE0 is punchy. You hear the bass, but you won't feel it. For a lack of a better word, it lacks body, sounding more like taking jabs at you rather than punches.

Another thing to consider is your source. If you are using an iPhone, the PFE comes with the option of mic/remote, while RE0 doesn't.

 

[chaosfayt]

at a cut throat cost of 20-30 US more which translates to 40-60 dollars more lmao.

 

[etnt]

Since you are in Singapore, take a look at null-audio for the PFE Phonak Audéo PFE Earphones : Null Audio Studio, Where everything is purely handmade

It's only about 30sgd more and there's a further 10% discount coupon (pfe10) that you can use when you checkout, bringing the cost to just below 210sgd if you self collect at their shop for the version with mic/control.

 

[koven]

if you're running unamped, the re0 is way better... and to the people saying re0 is too analytical/cold, the pfe is far worse in that regard

the re0 is very balanced/neutral... the pfe is bright/cold

an amp changes things though.. both sound great amped so it's a tough choice if you're amping

 

[mvw2]

You guys are funny.

The PFE is superior in most every way.

What the RE0 does really well is that it offers a very broad frequency response, so 30Hz tones are present (although light) and 15kHz tones are present (although not well articulated). The breadth of the RE0 is very impressive. I have yet to listen to any other earphone match it in frequency response.

As well, the RE0 doesn't really do anything really wrong. It just plays music and doesn't greatly mess up anything. Tonality is good. Frequency response is good. Level of detail is good. Nothing is particularly amazing about the earphone though.

The PFE is on a whole other level. It is a superior product. The difference between the RE0 and PFE is like this. With the RE0 you think this is a nice earphone. It functions well. I could live with this just fine. With the PFE, you instantly get the sense that oh my god, this thing is special. The dynamics, level of detail, speed, etc. are all really quiet good. You get a wow sense from it because it does something special. Now I could argue the PFE is slightly flawed. Mainly, the top end frequency response is jagged. It's livable as is without much care, but the PFE gets considerably better once EQ is used to flatten out the top end response. It just evens out the presentation and makes everything better. You can fine tune the rest of the frequency range as needed to get your personal desired result too. There isn't much else to complain about though for the PFE. It's an exceptional product and at a very competitive price point where it basically spanks most everything else out there for anything anywhere near the price.

Tonality:
PFE - midrange emphasis and some boost on the bottom end as well.
RE0 - slightly warm but still quite natural sounding with a sloping response curve with emphasis towards the lows

Presence:
PFE - very direct, exact, high energy, light in note
RE0 - slightly dark sounding, mellow, edgy but light detail

Dynamics:
PFE - effortless, bottomless
RE0 - constrained/compressed, noticeable effort in note presentation (may require a lot of wattage but not sure, my FiiO E5 wasn't enough for it if so)

Frequency range:
PFE - 20Hz-12kHz, well extended bottom end, jagged top end with sharp roll off on the top end
RE0 - 20Hz-20kHz, you hear everything, but light on the bottom and not articulated well up top

SPL:
PFE - High, I never found the top end on this thing, just keeps coming and gets louder and louder seemingly effortlessly (wattage does improve bass response control)
RE0 - High, can get loud if you want without complaint, bass is noticeably limited and does not response well to EQing boosts, will distort noticeably with EQing to fill out the bottom end but doesn't noticeably seem to care with no EQ.

Amping:
PFE - not terribly needed, noticeably helps control of bass
RE0 - unsure, with or without there is slight benefit to amping, like most earphones, and just mainly improved control, but earphone sounds noticeably "weak" or constrained in dynamics which may go away with a robust amp (FiiO E5 doesn't cut it).

Comments:
PFE - Immediately special sound, absolutely effortless and bottomless dynamics I have yet to hear from another earphone
RE0 - Sort of a jack of all trades, does a LOT of what you want an earphone to do, but it also doesn't amaze or impress in any ways. It's a product with minimal faults but also a product that isn't incredible either. If I had a choice of this earphone and any of the other earphones I've used, I would keep picking most every of my other earphones, and that's not a good thing.


As well since the PFE is a contender, I will always add the Etymotic ER4 (S or P) as a secondary option. I consider the ER4 to be an equal to the PFE, well slightly better overall then the PFE. It's more of a flavor thing. The ER4 and PFE (using gray filters) has a very similar frequency response.

The PFE is more dynamic and effortless and light in note. The ER4 has a better stage presentation in size, space, and separation and has a thicker but well defined note. The top end response of the ER4 is smoother and better then the PFE (without EQing). The bottom end of the PFE is more extended and fuller in frequency response then the ER4(without EQing). I personally consider the ER4 better from an overall standpoint as in it offers a little more (stage presence) and does less wrong (better frequency response up top), but choice between the two is dependent upon personal preference. Both are very comparable products, just with their particular unique flavor.

 

[chaosfayt]

thanks guys and mvw2, very very nice comparison

, i'm sure this will help alot of people decide between the RE0s and PFEs .

I'm going to amp for sure, can't live without amps

How much is the ER4 though? Its the etymotics right? I thought etymotics had a very sterile sound signature that doesn't fit alot of people , what do you say about that ?

Lol the Er4s are 299 , way above my budget