[proedros]

wait 50 hours before you whine.

 

[esanthosh]

They don't sound alike and won't. That said, I had RE0 for a year+ before I recently got the ZEROs and prefer ZEROs, but not by much. IEM comparisons always tend to be from the point of view of the favored IEM. So, if you like RE0, ZERO is forward, thick with recessed and rolled off treble. If you like RE-ZERO, then RE0 would have thinned down mids, bass roll-off, sharp treble. Audio memory is illusive and can zoom on little differences more than you think.
 
Usually, when people say "burn-in", it is at least 25-50 hours. Since you have no option to return them, it's better that you at least give a week, don't listen when it burns in for the next 40+ hours (5 days x 8 hours or 6 x 7 - whatever floats your boat), give it a listen next weekend and then update this thread.

 

[Wildstar]

You should also try listening to them for awhile after the burn-in.
I only got the ZEROs because of a sale price, and at first almost regretted my purchase, but after wearing them for a few commutes I started to appreciate their strengths.

 

[psgarcha92]

Hey esanthosh, they have been burned in more than 35 hours.
i am considering talking to Lynx again.
or, searching for someone's broken 0s i can get for lesser.....
"lets the see what happens".hehe.

 

[esanthosh]

 
Quote:

Hey esanthosh, they have been burned in more than 35 hours.

But, I don't think you've given Psycho-acoustics a fair chance to work. Have you?

 
Just stop listening for 3-4 days and let it burn-in for another 20 hours. You need to give your brain a chance to purge the memory of sound, give RE-ZERO a fresh pair of ears without the shadow of RE0 looming large and then see how it goes. Combined with the completion of 50 hours burn-in + lesser expectations, you might see RE-ZERO in a new perspective.
 
There are several IEMs which I hated initially but went on to like later on (later meaning 60-80 hrs here) like RE0, HJE900 etc., Sometimes you never get to know the strength of a certain IEM when listening to it alone. But the moment you try another IEM, your brain figures out what you are missing from the first. If you have another lower end IEM, use it for a few days and then listen to RE-ZERO later. May work out nicely for both your wallet and RE-ZERO.
 
As with everything here, this is my opinion and YMMV!

 

[toliman]

Quote:

Just stop listening for 3-4 days and let it burn-in for another 20 hours. You need to give your brain a chance to purge the memory of sound, give RE-ZERO a fresh pair of ears without the shadow of RE0 looming large and then see how it goes. Combined with the completion of 50 hours burn-in + lesser expectations, you might see RE-ZERO in a new perspective.
 

I also bought the ZEROs and reported that there were problems in the impressions RE-ZERO thread, and everyone who responded did make some pretty good observations which were great at the time. read through if you haven't already. 
 
the thing i had to keep in mind is, i believe they really do need the warm-in. i noticed the 'overlap' in the mid 5-8k range, where an ety would be sibilant and warm, there was just a dullness and some distortion & clipping in the first day just wearing them at home.
 
to get them to 'warm in', i hooked them up to my ipod 5G on shuffle via my bedroom alarm clock and played music for about 2 days on a loop at low enough volume overnight , then connected them up to a laptop for the rest of the week, at about mid-volume, enough to hear over the street noise, etc. i was a bit concerned when the 'burn' in wasn't helping, but about 8 days later, unplugged them, and tried them out for a few hours, they sounded normal, and i don't hear them the same way or hear the problems like i did before.
 
your experience may turn out to be the same, but those first few days were unpleasant.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I'm actually liking the Zeros more than what I remember of the RE0s. With a perfect-fit the bass texture is better as-is presence. The treble isn't as great (though still competent) but I'm loving the mids, even more so than the RE262s mids which sound a bit off to me. 

How do you like the Zero compared to the Xcape v.1?  I think Rawster said he had a hard time telling the difference between the two.  In fact, I've heard the v.1 was changed to the v.2 because of the similarity.

 

[Inks]

(From Memory) the Xcapes bass is more textured and perhaps more extended. The midrange isn't as forward as the Zeros, specially the upper midrange. In terms of treble they are very similar but the Xcapes seem to give these frequencies a tad more presence. When it comes to presentation their soundstage is similar in depth and size but the Zeros are airer in it's sound. Probably going to have them side by side later on so I'll update this when possible.  

 

[Kh2456]

I hated the zeros with a passion. I new instantly after putting them in my ears that they were going back. The forward mids drove me crazy and they honestly sounded like a what 30 dollar bud should like. Not a 100 dollar pair.

 

[JosephKim]

what are your previous IEMs? Some people coming from low quality IEMs with boomy bass and screeching treble think higher quality IEMs have something missing lol. I thought the RE-ZEROs were great.
Quote:

I hated the zeros with a passion. I new instantly after putting them in my ears that they were going back. The forward mids drove me crazy and they honestly sounded like a what 30 dollar bud should like. Not a 100 dollar pair.

 
 

 

[Kh2456]

 
Ultimate Ears SuperFi 4, Etymotic mc5's, and Klipsch s4's. 
 
Quote:

what are your previous IEMs? Some people coming from low quality IEMs with boomy bass and screeching treble think higher quality IEMs have something missing lol. I thought the RE-ZEROs were great.

 
 

 

 

[mangamonster]

Quote:

I also bought the ZEROs and reported that there were problems in the impressions RE-ZERO thread, and everyone who responded did make some pretty good observations which were great at the time. read through if you haven't already. 
 
the thing i had to keep in mind is, i believe they really do need the warm-in. i noticed the 'overlap' in the mid 5-8k range, where an ety would be sibilant and warm, there was just a dullness and some distortion & clipping in the first day just wearing them at home.
 
to get them to 'warm in', i hooked them up to my ipod 5G on shuffle via my bedroom alarm clock and played music for about 2 days on a loop at low enough volume overnight , then connected them up to a laptop for the rest of the week, at about mid-volume, enough to hear over the street noise, etc. i was a bit concerned when the 'burn' in wasn't helping, but about 8 days later, unplugged them, and tried them out for a few hours, they sounded normal, and i don't hear them the same way or hear the problems like i did before.
 
your experience may turn out to be the same, but those first few days were unpleasant.

My first impression was the same. I thought they were defective. They sounded like wet cardboard at first....all mids, no lower extension, and the highs had no confidence and also sounded clippy. Guess I'll just need to take them out of the drawer and burn some noise into them for a couple days.

 

[b0ck3n]

I just got a replacement pair of RE-ZEROs in the mail today after the left earpiece gave out on my first pair. Stuck 'em into my ears and ran some good tracks through them and they were just as great as I remembered my first pair being. That first pair was difficult to grow accustomed to though - the first couple of days I found them thin, tinny, brittle and sibilant - probably not what most people would think at all but that's what I got with my background in headphones. Loved them after a week, and it just goes to show how important it is to let your ears break in and adjust to the sound of a new headphone.

 

[mangamonster]

I put through 80+ hrs of burn in on these guys and unfortunately, I am just not hearing it. These IEMs are all about full on mids and highs, with a complete absence of low end frequencies. Not dynamic and tinny is the first word that comes to mind. Soundstage is ok. Detail is great...but that's expected with such upfront sound characteristics.
 
These are completely not for me.

 

 

[b0ck3n]

IME these are very fit/seal dependant earphones. I felt the same as you at first, but learning how to get a good seal has been all important, especially on the low end but also in taming and darkening the harsh and sometimes sibilant treble that a shallow insertion produces.

I put through 80+ hrs of burn in on these guys and unfortunately, I am just not hearing it. These IEMs are all about full on mids and highs, with a complete absence of low end frequencies. Not dynamic and tinny is the first word that comes to mind. Soundstage is ok. Detail is great...but that's expected with such upfront sound characteristics.
 
These are completely not for me.