[rawrster]

I was about to say something similar to the post by ClieOS. Also keep in mind that if it did beat RE0 it wouldn't be too smart of a thing to do esp since RE262 is supposed to be released sometime this month. From the time it was announced I got two things out of it. It was meant more for portable use than the RE0. The RE0 needs an amp to shine where I'm assuming the Zero does not. The other was that it was going to have a balanced plug.
 
Some head-fi members here do not like carrying an amp for portable use (one such member is me) and having something more suited for portable use would definitely be better. I pretty much expected similar quality to RE0 from the get go anyway. The RE0 is hard to beat and I have yet to own an iem that is a complete upgrade over it. I own more expensive iem's where I consider the total package an upgrade but there are areas where the RE0 is still hard to be matched.

 

[ljokerl]

Yep, I also see the ZERO as an alternative to the RE0, not an upgrade/replacement. Those who want to save $20 by getting the slightly less efficient RE0 have that option, but I am sure the fact that the ZERO runs fairly well straight out of a portable but gives the option of being used with a (balanced) amp will warrant an extra $20 from many. Also there's the exclusivity aspect (though I'm not sure 1000 units is very limited in the context of hi-fi - it will be very interesting to see when, if ever, the supply runs dry).  

 

[kmhaynes]

Quote:

A well tuned, well driven RE0 is really hard to beat. You can pay 3 times as much money and won't find major improvement. IMO, RE-ZERO is not aim to beat RE0, but provide an easier-to-drive model for those who are not looking to carry their amp everywhere they go.

It would seem if the Zero was planneed to be an no-amp-needed phone, that they wouldn't have made it 4 pin balanced.  That cuts down on the portablility some, IMO -- at least the short cable adaptor looks more portable than the jack contraption.
 
Glad to hear both of you guys say the RE0 is nearly unbeatable when well-amped.  I will stick with it until I can afford a DBA-02, and concentrate on replacing my aging Zune30.
 

 

[rawrster]

Well maybe it is supposed to be paired with that balanced amp they are supposed to be releasing All we need now is a balanced dap.

 

[raff012]

after listening to the RE-Zeros for about a day (had a 24hr burnin the day before and to my ears highs/bass have only just come out as they were a bit recessed before), my initial impressions are that the mids are a bit more prominent and the highs are extended as much as the RE-0s but in a more balanced form. When driven from my custom RA1 18v amp, there is a bit better bass response from the RE-Zeros. I really do enjoy the sound from both these quality products. I do find that the RE-Zeros do have a general edge over the RE-0s as their sound quality is a bit better ( attached a 47ohm inline resistor to the RE-Zeros so that their impedences were pretty much identical to test sq differences) but i do agree with the general posts that they were not meant to compete with each other and i too find that the RE-0s offer great sound quality (when amped properly) and the costs of the RE-Zeros will probably not be justified if u already own a pair of the RE-0s. To my ears i do enjoy the RE-Zeros more balanced sound this is my opinion however and your results may vary. The other plus is that my iphone can drive the RE-Zeros unamped although i find that an amp tends to add a level of dynamics to the sound even at low listening levels adding to the realism of the music. Another comment i would like to make is that both these phones (especially the RE-0s) just beg for power and a full size headphone amplifier really puts authority to the music,so much so that sometimes i cant tell the difference between my full size headphones from these babies

.

 

[raff012]

These phones also do punch above their weight class (cost). I own the SE530, IE8 and SM3 and i find that both the RE-Zero and RE-0 sound significantly better (sound quality wise) than the SE530 and IE8. Only the SM3s better them (by a decent margin IMO) although they are more than 3 times more expensive as well...

 

[Currawong]

I understand why matching portable gear tonally is so important now. I prefer my slightly brighter 6th gen iPod classic with Pico Slim, TWAG LOD and the RE-ZEROs over my iPhone 3GS, but then I'm used to brighter gear (HD-800s, Stax).  I wouldn't be surprised if they were a good match with slightly more coloured-sounding gear which has deliberately a bit more bass punch.  I'm going to see how I feel after I've used them for a few weeks though.  They are a tad too mid-forward for my tastes ultimately, but great value overall if one wants a tonally fairly flat-sounding IEM.

 

[Mad Max]

You'll probably love my rig: ipod 6g Classic 120gb => Minibox-E+ w/ AD744AH => RE-ZERO
 
I stumbled upon AD744 by chance and I'm sure glad I did because its tonality (or should I say timbre?) happens to cancel out my ipod's unnaturalness resulting in a, well, more natural reproduction of sounds.  I'd say it feels like >98-99% tonal correction.  Wonderful synergy.  Minibox-E+ uses stacked BUF634P.  There's no room in the amp to socket those buffers so I can try out different chips there, so I can only roll gain.  ADA4627-1B gives the best sound possible but AD744AH, though not as refined, gives the best tonal synergy.  Minibox-E+ is warm, bassy, and rather analogue-sounding despite whatever you put in L/R, but always very sensitive to changes in the audio chain.  And then with RE-0/RE-ZERO/RE-252, it is difficult not to lose yourself in the sound. 

 
Edit: on second thought, this, too, will probably be too mid-forward for your tastes.  Just how laidback do you like it?

 

[paulypaul]

Ive burnt mine in for about 30 hrs now and i believe Fang is correct when he said these have more detail than the RE0s. This detail is coming from more forward mids and in less aggressive highs. Vocals really punch through on these babies. I think the highs have a similar extension to the RE0s but they are less aggressive when new than the RE0s were.
I am still hoping for a bit more of the bass to come out in the next 30hrs. Bass is very detailed, but still less quantity than my very well used RE0s. I think the 50 to 100 hr period is were the bass in the RE0s started producing the goods.
If the ZEROs keep to the RE0 tradition then at 30 hrs i feel they are on the right track.

 

[Mad Max]

It does use a silver coil like RE-252, so it may take a longer.

 

[Currawong]

I don't believe that it's going to bring out the deep bass notes in Shpongle Spores though, which I'm currently missing.

 

[toliman]

 
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tried these out yesterday after getting them in the mail on monday, and have been trying to see what they can do, etc. after about 20 hours on the 5G ipod, and a few more on the iphone while out and about, it seems to be improving in small degrees with the detail and response.
 
on my own scale, however, i think it's still needs a bit more time to wallow ... there's just something about the high end of the percussion that i'm likely not used to, having switched from my old ER6i's, which i'd have to say now, are not as good, but are more detailed at the moment. my first impression was that the RE-ZERO high end used to be a muddy sound, but now it's more a warm sound on hi-hats rather than a snap, a bit like white noise settling behind the percussion rather than a sharp falloff between beats. it's more noticeable with heavy guitar / percussion songs, the chords just blend into the sound and become a kind of noise, instead of a separate stage for each instrument. could just be me though.
 
for everything else, it's quite good, the bass fits well, vocals and instruments are good, and electronic songs have a lot of detail, running through the ipod on shuffle isn't brutal or fatiguing, the comply t400 inserts are doing better than the standard bi-flanges at the moment, pop/electronic like radiohead, infected mushroom, massive attack, goldfrapp, etc. are readily distinct, even layers and mixes at medium volumes are distinct and separate and it's easy to just fall back and listen, but as soon as there's strong percussion, rock music like the rakes, foo fighters, mia, etc. it's almost like listening to car audio, it blends into one sound.
 
i briefly dusted off my FIIO E5 amp, with the E5 in the chain, the detail seems to pop back, a better amp might push the sound EQ to comfy levels though. i kinda wish i had the RE-0's or something else to compare against the RE-ZEROs but so far it seems like a good cheap pair of earphones that will get better in the future.
​

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[raff012]

hey toliman, i reckon u should try out the single flanges which IMO outperform the complys( they muffle the treble as they absorb high frequency energy). with the single flanges u should be able to hear a much extended frequency response at the cost of a bit less bass (not much) resulting in a much more balanced sounding phone

 

[JosephKim]

it will be interesting to see if that lack of separation improves with use. Let us know toliman!

 

[Mad Max]

RE-0 is a bit like that.