[unleashthemonke]

Hi everyone,
 
I am looking to replace my zune premiums with something around $50 but I will look at suggestions which fall under $100.  I got them with my zune and overall I like them quite a bit.  The major reason I want to replace them is that I can't stand the microphonics on them.  I listen to my zune almost solely at the office and if I move at all I hear tons of scratching because of the weird braided chord.  Besides that, I would just like to get something that is a bit of a step up in audio quality.    So far I have been looking at the RE2 with the Fiio E5 from head-direct for about 40 bucks or the brainwavz m1 for about the same price.  I listen to a variety of music but mostly rock, punk, a little bit of heavy metal, and a lot of irish music such as flogging molly, dropkick murphys, etc.  I don't care much about a lot of bass and I find that I usually prefer clarity and the ability to distinguish all the instruments as lots of irish music has many, many instruments.
 
Thanks

 

[unleashthemonke]

After further research I am thinking about spending a bit more money and getting the RE0s.  Any input on this?

 

[iemmustiane]

The re0's are the best you can get for the price, go for it.

 

[unleashthemonke]

Cool, should I be concerned about ordering straight from head-direct's site?  The website looks kind of sketchy but that appears to be about the only place to buy them (sorry for the potentially nooby question).  By the way I like your picture, I'll definitely be listening to quite a bit of Megadeth when I get the re0's, I hope they do mustaine justice.

 

[rawrster]

The RE0 are a great choice if you are looking for neutrality. If you are looking for bass monsters then look elsewhere. They definitely are a great option at that price range. Also head-direct.com is a good place to buy them from since that's where they are coming from. Also if you get the RE0 you would want a much better amp than the E5 to do them justice.

 

[unleashthemonke]

I have always been a fan of listening to stuff as it is meant to be heard and I am definitely not a bass head.  I am just a budding audiophile though so I'm not sure how much money I want to pour into this right away.  I was wondering how important an amp will be with these headphones.  I doubt I'll be listening to them through anything except my zune 80 so knowing that what advice do people have to give?

 

[rawrster]

well you should figure out how much you want to spend first. There's plenty of options at every price range and there's a couple of review threads for those.

 

[unleashthemonke]

Well honestly I would rather not spend more than $100 so that's why I didn't really want an amp with the RE0s.  I had read that they don't necessarily need an amp.  I did look through the big 81-part IEM review so don't think that I'm just trying to get you guys to do all the work for me or anything.  I guess my question is if the RE0s are really that dependent on an amp or if I will still be really happy without one.  If they do need an amp, is there a better option under $100 dollars?

 

[rawrster]

They scale up with a good amp (which is what the E5 is not). However for the most part I used them without an amp when I had them with my D2+ and it wasn't bad. It wasn't as good as an amp but I didn't find the added bulk worth it for me.

 

[unleashthemonke]

Alright, I think I'll probably go with the RE0s then unless anyone else has any input.  Mainly I just want something which will sound better than my zune premium buds which also has less microphonics.  As long as there isn't something better to get at the same price point I think I'd be happy with them.  I don't really want to bring an amp to work every day anyway but I do like the idea of being able to upgrade in the future depending on how crazy I get.

 

[David58117]

I just received my RE0s today, I'm definitely not a basshead, but I am surprised by the lack of bass these have.  It's like someone turned the lower frequencies completely down - you can still make them out, but it's an unnatural, barely there, representation.  I was expecting a realistic bass, not a one sided sound signature.  Drums just don't sound life like as it is, and live jazz sounds lacking.  Maybe it's because I'm use to the sound of my K701s...
 
Granted I only have about 4 hours with them, and I'm not using my E5 with them (which is pointless with ipod, as I'm not going to have it with me on the go).  I also don't want to turn bass boost on with the ipod, as I don't like it's implementation.  I will say when I tried them on my computer with flac and eq-ed the lower frequencies, I really liked what I heard.  
 
But I'll get some more hours on them before I make my final decision.  I like what I hear otherwise, I'm just really hoping they open up a bit.  I know it's not a tip problem, as l have a good seal with the included tips (using the largest white tip).         

 

[Max F]

To the OP, your Zune should have no problem driving the RE0s.  Also, they'll completely blow away the Zune Premiums.  Actually, the medium tips on the premiums work real well with the REOs - some of my favorites actually. 
 
To David, just give it some burnin and the bass will start to come out.  Try different tips including from other brands if you have them.  The better seal you get the louder the bass will be.  These will never have lots of bass though.  The details are so gorgeous on these that you start missing the bass less and less (although its still there just not out front). 
 
I will say that if i had to use these exclusively for commuting - the bass would not be enough for me, especially competing with outside noise.  In a quite room, they sound wonderful.

 

[unleashthemonke]

Thanks for the input.  I'll have to find all the stuff that came with my Zune as I'm not even sure which tips I have on.  I actually got my Zune from woot as a refurb but I think I remember getting extra tips.  These earbuds will be used pretty much just at the office and at school.  I already tune out people who come to my cubicle all the time with my zune premiums so I don't think noise isolation will be much of an issue for me.  Is there any reason to go with these new RE-Zeros I'm seeing all over the forums?