[rera]

Quote:

 
It's version 4: The first one used a rubber cable, the second one used a cloth cable, third one used a PPE cable and a small L-shaped plug and the last version uses the large, rounded L-shaped plug and a more plasticy cable.
 

I agree with you, too different to be v3 but this is what customer support answered me:
 
"Hello (myname here),

No we do not have a fourth version Our newest upgrade is the RE-ZERO."
 
I got the new RE0 on April and wrote to customer support on May to ask for infos. To me they sound pretty much similar to the old ones I had.

 

[Nankai]

All drivers, casing volume and freq curve are same. Old version earphones normally have much longer run-in time than new version, so sound might be slightly better. But if you give them same run-in time, their sound should be same.
 
We keep working on new plug and cable because we want to make sure the earphone can last longer. The new plug and cable and easily work for more than 2 years normally. However, we never change sound signature. 
 
 

 

[Anaxilus]

^  Edited.

 

[psgarcha92]

@Nankai, please don't mind, this is not to offend u, but changing the housing size won't affect the sound signature or what?
Regards

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

@Nankai, please don't mind, this is not to offend u, but changing the housing size won't affect the sound signature or what?
Regards

A housing size change can actually (theoretically) change the signature.  A small change like this, however, won't impact it that much (IE it won't be that noticeable to even the best audiophile/audio engineer).  Now if they took the same drivers and put them in the RE262 or something, then you'll hear a big difference.  But the same shaped (similar) housing and everything won't make a big difference.
 
The difference you are most likely hearing is the difference in burn-in times.  A fresh RE0 sounds totally different than a burned in pair.  They change dramatically over the first 200 hours, and continue to change minutely (you can't notice it after that, but the change is small over a long time) after that.  So you have a pair that are years old, and get a new pair, they will sound dramatically different and will still sound different after 200 hours burn in because of the time they were used after that (remember, the change continues, but it's so small that you don't notice it, but the small changes over time add up). 
 
Just my two cents.

 

[Pianist]

After about 35 hours of burn in, I am happy to report that my new RE0s do begin to sound like the good old RE0s - the tonal balance is becoming more even, and the treble sparkle is coming out. Soundstage is also opening up. Yay!

BTW, I got JVC FX700 again today and also a Shure SRH840. I compared the e-Q5, FX700, SRH840 and RE0 briefly on really well recorded smooth jazz:
 

 

 
I obviously didn't use those particular low bitrate tracks on youtube. Those are just to give you an idea of the type of music I used. I have the tracks in lossless and that's what I used for the comparison. I used my Sony NWZ-A816 DAP which is better at driving lower impedance headphones than higher impedance ones, so the FX700 at 16 Ohms was at an advantage vs. RE0 at 64 Ohms, e-Q5 at 40 Ohms was handled OK I think, while SRH840 sounded like it wanted an amp even though it is almost the same impedance as the e-Q5.. To my ears, RE0 truly excelled with this type of music, beating out the FX700 and going head to head with e-Q5 and SRH840. Now, all of these phones, except the SRH840 are already pretty well burned in (I got the FX700 used). So not exactly a fair comparison for the Shures, but even out of the box they sound fantastic already. I felt that the RE0 edged out the e-Q5 with the above tracks ever so slightly because of better separation and a more natural attack IMO. The e-Q5 were also just a tiny bit too forward vs. the SRH840 and RE0 for my liking. Now, the SRH840 vs. RE0 was a tough one - both have a very neutral response in the mids and I consider both reference phones, although I think RE0 is more neutral and detailed overall in the bass and highs and sounded more lively than the SRH840, but that's probably because the Shures are not burned in yet. Both RE0 and SRH840 need an amp IMO to shine - without one, they just sound noticeably strained, as though they try their best, but just can't quite reproduce what they are capable of, especially the Shures. The 16 Ohm FX700 is noticeably easier to drive out of the dual capacitor amp of my Sony, but it just doesn't have a reference frequency balance - too much bass, and a somewhat recessed midrange. The e-Q5 is middle of the road and I really, really like it too, but it sounds a bit artificial vs. SRH840 and RE0 in the highs to these ears.
 
Conclusion: FX700 will sadly have to go - it just doesn't have the reference frequency response that I crave. The e-Q5 will probably also have to go because I cannot justify keeping an IEM that costs over 3 times more than the RE0 and yet performs on a very similar level. The RE0 is definitely a keeper. As for SRH840, I may keep it for now, but the new, even more neutral and accurate SRH940 is what I really want now. So in the end, I will probably keep just the RE0, SRH940 and possibly the SRH840 without buying any other phones for quite a while. Well, at least until the new RE272 or SRH1040 come out that is. lol

 

[Inks]

The FX700s are much more linear at low volume levels in a quiet setting. 
 
Doubt the RE272 will satisfy as it appears more reminiscent of the RE262 than the RE0s. 
 
  I will recommend the RE-Zero, Xcape v1 and Sony EX600, which won't hurt your wallet that much. All three of the ones mentioned are pretty neutral and provide really good clarity. I will also recommend the PFE, which actually has great dynamic range for a BA ala Shure SE530. 

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

The FX700s are much more linear at low volume levels in a quiet setting. 
 
Doubt the RE272 will satisfy as it appears more reminiscent of the RE262 than the RE0s. 
 
  I will recommend the RE-Zero, Xcape v1 and Sony EX600, which won't hurt your wallet that much. All three of the ones mentioned are pretty neutral and provide really good clarity. I will also recommend the PFE, which actually has great dynamic range for a BA ala Shure SE530. 

 
Thanks for the recommendations. The EX600 does sound interesting. I have an EX82 that came with my Sony player and even though it loses out to the more expensive phones in sound quality, I must say that it is surprisingly neutral and very smooth for the price. It works really well with the aforementioned music too. I am sure I will like the EX600 if it has a similar signature to the EX82. Xcape V1 I would really love to try as well, but aren't they hard to find nowadays? As for RE-ZEro, maybe someday I will give them a try too. But honestly, I doubt that either EX600 or Xcape or RE-Zero are really better than the RE0 - probably just different.
 
As for PFE, I already owned it and didn't like it at all. Maybe it was a fit issue. I found them overly schematic sounding, lacking micro detail and also colored in a way I didn't like.
 
 

 

[Inks]

Well it seems that you really like the RE0, so yes it might only be a sidegrade but you never know. I don't like the RE0s all that much myself....
 
Xcapes v1 are hard to find unfortunately but it's actually my favorite IEM at the <100$ range. I liked the Zeros more than the 0s, it was just more musical and engaging. The EX600s are big bang-for-the-buck in terms of build and sound. They are also said to be similar to the 1000s, fit is fatiguing on both though.
 
It seems like you did get a bad fit with the PFEs, I didn't find them that colored and had good clarity, did you use grey filters? 

 

[Pianist]

Guys, I made a huge mistake in analyzing FX700 - I had a fit issue. I was using stock, medium tips and I now switched to UE medium tips, which are larger and seal better in my ears and I have to take back my previous impressions of the FX700 sound. Man, I forgot how good these are! With the right tips, they are almost neutral, with just a bit of bass emphasis I think. They are similar to RE0 in separation, but with superior soundstage and dynamics. What really strikes me about FX700 sound right away is the fidelity - they are so darn detailed. No wonder I preferred them to ER4 - I think they are every bit as resolving as the Etys, if not more so.
 
But anyway, using the same music and source as above, the FX700 with UE tips is now easily on par with RE0 and SRH840, but perhaps even superior due to amazing detail resolution. RE0 is detailed, but compared to FX700 it seems to hide some information.
 
This thread is about RE0 of course, so I won't go further off topic. Overall, I feel that the new RE0 v4, when burned in, is comparable to high end universals in sound quality at a fraction of the price. FX700 and e-Q5 may do some things better, but RE0 does other things better and is a steal at $79.

 

[Inks]

There you go. You could also try the FX500s which have a faster, less midbass focused lower region. They have almost the same soundstage and timbre with comparable dynamics. 

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

It seems like you did get a bad fit with the PFEs, I didn't find them that colored and had good clarity, did you use grey filters? 

 
I used both types of filters. The grey ones did sound more natural to me with less emphasis on the treble and a more neutral sound overall. I just felt that the PFEs decayed sounds too quickly. The sounds just came and went without staying around long enough IMO That made the PFEs sound overly lightweight and predictable to my ears, lacking depth and perhaps due to fast decay, unable to reproduce the subtle harmonics in music that are necessary for creating a natural sound.
 
 

 

[Inks]

That is actually my main complaint about them as well. That's also one of the main reasons I had given up on a lot of BAs

 

[Pianist]

I also feel that many BAs suffer from this. I felt DBA-02 and ER4 have this issue too, but the sound ER4 produces is really well textured and so it doesn't seem as lacking as the PFE. DBA-02 also seemed better than PFE because of a fuller sound with more bass I think. But the decay times were still to short with the ER4 and DBA-02 to my ears. RE0 gets the decay about right IMO, but it still cuts off some of the most subtle harmonics that the FX700 is able to retrieve.

 

[Mad Max]

Decay determines those subtle harmonics?  Somehow I disagree, HD600 has much slower decay but its timbre is indistinguishable from RE0's, so it is also bringing out those harmonics, or not obscuring them or whatever it is that these two headphones do that almost all others do not to my ears.  Personally, I do prefer quick decay, it gives a sense of "more speed", and I like plenty.  TF10 is about as quick as RE0/RE252/ZERO, but fails with the harmonics yet it does not sound as thin in the mids as RE0.  MTPC is quite full-sounding, but its decay is only slightly behind TF10 and the Hifimans, and it also fails to make instruments sound as natural and believable as the Hifimans, RE0 being the best at it to my ears..  So you find FX700 to be even better?  I'd be interested, but I'm taking a break from IEMs lately.  They tire my ears very quickly these days, so I settle for HD25-1 as they never cause me fatigue on the go.
 
I also feel RE0/252/ZERO hide a little information, but compared to my MTPC.