antonyfirst
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Dec 14, 2006
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This is a review of the Head-Direct RE0. I got them as a review sample a week ago, I have fully burned them in (50-60 hours), and listened to them for many hours a day. I have tried the provided tips, as well as other tips I have at home, and I am finally ready to write what I think of the earphone.
Before starting the review, I want to point out that the fact I got a review sample doesn't prevent me from writing exactly what I think, being it bad or good for the earphone. I don't like when people feel obliged to write a "good" or "enthusiastic" review because they get a review sample. I think, actually, that the time and effort spent evaluating a review sample in order to honestly capture its character more than pays the benefit of owning it.
So, after this premise, I'll be pleased if you want to read my thoughts.
[size=medium]Head-Direct RE0[/size]
The RE0 are offered as the top of the Head-Direct IEM line. I haven't asked Fang what price they are offered for, but a few days ago I went to their Website and found them for 200$.
The RE0 have a different look than the RE1. The outer casing has a "milled ring", which makes them look less cheap and sturdier than the lower model. The RE0 looks remind me of the OVC T25 IEM I tried a couple of years ago, which is also the same look the V-Moda Vibes (old fotm) had. As it has been pointed elsewhere, this design is pretty standard for earphones in China. The RE0 look very low profile in the ear, just like a Sennheiser CX300.
They have two small holes on the external side of the earpiece. They aren't the most isolating canalphones, but hold their own even on train, especially with the right choice of tips.
Going from memory, the cable is more flexible than what was used with the RE1, so it's less annoying to use while walking. The cable is still microphonic, and requires a clip to hold it to one's clothes.
Being the RE0 dynamic driver, they benefit from burn in. I found the major changes to be in the first hours of use. I decided to leave them burning in for about 15-20 hours before starting to listen to them extensively.
Tips
I remember having liked the big, clear and soft biflanges Head-Direct provided with the RE1 early this year. Anyway, after getting used to foam tips with other IEMs, I found it hard to return to silicon tips. More precisely, these biflanges don't seal well for me, and often they make me feel like having my ears stuffed with cotton, or like when my ears are closed on an airplane.
After a few days of fight against these biflanges, I decided to drop them in favor of Ultimate Ears foam tips, which I have at home. For me, they make a big difference comfort-wise, they give me a lasting seal, and also improve isolation. The sound isn't changed. In the past, I found Shure black foamies to make the treble softer. These UE foamies, to me, don't soften the RE0 sound signature.
The nozzle is the same width as Ultimate Ears, Sony and Sennheiser IEMs.
[size=medium]Sound[/size]
My main concern with the old RE1, about which I wrote when I reviewed them, was the lack of treble, which often made me turn up the volume in order to hear the right high frequency energy. Vocals were very meaty and full sounding, cymbals, didn't hit hard and didn't convey any strength. The positive side was the total lack of sibilance, given by the strong lower treble recession.
The RE0 are a different animal.
Bass
The bass of the RE0 is pretty linear, not bloated, not weak. Very quick. It does a good job in providing the right volume and decay to bass notes. Its "tactile feeling" is improved when I switch from unamped to amped. The two amps I used were AMB Mini^3 and iBasso T4. The Mini^3 is more transparent, so the bass gains authority, but is never intrusive. The iBasso T4 bloats the midbass a bit, adding an unnecessary fullness to that frequency range.
Deep bass is not represented. The bass quality of the RE0 is on par with most good quality IEMs (like the Triple.fi). It's truthful to the recording, but lacks two things to give the ultimate pleasure: real depth, and the wonderful definition that makes the Apuresound ER4P bass sound like "carved in stone".
Midrange
The midrange is pretty flat to my ears, or a bit recessed. Vocals are not as exciting as with Apuresound Etymotic ER4P. The Etys have in your face mids, that I wouldn't consider neutral, but there's something to their aggressiveness and rage that make me love them. The RE0 behave differently, and vocals sound more laid back. This is not soundstage-related, but rather a matter of involvement and emotion that should be conveyed by vocals. The fact that vocals don't sound as "in your face" as with the Apuresound Etys doesn't make them automatically recessed, but I think that a slightly more forward midrange would make the overall sound more exciting.
Electric guitars don't snarl. They are on the same level than other instrument. You hear them clearly, they are part of the system, but you don't feel them.
The overall midrange, anyway, is clear and doesn't give enhanced fullness to vocals like the RE1 do. The strong "chesty" character that the RE1 provided to vocals was the result of a strong recession in the highest part of the upper midrange and part of the lower treble (which means 6-8kHz). The RE0 don't suffer from this at all.
Treble
All this brings us to treble. Treble is what I like most of the RE0. It's flat. Totally neutral, flat, extended to 16kHz. It won't amaze you, just because it's not enhanced, nor lacking anything. It's detailed, clean, exciting. The lower treble finds a good balance between smoothness and crispness. It's never sibilant, yet cymbals crash nicely and are involving. In the past, I learned to hate sibilance, the result of a peak in lower treble, but I ended up hating strong smoothness (Stax SR-001, Head-Direct RE1), which isn't realistic either, if resulting from missing frequencies. The RE0 have the most honest and flattest treble I have found in a portable headphone.
Lower treble doesn't give the "amazing" feel you can find with the Triple.fi 10 Pro or Etys, but it's more accurate than both and doesn't have the shortcomings the other two have (both the Triple.fi and stock Etys are sibilant to my ears).
Soundstage and Amplification
Soundstage is normal for a IEM. I think it improves with amplification. Both the Mini^3 and the iBasso T4 give a sense of tridimensionality to the sound. The Mini^3 does this better than the iBasso T4, and the overall sound of the Mini^3 is more gentle and refined.
Speed
The time resolution that the RE0 have is on par with that of the ER4. The RE0 have more natural decay, though, while the ER4 show shortened transients.
My understanding is that dynamic driver IEMs aren't less detailed than armature IEMs by default, and probably this idea was something brought into common thinking because dynamic driver IEMs are a younger technology.
I understand it has been in part the issue of size: only lately, manufacturing technology reached the level where can make a dynamic driver small enough to shove in someone's ear. The demand for IEMs went up sufficiently for manufacturers to invest in that. There is a late trend where many manufacturers are preferring dynamic drivers over armatures: some examples are Atrio M5, Sony EX700, Sennheiser IE8, and the Head-Direct series.
Conclusions
While not being the most exciting IEMs in existence, as they don't add anything to the sound, the RE0, are probably the most balanced IEMs I have owned. There are no obvious peaks and valleys in their frequency response, which in my book is something to look for. Instead, most universal IEMs (almost all IEMs I have reviewed and are in my signature) soffer badly from this. I'll be looking to receive the Klipsch Image X10 to see how they behave in this regard, as they are well appreciated to have a great timbre.
There is something that could be done to improve the sound of the RE0: tighter bass, better bass extention (depth) and more forward midrange would have left me with nothing more to desire.
As they stand, the RE0 are a lot better purchase than the RE1, especially considering that the price difference between them is very small (30$-40$). I consider them also better value than the Yuin OK1.
While the Apuresound ER4P keep being the best IEM I have heard (since even if it's very coloured, I can't help but love the way bass is represented and the total emotion they convey), I think the RE0 are very nice for the price they are being offered. It's up to you to decide if their sound character, strong points and shortcomings will fit your needs, taste and music.
Comfort issues I had with the provided silicon tips can be easily overcome with foamies. I haven't had a chance to try Comply tips, but that's surely a route that should be followed.
Tony
Before starting the review, I want to point out that the fact I got a review sample doesn't prevent me from writing exactly what I think, being it bad or good for the earphone. I don't like when people feel obliged to write a "good" or "enthusiastic" review because they get a review sample. I think, actually, that the time and effort spent evaluating a review sample in order to honestly capture its character more than pays the benefit of owning it.
So, after this premise, I'll be pleased if you want to read my thoughts.
[size=medium]Head-Direct RE0[/size]
The RE0 are offered as the top of the Head-Direct IEM line. I haven't asked Fang what price they are offered for, but a few days ago I went to their Website and found them for 200$.
The RE0 have a different look than the RE1. The outer casing has a "milled ring", which makes them look less cheap and sturdier than the lower model. The RE0 looks remind me of the OVC T25 IEM I tried a couple of years ago, which is also the same look the V-Moda Vibes (old fotm) had. As it has been pointed elsewhere, this design is pretty standard for earphones in China. The RE0 look very low profile in the ear, just like a Sennheiser CX300.
They have two small holes on the external side of the earpiece. They aren't the most isolating canalphones, but hold their own even on train, especially with the right choice of tips.
Going from memory, the cable is more flexible than what was used with the RE1, so it's less annoying to use while walking. The cable is still microphonic, and requires a clip to hold it to one's clothes.
Being the RE0 dynamic driver, they benefit from burn in. I found the major changes to be in the first hours of use. I decided to leave them burning in for about 15-20 hours before starting to listen to them extensively.
Tips
I remember having liked the big, clear and soft biflanges Head-Direct provided with the RE1 early this year. Anyway, after getting used to foam tips with other IEMs, I found it hard to return to silicon tips. More precisely, these biflanges don't seal well for me, and often they make me feel like having my ears stuffed with cotton, or like when my ears are closed on an airplane.
After a few days of fight against these biflanges, I decided to drop them in favor of Ultimate Ears foam tips, which I have at home. For me, they make a big difference comfort-wise, they give me a lasting seal, and also improve isolation. The sound isn't changed. In the past, I found Shure black foamies to make the treble softer. These UE foamies, to me, don't soften the RE0 sound signature.
The nozzle is the same width as Ultimate Ears, Sony and Sennheiser IEMs.
[size=medium]Sound[/size]
My main concern with the old RE1, about which I wrote when I reviewed them, was the lack of treble, which often made me turn up the volume in order to hear the right high frequency energy. Vocals were very meaty and full sounding, cymbals, didn't hit hard and didn't convey any strength. The positive side was the total lack of sibilance, given by the strong lower treble recession.
The RE0 are a different animal.
Bass
The bass of the RE0 is pretty linear, not bloated, not weak. Very quick. It does a good job in providing the right volume and decay to bass notes. Its "tactile feeling" is improved when I switch from unamped to amped. The two amps I used were AMB Mini^3 and iBasso T4. The Mini^3 is more transparent, so the bass gains authority, but is never intrusive. The iBasso T4 bloats the midbass a bit, adding an unnecessary fullness to that frequency range.
Deep bass is not represented. The bass quality of the RE0 is on par with most good quality IEMs (like the Triple.fi). It's truthful to the recording, but lacks two things to give the ultimate pleasure: real depth, and the wonderful definition that makes the Apuresound ER4P bass sound like "carved in stone".
Midrange
The midrange is pretty flat to my ears, or a bit recessed. Vocals are not as exciting as with Apuresound Etymotic ER4P. The Etys have in your face mids, that I wouldn't consider neutral, but there's something to their aggressiveness and rage that make me love them. The RE0 behave differently, and vocals sound more laid back. This is not soundstage-related, but rather a matter of involvement and emotion that should be conveyed by vocals. The fact that vocals don't sound as "in your face" as with the Apuresound Etys doesn't make them automatically recessed, but I think that a slightly more forward midrange would make the overall sound more exciting.
Electric guitars don't snarl. They are on the same level than other instrument. You hear them clearly, they are part of the system, but you don't feel them.
The overall midrange, anyway, is clear and doesn't give enhanced fullness to vocals like the RE1 do. The strong "chesty" character that the RE1 provided to vocals was the result of a strong recession in the highest part of the upper midrange and part of the lower treble (which means 6-8kHz). The RE0 don't suffer from this at all.
Treble
All this brings us to treble. Treble is what I like most of the RE0. It's flat. Totally neutral, flat, extended to 16kHz. It won't amaze you, just because it's not enhanced, nor lacking anything. It's detailed, clean, exciting. The lower treble finds a good balance between smoothness and crispness. It's never sibilant, yet cymbals crash nicely and are involving. In the past, I learned to hate sibilance, the result of a peak in lower treble, but I ended up hating strong smoothness (Stax SR-001, Head-Direct RE1), which isn't realistic either, if resulting from missing frequencies. The RE0 have the most honest and flattest treble I have found in a portable headphone.
Lower treble doesn't give the "amazing" feel you can find with the Triple.fi 10 Pro or Etys, but it's more accurate than both and doesn't have the shortcomings the other two have (both the Triple.fi and stock Etys are sibilant to my ears).
Soundstage and Amplification
Soundstage is normal for a IEM. I think it improves with amplification. Both the Mini^3 and the iBasso T4 give a sense of tridimensionality to the sound. The Mini^3 does this better than the iBasso T4, and the overall sound of the Mini^3 is more gentle and refined.
Speed
The time resolution that the RE0 have is on par with that of the ER4. The RE0 have more natural decay, though, while the ER4 show shortened transients.
My understanding is that dynamic driver IEMs aren't less detailed than armature IEMs by default, and probably this idea was something brought into common thinking because dynamic driver IEMs are a younger technology.
I understand it has been in part the issue of size: only lately, manufacturing technology reached the level where can make a dynamic driver small enough to shove in someone's ear. The demand for IEMs went up sufficiently for manufacturers to invest in that. There is a late trend where many manufacturers are preferring dynamic drivers over armatures: some examples are Atrio M5, Sony EX700, Sennheiser IE8, and the Head-Direct series.
Conclusions
While not being the most exciting IEMs in existence, as they don't add anything to the sound, the RE0, are probably the most balanced IEMs I have owned. There are no obvious peaks and valleys in their frequency response, which in my book is something to look for. Instead, most universal IEMs (almost all IEMs I have reviewed and are in my signature) soffer badly from this. I'll be looking to receive the Klipsch Image X10 to see how they behave in this regard, as they are well appreciated to have a great timbre.
There is something that could be done to improve the sound of the RE0: tighter bass, better bass extention (depth) and more forward midrange would have left me with nothing more to desire.
As they stand, the RE0 are a lot better purchase than the RE1, especially considering that the price difference between them is very small (30$-40$). I consider them also better value than the Yuin OK1.
While the Apuresound ER4P keep being the best IEM I have heard (since even if it's very coloured, I can't help but love the way bass is represented and the total emotion they convey), I think the RE0 are very nice for the price they are being offered. It's up to you to decide if their sound character, strong points and shortcomings will fit your needs, taste and music.
Comfort issues I had with the provided silicon tips can be easily overcome with foamies. I haven't had a chance to try Comply tips, but that's surely a route that should be followed.
Tony
