[Deni5]

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Opinions, opinions. Fang could have worked on the 400 for 10 years. "Our new model is inferior to the old", said no business person ever. I still think the 272 is his technically best iem so far. But big deal. I still prefer the re0 and 262 over them all for their unique and unabashed Hifiman tuning.

 
Of course someone wouldn't say it's inferior. The first thing Fang says in the interview is "comfortable" then he mentions "better sound quality". So they made them smaller from all previous models in the RE-line. Personally I find them more comfortable for longer listening sessions than the previous models but every person has different earsize / shape so it isn't going to be great for everyone. He really doesn't say much about "sound quality" - it's even better to all the other models but how? If Jude would have listened to them before the interview maybe there would be an answer on why Fang thinks that way. And how do you measure sound quality?
 
Wiki:
Sound quality is typically an assessment of the accuracy, enjoyability, or intelligibility of audio output from an electronic device. Quality can be measured objectively, such as when tools are used to gauge the accuracy with which the device reproduces an original sound; or it can be measured subjectively, such as when human listeners respond to the sound or gauge its perceived similarity to another sound.
 
RE-400 has two important technologies (according to the interview): 1) Titanium coating 2) Powerful magnets
 
He says that the titanium coating "changes the 'sound signature' a lot". Does he get into any specifics on how? No.
 
I don't see "sound quality" and "sound signature" as the same thing. Sound signature is something that is more personal and everyone has their personal preference. This is mostly based on what music you prefer and so on imo. If I had a narrow taste in music then I would personally not recommend the RE-400 because of its sound signature. They are tuned to be more neutral to work with almost any music genre not just some. That is where I see the clearest difference.

 

[shotgunshane]

I find the re272 to be more linear, have better bandwidth, better detail retrieval and better soundstaging. That's why I think it's technically the best Hifiman iem.

 

[proedros]

too bad this iem went by almost unnoticed....

let's see how re-600 fares
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I find the re272 to be more linear, have better bandwidth, better detail retrieval and better soundstaging. That's why I think it's technically the best Hifiman iem.

 

[Deni5]

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too bad this iem went by almost unnoticed....

let's see how re-600 fares

 
I'm finding it hard calling it the technically best when it doesn't produce the same type of bass. I don't think RE-272 went by unnoticed. I still regard it as a top performer in my collection. RE-400 has a different sound signature - some like it, some don't - nothing strange. I will probably buy RE-600 to see how it fares to my modded RE-400 but at 399 USD it better be a substansial upgrade.

 

[Berkovajazz]

Now i'm using RE400 with Sennheiser large tips.
Bass is much more from RE0 and 272. It has very good punch and goes very deep.
Even Hip-hop sounds ok on this phones. I like hard music. For example Slipknot sounds very good.

 

[ClieOS]

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I find the re272 to be more linear, have better bandwidth, better detail retrieval and better soundstaging. That's why I think it's technically the best Hifiman iem.

 
...yet, and I agree.
 
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... I will probably buy RE-600 to see how it fares to my modded RE-400 but at 399 USD it better be a substansial upgrade.

 
I don't know why people keep referring to the '$399' price tag. The price has not being set yet, nor did I have read anything posted by Fang regarding price on RE600 over at erji.net (which is where he is most active these days).

 

[Deni5]

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...yet, and I agree.
 
 
I don't know why people keep referring to the '$399' price tag. The price has not being set yet, nor did I have read anything posted by Fang regarding price on RE600 over at erji.net (which is where he is most active these days).

 
Fang himself said that price when he was interviewed by Tyll, Innerfidelity. Also if you google it the reference has been made on several occasions. But of course it is not official yet. Why go out with such information in the first place when you know you will be referenced a lot.

 

[ClieOS]

Alright, thanks for the info. I'll check it out at Innerfidelity. Well, might as well confirm with Fang too while I at it.

 

[ClieOS]

Found it, not from Tyll but the HifiMan's press release during CES2013. So it is official. However, I have to say I can't see any point of value for a $400 IEM.

 

[Deni5]

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Found it, not from Tyll but the HifiMan's press release during CES2013. So it is official. However, I have to say I can't see any point of value for a $400 IEM.

 
Ok, thanks. In the interview "CanJam@RMAF2012-HiFiMAN" he says "...we hope we can sell this in such a price (refering to the 399 USD price) and comparing to a whole bunch like 6- or 700 or even more expensive in ears."
 
Not that I would know what an IEM in that price range sounds like (my most expensive IEM so far is my Ety ER4PT)

 

[GN-0015]

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Found it, not from Tyll but the HifiMan's press release during CES2013. So it is official. However, I have to say I can't see any point of value for a $400 IEM.

Judging from your experience with Lear LCM-5, do you think the extra cash for the customs worth it? Do they really sound "that much better" than the likes of RE-272 or GR07?

 

[ClieOS]

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Ok, thanks. In the interview "CanJam@RMAF2012-HiFiMAN" he says "...we hope we can sell this in such a price (refering to the 399 USD price) and comparing to a whole bunch like 6- or 700 or even more expensive in ears."
 
Not that I would know what an IEM in that price range sounds like (my most expensive IEM so far is my Ety ER4PT)

 
Well, let's hope so.
 
However, my experience tells me most of universal IEM that cost $600+ are over-priced for what they do, and many could really use a 30% discount if not more.
 
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Judging from your experience with Lear LCM-5, do you think the extra cash for the customs worth it? Do they really sound "that much better" than the likes of RE-272 or GR07?

 
Rule of diminishing return does applies on audio gears, so the more you paid the less you are going to get. But the selling point on custom are really on the custom fit and an close-to-ideal sound quality. You have to see it not as much about value any more but about the pursuit of the ultimate sound without restriction. Because people who are willing to spend $1K on custom generally isn't looking for getting the best bang for the bucks any more. However, they do expect what they have spent money on is able match their expectation. The only question left is not about whether it is 'that much better', but simply whether it is better?
 
Of course, one can argue that spending anything more than $200 is a waste. Then again, most non-audiophile would probably think spending $50 on headphone is a waste too. That's because we all prioritize things differently.

 

[Pianist]

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Dynamic range is ruled by the recording, unless there's  power issue which isn't happening with IEMs. Frequency range perhaps, it has no bass depth so impact from bass is lost, RE400 is a step up in this department but sacrifises some air and the easy of insertion. RE272 has the same bass issue, it's a bit more even in the treble than RE0 but not significantly better. 

 
I disagree, I think headphones differ greatly in how well they can reproduce sound dynamics. In fact, I have no doubts that I can clearly hear differences in dynamics between headphones and that RE0, in particular, has an obviously limited dynamic range reproduction capability compared to many other IEMs and headphones. Of course, recordings can differ greatly in dynamics as well, and I agree that recordings can have much greater variations in dynamics than headphones. However, listening to music with a wide dynamic range, like a well recorded classical or instrumental can reveal great differences between headphones in this area as well. With RE0, I felt that dynamic music sounded quite a bit flatter and less expressive than it should - the variations between louder and quieter sounds became far less pronounced and exciting.

 

[p0wderh0und23]

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Other than good sound, I hope for nothing more than a good fit with these. I had the RE0 and while I finally manage to appreciate them to a point where I couldn't leave them behind, the fit was a nightmare. The only silicon tips that I liked to use with the RE0 were the Sony Hybrids, and even with those I suffer some problems like a change in sound when I tilted my head. Foamies worked well, but those Comply stuffs couldn't last long. Now I have an Ety and I'm much happier.

Try the Comply T-400 tips. I did that and got the best fit yet (for me at least).

 

[GN-0015]

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Try the Comply T-400 tips. I did that and got the best fit yet (for me at least).

I did buy them but they are so expensive in my country (RM90 for 3 pairs!!) and each pair lasted only about a week or slightly more than that.