[REVIEW] HifiMan RE400 ‘Waterline’ – The New Reference

[Hepanlol]

First of all, greetings, my first post incoming (long time lurker tho).
 
Got mine yesterday, and after paying additional 30 bucks to customs, the frustration was enormous when I plugged them in and heard them for the first time. Very flat and thin sound, somewhere in the range of cheap 10$ IEMs. But after recollecting myself I realized that it must be the fit/seal thing so I tried on all of the 8 pairs of buds, with no success. I have been living off my 2 pairs of Klipsch S4s for years before this and tried their tips on, and of course they didn't fit. But I finally found a decent seal with those small grey stock rubber buds that you get along with the Galaxy S4 (mini). Even with this imperfect seal, the sound flourished tremendously. Now I am on the hunt for some satisfying tips, I have read the last 20 pages of this thread, Comply and "home made" ones came up regularly, any other alternatives? If anyone has had a similar situation and found a decent fit in those grey  Sony S4 buds, any suggestions would be more than welcomed.   

 

[Tom22]

  First of all, greetings, my first post incoming (long time lurker tho).
 
Got mine yesterday, and after paying additional 30 bucks to customs, the frustration was enormous when I plugged them in and heard them for the first time. Very flat and thin sound, somewhere in the range of cheap 10$ IEMs. But after recollecting myself I realized that it must be the fit/seal thing so I tried on all of the 8 pairs of buds, with no success. I have been living off my 2 pairs of Klipsch S4s for years before this and tried their tips on, and of course they didn't fit. But I finally found a decent seal with those small grey stock rubber buds that you get along with the Galaxy S4 (mini). Even with this imperfect seal, the sound flourished tremendously. Now I am on the hunt for some satisfying tips, I have read the last 20 pages of this thread, Comply and "home made" ones came up regularly, any other alternatives? If anyone has had a similar situation and found a decent fit in those grey  Sony S4 buds, any suggestions would be more than welcomed.   

you could technically try the klipsch eartips again (if you have extras and your not worried about it stretching)
 
it is possible, but it requires a lot of force (and care so you don't damage the earphones in the process)
 
coming from the s4s i can definitely see why you think its thin sounding (i had both at the same time, and the re400 seemed anemic in the bass in comparison) but the midrange was more fleshed out and transparent 
 
another thing you could try is to wear them over the ear (i wasn't able to get a consistent seal when wearing cable down) i guess i have deeper ear canals  and the re400s have a short nozzle
 
so just wear em like a "sports earphone" with the cable over your ear 
 
fit perfectly and i didn't have to worry about bending the strain relief
 
try these tips before spending the cash elsewhere, thats my advice 
 
but if your dead set on getting eartips  try the  comply t400s/500s the sony hybrids, spin fits 

 

[Hepanlol]

  you could technically try the klipsch eartips again (if you have extras and your not worried about it stretching)
 
it is possible, but it requires a lot of force (and care so you don't damage the earphones in the process)
 
coming from the s4s i can definitely see why you think its thin sounding (i had both at the same time, and the re400 seemed anemic in the bass in comparison) but the midrange was more fleshed out and transparent 
 
another thing you could try is to wear them over the ear (i wasn't able to get a consistent seal when wearing cable down) i guess i have deeper ear canals  and the re400s have a short nozzle
 
so just wear em like a "sports earphone" with the cable over your ear 
 
fit perfectly and i didn't have to worry about bending the strain relief
 
try these tips before spending the cash elsewhere, thats my advice 
 
but if your dead set on getting eartips  try the  comply t400s/500s the sony hybrids, spin fits 

 
Maybe I will give it another try with Klipsch buds, but I have some reservations especially because of the non so sturdy build of these IEMs, as you kinda pointed out yourself indirectly. .
 
I would like to compare them side by side, but my second pair of Klipsch crapped on me couple of weeks ago, but yes, I have been using them for more than 6 years and I remember they sounded deeper with more bass (not overpowering) and all, but it will take some time to get used to the sound signature of RE400.
 
I tried over the ear wear with like 2 stock tips but I shall do it with all of them.
 
I actually snatched a pair of Pistons 3 in my local shop (a bit pricey tho, 35€, but with next day delivery) to use in between, as I ordered RE400 from Hong Kong which could result in 1 month+ shipping time, so I am not in a rush in finding  fitting RE tips, but still. 
 
My next move (if your advises doesn't work) is indeed buying sony hybrids (probably those fake ones from ebay for a start) and maybe those Shure olives (they are compatible with RE400s right?) as they are much more durable than Comply ones (as pointed out by many here).
 
Thanks a bunch for your input.

 

[Tom22]

   
Maybe I will give it another try with Klipsch buds, but I have some reservations especially because of the non so sturdy build of these IEMs, as you kinda pointed out yourself indirectly. .
 
I would like to compare them side by side, but my second pair of Klipsch crapped on me couple of weeks ago, but yes, I have been using them for more than 6 years and I remember they sounded deeper with more bass (not overpowering) and all, but it will take some time to get used to the sound signature of RE400.
 
I tried over the ear wear with like 2 stock tips but I shall do it with all of them.
 
I actually snatched a pair of Pistons 3 in my local shop (a bit pricey tho, 35€, but with next day delivery) to use in between, as I ordered RE400 from Hong Kong which could result in 1 month+ shipping time, so I am not in a rush in finding  fitting RE tips, but still. 
 
My next move (if your advises doesn't work) is indeed buying sony hybrids (probably those fake ones from ebay for a start) and maybe those Shure olives (they are compatible with RE400s right?) as they are much more durable than Comply ones (as pointed out by many here).
 
Thanks a bunch for your input.

shure olives won't fit the re400s, as they have solid plastic core and are sized with the klipschs

 

[sejarzo]

Took the plunge when I found that their official dealer on eBay (head-director) had lowered the price to $59, including shipping. They arrived today and I am quite impressed.
 
I'm not a huge mobile listener/IEM user, as I tend to listen to a desktop rig with HD600s. I have used Audeo PFE111s with the black filters and Comply tips for a few years, and while I loved the sound, the fit was never optimal due to the shape of the Audeo housing versus my outer ear. Even the Complys would lose seal every 30 minutes or so.
 
It only took a few minutes to hear that the RE-400s clearly offer greater resolution but not at the expense of any harshness, using the large black biflange tips supplied with the earphones and cables over-the-ear. Definitely a bargain at this price, so I hope they hold up for a few years for a light user like me.

 

[dmallen]

Hi all, I have the RE-400 as my everyday at work IEM's with ComplyFoam and for the price are great. I run them through the Fulla Schiit which is awesome as a combo. I also have Westone WR-4's and Shure SE 535 Red and for the price i would recommend the RE-400s.

 

[Tom22]

  Hi all, I have the RE-400 as my everyday at work IEM's with ComplyFoam and for the price are great. I run them through the Fulla Schiit which is awesome as a combo. I also have Westone WR-4's and Shure SE 535 Red and for the price i would recommend the RE-400s.

how do you think they match up with the wr4s and the se535s?
 
just in terms of tuning which do you prefer more?

 

[dmallen]

  how do you think they match up with the wr4s and the se535s?
 
just in terms of tuning which do you prefer more?

Tom, I will have to do a proper comparison and get back to you. Been a while since I have used my SE-535s and WR4s as pulling them in and out is a bit of pain when the fit can make the sound be so different. At home I have been using the HE-400s or HD-650's with my Vali 2 for main listening. But I do like the neutral sound of the Westsones once I tuned back in on them. The SE-535's I had trouble with the fit affecting the sound but have some tips to try out.

 

[Alez]

I just got these and lord oh lord... I had never heard the higher frequencies like this. I owned the GR07 and, from memory, the lows on them were more pronounced. but these have just the right amount of everything, I've already listened to EDM, house, classical, jazz, prog rock, and rap and nothing has disappointed me. of course, for the more bass-oriented genres (rap, EDM) you might find that you'll crave a tiny little bit more bass... but they're just so musical and sound so pretty (for lack of a better word, lol)!

 

[harry501]

They are way too neutral for my liking. The resolution is excellent don't get me wrong and you can hear everything that was intended to be heard in decent detail but they are far from warm so if you like that type of sound maybe not for you. Bass is there but not prominent by any means, which again is a good thing if that's what you like. I got INAIRS buds which helped make them sound slightly more warmer and coloured on certain types of music and songs. For the price (£60) they offer a lot though and they are a quality product, quite stylish. I use them with my Fiio X1 (and topping NX2 amp occasional songs and artists if needed).
 
So again, if you like a neutral more clinical sound then you'd like these, after lots of warm bass... maybe not. IMO.
 
EDIT... I should also point out, if you wear these walking expect a LOT of cable noise... it can be very annoyingly loud as it bangs of jackets and in pockets. I need to keep the cable running up inside my jacket or hoodie but even then it gets very frustrating as you need to play songs loud to counteract it.

 

[tinyman392]

  They are way too neutral for my liking. The resolution is excellent don't get me wrong and you can hear everything that was intended to be heard in decent detail but they are far from warm so if you like that type of sound maybe not for you. Bass is there but not prominent by any means, which again is a good thing if that's what you like. I got INAIRS buds which helped make them sound slightly more warmer and coloured on certain types of music and songs. For the price (£60) they offer a lot though and they are a quality product, quite stylish. I use them with my Fiio X1 (and topping NX2 amp occasional songs and artists if needed).
 
So again, if you like a neutral more clinical sound then you'd like these, after lots of warm bass... maybe not. IMO.
 
EDIT... I should also point out, if you wear these walking expect a LOT of cable noise... it can be very annoyingly loud as it bangs of jackets and in pockets. I need to keep the cable running up inside my jacket or hoodie but even then it gets very frustrating as you need to play songs loud to counteract it.

I wouldn't describe these as being a warm headphone.  I think I used the term warm over neutral, which essentially means close to neutral with a slight tilt towards the warm side.  These aren't quite clinical yet (in reference to something like an Etymotic), but tend towards that direction.  Though I understand the sound just isn't for you, I definitely can see that.  As for the cable noise, wearing them with the cable guided over the the ear helps much with that.  Then using the chin-slider to keep them stable helps more.  

 

[Alez]

I honestly don't see why so many people say they lack bass. the bass is there, and it's very much present, but only when it's necessary. it has great impact and speed, but it stays very controlled. these are by far the IEMs I've liked most out of the ones I've had. they're great for pretty much any genre and they don't require too much fidgeting to get them to seal and fit properly. they're also really comfortable, I can wear them for ~2 hours without any discomfort (which is saying a lot for me, most IEMs give me ear pain after an hour or so). overall, I'm extremely pleased with these. kudos to HiFiMan for offering such a high quality earphone for such an affordable price.

 

[ilmothedude]

How durable RE-400 are? I've read some negative stuff about build reliability on amazon. Have anyone here faced problems with RE-400 reliability?

 

[Francisk]

Trust me, if you want durability look else where. In short, the RE400/600 is not built with durability in mind 

 

[ilmothedude]

  Trust me, if you want durability look else where. In short, the RE400/600 is not built with durability in mind 

Well, I'm not actually looking because I have already ordered RE-400, but would be good to hear how easily they break and what kind of faults are most common in RE-400 so I could be more careful with my pair.