[Dobrescu George]

I read the review to be okay but nothing special or what I would expect for a 2K IEM.

Except for the frequency response, of which everything has a different one and about which everyone has their own preferences, it would be pretty fair to say that RE-2000 has the fair sonic abilities that might be expected at their price point.

 

[HiFiChris]

About the 5kHz peaky part, that might not be for everyone, [...]

The is no 5 kHz peak but an emphasis. Not necessarily strong, but strong enough to make the cymbal attack more metallic than or should be (not as in "more aggressive" but as in "not exactly the right time"). Combined with the 11 kHz elevation, they also appear more "spread" than "on point".
There are several cheaper IEMs (sub $1000) that are way less authentic in the highs than the RE2000 - but between $1000 to $2000 there are also many competitors that are more even in the highs and therefore more realistic. It's not about the emphasis itself that I'm criticising, but the way it was implemented.
Imo, HiFiMan could have spent a little more time to find-tube the RE2000.

Go and listen for yourself with a sine generator and probably pink noise if you want the hardcore nerdy treatment (however pink noise requires a bit more experience with listening to pink noise to spot those things) - if you cannot hear it, is fine and the tips your using our your ear canal shape might reduce them.

 

[HiFiChris]

I read the review to be okay but nothing special or what I would expect for a 2K IEM.

On the technical level, it is shockingly fantastic - even more so for a dynamic driver IEM. It doesn't handle very fast material as effortlessly as multi-BA IEMs but comes close enough.
The detail retrieval, separation, imaging, control and especially that organic, layered bass texture are effing brilliant.

But treble realism should be better for $2k nowadays. Also, the tip selection is quite poor at this price point (HiFiMan should really improve in this regard). In addition, the HiFiMan logo on the shells should have been either CNC'd or engraved - the way it was "printed" (I don't know what this type of procedure for is actually called) doesn't really fit to a flagship product.
So yes, it is an astonishing in-ear, but carries some flaws that shouldn't be present at this price point.

 

[Brooko]

I guess I hear it a bit different Chris. I think the lower treble is extended rather than emphasised, and I'm not getting any real peakiness. For me anyway, the lower treble energy is giving great harmonics on cymbals with enough 7 kHz presence to have some realistic decay in there too.

Here's what I measured with my calibrated set-up.

I definitely have no problems with them as far as tonality goes. Its probably a little on the "romantic" or "musical" side as far a s slight colouring goes - definitely a very mild V. But with the separation / imaging - it would be the best dynamic I've heard.

 

[denis1976]

I am really curious about this re2000 and the re800 too, about the layering and depth of the ie800 a have ones and i think i allways will have it, they are very unique, and if the soundstage don't have depth or pin point layering don't sell the ie800, sell your source gear

 

[denis1976]

Does some one knows when the re2000/800 will be available to buy in Europe?

 

[twister6]

I guess I hear it a bit different Chris. I think the lower treble is extended rather than emphasised, and I'm not getting any real peakiness. For me anyway, the lower treble energy is giving great harmonics on cymbals with enough 7 kHz presence to have some realistic decay in there too.

Here's what I measured with my calibrated set-up.



I definitely have no problems with them as far as tonality goes. Its probably a little on the "romantic" or "musical" side as far a s slight colouring goes - definitely a very mild V. But with the separation / imaging - it would be the best dynamic I've heard.

The same calibration yields very similar results But you can see how foam tips (in your case, I assume) vs silicone tips (in my case) can tame down a bit the treble peaks, among a few other measurement variations.

 

[Brooko]

Graph scale too Alex - regardless both show little more than a 10dB difference between 1kHz dip and peaks of the treble, and only about 5dB more than the mid-bass hump. That's generally pretty balanced in my books. But yes, tips make a difference, as does listening level and music you're testing with. I guess biggest difference for me (to Chris) is that I don't hear cymbals as inaccurate in any way. Could be simply down to preference.

 

[Brooko]

My review on the RE2000 now posted

 

[ostewart]

My review on the RE2000 now posted

Excellent review and I would agree with what you have written about the sound

 

[Brooko]

Thanks Oscar. If you have access to an E17K (or even the RHA L1), can you try that dropping the treble thing for me and see what you think? I only dropped 2 dB (sloping drop so bigger drop at treble end, lower drop in mid-range) and I was surprised how much it really suited my preferences. I noted a few people talking about a little brightness or air up top (maybe even what Chris was talking about with the cymbals). Would be curious to see what others think.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Thanks Oscar. If you have access to an E17K (or even the RHA L1), can you try that dropping the treble thing for me and see what you think? I only dropped 2 dB (sloping drop so bigger drop at treble end, lower drop in mid-range) and I was surprised how much it really suited my preferences. I noted a few people talking about a little brightness or air up top (maybe even what Chris was talking about with the cymbals). Would be curious to see what others think.

I add 2-3 dB of treble, usually last slider, to suit my listening habits.

Since you like / use HD800S, it is interesting to hear that you would drop the treble instead of increasing it.

Also, great review, Paul!

 

[subguy812]

Nice review sir! Sounds like a nice IEM, of interest is the fact that it doesn't sound anemic on lower-powered sources. The Dream likes a little power. I would say since I already have one close to $2,000 DD I probably don't need this one. Also, the included accessories seem rather light. I already have a lot of ear tips obviously so it's not like that's a deal-breaker. The quality of the Dream accessories is so nice. The van den Hul cable and the interchangable plugs. That said if I didn't have the Dream I would probably check it out for my DD fix.

 

[Brooko]

I add 2-3 dB of treble, usually last slider, to suit my listening habits.

Since you like / use HD800S, it is interesting to hear that you would drop the treble instead of increasing it.

Also, great review, Paul!

Thanks George. The HD800S isn't a treble heavy headphone though. I think thats why I love it compared to the original HD800. Bass has a little more mid-bass hump (to me it sounds more natural that way), and the infamous treble peaks in the 5-6kHz range are gone.

Taking the RE2000 down a notch actually reminds me a lot of the HD800S signature. Detail without the glare

 

[Brooko]

Nice review sir! Sounds like a nice IEM, of interest is the fact that it doesn't sound anemic on lower-powered sources. The Dream likes a little power. I would say since I already have one close to $2,000 DD I probably don't need this one. Also, the included accessories seem rather light. I already have a lot of ear tips obviously so it's not like that's a deal-breaker. The quality of the Dream accessories is so nice. The van den Hul cable and the interchangable plugs. That said if I didn't have the Dream I would probably check it out for my DD fix.

Thanks SG. I think you'll find that most reviewers are going to say that it needs amping (and a few may tell you it needs a lot of juice). All I can relate is my experience and while it needs some extra power, it sounds great out of virtually any source I've tried.