[audionewbi]

EQing isn't bad. Iem that response well to EQ indicate a capable driver. If you dislike the house sound well that's a different story, if product has a fatal built flaws that is where sound becomes irrelevant.

 

[Brooko]

Laughable that negative feedback on price to performance ratio would earn someone a banning on here.

It doesn't - and I was not positive in my own opinion on overall value either. People are always allowed to state an opinion as long as they follow the rules of the forum. TBH - I have no idea what ubs28 is talking about.

 

[Brooko]

Well, I simply can not question what other people and reviewers hear apparently, which is what I got a warning for.

But that is the problem why manufacturers keep producing sub par $2000+ IEM's and headphones. All the reviews are very good despite the product having major flaws at that price range.

I always find it funny when I go listen to a overhyped IEM or headphone in the $2000+ range and being in disbelieve to what I hear.

Can you please stop with the conspiracy theories. The only reason you would be warned is if you were making a direct personal attack on someone else rather than debating the point. Everyone is entitled to their opinion - as long as they are not trolling or being abusive / personally attacking others.

 

[Dobrescu George]

It's tonal balance on classical music and soundtracks sounded weird as if it was V-shaped or U-shaped. On other types of music it is too bright which makes we want to grab and EQ an turn it down.

To me that is a big flaw on a $2000 product as I expect close to perfection for that kind of money. For a $500 product I would have had no issue with that.

I actually really like that top end part of the sound...

I agree with you, however I have written negative reviews on Sony items, and criticised Advanced sound and many other brands for stand out flaws in the design and sound.

For me the RE2000 doesn't have any glaring flaws, and to me the sound is excellent, it is mainly the rest of the package that could be improved for the price.

Entirely agreed. More tips would had been nice indeed, but I honestly try my best to find faults in the sound and I'm not able to...

It was the double flanges. It's technical performance was very good no doubt.

Well, I heard more expensive IEM's that I was even less impressed about. Alteast the RE2000 made it to the final selection of IEM's I was going to buy. If the tonality was balanced, I would have been a RE2000 owner right now.

But that is just me and my opinion ofcourse.

You are always entitled to your opinion, tastes, and subjective approach!

Whether you like it or not canot be enforced on you and the fact that you want another signature means that you should probably look into something else or use EQ.

Since there are some people who are really happy with the sonic signature, it means that your personal taste is different, we should be glad that there are so many IEM producers that offer such a wide array of signatures and approaches. I cannot name a few on the spot, but if you want a smoother signature, there are few good options.

It is not a flaw if something is not being for your tastes as long as it is good from a technical perspective, there are many other products that can please you.

Same thing happened with me and a few IEMs and DAPs that were too smooth / didn't have enough treble - it is a subjective taste after all, you should get what you want and what would bring you most happiness. I EQ whenever I can though, so I find comfort with many devices as long as they can whitstand EQ

 

[ubs28]

Can you please stop with the conspiracy theories. The only reason you would be warned is if you were making a direct personal attack on someone else rather than debating the point. Everyone is entitled to their opinion - as long as they are not trolling or being abusive / personally attacking others.

Well, that is why I stay away from discussing other people their impressions and reviews in case it gets classified as a personal attack again. Although I do wonder how they can hear a V-shaped headphone as perfectly balanced though.

Better safe then sorry.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Well, that is why I stay away from discussing other people their impressions and reviews in case it gets classified as a personal attack again. Although I do wonder how they can hear a V-shaped headphone as perfectly balanced though.

Better safe then sorry.

Again that is what is great about this community, we all like different tastes and we can all agree to disagree

Thanks to @Brooko for his measurements, he stated he hears a very slight V shaped signature, which I would be inclined to agree with, however it was the mids that really captivated me with the RE2000, the emotion that is extracted from recordings is unlike any other headphone I have heard.

Here you go, there is a slight dip in the lower midrange, but to me the overall sound is what counts

 

[Dobrescu George]

Well, that is why I stay away from discussing other people their impressions and reviews in case it gets classified as a personal attack again. Although I do wonder how they can hear a V-shaped headphone as perfectly balanced though.

Better safe then sorry.

Ear shape, canal shape, Source, impedance matching, expectation bias, tips and music used will all contribute to what we hear and how. But exactly as @Oscar-HiFi stated above me and exactly as Paul stated before, they are slightly V-shaped, but the mids are exciting and forward, not enough recess in the midrange to be a classical V-shaped or U-shaped signature.

The tonality is not the same thing as the frequency response, the tonality is how good the tonality of guitars and voices and instruments are, RE-2000 reproduces tonality true to life, frequency response and house sound / signature will have some impact on some things as well, but the tonality is not affected here. Examples of tonality changes are where usually cheaper IEMs might increase the all guitar notes with one octave or play all minors in major tone making metal music happy.

You might have gotten used to IEMs that reproduced music in a different way. Audiophile Heaven will also review Beyerdynamic Xelento, and maybe those will better suit your tastes.

Some early reviews and early impressions stated that it has a leaner treble, maybe it will bring you more happiness like that.

At any rate, if you don't like the signature of something, you can either EQ it or look elsewhere, there is no better judge of your tastes and of what you hear than your own ears.

For comfort reasons and due to my ear construction, I am using large (white) spinfits at the moment, they do provide slightly less treble and an even more balanced signature, but even with their double flange silicone tips RE-2000 had a slightly V-shape signature, but not as strong as say ie800 or other V-shaped IEMs.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

Thanks for sharing your interesting toughs about limit of price value in iem world, some precision was well explained like cost of prototype and new technologies.

I know it's surely a debate that could go on forever and don't want to open the pandora box.

Here, i'm not gringe about the fact I would never be able to buy (new) 1000-2000$ iem, and calm myself thinking that even if I have full of money I will still have to buy different iem soundsignature to listen to the wide range of music I love, so, it would not solve this serious collector disease

Anyway, still waiting for a Canjam in Quebec!!!!!!

 

[Dobrescu George]

Thanks for sharing your interesting toughs about limit of price value in iem world, some precision was well explained like cost of prototype and new technologies.

I know it's surely a debate that could go on forever and don't want to open the pandora box.

Here, i'm not gringe about the fact I would never be able to buy (new) 1000-2000$ iem, and calm myself thinking that even if I have full of money I will still have to buy different iem soundsignature to listen to the wide range of music I love, so, it would not solve this serious collector disease

Anyway, still waiting for a Canjam in Quebec!!!!!!

No worries!

Let's hope that if you take a serious interest in RE-2000, you will also afford to get it!

Also hope that you'll have lots of fun at Canjam!

 

[APaudio]

I am looking for the top dynamic earphones. I have been using the truth for 2.5 years with 240SS+Ref8+Kojo KM01.
I did demo RE2000 and the Dream. I felt I like the overall sound of RE2000 more than the Dream.
Anyone have heard both the truth and RE2000? Care to share your thoughts.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

Don't worry, I really enjoy my RE2000, but can also enjoy my ZS5.

Yes they are miles apart in technicalities, and the RE2000 sounds like real music whereas the ZS5 doesn't sound as natural, also quite different sound signatures.

I'd never be able to afford them either, but some people can, and for that reason we need reviews and also people need to try before they buy at this price in my opinion.

But they are definitely a TOTL IEM in nearly every aspect and should be on anyone's shortlist if they are looking in that price range.

I really appreciate your honnest answer here and will go with an audacious question:
Did the KZ ZS5 can compete (or even beat) 200$+ iem?

As your an high end iem connoisseur, your opinion really matter for my sub-100$ best chinese iem thread, myself, I have 600$ custom Westone ES2 and sell them after hearing better sound under 100$ (PMV A01 MK2, **** UE's custom and ZS5 too sound better (more exciting) IMO, ES2 was mid centric and super wide soundstage but lack details and bass resolution).
It's just that the max price for iem was about 1000$ (Shure se846) before this iem came to market (here I don,t include fancy custom made wich can go over 1000$), this precedent afraid me a little about rational price limit and I came to the conclusion that some people want ''elitist'' sound experience just because their wallet can make this statement of economical power, I would really like an objective reviewer that do blind test of lot of different priced iem without knowing the price value, I think result will be destabilising.

 

[ostewart]

I really appreciate your honnest answer here and will go with an audacious question:
Did the KZ ZS5 can compete (or even beat) 200$+ iem?

As your an high end iem connoisseur, your opinion really matter for my sub-100$ best chinese iem thread, myself, I have 600$ custom Westone ES2 and sell them after hearing better sound under 100$ (PMV A01 MK2, **** UE's custom and ZS5 too sound better (more exciting) IMO, ES2 was mid centric and super wide soundstage but lack details and bass resolution).
It's just that the max price for iem was about 1000$ (Shure se846) before this iem came to market (here I don,t include fancy custom made wich can go over 1000$), this precedent afraid me a little about rational price limit and I came to the conclusion that some people want ''elitist'' sound experience just because their wallet can make this statement of economical power, I would really like an objective reviewer that do blind test of lot of different priced iem without knowing the price value, I think result will be destabilising.

To be honest it all comes down to subjective taste, as we all like different sound signatures. I personally prefer a more neutral sounding headphone and only got the ZS5 to see how they perform. I personally don't think they are quite up there with $200 IEM's, but sub $100 the ZS5 is very good indeed. Personally one of my new favourites around $100 is the Simgot EN700 Bass which I think performs better than the ZS5, it has a smoother frequency response. Also the new E series from Final are very impressive (no replaceable cable).

The ZS5 are a great, fun sounding IEM for under $100, and some of the best in that range, however they are limited in their technical capabilities. But saying that, they are fun to listen to and I can easily enjoy them, as well as enjoying a $2000 IEM.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

To be honest it all comes down to subjective taste, as we all like different sound signatures. I personally prefer a more neutral sounding headphone and only got the ZS5 to see how they perform. I personally don't think they are quite up there with $200 IEM's, but sub $100 the ZS5 is very good indeed. Personally one of my new favourites around $100 is the Simgot EN700 Bass which I think performs better than the ZS5, it has a smoother frequency response. Also the new E series from Final are very impressive (no replaceable cable).

The ZS5 are a great, fun sounding IEM for under $100, and some of the best in that range, however they are limited in their technical capabilities. But saying that, they are fun to listen to and I can easily enjoy them, as well as enjoying a $2000 IEM.

Amen, truth is told by the wise men

I guess it can beat bad 200$ iem tough, but not the good one hehe

Will give a look and perhaps a part of my little wallet to the Simgot Bass.

From the review I read of Final Audio E2000, I feel Urbanfun already have this nice neutral with full clarity soundsignature so I will pass here.

 

[tassardar]

Got to listen to my review set today provided by local distro



Initial review is, you need to use a tip that works for you. I tried 4 types before settling for the middle size double flange which gave me a good enough seal. Sound wise, as this is not yet fully burn in, I felt the base had good impact and power while retaining sufficient clarity. The mids especially the vocals felt closer to me but had this nasal like sound. The trebles are clear but so far nothing outstanding. This is coming from comparing with my KSE1500 running the Hugo TT as DAC. Overall, it didn't disappoint me unlike some IEMs. Nothing significantly worst off then my KSE1500 which is my base standard with some field like the bass and closer mids that I quite enjoy. Though something to note, tips affect the soundstage. When using the triple flange and double flange, it changes so i'm still in the process of choosing which is better since some other parts of the sound were also affected.

Overall my initial review puts this as something in the high end but is it flagship still requires more time for me to consider. One thing for sure, as a dynamic IEM, it is at least better then whatever I heard so far including the hybrids from various brands.

My only complain is, it earphone finishing itself leave much to desire, The fact that theres this plastic pieces that don't feel good touching just don't quite match its price expectations. Also the cables provided felt a little too thin and flimsy. Currently using my own braided cable to try them out.

 

[pedalhead]

Cross-post from the other place. My thoughts align very much with @Brooko & I'd recommend everyone read his excellent review.

I've spent a fair bit of time with the RE$2K now with the following rigs:
CI Audio VDA2+VAC1 balanced > Jotunheim > single ended
Echobox Explorer DAP
DiDiT DAC212SE
Samsung Galaxy S8

The RE$2K is 60ohm / 103dB and actually quite at home in a desktop system. They played nicely with all of the above apart from the S8, which at modest volume was fine but ran out of steam at reasonably loud levels. I wasn't able to pick up any reliable differences between the sources & I feel the RE$2K is not terribly amp fussy beyond needing a bit of juice.

Whilst some of my initial thoughts are still relevant, the Comply tips were clearly hampering things and are not a good match here, bloating the bass and upsetting the (fairly)balanced-with-a-bit-of-bass-boost sig of these iems. I rolled a few tips (tri/bi-flange, spinfits etc) and settled on Dekoni Mercury. They're foam but not as squidgy as the Comply. Sort of a middle ground between the over-bassy Comply and leaner/brighter spinfits. As a yardstick, my favourite current headphone bass flavour is from the Eikon, and actually if it weren't for the lack of staging I'd take an Eikon as my main (with a high shelf of +2dB from 5khz).

I'll roll up my main thoughts into some bullet points (all using Dekoni tips)...

-- Slams harder than any other iem I can recall.
-- Deep sub-bass and stays tight. Passes the "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" test
-- Modest mid-bass hump, followed by slight dip in lower mids. Subtle, works as intended.
-- A little accentuation around 5-6khz. Pretty mild, turned out not to be an issue for me.
-- Not very airy with these tips. Not dark but definitely not sparkly. Spinfits for that, but too bright for me.
-- Cymbals in Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" sound almost spot on, just a tad darker than realistic (again, tips).
-- Fiona Apple sounds smooth and realistic. Perhaps a fraction recessed, but no peaks a decent trade-off.
-- Stellar imaging, strong sense of space between instruments
-- Stage is wide but not very deep
-- Detail resolution is excellent. Switching between RE$2K and HD800 didn't make the former sound low-fi as often happens
-- Fit can definitely be an issue. Sharp edges not comfortable. Depends on tip depth...for my ears it's better to have the shells protruding a bit more
-- Stock cable looks pretty basic for a $2k iem. I'm not into cable-fu though, so YMMV

Ok, I appreciate I'm giving these a bl*w job here, but I really really like the RE$2K. That's saying a lot as I usually hate iems, and I've had anti-HifiMan rage in the past. Switching out with modded HD800 really shows how wonky the Sennheiser midrange is. RE$2K are getting far more head time at the moment, and not just because I'm checking them out. I was going to compare them to my Noble Savants but it took about 2 minutes to figure out that the RE$2K does pretty much everything better than the Savant (except for the cable).


BRIEF COMPARISON WITH RE800:

I also have an RE800 here, which has so far received a lot less head time. There are some obvious observations though:

-- RE800 would be pretty linear sounding if it wasn't for...
-- RE800 is brighter, peaky in the treble (7k?) and prone to sibilance
-- Sub-bass extension is there but in lower quantity. Also lacks the noticeable mid-bass hump of the RE$2K
-- RE800 is weaker on detail resolution
-- Easier fit due to different form factor
-- Captive, flimsy cable looks like an RMA waiting to happen

RE800 is for the treble-heads only imho. Still preferable to some crazy V-shaped iems out there, but sibilance is a big turn-off for me so it doesn't stand a chance.

========================================

So, RE$2K is to my ears a winner. I've purposefully avoided commenting on the price as frankly I struggle to accept that any headphone should be priced above £1k, but clearly the market thinks otherwise so no point bleating on about it.