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luger
130
Feb 10, 2017
overwhelming negativity? how sad. i've had my original RE0 since maybe 2010, and I pulled one ear apart trying to get off the wrong comply tip once - but a toothpick and superglue fixed it. still.work.fine. cables are fine, i hang mine up, otherwise inclined to be a little kinky. really need the good seal i get with the comply for the bass, and a touch of eq, but the sonic reward turned me into a 'budding' audiophile. will help you appreciate good recordings, and snicker at poor ones. just got a set of RE400a, and almost but not the cigar. oh - definitely benefit from a little extra power. bought an E5 and E6 originally, and made a world of difference with the Clip+. now it is the E18 and the S4. yeah, the knurling is a little rough, but once the scar tissue in your ears develops... WHA? gimme a break!! the RE0 started over $200, never went under $80. think of this drop as $35 for those $200 buds. really.
Semicoln
94
Feb 10, 2017
lugerThey sound like $35 buds. Sorry man.
luger
130
Feb 12, 2017
SemicolnIf these really are built the same - on the inside - then you may be missing something. General discussion sounds like build quality issues - so far - are plaguing this release. I'll be surprised if these don't at least sound as good as the RE0 i've got hanging here. I think Dr. Fang takes his reputation too seriously. The RE0 sounded pretty mediocre to me before I put Comply foam on them, and upped the power available to drive them. FiiO came to the rescue there. They were screechy little whiners to start. Still aren't hurt by a little EQ. Just my $0.02...
Semicoln
94
Feb 12, 2017
lugerI put Comply tips on and ran them off of a Dragonfly Black after about 40 hours of burn in. There was some improvement especially around mids, some improvement in bass. For some reason they love emo/pop-punk. Still, from what I've read about RE0, they don't feel like they live up to the original.
luger
130
Feb 12, 2017
SemicolnTruth be told, I'm more fond of my Xioami Hybrid Pros now, [improved clarity in bass and lower mids vs. original Hybrid]. They seem to do the hybrid thing pretty well - and _don't_ require the tight seal or even the extra power of the HiFiMan stuff - and the BA in them gives me that analytical upper mid and high i'm fond of, nice enough for on the go. I can take calls with them, 'cause I don't have to use the E18 to listen to them. I blew my real money on some Koss ESP-950 on Black Friday, so right now everything else is way less than second fiddle. Still, when these come in, I'll give them a serious compare. Worth a check at this price for me. Truth be told, the RE400a are a bit of a let down, at least they sold at the time for 'only' $50. We shall see - or hear, as it were...
Semicoln
94
Feb 12, 2017
lugerI'm waiting on the Final Audio Heaven III to arrive.
luger
130
Feb 12, 2017
Semicolnhow come, with a name like final, they keep coming up with more models?
Semicoln
94
Feb 12, 2017
lugerThe name may be tongue-in-cheek. They know we are going to upgrade.
sirkuttin
145
Feb 12, 2017
lugerI almost jumped at the 40% off esp 950 on black Friday. Instead I got the Fostex Ebony. How are they?
luger
130
Feb 12, 2017
sirkuttinI'm not a bass-head but Rush blow me away on them. They are open back, and with clarity to die for. Considered Beyerdynamic T90 Chrome initially, then HE-400i, then saw the ESP at 35% off. Twice the price, well worth it for what are, to me anyway, zero compromise phones. Fostex I've not heard before, appear to in the same league, similar technology, to the Beyerdynamic Tesla phones. Worth the price if you've heard them and they thrill you. Certainly the closed cup and low impedance make for portability; even with the calfskin bag and C-cell holder I can hardly call the ESP-950 portable...
sirkuttin
145
Feb 13, 2017
lugerYeah. Ibdont think my setup should be considered portable either. I am in the process of selling them to get custom IeMs
luger
130
Feb 23, 2017
lugerWell, this may be as much followup as you'll hear from me.
The RE00 are a little more efficient than my original RE0. According to the packaging, 106db vs 100db at 1mW. It might not be that much, but it is noticeable. Sound signature and overall performance are very very similar. The double flange that came with the RE00 actually work very well for me - I dug out the double flange that came with the RE0 and it made easier to A-B with the RE00. Heck, I even tried them on the RE-400a. Each has good resolving power, and good tonal balance. Even boosting treble or bass doesn't make them sound shrill or bloated - I appreciate that. For me, the RE00 are nice, and definitely close enough to a reincarnation of the RE0 to applaud Massdrop and HifiMan/Dr. Fang. Oh, and nothing in the construction of the pair I got to make me deprecate the build quality so far. I made the mistake (?) of switching to my Koss electrostatics toward the end of the session, to hear some close-miked Joni Mitchell. Ouch. Can't really expect midrange clarity like that without at least some balanced armatures getting involved...
Semicoln
94
Feb 23, 2017
lugerThanks for the follow up impressions. I haven't had any build issues with mine either. And I agree that the midrange clarity does put them something above the price that MD is asking. I guess you could say they've grown on me some.
luger
130
Feb 24, 2017
SemicolnWell, it _was_ fun to go back and shake that tree, and realize I wasn't just imagining these being decent buds. My only 'problem' is that, since getting them in 2010, two things have happened. One is technology has progressed and performance is moving further up in the 'affordable' IEM market. I'm liking my hybrids better than these, and they cost the same, for instance. Those Final Audio you referred to - when you get them 8-Þ - will very likely resolve better, and have better presence. Certainly a higher price, though, but still 'reasonable'. Besides the advances in technology, though, my experience since then has broadened. These RE00 - and the RE-400, etc. - are nice for the price, but I want more. I have headphones now that totally blow me away - at a MUCH higher price, admittedly - and are my new reference point for everything else. I want Joni Mitchell breathing in my ear, caressing the piano keys, breaking my heart. These don't really do it. I'll be looking for IEMs that do, but budget will probably slow the search. Maybe the FADs will come close. May be similar to Etymotic. I'm casually looking at UE 900s and the like, maybe go gentle with 1More Triple. Probably my wife will kill me before it happens! C'est la vie.
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