On the lookout for a universal IEM

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sardar17 said:
Horrible build quality............beware
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Yeah, 3 of the RE-1 IEMs failed on me, a RE-262 and one RE-400 after I sold it to another member on TE. The RE-1s were all failed drivers, I'm still open to buying a used pair! That's how good they were, probably my most loved piece of audio equipment I've owned. The RE262 and the 400 might have been cable issues.

kenpachiroks said:
Here's another reason ;)
https://www.facebook.com/HiFiMANElectronics/posts/707688969327896
Vesper audio has done some impressive HiFiMAN recabling work(none detachable though). But I do see a sweet detachable ortofon. Maybe ask them if it is possible.
BTW, How different are they from the RE400?
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Thanks for the link! Its a good option should the cables fail. Are you aware of complete driver failure with the RE600? Very tempting at BF sale price. Don't think the sale has started yet though, everything seems to be at normal rates on the Head Direct site.

It's been a while since I heard the RE-400 and I'm also now on a vastly improved source these days, so comparisons might not be just. The RE-600s had very tight bass, I wouldn't confidently say more quantity than the 400 but feels more precise. However, this extra control at the bottom end is something I also noticed with both my CIEMs after switching from the AK100 direct (or ALO International) to the GloveAudio A1, so I'm not sure if its solely the RE-600 or if the source plays a significant part here. I like the mid-range on the 600, its quite close to the 400, but not as buttery as the RE-1. Still, it seems to be the focal point of this IEM and would standout as a strong point. The treble is perhaps a bit more in line than the RE400, without losing out on any detailing. Should have tried running it balanced as well but didn't have the time, the differences however aren't always noticeable.

P.S. - If I were to give up all the restrictive criteria what would be the closet I could get to the old Head Direct RE-1's sound?
 
Just a little off topic but the RE 400 were 50$ on Amazon US on wednesday. Too bad I had noone to deliver it to.

They are being sold for 80$.
 
Ritvik said:
Yeah, 3 of the RE-1 IEMs failed on me, a RE-262 and one RE-400 after I sold it to another member on TE. The RE-1s were all failed drivers, I'm still open to buying a used pair! That's how good they were, probably my most loved piece of audio equipment I've owned. The RE262 and the 400 might have been cable issues.

Thanks for the link! Its a good option should the cables fail. Are you aware of complete driver failure with the RE600? Very tempting at BF sale price. Don't think the sale has started yet though, everything seems to be at normal rates on the Head Direct site.

It's been a while since I heard the RE-400 and I'm also now on a vastly improved source these days, so comparisons might not be just. The RE-600s had very tight bass, I wouldn't confidently say more quantity than the 400 but feels more precise. However, this extra control at the bottom end is something I also noticed with both my CIEMs after switching from the AK100 direct (or ALO International) to the GloveAudio A1, so I'm not sure if its solely the RE-600 or if the source plays a significant part here. I like the mid-range on the 600, its quite close to the 400, but not as buttery as the RE-1. Still, it seems to be the focal point of this IEM and would standout as a strong point. The treble is perhaps a bit more in line than the RE400, without losing out on any detailing. Should have tried running it balanced as well but didn't have the time, the differences however aren't always noticeable.

P.S. - If I were to give up all the restrictive criteria what would be the closet I could get to the old Head Direct RE-1's sound?
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The 199$ RE600 is up on Amazon and other authorized dealers but somehow not on Head-direct. But, the other black friday bundle (hm602+re400) is active on head-direct. That's odd.
Hifiman are on a roll with the deals. The 968$ HE560 + Geek pulse combo is coconuts.

I've pretty much read the whole RE400 and RE600 thread. There are many cases of jack/cable/strain relief failure, but no mention of driver failure. Most have been within warranty so they just get it swapped. And those who can't, get it recabled.

I read your impressions on glove audio. Looks like your portable needs are covered for good. :) (CEntrance and massdrop organized a group buy recently ~440$.)

You sure do love that RE1.:joyful: Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of trying it so I will be of little help. But I cannot think of another universal IEM company that does the midrange quite like HiFiMAN. How close did the 262 midrange sound to the RE1. From RE1 reviews, the RE272(which I have) does not sound like a match.
ClieOS would be the best person to ask(ljokerl hasn't heard the RE1). He's recently stopped entertaining generic questions, but your question isn't, so he should be able to help.
 
Yeah! Been checking every few hours. Ordered a pair half an hour ago. Now the wait!

Thanks again for the help. Let's just hope the cables last.
 
Lemme know if you ever find a pair that resembles RE1. Loved mine to death but mine too failed on me and that too outside the warranty period. Currently have RE-400 and I am pretty happy with them for the time being. Bad quality however is showing and I can start seeing the wire at the separator already. Wonder if that would be covered in warranty.
 
I'm not in India at the moment.

Hifiman/Head Direct undervalued packages to me earlier without me asking. They probably do the same for others as well, especially if you email them.

In the end one can't be too sure with Indian customs.
 
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rdst_1 said:
Lemme know if you ever find a pair that resembles RE1. Loved mine to death but mine too failed on me and that too outside the warranty period. Currently have RE-400 and I am pretty happy with them for the time being. Bad quality however is showing and I can start seeing the wire at the separator already. Wonder if that would be covered in warranty.
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I'm on the lookout for something similar too. The RE600 is better in every way but I can't get over those slightly coloured liquid mids on the RE1. Will keep you posted.
 
Any suggestions for an inexpensive DAP. Needs to be small and inexpensive. Primarily to drive these RE600s. Screen would be nice, but FLAC support is a must.

For those days I don't carry a back pack around. The A1 and AK100 combo is bit large and too expensive to carry around unprotected. Random showers are quite common here.

Totally out of touch with the market. I liked the Colorfly C3, but I'm guessing there's better and cheaper out there now.

I've heard of the Shozy Alien although its quite expensive. There's some FOTM ultra cheap DAP from Australia if I'm not mistaken and also the latest Fiio X series one.
 
Ritvik said:
Any suggestions for an inexpensive DAP. Needs to be small and inexpensive. Primarily to drive these RE600s. Screen would be nice, but FLAC support is a must.
For those days I don't carry a back pack around. The A1 and AK100 combo is bit large and too expensive to carry around unprotected. Random showers are quite common here.
Totally out of touch with the market. I liked the Colorfly C3, but I'm guessing there's better and cheaper out there now.
I've heard of the Shozy Alien although its quite expensive. There's some FOTM ultra cheap DAP from Australia if I'm not mistaken and also the latest Fiio X series one.
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I was thrown off the Alien after reading shigzeo's account. The Kogan(rebranded Oriver) rustled up some hype, before drying up on ebay.au. But is popping up as different rebrands in France and Canada.

So far, the Fiio X1 is the king of the hill when it comes to bang for buck budget DAPs. I don't see any player that can do what it does for 99$.
Take a look at the HiFiMAN HM700: 120$, deceptively small and light and sturdy(!), FLAC (16bit);WAV (24bit), balanced output (which should allow you to use your RE600 without the adapter. I assume you got the balanced RE600?). But, no expandable memory.
 
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The X1 looks great for the price. I'm now thinking of getting either the clip or something with a similar for factor. Since I'm already carrying a phone and a wallet :|

For balanced use I think the A1 would work. ALO and RSA amps used to work with the 262 without the adapter I think. Will know soon, the RE600 is on the FedEx truck :)

Another alternative would be a phone upgrade to iPhone 6+ or Note4. The X1 retails for 159 SGD. 200 is the contract price for phone. Compromise a bit on SQ but easier on the go.
 
Ritvik said:
The X1 looks great for the price. I'm now thinking of getting either the clip or something with a similar for factor. Since I'm already carrying a phone and a wallet :|
For balanced use I think the A1 would work. ALO and RSA amps used to work with the 262 without the adapter I think. Will know soon, the RE600 is on the FedEx truck :)
Another alternative would be a phone upgrade to iPhone 6+ or Note4. The X1 retails for 159 SGD. 200 is the contract price for phone. Compromise a bit on SQ but easier on the go.
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  • The 3.5mm jack is unbalanced on your A1. The balanced output is 2.5mm, I believe? Which means using an adapter. While it may work adapter-less out of the unbalanced jack, would it be the same as running balanced? Anyway, I hope it works without any adapter because HiFiMAN claim that there is no performance difference between the S and non-S version. But I sure wouldn't like to use an adapter on the go, because it adds localized weight to the cable.
  • The mighty Clip: I absolutely love this gem. Why else would I own more than 4? There is nothing more versatile and convenient at the same time. But I will have to admit that certain smartphones have caught up in terms of sound quality. And the clip loses out in certain criteria. My LG G2 supports 24bit/96khz (Sansa clip downsamples), the Poweramp EQ is excellent and better than the Clip(despite it not being parametric). There are certain obvious criteria where the clip wins. But nowadays, I do not feel compelled to carry my clip everywhere. However, I doubt either can come close to something like the Fiio X1.

PS: With the release of Android 5.0 people are reporting that the Geek Out now works with OTG. This has me excited because this means I could spruce up my laptop, desktop and mobile to a very high level all at the same time, with a very small footprint.
PS2: The iPhone 6 does not support hi res AFAIK. Note 3 does. Note 4 does too?
 
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