Warning: The usual disclaimer holds. Sound is very subjective and I am still learning to associate terms with what I hear. Judging by Head-fi standards, I am not qualified to write a review. But, why do I even attempt it? Because I want to share what’s on my mind about the IEMs – some of them not widespread or popular here. What I’ll try to do is to present facts as I see and hear. YMMV, so take everything with a bucketful of salt. Also, impressions on sound tend to change with burn-in – either actual or the brain adaptation.
Introduction: I’ve always been fascinated by the “house sound†of Head-direct. They err on the side of neutral, something I very much like. I’ve been chasing RE-252 for a long time than I’ve cared to admit in forums. So, when audio, availability and affordability clashed, they formed the true axis of evil for my wallet … yet again!
Photos:
From Left to Right: The Packing, The “Dust Magnet†View 1, The “Dust Magnet†View 2, The Cables (from Left to Right – Sony earbuds, RE-252, Xears TD100-I), The RE-252 Cable
Specifications:
The Outside – Looks, Packing, External factors
Accessories & Packing: Accessories include 3 sizes of single flange, two sizes of clear double flange, a shirt clip, 10 replacement filters in a HiFiMan box similar to the one from RE0. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary to be excited about.
First looks: Faheem said that he opened it up, tested to see if they are DOA and packed them again. I could still spot a few specks of dust when they arrived in layers of packing. On first touch, these were a little soft. So, this is what a “gummy†is.
Cables: I am not very fond of Head-direct cables thus far (I own only RE0 and 252). I am yet to see a CK10, but it’s not unfair to demand better cables at this price range. Now, look closely in the 4th image – Which one do you think has the thicker cable? The [FONT="]Rs. [/FONT]1400 Sony, [FONT="]€[/FONT]15 Xears or the $199 RE-252? Decide for yourself.
Fit: I have read pages and pages of struggle with fit. So, before I got mine from Faheem, I tried to meditate early in the morning to calm my mind down. But, I am not the meditating type, can’t describe what I saw when I closed my eyes without getting X-rated. Anyways, next I tried to seek Youtube’s help in finding some ‘rassling’ from the era gone by. I closely observed how to drive a tombstone piledriver properly. And I was prepared….
Alas! The first time I tried the IEMs, they went up snugly into my ears and stayed there. Damn! My preparation has gone into an utter pile of waste. Wrong again! That was just beginner’s luck. As I took them out carefully and tried to do the magical thing once again, it dawned on me that these are worth their notorious reputation. Whenever I tried to pull out, I had to be conscious and careful; after all, these are not cheap earbuds. So, I have to carefully pull the housing and not touch the strain relief.
Build: Why the struggle with fit? Who the hell would think of an odd shaped gummy to house a driver? It’s not like the normal design is broke. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Anyways, the worse thing is that strain relief also is made of the gummy material. If I was head-direct and I decided to strain your ears this way, I’d have thought of something called a detachable cable.
Tips: I was terrified when changing the tips with the gummies. I mean, what if they suddenly decide to collapse on me when I am pulling out the greatly fit ear tip? Also, due to the construction, these need tips that go deep into the ear. I tried de-cored Shure Olives and the MEE M11+ long single flange. I found them both to irritate a bit. So, I am sticking with the stock large bi-flange until I find something better.
Comfort: Going by reviews and personal opinion from Faheem, these housings should “break in†and get softer in about 20-30 hours of use. I have already tried them for 10 hours. The pain on the outer ear is a lot of bother.
Microphonics: These are as bad as they get. For me, even the shirt clip did not help. Probably because they have been kept packed for a very long time, the cables have lot of memory. The worse thing is the cable from the Y-Split to the strain relief is what causes the most noise. I could avoid walking with these on. But, even when I am sitting at one location and turn my face, I get some microphonics. Hopefully, these too could settle with time.
Isolation: Isolation is decent enough. But, it depends on the fit. For me, the large bi-flanges seal air-tight without a breathing space for the ears (My usual size is Medium). So, I get a decent amount of isolation.
The Inner Part – The Sound
I have over time accumulated about 40-50 tracks covering various genres and some of the tracks are used to test certain traits. This playlist is a work in progress. This is the first IEM I am testing them with.
The playlist begins with some vocal tracks. The first thought that immediately came to my mind was that these sound natural. It was like I was seeing Diana Krall in a large screen watching closely - when she presses her lips, opens them and by how much, Pretty impressive! May be my other IEMs could pick them up too. But, I did not need to put an effort to observe these in the 252, it’s all comfortable.
The Sound Stage is a little strange. I observed depth only in a handful of instances. Most, if not all of the time, it was like somebody decided to stretch the 3-D information into two dimensional space. The sound stage width is slightly wider, but not by much, certainly not as wide as DDM (from memory). It does not have the depth that DBA-02 has. So, in certain songs, positional cues are neatly filled in by the DBAs from front to back. But, 252’s will place them from left to right. When I tried out “On the Run†from DSOTM, I distinctly remember that DDMs placed the runner behind you. Here the runner is closer. But, this is not to say that 252’s lack spatial clues completely. They just don’t do front-to-back right as compared to left-to-right.
Separation is another aspect which I always look for. The separation is very good here like most top-tier IEMs are supposed to be. But, due to the positioning perhaps, I felt that instruments needed a bit more air around them when it comes to Complex passages.
The other good things I observed were Clarity and Balance. Dynamic range, I think are about right. It did not appear to be compressed as with a few other IEMs.
When it comes to frequency response, the first thing you observe is the natural, detailed, lush, well defined mids. You won’t be at fault if you considered them mid-centric after testing only a few tracks. But, these have a very fine balance. The bass goes deep and is natural. It has some rumble too especially as observed in Pink Floyd’s DSOTM track. But, they lack the texture, impact or the quantity that DDMs have. They may be on par with DBA-02, but I am yet to A-B. The treble is detailed enough, but smooth and restrained compared to RE0 and DBA-02. These do have very good speed for a dynamic. BA phones could be hair splittingly fast, but these do not lag behind too much, at least they do far better than RE0.
In overall presentation, I’d say these are pretty balanced in the scheme of things. Bass or treble is never intrusive. But, they seem to have smoothness written all over their signature. As a result, they lack the excitement that DBA-02 and DDM provide for me. They could become boring over long hours of listening.
Due to the low impedance, these do not require an amp. They are very easy to drive straight out of a Clip+ or S9. I find them to be great for low volume listening. I could easily keep the Rockboxed Clip+ at -31 dB and not miss too much. Some IEMs in contrast require a certain volume to shine, irrespective of their rated impedance. Some lose certain characteristics at lower volumes – mids sound muddy / recessed unless you pair them with the right level of amplification. That’s not an issue with RE-252.
Value for Money
If RE0 is the benchmark for the $80 IEM, I’d price these anywhere in the $125 - $150 range, probably $150. If SQ was my main criteria, I’d price them around $170, but the horrible housing and cable makes me deduct $20. I certainly would not pay $199 for them.
Conclusion
RE-252s are my most natural sounding pair to date. They do not overdo anything. But, the main issue is that of fit. Let’s see if I can explain this with an analogy – Imagine yourself in a dark room, with a straight jacket, tied to a pillar and chainsaws running around to cut you on first move. Also imagine Katrina Kaif (or anybody you wish) on a stripper’s pole a few feet in front of you. That would explain RE-252’s build, comfort and SQ aptly.
Ranking in my list
These are indeed an upgrade even over the properly amp-ed RE0, except for the sparkling treble, which is restrained here. Where would I put it? For now, before doing a proper A-B comparison, I’ll place them third in my IEM list right behind DBA-02 and DDM. Would it topple either or both of them over time? Likely, but am not sure. At the end of the day, when you get to “near top-tier†and “top-tier†in a subjective list, your preference for sound signature, presentation and musical preferences rule over any technical prowess an IEM has. Hence, some would place 252 at the top, some won’t.
Is it for ME?
I cannot explain it better than |joker| already did, so here goes – The RE252 is an excellent choice for anyone who tried the RE0 and thought “Hey, I would enjoy these more if they were morerestrained in the treble, more lush in the mids, had more bass, and were reshelled into mutant gummy bearsâ€. I really think they are near the top of the upgrade path for anyone who craves a wide and balanced sound.
Introduction: I’ve always been fascinated by the “house sound†of Head-direct. They err on the side of neutral, something I very much like. I’ve been chasing RE-252 for a long time than I’ve cared to admit in forums. So, when audio, availability and affordability clashed, they formed the true axis of evil for my wallet … yet again!
Photos:
From Left to Right: The Packing, The “Dust Magnet†View 1, The “Dust Magnet†View 2, The Cables (from Left to Right – Sony earbuds, RE-252, Xears TD100-I), The RE-252 Cable
Specifications:
- Driver Diameter: 9mm
- Impedence: 16 Ohm
- Sensitivity: 103 db/ mw
- Rate Input: 2 mw; Maximium Input: 15mw
- Frequency Response: 16 Hz to 22kHz
The Outside – Looks, Packing, External factors
Accessories & Packing: Accessories include 3 sizes of single flange, two sizes of clear double flange, a shirt clip, 10 replacement filters in a HiFiMan box similar to the one from RE0. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary to be excited about.
First looks: Faheem said that he opened it up, tested to see if they are DOA and packed them again. I could still spot a few specks of dust when they arrived in layers of packing. On first touch, these were a little soft. So, this is what a “gummy†is.
Cables: I am not very fond of Head-direct cables thus far (I own only RE0 and 252). I am yet to see a CK10, but it’s not unfair to demand better cables at this price range. Now, look closely in the 4th image – Which one do you think has the thicker cable? The [FONT="]Rs. [/FONT]1400 Sony, [FONT="]€[/FONT]15 Xears or the $199 RE-252? Decide for yourself.
Fit: I have read pages and pages of struggle with fit. So, before I got mine from Faheem, I tried to meditate early in the morning to calm my mind down. But, I am not the meditating type, can’t describe what I saw when I closed my eyes without getting X-rated. Anyways, next I tried to seek Youtube’s help in finding some ‘rassling’ from the era gone by. I closely observed how to drive a tombstone piledriver properly. And I was prepared….
Alas! The first time I tried the IEMs, they went up snugly into my ears and stayed there. Damn! My preparation has gone into an utter pile of waste. Wrong again! That was just beginner’s luck. As I took them out carefully and tried to do the magical thing once again, it dawned on me that these are worth their notorious reputation. Whenever I tried to pull out, I had to be conscious and careful; after all, these are not cheap earbuds. So, I have to carefully pull the housing and not touch the strain relief.
Build: Why the struggle with fit? Who the hell would think of an odd shaped gummy to house a driver? It’s not like the normal design is broke. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Anyways, the worse thing is that strain relief also is made of the gummy material. If I was head-direct and I decided to strain your ears this way, I’d have thought of something called a detachable cable.
Tips: I was terrified when changing the tips with the gummies. I mean, what if they suddenly decide to collapse on me when I am pulling out the greatly fit ear tip? Also, due to the construction, these need tips that go deep into the ear. I tried de-cored Shure Olives and the MEE M11+ long single flange. I found them both to irritate a bit. So, I am sticking with the stock large bi-flange until I find something better.
Comfort: Going by reviews and personal opinion from Faheem, these housings should “break in†and get softer in about 20-30 hours of use. I have already tried them for 10 hours. The pain on the outer ear is a lot of bother.
Microphonics: These are as bad as they get. For me, even the shirt clip did not help. Probably because they have been kept packed for a very long time, the cables have lot of memory. The worse thing is the cable from the Y-Split to the strain relief is what causes the most noise. I could avoid walking with these on. But, even when I am sitting at one location and turn my face, I get some microphonics. Hopefully, these too could settle with time.
Isolation: Isolation is decent enough. But, it depends on the fit. For me, the large bi-flanges seal air-tight without a breathing space for the ears (My usual size is Medium). So, I get a decent amount of isolation.
The Inner Part – The Sound
I have over time accumulated about 40-50 tracks covering various genres and some of the tracks are used to test certain traits. This playlist is a work in progress. This is the first IEM I am testing them with.
The playlist begins with some vocal tracks. The first thought that immediately came to my mind was that these sound natural. It was like I was seeing Diana Krall in a large screen watching closely - when she presses her lips, opens them and by how much, Pretty impressive! May be my other IEMs could pick them up too. But, I did not need to put an effort to observe these in the 252, it’s all comfortable.
The Sound Stage is a little strange. I observed depth only in a handful of instances. Most, if not all of the time, it was like somebody decided to stretch the 3-D information into two dimensional space. The sound stage width is slightly wider, but not by much, certainly not as wide as DDM (from memory). It does not have the depth that DBA-02 has. So, in certain songs, positional cues are neatly filled in by the DBAs from front to back. But, 252’s will place them from left to right. When I tried out “On the Run†from DSOTM, I distinctly remember that DDMs placed the runner behind you. Here the runner is closer. But, this is not to say that 252’s lack spatial clues completely. They just don’t do front-to-back right as compared to left-to-right.
Separation is another aspect which I always look for. The separation is very good here like most top-tier IEMs are supposed to be. But, due to the positioning perhaps, I felt that instruments needed a bit more air around them when it comes to Complex passages.
The other good things I observed were Clarity and Balance. Dynamic range, I think are about right. It did not appear to be compressed as with a few other IEMs.
When it comes to frequency response, the first thing you observe is the natural, detailed, lush, well defined mids. You won’t be at fault if you considered them mid-centric after testing only a few tracks. But, these have a very fine balance. The bass goes deep and is natural. It has some rumble too especially as observed in Pink Floyd’s DSOTM track. But, they lack the texture, impact or the quantity that DDMs have. They may be on par with DBA-02, but I am yet to A-B. The treble is detailed enough, but smooth and restrained compared to RE0 and DBA-02. These do have very good speed for a dynamic. BA phones could be hair splittingly fast, but these do not lag behind too much, at least they do far better than RE0.
In overall presentation, I’d say these are pretty balanced in the scheme of things. Bass or treble is never intrusive. But, they seem to have smoothness written all over their signature. As a result, they lack the excitement that DBA-02 and DDM provide for me. They could become boring over long hours of listening.
Due to the low impedance, these do not require an amp. They are very easy to drive straight out of a Clip+ or S9. I find them to be great for low volume listening. I could easily keep the Rockboxed Clip+ at -31 dB and not miss too much. Some IEMs in contrast require a certain volume to shine, irrespective of their rated impedance. Some lose certain characteristics at lower volumes – mids sound muddy / recessed unless you pair them with the right level of amplification. That’s not an issue with RE-252.
Value for Money
If RE0 is the benchmark for the $80 IEM, I’d price these anywhere in the $125 - $150 range, probably $150. If SQ was my main criteria, I’d price them around $170, but the horrible housing and cable makes me deduct $20. I certainly would not pay $199 for them.
Conclusion
RE-252s are my most natural sounding pair to date. They do not overdo anything. But, the main issue is that of fit. Let’s see if I can explain this with an analogy – Imagine yourself in a dark room, with a straight jacket, tied to a pillar and chainsaws running around to cut you on first move. Also imagine Katrina Kaif (or anybody you wish) on a stripper’s pole a few feet in front of you. That would explain RE-252’s build, comfort and SQ aptly.
Ranking in my list
These are indeed an upgrade even over the properly amp-ed RE0, except for the sparkling treble, which is restrained here. Where would I put it? For now, before doing a proper A-B comparison, I’ll place them third in my IEM list right behind DBA-02 and DDM. Would it topple either or both of them over time? Likely, but am not sure. At the end of the day, when you get to “near top-tier†and “top-tier†in a subjective list, your preference for sound signature, presentation and musical preferences rule over any technical prowess an IEM has. Hence, some would place 252 at the top, some won’t.
Is it for ME?
I cannot explain it better than |joker| already did, so here goes – The RE252 is an excellent choice for anyone who tried the RE0 and thought “Hey, I would enjoy these more if they were morerestrained in the treble, more lush in the mids, had more bass, and were reshelled into mutant gummy bearsâ€. I really think they are near the top of the upgrade path for anyone who craves a wide and balanced sound.
). Will wait for your full review.