I met HifiMan (Dr. Fang Bian) a few years ago. The guy is a hard core engineer that makes things no one would have ever thought of. The RE0 were really popular when they came out but they fell out of favor after awhile because of durability issues. I'm not sure if that has been resolved.
[quote author=Fusion] Anyone here using HD 555's or similar amped and can tell me if there is much of a difference? The only other headphones of that style I've used were closed monitors so they definitely didn't impress me for sound as they are designed to be super flat and require a half decent amp. [/quote] I have the HD 555s. They definitely need an amp. I've listened to them both amped and unamped and there's an enormous difference with an amp. I tried plugging them directly into my sound card and they sounded terrible. Really flat and just bleh. Plugged into an amp they sound awesome. They have great bass and really good range. I had a set of HD 570s previously, and the HD 555s sound much, much better.
Good to know I wasn't insane. This was ages ago and I really had no idea about anything to do with audio. By the time I realised an amp was probably a good idea a friend of mine borrowed them for recording purposes (not that they're in any way ideal for that, he had no idea either ) and flogged them out... so told him to buy them from me for the retail price at the time which was a bit less than I payed. I should probably try some good open headphones again but rarely spend enough time just sitting listening to music right now... maybe that's because I rely on speakers, who knows, I'll keep it in mind though if I can find a good amp for a reasonable price. I heard that the first time I went to buy them last year and backed off because of it. I think they changed a little over time, but still aren't the best for durability. I'm not too fussed unless they are complete junk durability wise, I usually just use my current crappy IEM's at home when I want to give a new album a half decent listen late at night in bed or on a quiet afternoon on the couch.
Grado SR80 or Alesandro MS1 have very aggressive mids which is probably what you really like. Awesome headphones and you don't need an amp. http://www.gradolabs.com/page_headphones.php?item=ec27f1750be96023333af0dfe546af44 http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html
Thanks, you're right, I couldn't say it's actually aggressive treble that I like that's just how I've always explained it. I just really hate a flat sound and don't think more pronounced bass sounds good without even more pronounced treble. I'll keep those in mind if I decide I need something more suited to normal home use than IEM's.
Well I got my RE0's the day before the amp and the amp arrived yesterday. Without the AMP they sounded decent, just lacking power. I usually listen to my MP3 player on 21-23/30 but with these headphones unamped I needed to up the volume to 28-30/30. Mids and highs are very nice but bass definitely recessed. Nice an natural sounding, but still far too quiet. Playing with the EQ (mild adjustment) made it a bit better, and trying the bass booster to 1/3 instead of leaving it off made it acceptable for some music, but far too muddy and often distorted for other types. With the E5 amp everything is fixed. The mids and highs really are superb! Vocals in particular are far better than I expected and the best I've ever experienced. It's amazing how high things can get while still being perfectly clear and not uncomfortable in any way. Bass is more prominent and very much full, but still not all that forward and in no way booming. This is what I like anyway. When the bass is meant to be prominent, it is, but it is never overbearing. Most other times it is subtle and balanced but still full rich, just recessed when compared what people usually think is "good". My EQ settings are very conservative but at times I do have to make a slight adjustment on one or two bands depending on the type of music or source quality. The Amp itself could be better despite delivering decent SQ for the size and low price it does have a bit of a hiss which is noticeable at the start of songs and in very quiet parts. I just realised after purchasing the E5 that the newer E6 version is out which fixes many of the short comings but still not so much the hiss. I'm still very happy with the E5 for the low price but I may upgrade to the new E11 which is much larger but not too bad for my needs. The reviews for the E11 are very good considering the price and the hiss is apparently gone. Anyway my impression of the RE0's on the E5 amp: Sound Quality: 4 1/2 stars Build Quality: 3 1/2 stars Value: 5 stars For $70 these are amazing headphones, but a cheap headphone amp is necessary to getting them to perform. They'll still be very clear and well rounded without an amp, but you'll have to pump up the volume and the bass will be a little underwhelming.
I bought headphones for under. £49 once. Never again. I wouldn't exactly call myself an "audiophile" but I do demand a certain quality from my headphones. The three most important things for me are: 1. Sound clarity 2. Noise cancelling 3. Bass. I cannot stand headphones that don't provide a decent amount of bass. Might as well be listening to it from your phone speaker *cringe*. I ain't got time for shitty tinny sounding music. How are those headphones working out for you? Also, why do they have to give them impossible to remember names? JVC can-07638-xml-hdlpsx-1738.2828. Why not give them an actual name? Something that people can remember.
I was using the Senheisser CX-300's as my in ear iPod jobs for walking the streets but I had 3 pairs where the right channel failed. It wasn't too bad as I could get them from Play.com for £12 but now they only do the CX-300 III which are £30-£40 depending on where you shop. I refuse to pay that sort of money considering I know the build quality seems so poor on Senheisser in ear sets, guess what all the reviews have people complaining of a channel failure after x months. I did want to buy a new set by a different maker but you can't test them (hygiene reasonsobviously) and I am dubious about laying out £40+ on something I can't hear. I also do not want to be one of those plebs who walks around with proper headphones on his head so that is out of the question, this isn't the 80's anymore people! At the moment I am just using the Samsung ones that came with my mother's Galaxy S II, not as good as my old ones but they do the trick.
@arma The earphones are pretty good for the price, audio seems fairly clear and since they're earphones, they block out quite a bit of sound but it's still possible to make out if someone's trying to talk to you. There's a decent amount of bass with a flat equaliser but if you like more bass you can always change your preset. Comes with a nifty little case too. Apparently they have an RRP of £69.99. HA! As if I'd ever spend that much on some bits of rubber that go in my ears..