The next important thing is the ergonomics. Well, you need to consider that you have the cable and you can’t argue with that. The other side of that coin is that this one particular cable is quite okay, it doesn’t have the tendency to tangle too much and has a nice jacket. The tips are nothing unusual, just your typical affair that comes with most affordable IEMs. Some people will probably prefer going for foam anyway.
One thing is of note it that they are really convenient. By the virtue of their design and light weight – you don’t actually feel them in your ears. It’s quite a departure to what the modern TWS phones got us accustomed to. The latter ones have a bunch of electronics as well as batteries, so they not only have a substantial mass, but also are rather bulky in some cases. Often with some strange parts outside of the ear that are there to house all that DSP and stuff. Not the case here – with RE-400 the only thing is, well – you’ve guessed it – the cable.
HiFiMAN RE-400 – the sound
Since there are already reviews of the RE-400 that are dating back quite a few years ago, I would like to put things in a slightly wider perspective here. First thing is how those earphones that cost as low as 19 USD compare to more expensive ones, on a generally wider price scale. And also, how do they sound compared to some cheaper and more similarly-priced models. And then, how do they sound in the context of cheaper offerings – that yet still cost more – like the E3000C from Final. Another worth mentioning thing here is that I don’t expect anybody to connect them to any 1K USD headphone amplifier – so we’ll also check how the RE-400 go with the cheaper sources, including phones and dongles, like the Apple Lighting-to-3.5mm small dongle that many still have around.
When you connect the RE-400 immediately after some more serious and much expensive IEMs, you’ll undoubtedly notice a few things. The first one will be that the midrange is actually quite good, and that the soundstage is better than could be expected. There’s also an interesting timbre to the mid-band that reminds me a bit more expensive phones, which is a really good indication of the small HiFiMAN’s phones capabilities. The “Kick Inside” album by Kate Bush sounded pretty clear, with it’s characteristic tonality, while being somehow midrange centric.
When I listened to “Why So Serious” from the Dark Knight movie soundtrack it became quite obvious that the lower bass is rolled off compared to more expensive multi-driver offerings. Yet what was surprising here was the general perspective regarding the soundstage. It’s actually one of those aspects that on some tracks will be really well above what you can expect looking at them by the prism of their asking price alone. Even more – there’s also quite good contour and separation was heard on another movie soundtrack like the “USS Bainbridge” by Henry Jackman.