Even on a quite congested track like Ki:Theory “Enjoy The Silence” – that separation was there. And then there’s something more. After a few longer listening sessions, I have a strong feeling that they were tuned just to sound neutral and actually more like an armature driver actually. These are not your typical run-of-the-mill single-driver IEMs that sport a happy V-shaped sound signature. They play what they can play and tend not to go into some uncharted territories that may pose them some difficulties. That’s why the frequency extremes are a bit rolled-off and at the same time lower treble has some additional bit to it, what actually increases their perceived transparency and speed. Their midrange is however their main forte and can really shing – obviously considering the price – if the recording is good. The sole fact that they can differentiate between different qualities of how a certain album was made stays in a direct contradiction to their price and warrants a recommendation alone.
Compared to much more expensive (at the moment of writing) E3000C from Final – the RE-400 stand its ground. I wouldn’t point out any of these as better as better or worse, not only because they do vary in general tuning. It’s more about the fact that both have their own innate strong points. And while the E3000C may seem better in the first few moments of listening, it’s the RE-400 that may be the choice in the longer run.
Then there’s the compatibility, which is another interesting thing here, especially when we consider their tuning. I connected these small earbuds to everything – from those Apple Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter mentioned above, through some DAPs like FiiO M11 and other. Not to mention probably a few USB dongles and some much bigger and way, way more expensive headphone amplifiers sporting balanced connection to – also balanced – DACs. The moral from that differentiated pairings is quite simple – while they are not fussy at all, I would rather prefer bolder and at the same time resolute sounding sources. The best pairing was probably with the iFi Audio’s Gold Bar, which is – or actually was – a limited run of their USB dongle called GO Bar.
HiFiMAN RE-400 – conclusion
If these IEMs cost their initial market price, I would have to call them “okay”. But at this price it’s actually a no-brainer for everyone who’s looking for a wired pair of earphones that are devoid of any unnecessary gimmicks and just sound good. As a side not, that may be actually even more interesting than your usual summary here I would like to mention something. I had a discussion with a colleague of mine regarding the current pricing of flagship… everything related to flagship portable audio. And we finally agreed that while we have diminishing returns at play here, it’s also a fact that there are “islands of remarkable value” that are usually more common in the middle of the price spectrum.
RE-400 is a perfect example here of an exception when looking from the lower end of that spectrum. And it’s basically the same exact situation as with the HE-400se that I reviewed some time ago. Highly recommended – for what they are.
Adam Kiryszewski
Manufacturer: HiFiMAN https://hifiman.com/
Price: 19 USD