HIFIMAN RE1000 Custom / Universal Earphone Quick Review by mark2410

Brief:  Two times the drivers, Ten times the power.

Price:  US$999 but presently on sale for US$699

Specifications:  Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz, Impedance:  12Ω, Sensitivity:  105dB, Dual Dynamic Driver, 9mm Dynamic Driver, 8.5mm Dynamic Driver, User Replaceable Braided Cable.

Accessories:  You get a case, nothing that special but hey ho.

Build Quality:  The pair I have here has been a demo set for ages now so, it has actually been in use for ages and it’s still going strong.  Big, solid and short of accidently standing on them they should last as long as you do.

Isolation:  Freakishly good for a dynamic.  They feel and sound completely sealed which is rare in a dynamic.  We are talking practically BA levels so you could not only use on a bus but get away with a Tube commute or two.  Excellent isolators so please if near traffic, use your eyes or get an organ donor card.

Comfort/Fit:  I have a universal version here but I’d expect almost everyone to get the full custom version.  Therefor you should get a perfect fit and likewise perfect comfort.  Though with the universal here I was good with the foam tips.  Just remember these are huge in comparison to normal universals (as all customs are.)

Aesthetics:  Customs.  Size aside you determine the colour options used so your ones should always look great to you. Even if you have no taste and want the gold glitter faceplates.

Sound:  Epic, vast grandeur and power.  The micro detailing is good but it’s not thrust at you in anyway, these are slanted to the bottom end and the bass driver is a thunderous beast of a thing.  Woah, it’s like it might rip your face off at any minute.  Stunning, in its raw pawer capabilities and at times even too much.  The depth is frankly stupid.  The Cheskey 20 Hz heart beat thing makes me giddy, I grin like an idiot then I realise my skull is pulsating with it.  There is just so much power on hand, they are so easy to drive that if anything running off a weedy source like a phone is not only easy but I found preferable.  It tamed the bass potency and nudged them towards the light.  Not that they are very trebly, there is a great deal of micro detail in there, yet the richness of the presentation does somewhat gloss over it.  The creaminess overshadows the most tiny of nuances to give this grandiose wall of acoustic monumentality.  Thunderous and magnificent which yearns to have songs with power behind them played.  Mids so flowing and smooth be they string or vocal, as little too creamy maybe, so it does stifle breathy delicate stuff a little but you’ll be having so fun you won’t likely care if you even notice.

Value:  Sure 1k isn’t cheap but what custom is and none I’ve met has the vigour on the low end this one has.  You want awesome stuff, your wallet takes a hit, simples.

Pro’s:  Stunning bass power and ridiculous depth.  High isolation. Super creamy.

Con’s:  Bass is rather dominant.  Treble too smooth for some.