Cowon D2+ and Head-Direct RE0

[sec]

After going thru the forum I'm planning to buy Cowon D2+ and Head-Direct RE0 (which is little above my budget of 12K.)

Need your inputs on how these would sound and if there is anything else I should try.

Thanks

 

[iaudio]

Lots of stuff to try, Sec. Depends on what you are looking for.
You could look at IEM s like Klipsch Image s4, Radius DDM, Hippo VB, Head direct RE ZERO,

As for the player, the D2/D2+ is an excellent player. You could look at s9 or J3 which are said to have a slightly warmer sound signature albeit with lesser power of 29mw per channel compared to d2 at 37 mw.

 

[sivakuru]

While RE 0 is said to be an excellent IEM, it is also said to be
extremely neutral, dry and not a fun sounding IEM and might cause
fatigue over prolonged listening sessions. You have to be careful
before you conclude that RE 0 would suit you the best. If you have
not read reviews of RE 0, I would suggest reading those first and see
if you like the sound signature of RE 0 and then freeze on it.

Also it would be helpful for others to suggest if you mention what kind
of sound signature you prefer to hear.

 

[sec]

Thanks iaudio
Read more reviews on Hippo VB, RE ZERO and S4 and little confused

Hippo VB it is! but if no dealer is available in India then S4

Could you please point me to Jaben/Klipsch dealers in India..would be great if there are any in Bangalore.
I found a Jaben dealer 'moshel' in anythingbutipod forum..but not sure if he is active in that forum.

Player:
bcoz of budget constraints, I'm thinking of Sansa Clip+ now
and definitely J3..but later

Thanks

 

[haraakiri]

You could get hippo vb from a TE member moshel. S4 is a bit colored, lot's of bass, good mids and pathetic highs.You should also loot at Brainwavz M2, I think, would be available from Amarbir in coming days.

 

[iaudio]

sec, I have the Sansa Clip +. Go ahead, its a good player. Only minus imho, is the comparatively low battery life compared to my earlier cowon d2 and similarly lower power. The latter doesnt matter as long as you use IEMs with good sensitivity at sane listening levels.

 

[esanthosh]

Why Hippo VB? Why did you consider RE0 initially?

Do you like analytical signature? If so, RE0 is the best choice without blowing your wallet away. But, it has a slight mid-bass hump and lesser bass quantity. It needs an amp to truly shine.

Can you live with the sibilance of Hippo VB? May be you can do a foam mod. It's sub-bass is something special .

You can also consider M2, which seems to be a very good VFM IEM.

Since you seem to be looking for buying the IEM locally, I cannot suggest any of the two VFM IEMs I have in mind. Anyways, I am not good at keeping my mouth shut .

So, research on Hippo Pearl (may be available through Moshel) - a balanced IEM with bass, neither analytical like RE0 nor "fun" like VB/DDM.

The other one is Xears TD-100, an IEM which has amazing SQ for the price (which is of course the only thing that manages to fluctuate more than my mood ), but pathetic build quality and tips.

|joker|'s 100+ IEM review covers Xears and some 100 other IEMs.

Headfonia's Hippo Pearl review

Long thread discussing many of Playaz's daily (well, almost ) IEM releases

 

[sec]

Thanks esanthosh
I should have made this clear early. This is my first so called hifi IEM
I haven't had any chance to listen to such IEMs - that being said..let me try to answer your questions

Why did you consider RE0 initially?

highly rated in forums

Why Hippo VB?

according to reviews, seems like RE0 lacks bass and Hippo VB performs better here

Do you like analytical signature?

Not sure..but I would prefer good sub-bass..

If so, RE0 is the best choice without blowing your wallet away. But, it has a slight mid-bass hump and lesser bass quantity. It needs an amp to truly shine.

I dont want to carry around an amp - another reason why I decided against RE0

...
I had these in list initially: RE0 /REZERO /Hippo VB /S4 /M2 /FA Eterna
and given my good sub-bass preference now its Hippo VB / M2

would like to know how Hippo VB and M2 would sound in Sansa Clip+

Thanks

 

[haraakiri]

Hippo VB sounds excellent with clip+.
M2 most suggest is driven easily, so should not be a problem with clip+.
To my ears, RE0 sounds great even without an amp. I use it without an amp. It sounds even better with an amp.

 

[esanthosh]

For a long time, I've used RE0 straight out of Clip+ (of course, the volume needs to be pushed closer to 70-80% on Clip+) or S9. Among my IEMs, RE0 and PFE are the ones which benefit from an amp and the difference is very visible. It's not a necessity, but a great option to have.

RE-ZERO has a slightly different take on RE0's signature - lower impedance (so easily driven out of Clip+), more bass and smoother treble. You could try that too!

 

[sec]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I'm going to start with Hippo VB for now

would like some help with price..
is Hippo VB <4K ?
I've sent a message to moshel in TE about Hippo VB.

and about the player..
I would prefer D2+ 4GB Rs.5000(BBE+, JetEffect, better interface, battery) to Clip+

amarbir has it listed here Audiostore| Cowon D2+ MP3 Player - 4GB

Please advise where to buy from

Thanks

 

[esanthosh]

Hippo VB should be between 3-3.5K, IIRC. Don't know about current prices.

 

[haraakiri]

Yes, hippo vb should be less than 3.5k