The first thing to hit you when the RE800 starts playing is just how clear it sounds. Unbelievable clarity. Unnatural clarity. It doesn’t matter what you were listening to before, unless they were Stax, you will feel like a veil has lifted. The next thing to hit you is the reason for that clarity: Gobs and gobs of treble.
I’ve come to realize I’m not exceedingly sensitive to treble. Sibilance, yes, but not merely the existence of higher frequencies. To give you an idea, the Sennheiser HD800, the Meze 99 Classics, The Noble Audio Kaiser Encore, are all monitors some folk find too bight in the treble region. I find them lovely, and not what I’d call harsh at all.
That said, the RE800 has harsh treble. Truly harsh. It was tuned with reckless abandon, resulting in aggression that’s long crossed the line into violence. These IEM’s want to hurt humans. They hate you, and think you should not be. The whole higher spectrum is elevated above the rest. This is not terrible. I’ve enjoyed my fair share of headphones with that profile. Where the evil resides is in the 7Khz spike. And what a spike it is. This is no mere hump, but a spear meant to slay gods. With the RE800 I must stay clear of certain genres, or I am assaulted by sibilance and sharp sounds that fatigue me within minutes. Anything with wild electric guitars or mean cymbals and drums is out. No Metal music. No The While Stripes. Nothing that might learn towards brightness, even at times. Where the RE800 shines is with acoustic music, classical, even a good bit of old rock, like Pink Floyd. You ought to feed these in-ears warmer recordings. Norah Jones and Patrica Barber sound phenomenal. Though sibilance does show up on these tracks too, it’s forgivable, due to all the goodness you receive in exchange.
That goodness being clarity and detail. The RE800 reaches powerful levels of transparency, and renders at such high resolution that even my HD800 nods its head in respect. You also get lots of air, and of course tons of light, making for a very clean stage.
Vocals are savagely defined, with intricate articulation. The unique textures of your favorite artists are reproduced exactly. There is good weight and presence to the vocals, though I wouldn’t call them forward. They sound rather neutral to me. Like everything with the RE800, the mids come out vivid and very sharp, like the contrast is turned up 20%.
The bass is a true delight. It’s rich and succulent. I’m surprised how tight it is. For a dynamic driver, there’s an awful lot of control. Unsurprising for a DD is just how low it goes, delving into the furthest depths of sub-bass. The quantity is satisfying as well, yet measured enough not to torment the purists out there.
RE800’s soundstage stretches to fantastic dimensions. It’s very cubic in ratio, with its tall ceiling more or less equaling the width and depth. I tend to favor a wider panorama, but HiFiMAN creates something too enjoyable to dismiss. Imaging is dead-on, accompanied by TOTL levels of separation and layering. It’s one of the best performers I’ve yet heard in these categories.
Since I don’t have any other single-driver dynamic IEMs with which to compare, I’ll have to make do with hybrids.
The DUNU DK-3001 won me over upon first listen. Then it lost me with a serious lack of comfort. Then it sort of won me back after finding a tip that allowed me to overcome the structural shortcomings of its ergonomics.
Its treble is heightened, much like the RE800, establishing a profound sense of air and lightness. Unlike the RE800, however, the DK-3001 possesses smooth peaks, and is very careful with how and where it places them. This IEM is anything but harsh, and I hear no sibilance whatsoever. As much treble as there is, it still sounds quite refined and relaxed. This DUNU doesn’t really sparkle, and it never shouts. I find a splendidly natural personality.
The mids are not as clear or as detailed as the RE800. They have a warm, easy nature, and a silkiness that just flows over you. DUNE’s vocals possess a soft, gentle feel, with a touch of lushness. Transparency is quite good, even without the heights of resolution the RE800 delivers.
The dynamic driver is used at the low-end of the spectrum, and goddamn, it brings the juice! DK-3001’s bass is big and full, and a little over-done. Just the way I like it. Compared to the RE800, DUNU’s lows are slow and not as controlled. It’s not a technical masterpiece, but the tuning, for my preference, is god-tier. The DK-3001 is pure pleasure. It just sounds so natural and organic.
Soundstage is not as tall as the RE800, but wider. Depth seems about equal. Imaging and separation are good, but nowhere near HiFiMAN levels.
Now the Campfire Audio Dorado, at $999, is quite a bit more expensive than HiFiMAN’s Gold Standard. It’s an unusual hybrid, with the dynamic driver covering lows and mids, and two Balanced Armatures taking up treble duty.
The treble doesn’t stand out much. There’s some nice glitter, but it’s certainly not running the show. Both RE800 and DK-3001 have more quantity. Dorado’s highs add only a bit of air, and not much light.
Vocals are thick and have a slight veil. A soft lushness covers them, and no small amount of warmth. They have more in common with DUNU than the RE800. HiFiMAN is impossibly clear and detailed compared to Dorado. While I would like more transparency and clarity, Dorado nonetheless has a natural feel that the RE800 lacks.
Dorado’s bass is the king. I have not heard anything that beats it yet. DUNU comes close. The RE800 has significantly less low-end, and is tighter and faster. Dorado is powerful and very fulfilling. The decay feels more realistic. Tonality is deeply warm and chocolaty.
Its soundstage is as wide as any of them, but shorter, and not very deep. Imaging and separation is okay, but nothing special, and not on the same level as the RE800.
