# HiFiMAN RE-400 and HM-901 - Head-Fi TV



## jude

​ 


 NOTE:  If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video.​   
  In this episode, HiFiMAN comes to Head-Fi HQ to talk about audio products, namely the RE-400 and the HM-901.
   
   
  Products mentioned in the video:

   

 *HiFiMAN RE-400 Waterline* in-ear headphones
 *HiFiMAN HM-901* portable music player
 *HiFiMAN HM-801* portable music player
 *HiFiMAN HE-400* over-ear headphones
 *HiFiMAN HE-500* over-ear headphones
 *HiFiMAN HE-6* over-ear headphones
   

   

  HiFiMAN RE-400 and HM-901, Head-Fi TV _ _produced by Joseph Cwik and Jude Mansilla
   
   

  We will occasionally post Q&A episodes of Head-Fi TV.  If you want to submit any questions (or comments), you can do so via email to *tv@head-fi.org*.


----------



## xutantuo

Jez! Can't wait until March to try the HM901


----------



## p0wderh0und23

The HM901 is pretty sick! Have a pre-prod unit I've been playing with. Tasty with the HE-400's and the RE-400's


----------



## xutantuo

Can you explain on being sick?


----------



## customNuts

Rock & Roll!!


----------



## Benjamin6264

I'm guessing the "top-secret" gear mentioned at the end of the video is their next flagship headphone.


----------



## Mython

$999 and _still_ customers have to suffer the indignation of forking out more cash in order to properly drive multi-BA CIEMs. This is _exactly_ the same situation as with the 801. Shameful.
   
  I've watched the 901, with great interest, for over a year, hoping that Fang wouldn't screw customers into paying extra just in order to use the 901 with multi-BA CIEMs (this is, after all, supposed to be a high-end _portable _player, for use with high-end _portable_ ear monitors, is it not?). Sometimes I despair.


----------



## Golila3

Man, I really like the design of the HM901. MUST GET ONE! I find Fang a really interesting guy, maybe its just because his English isn't that good, but I think he's really honest about his advertisements of the products.


----------



## asdfghjkzxcvbnm

.


----------



## lee730

Quote: 





mython said:


> $999 and _still_ customers have to suffer the indignation of forking out more cash in order to properly drive multi-BA CIEMs. This is _exactly_ the same situation as with the 801. Shameful.
> 
> *I've watched the 901, with great interest, for over a year, hoping that Fang wouldn't screw customers into paying extra just in order to use the 901 with multi-BA CIEMs* (this is, after all, supposed to be a high-end _portable _player, for use with high-end _portable_ ear monitors, is it not?). Sometimes I despair.


 

 Wow I didn't think they were gonna pull that again.... Guess I was wrong....


----------



## antberg

REVIEW - HiFiMAN RE-400 Waterline IEMs


----------



## Mython

Quote: 





lee730 said:


> Wow I didn't think they were gonna pull that again.... Guess I was wrong....


 
   
  I wouldn't object if Fang offered several amp modules, with a customer having to choose their ideal module, at point of purchase, _*inclusive*_ in the purchase price. I'd take no issue with that. But to claim it's $999 and then immediately force customers to pay more just in order to have it _properly_ do something it should ALREADY, for $999, be capable of doing, is downright outrageous.


----------



## spaark

Jude: Why did you discontinue all of your current in-ears?
  Fang: Well, because I'm crazy!
   
  Favourite bit


----------



## Lan647




----------



## MorbidToaster

Is there more info on the 'docking station' yet? I'm interested...


----------



## CEE TEE

I really liked the sound of the RE-272 but the ergonomics of the shells didn't quite work with my ears.  At $99, it should *definitely* be worth it to try the RE-400s.
   
AND:  The HE-6 are still on my short-list if the HD800's don't work out in the long run.
   
  Go Dr. Fang, Go!!!!!!


----------



## MrMateoHead

Dr. Fang is younger and cooler than I imagined.
   
  Yet I hope he doesn't release a new, kick ass planar for say, $400 dollars for 10 more years!
   
  Because I might have to buy it.


----------



## p0wderh0und23

Quote: 





xutantuo said:


> Can you explain on being sick?


 
  Just a lot of functionality in it. I've been using anything from 256k up to FLAC on it (just to test it) and all formats sound pretty good.  The internal amp (even though stated there is something 'better' for multi-BA units on the way) drives my triple, quad and 5 driver customs pretty dang good direct out. Also handles the HE-300 dynamic driver and the HE-400 Planar driver units just fine.


----------



## zfwise

I'm looking forward to the HE-400.
  However, the HM-901 is a little bit expensive.
  I would like to know how an portable player cost that much.


----------



## vc1187

Dr. Fang Bian


----------



## MetroBBOY

THIS! 
  Quote: 





lan647 said:


>


----------



## AnakChan

So, jokes aside, I had a chance to listen to the production HM-901 today and I do take back my previous thoughts of what I heard with the May '12 and Oct '12 prototypes. This production version did grasp my attention but admittedly it's with their tracks, not mine. I tried with my Tralucent 1Plus2 earphones. It won't be fair to comment on the sound since it was so short and it wasn't my tracks.
   
  But I can comment on the shell, and at least from memory this product does feel more robust than the early prototypes. Kudos to Dr. Bian on this product.
   
  HM-901 amp board. Looks like an AD8397 on this one (Model's hands: Frenchbat) :-


----------



## Benjamin6264

Will the HM-901 accept amp modules from the HM-801? They appear similar in shape.


----------



## Chikuwa270

Hey Jude!
 Is the Beyerdynamic going to release the white ver. of Custom one pro!?
 Or the one in video is only for you!?


----------



## castleofargh

y u no tell battery life?
  if it's less than a dx100 i don't even wanna know how good it is.


----------



## attilahun

Quote: 





benjamin6264 said:


> I'm guessing the "top-secret" gear mentioned at the end of the video is their next flagship headphone.


 
   
  I'd love any info or rumors on their next flagship. 
  Can't find any info on this aside from a question on the hifiman service thread asking Eric about the new flagship and Eric replying "keep an eye on the website".
  Is there any more info?


----------



## qfliuyang

Can't believe Fang once teached in USA. Interesting guy!


----------



## Makiah S

zfwise said:


> I'm looking forward to the HE-400.
> However, the HM-901 is a little bit expensive.
> I would like to know how an portable player cost that much.




It cost that much cuz it's awesome! Love my hm 601. Ill b getting a 901 for sure... Ill save up hard core for it! Still... Love hifi man lookibg forward to getting n he 400 soon


----------



## hifiman-us

attilahun said:


> I'd love any info or rumors on their next flagship.
> Can't find any info on this aside from a question on the hifiman service thread asking Eric about the new flagship and Eric replying "keep an eye on the website".
> Is there any more info?




The flagship Fang is referring to is the RE-600 in-ear at $399 MSRP U.S. It was slated to be released with RE-400 at CES but has been delayed. Hope to have it out this spring.

Peter


----------



## wmyjkl

don't want say anything about HIFIMAN.


----------



## figaro69

The EF-6 is a great amp with the th-900s and akg 701s....but I specifically bought them to drive the HE-6s with demanding classical music and they failed. Cracks, clips, smears, congestion...you name it. If you double the power of the EF-6 maybe you'll be able to drive the HE-6 adequately with it...what was Fang thinking?


----------



## Happy Camper




----------



## figaro69

happy camper said:


>


Expecting the plot to thicken, eh?


----------



## hifiman-us

We have had the EF-6 out for more than year and it has been positively reviewed with the HE-6s. First time we have ever heard that EF-6 could not drive HE-6 and needs twice the power. Have you expressed this to Fang?


----------



## Makiah S

Quote: 





hifiman-us said:


> We have had the EF-6 out for more than year and it has been positively reviewed with the HE-6s. First time we have ever heard that EF-6 could not drive HE-6 and needs twice the power. Have you expressed this to Fang?


 
  Dun dun DUH *dramatic musical ques*
   
  I've heard good things about teh ef-6 as well... I'd like to see how this failure fleshes out :O


----------



## figaro69

hifiman-us said:


> We have had the EF-6 out for more than year and it has been positively reviewed with the HE-6s. First time we have ever heard that EF-6 could not drive HE-6 and needs twice the power. Have you expressed this to Fang?


oh I review it positively with the akg701s, Denton ad7000s, and Fostex TH900s. This is the reason I decided to keep the EF-6 amp. I love big orchestral and choral classical music works (e.g., Mahler and Bruckner) and Operas. These works will stress an amp's capabilities to the max. I use the dies irae section of the Robert Shaw recording of Verdi's Requiem ( Telarc label) as a measure of an amp's capacity with classical. In this recording the timpani just splatter and distort when using the HE-6 headphones driven be the EF-6. This section of the recording is handled with aplomb by my other amps (I.e., grace 902; headroom Max desktop amp, burson soloist, decware taboo) driving the LCD2, hd800, T1, Fostex th900, Denons...you name it. The EF-6 is also able to drive the aforementioned headphones with aplomb. So the only conclusion I can reach is that the amp that Fang specifically design with the HE-6 in mind is not sufficient to drive the headphones. Maybe if you listen to the music at rather low volumes you won't hear the distortions; maybe if the music lacks the presence of wide dynamic swings you won't notice it. Maybe if you listen to Mozart string quarters or jazz piano trios you won't notice it....but when the music gets high, hot, heavy, and wild YOU WILL NOTICE IT! The problem might be that the amp are never tested with such demanding music at higher volume levels for the amp engineers to notice or even care. In my opinion the HE-6 requires much more power than the EF-6 can swing. That is why people get vintage receivers to drive these headphones...because they know that many many watts are required to adequately drive them. Thus, this is the reason why the EF-6 cannot adequately drive the HE-6 with the music i like to listen to.


----------



## Modulus

Thanks for this interview, it's pretty great that Fang is engaging with the community like this.
   
  I would like to say something about the interview though. This is not meant as a criticism, but as a suggestion: Fang only said a few sentences during that whole interview, and I feel he was not given the space to say his thing. I realise he is not a native English speaker, and probably not a particularly extroverted person, so this kind of interview is certainly not the easiest, but I think Jude was talking too much. Perhaps this is the American style, loud and fast, but I would prefer an interview style that gives the guest a soapbox.
   
  Also, more appropriate questions should have been asked. I learned nothing new about the RE-400. I would have like to hear Fang wax lyrical about why he feels this product has swept aside the rest of their IEM line. Ok, it's got a titanium driver, great, but they spent three years researching this design, surely he has an anecdote or two to about this research and the product s resulted in. Those are the critical questions, what is this thing, why is it better than its predecessors? We all knew it was available and what it cost.
   
  Anyway, I'm not trying to bash, I enjoyed the interview, but I'm thirsty for details, and I feel the interviewing style could improve if the interviewee is given more space to speak.
   
  Cheers.


----------



## jude

Quote: 





modulus said:


> ...Anyway, I'm not trying to bash, I enjoyed the interview, but I'm thirsty for details, and I feel the interviewing style could improve if the interviewee is given more space to speak.
> 
> Cheers.


 
   
  Thank you for the feedback, Modulus. I'll keep it in mind for future interviews.


----------



## JediMstr

Soooo.... Now that we're in Mid-April... Any word on the eagerly awaited and somewhat delayed HM-901? Both your video interview and previous press releases (still on Engadget) have all stated a March release for the player and April release for the dock.

There isn't even a mention of the 801 or 901 anymore on the HiFiman website... as if they really don't exist (unless you search for the 801 Amplifier modules).

Also any word if the production unit's default amp will be able to drive the HE-500's in both Unbalanced and Balanced? I see there's a balanced/unbalanced switch.


----------



## proedros

your post reminds me the beginning of 2001 : A space odyssey ( no , not the monolith.....)

 bravo , my friend , exquisite humor (lol)
  
  
  
 Quote:


lan647 said:


>


----------

