Introduction

Head-Direct is an online headphone store which sells just about everything you need in order to get a serious listening rig. Head-Direct carries a lot of interesting asian brands. Head-Direct was until recently just a headphone reseller, but that has changed now. With the RE2 earphone, Head-Direct is entering a highly competitive market. The RE2 earphones are made for sound enthusiasts and audiophiles. They look like a regular in-ear, but the sound is anything but regular.

Where most in-ear producing companies spend a lot of time styling their products, Head-Direct puts more emphasis on the unique sound characteristics of their in-ears. The RE2 is the result of Head-Direct's dedication to providing excellent sound quality at a reasonable price. RE2 is a mid-end earphone which is aimed at audio enthusiasts looking for a pair of earphones that sound good and do not cost a fortune.

Right now Head-Direct are putting the final touches to the RE2's packing and bundle. One thing that is certain is that the earphones will look and sound like the sample I got for review. Head-Direct is still researching which eartips to supply with the earphones, so the tips selection I got with them might differ a bit from that of the final product.

The Package

At the moment Head-Direct still have not decided what type of package the RE2s will ship in. One thing is certain though and that is that the tip selection will be bigger at launch. The RE2 sample I got came in a normal brown cardboard box. Even though it is a preproduction sample the sound quality is the same as the final product.

The earphones come with a normal selection of tips. Besides that the RE2s ship with an extra mini-to-mini extension cord. This is really nice and allows tall guys like myself to carry a portable player in my pocket. The RE2s use a dynamic driver and have a fairly large driver housing. Even though it is a normal dynamic based earphone it is clear that it is designed with sound quality in mind. No special design features or anything like that. These earphones look quite dull and there is really nothing in the design that suggests that this is indeed a high performance in-ear headphone. The RE2s emphasize sound quality over everything else, it is nice to see that a company has decided to make an earphone that is aimed at the audio enthusiast.


The Head-Direct RE2s are actually pretty big considering that they are earphones. Design-wise they resemble a normal earbud with a slimmer head. The cable exits the body of the earphone through a long stiff semi oval rod. Compared to the size of the main portion of the body the cable guide looks kind of awkward. It is definitely not the smallest or best looking IEM I have ever laid my eyes on, and it looks just a tad too plastic like compared to many other in-ears. Of course all IEMs are primarily made of plastic and it is really just a design decision if you want a textured surface or a plain plastic finish.

Closer Examination

When looking at the earphone form the ears perspective, it looks kind of like a normal earbud, only smaller. Despite the rather boring design the build quality is really solid no flimsy plastic piece that can break and the joints seem pretty strong. The fact that it is a bit bigger than the usual in-ear is pretty nice when you are in a hurry because insertion is so much easier when you have something substantial to grab. The shape of the earphone is borderline bulky and clumsy, but because of its low weight you can not feel that once they are inserted.


The only flashy item on these earphones is the backplate on the driver housing. It is a small perforated chromed plastic plate, which is barely visible when you have the earphones in your ears. Since this earphone uses a dynamic driver it needs to have some air behind it in order to perform at its best. If it had not been for those holes I bet the product would sound quite tiny and anemic. Even though there are vents to the back of the driver the isolation works very well. Your ear canal is still sealed tight by the earphone because the driver membrane spans the ear canal, effectively sealing it off.


One of the little things that Head-Direct have done right with the RE2s is the little letter that indicates whether it is the left or right earphone. On the Sleek-Audio SA6 it is only a little extruded plain plastic letter which is pretty hard to spot in any less than ideal lighting situation. Here on the RE2s there are two big letters on each stem in a metallic gray color. The rod where the cable leaves the body of the earphones is quite long and is slightly arched, whis should help the cable to clear one's ear lobe. Furthermore this added bulk near the cable exit should help durability a bit so that you do not put unnecessary strain on the cable when removing the earphone.


The earphones themselves have a small tube sticking out of the main body where you push on the tip. The diameter and design of this tube is almost the same as that of the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studios. When you look at it from the front you can see something that resembles a form of acoustic dampening material. I think it is in place to shape the sound and perhaps tone down the high frequencies a bit.


The metal part that holds the Y-joint together is pretty though and has a small Head-Direct logo printed on it. There is also a small Y-joint length adjuster so that you can trim the size of the Y.


This type of mini-jack connector is extremely sleek looking and looks like it can be used with an iPhone. It looks weak, but is actually amongst the toughest connectors I have seen on an IEM only rivaled by those on Westone In-Ears.


With the RE2s you also get a mini to mini extender cable in case you have a need to be further away from your source. This extender cable is made in a similar way as the primary one and feels sturdy. All the connectors on the extender cable are firm and there is no noticeable decrease in sound quality when used.


The sample I got for review had a number of single flange silicone tips which do not work that well with the design of this particular earphone. Even with the normal double flange tips I was not getting a decent seal all of the time. Then I thought why not use some foam tips I had from my Ultimate Ears in-ears. As it turns out they fit the RE2 just perfectly, and I assume the Comply T400 foam tips will too since they are tailored to the shape and size of the Ultimate Ears tunnel. With the foam tips installed I got a perfect seal and the sound quality was much better. Before the Head-Direct RE2s enter sale there will be a bigger double flange tip included which should enable people with large ear canals to get a good fit as well. For the time being I am perfectly happy with the fit of the RE2s with the foam tips installed.


The size of the normal double flanges included with the present revision of the RE2's bundle are pretty small and remind me of those shipped with most Ultimate Ears products. I prefer the foam tips because they are full width right from the body of the IEM to the ear canal. This is pretty important when you have wide ear canals. The normal double flanges were not filling out my ear canals properly and that caused the seal to break with just a minimum of movement.


The top row shows the tips of the Sleek-Audio SA6 which we reviewed here. Below that you can see the two Comply foam tips in two different lengths on the left and the single Ultimate Ears foam tip on the right. On the bottom you can see the different single flange tips supplied with the Head-Direct RE2 earphones and the two different colored double flanges.


The radical new bi-flange from Head-Direct is being shipped with every pair of RE2s. The bigger and better bi-flange is the most left side tip on the picture above. It provides a bit better noise attenuation and definitely makes the bass a little bigger. With that tip on I am sure that every body can get a really good seal no matter what shape of ear they might have.


Compared to the Sleek-Audio SA6 the RE2 is pretty big. It is a bit short, but it is not meant to be crammed in to your ear the same way as the SA6s are. The insertion of the RE2s is shallow and that means that more of the earphone is sticking out of your ear than what I am used to with the SA6s. The body of the SA6 is incredible slim whereas the RE2s are more bulky and rounded.