HIFIMAN RE2000 PRO Silver Review: Does IEM Shape Matter for Sound?

Named Best Overall in our Best IEMs guide, ahead of 6 others.

The drivers in IEMs are an important element that greatly affects the sound quality. But there are other aspects that matter for in-ear monitors - like the shell shape. The HIFIMAN RE2000 PRO Silver uses that to its advantage, keeping the same driver as a cheaper model and optimizing the enclosure.

Fiddly to fit, then comfortable for hours

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This is quite a weirdly shaped IEM. But that doesn't mean it's uncomfortable. Once you get a good fit with the correct tips, it feels very lightweight and doesn't apply any unwanted pressure inside or outside your ears.

Its shell is a highly upgraded version of the older non-pro version. It has been refined using modern CNC machining to achieve superior comfort, smoother finish, better looks, and even further optimized acoustic properties. It's nice to see that an older product is still getting new revisions that are better than the previous versions. Technology moves forward, and doing nothing about a product is going to make it irrelevant sooner or later.

The only problem with this slightly unusual shape is that it takes a long time to make it fit perfectly in my ears. I have to mess with it a little longer than I'd prefer to - so it's not a simple grab-it-and-put-it-in experience. Regardless, once I get it in, I can wear it for hours. Another advantage of this design is that it doesn't fall out easily, no matter how hard I try, so I'd say it's safe to use it for outside running, especially since it's wired. It isolates outside noises pretty well - it mostly depends on the tips you decide to use, but it can yield good results in noisy environments.

The build feels quite premium, and that doesn't come as a surprise at $350. The shells are made using aviation-grade aluminum, with no plastic parts - which means it doesn't feel plasticky or cheap. It has a detachable cable, with a 2-pin style plug, common for IEMs, so finding aftermarket cables shouldn't be a problem.

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The stock cable itself is of much better quality than in a budget-oriented RE800. It's thicker, better behaved, and higher quality. I'm sure it would positively affect the sound a little bit better in comparison to the one permanently attached to the RE800. However, that is impossible for me to confirm, as on the RE800 it's not detachable. This cable uses premium internal conductors - made of pure crystalline copper, with a coat of silver over it for better conductivity. While it's nothing special, not braided or anything, it uses good quality connectors and I don't feel like it's a problem. I like that HIFIMAN kept in mind the stock cable itself, and made it better as you go up their product line.

In the box we also get a nice quality, metal carrying case that's padded inside, for extra protection. There's also a book explaining how HIFIMAN's technology works.

A nanoparticle-coated topology diaphragm

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First of all, the driver used here is a dynamic driver, but it's not just a regular one. It has a topology diaphragm. It refers to a special nanoparticle coating applied to its surface. That allows HIFIMAN to achieve much more control over the driver itself, making it tailored perfectly to their needs. Dr. Fang Bian came up with this idea to essentially make a driver that performs unlike any other and eliminate other driver technologies' downsides.

Then it has a housing dedicated to this series of products. It was made to not only look good and feel comfortable in your ear, but also to sound better than any other housing shape.

Little power needed, but use a dongle

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The frequency response has a wonderful extension from 5Hz all the way up to 20kHz, covering the entire human hearing spectrum and then some more in the bass. The impedance comes at 60 ohms, fairly high for an IEM. The sensitivity is 103dB, which is somewhat high but not the highest you're going to encounter in the in-ear-monitor world. This combination makes it still easy to drive regarding the amount of power needed. But because of the technical performance and the resolution of this IEM, I'd recommend not running it from a phone - instead, I'd aim for something a little bit higher quality, at least a dedicated dongle.

Shallow V tuning and top-tier detail

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The RE2000 PRO Silver's tonality is a shallow V - the lower bass is elevated slightly, as well as the top-end frequencies. Nevertheless, the midrange is not scooped out. It stays fairly present, musical, and well done.

The lower notes hit quickly, indicating that the driver is indeed fast, due to its small size and high diaphragm stiffness. HIFIMAN hates distortion - that's why they developed their own drivers, to avoid it as much as possible. In my opinion, they succeeded - no matter how loud I push it, there's no audible distortion or softness. It always keeps up, no matter how busy a given musical passage is. Moreover, there's a noticeable impact on some harder-hitting notes. It can punch you quite a bit when needed.

The midrange is one of my favorites amongst other IEMs. It's very musical and sweet, but when a song asks for it, it can be extremely detailed. It's super flexible, making it easy to adapt to different music genres. It's recessed a little in one frequency range, around 2 or 3kHz, which seems like a typical thing in this company's house sound. It can seem a little thin, but on a positive note, it also increases the perceived soundstage width.

Speaking of which, the positional aspects are extraordinary here. It has depth, width, and even some layering. It definitely doesn't sound like a budget IEM - and that's good, as it isn't one. It lacks some scale to the instruments, but I have yet to find an IEM that can deliver on that front. It's just a limitation of the driver size. The imaging though is razor sharp, making you able to tell where the sounds are coming from, where they begin, and where they end.

For the treble, it's pretty realistic with accurate timbre to go with. It doesn't sound metallic or plasticky, but it is a bit analytical in its nature. On the other hand, it contributes greatly to the detail retrieval - it's astonishing. It's by far the most detailed IEM I've ever heard. It can wonderfully separate voices, instruments, and other types of sounds from each other, making the presentation clear, as opposed to messy or blended in.