HiFiMAN made a lot of bold choices with the RE800, and most paid off! The acoustic performance is incredible at the price point, despite the $699 price tag. This is one of the best-sounding pairs of über-high-end in-ears around, and it even manages to outgun in-ears that cost 1.5 to 3x as much on many performance aspects.

Performance across the board is better than with any other in-ear ever to come out of HiFiMAN. It is tuned with more bass than usual per HiFiMAN standards, and despite the increase in presence retains the precision you usually associate with HiFiMAN in-ears. The attention in the tuning of the RE800 is pretty remarkable; the bass, while loud, is never overpowering, and the midrange is perfectly composed throughout. There is a minor issue as at around 3 kHz, it is just a bit on the harsh side if you want to listen to a lot of ill-produced music.

Treble performance has never been an issue with HiFiMAN in-ears, and here, the RE800 retains the same somewhat bright highs from around 3-10 kHz. This is well in line with what you get on the Etymotic ER4 XR, so while it is not overly bright, it does have a more pronounced high end than your normal run-of-the-mill pair of in-ears.

Moving beyond acoustics, the increase from the RE400 and RE600 looses clarity. The new brass shells look nice and are put together nicely, but the coaxial connector seems a bit weak. We were all glad to see them gone from the HE-series headphones a while back, but here they are again, albeit in a new guise. The integration between the rear housing and coaxial connector seems to be a major weak point, and its finish is not perfect either. From one dubious connector to the other, the mini-jack used on the RE800 is an atrocity.

The primary standout feature of the RE800 is the bass performance. In terms of bass and sub-bass control, it is just otherworldly, especially considering the generous amount it provides. Any true bass lover will fall for this pair of in-ears!