Short answer: a tie on sound quality, though neither ranks well in its class. Both are rated 2.9/5 (#1015 and #1012 of 1291 in-ear headphones) at nearly the same price ($19.99 vs $17.09), so choose on features and fit. Both are rated below 3.0/5 among the 1291 in-ear headphones, and the EPZ G10, ranked #16 at $23.74, is a better place to start if sound quality matters.
Why pick the HIFIMAN RE400: A very low price makes it an easy spare pair or first wired earphone. Watch for: Across hobbyist measurements on squig.link sub-bass sits 7.5 dB below target and falls 6 dB short by 53 Hz, while presence drops 5.8 dB and a 9.4 dB dip near 11.9 kHz dulls the top end, so music sounds lean down low and muted up high.
The case for the KBEAR KS1: Bass is lifted about 4.9 dB with extension to 20 Hz, giving kick drums and bass lines extra weight. Watch for: An 8.2 dB peak near 7.9 kHz can make cymbals and sibilance sound sharp.
Buy the HIFIMAN RE400 or the KBEAR KS1 on features: they are rated the same for sound quality at close to the same price.
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A very low price makes it an easy spare pair or first wired earphone.
Amazon $19.99 eBay
Bass is lifted about 4.9 dB with extension to 20 Hz, giving kick drums and bass lines extra weight.
Amazon $17.09 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| HIFIMAN RE400 | KBEAR KS1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | $17.09 |
| Ranked | #1015 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #1012 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Harman Preference Score | 60 (measured by crinacle, via AutoEQ) | 61 (median of 12 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 3.29 dB standard deviation | 2.92 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | +0.63 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.59 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 8.5mm dynamic | 1 x 10mm dynamic |
| Impedance | 32 ohms | 16 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 102 dB/mW | 109 dB/mW |
| Built-in Microphone | No | - |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Sub-bass Extension | Falls 6 dB below target at 53 Hz (-8.0 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.1 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Frequency Response | - | 20Hz - 20kHz |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the HIFIMAN RE400 from aftersound, digaoreviews, fahryst and iemworld; the KBEAR KS1 from aftersound, audioamigo, dchpgall, eplv, hbb, hu-fi, ianfann, jacstone, practiphile, pw, regancipher and vortexreviews, all via squig.link.
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