Sennheiser IE 200 earbuds assessment: reconnecting with music — actually

Once in a while, I simply want a break from Bluetooth headphones. I get fed up with recharging them. Heaven forbid I unintentionally put my telephone in my left pocket whereas out and about as an alternative of my proper and begin noticing audio cutouts. (Sure, this may nonetheless occur with at this time’s finest wi-fi earbuds and telephones.) And I remind myself that I’m robbing my ears of the true potential of my cultivated lossless music library by settling for Bluetooth codecs as an alternative of going wired. I’ve been feeling that wi-fi fatigue currently, and it simply so occurs that Sennheiser simply launched a brand new pair of wired earbuds, the IE 200, that appeared value attempting out. 

These $149.95 earbuds promise balanced, detailed sound in a compact in-ear monitor (IEM) with adjustable ear hooks and a removable braided cable. There’s no built-in mic — these are music-only buds — and Sennheiser helps you to select between kind of bass via a singular “dual-tunable” ear tip design. In a single place, the IE 200s add some punch to the low finish. However mount their ear suggestions within the outer place, and the decrease frequencies turn into extra impartial.

The IE 200s borrow a lot of their DNA from Sennheiser’s $700 IE 600 earbuds — ranked among the many crème de la crème of IEMs — and purpose to ship a few of that magic at a extra accessible value level. The corporate despatched me a pair of the IE 600s to check alongside its newest buds so I may evaluate and distinction. However my focus whereas utilizing these has been to maintain issues informal; I didn’t run them via a DAC or do a lot intense analytical listening at residence. I simply wished to make my music time really feel extra intentional and deliberate. Wired headphones will all the time do this extra successfully than a set of AirPods Professional and even Sennheiser’s personal Momentum True Wi-fi 3. “It’d be good if it meant one thing once more,” I posited aloud on the espresso store — in all probability alarming the individual sitting close by who heard me say that out of the blue.

The best way I eat music varies based mostly on what telephone I’m presently utilizing. If it’s an iPhone, I’ll be carrying round hundreds of music tracks encoded in Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) that I’ve amassed via the years. I all the time wish to have my favourite albums inside attain, it doesn’t matter what my present Spotify or Apple Music subscription standing is. And I’ve tried to protect my private assortment in cheap high quality with out going too overboard; if I ever want high-resolution lossless audio, I’ll flip to Amazon Music or one thing like Qobuz. 

After I’m utilizing an Android telephone, the place ALAC is considerably misplaced, I’ll largely stick with Spotify, Amazon, and private library stuff that I’ve uploaded to YouTube Music. (I actually can’t suggest that service sufficient for storing your hard-to-find tracks within the cloud. It doesn’t do any of Apple Music’s mistake-prone monitor matching nonsense and makes use of solely the information and monitor metadata that you simply feed it. If you happen to’re a nerd like me who’s meticulous about that stuff, it’s nice — and free.) 

However the dilemma in both state of affairs was the identical: I rapidly crash-landed again in our fashionable actuality the place the headphone jack doesn’t exist on standard smartphones. So I swallowed my delight whereas testing the IE 200s and made positive to hold two dongles with me always: a 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapter for my iPhone 14 Professional Max and a USB-C equal for my Pixel 7. 

The variations between the IE 200 and far pricier IE 600 start proper out of the field. The 600s include a hardshell case, whereas the 200s match right into a delicate carrying pouch. The nicer case has sufficient spare room for a backup / substitute cable, however that’d be a good match within the pouch. Each the IE 200 and IE 600 embody six units of suggestions: three sizes of silicone and three foam alternate options. I’m a foam individual each time given the selection, and the most important measurement did me wonderful all through all of my testing. 

The 2 units of earbuds share the identical outer casing form and are very related in measurement, however they use totally different supplies. The IE 600s are produced from a very neat hand-finished 3D-printed zirconium shell that may in all probability look pretty much as good in 5 years because it does at this time. Sennheiser wasn’t about to match that degree of expertise with the mainstream IE 200s, so it opted as an alternative for a stealthy all-black plastic shell. It won’t age as gracefully, nevertheless it nonetheless seems to be glossy. In each instances, the earpieces have been properly compact and sat comfortable and flush in my ears. They’re each lots safe — particularly with these foam suggestions. Sennheiser has finished a wonderful job with ergonomics right here: the IE 200s match me naturally and comfortably in a means that not all earbuds do, and my glasses weren’t a problem for the adjustable ear hooks.

The braided cable bundled with the IE 200s was tremendous light-weight and mainly felt like nothing as I used to be sporting them. That’s a superb factor, however the twine isn’t proof against microphonics and jostling noise once you’re on the transfer. Like Sennheiser’s different IEMs, these connect to the cable utilizing MMCX connectors, however the recessed connector design on the earpiece may pose an issue for some aftermarket cables; be certain that they’re particularly appropriate with Sennheiser’s merchandise. 

Sennheiser describes the IE 200s as “exceptionally impartial,” however that’s not correct. Seems, a impartial presentation simply isn’t very thrilling to a number of common shoppers, and these undoubtedly share a V-shaped sound signature that’s just like the IE 600s. The bass enhance on the cheaper earbuds is inoffensive and by no means veers into bloated territory. The whole lot is effectively managed, which extends to their balanced mids and elevated treble frequencies. The IE 200s are articulate, detailed, and an gratifying hear. 

However you’re not precisely getting the identical expertise as from the already famend IE 600s. Regardless of these two units of earbuds sharing an analogous frequency response, you don’t want fancy audio gear to note that the dearer pair has a smoother, extra dynamic tonality to them. The sub-bass hits just a little fuller. The whole lot feels richer and fewer clinically sharp than on the IE 200s, and the soundstage is much less condensed. The IE 600s have simply that additional contact of heat and authority to them. There’s a purpose these buds are separated by a whole lot of {dollars}, however I nonetheless imagine the $150 IE 200s are a superb choice if you happen to’re trying to spend a bit on wired earbuds. You received’t be as involved with babying them, and so they sound lots good. I’m not right here to debate whether or not “Chi-fi” IEMs are a wiser purchase; I’m positive you will discover all kinds of debates about that throughout headphone boards and on YouTube.  

However I’ll say that Sennheiser’s “dual-tunable” ear tip idea appears very gimmicky. Most individuals will seat the ear suggestions flush with the casing, and that’s the place the IE 200s carry out their finest and are extra bass-forward. To chop again on that low finish for the “analytical” listening mode, you should pull the ideas ahead to a secondary place. The simplest means to do that is to completely take away them and put the ideas again on very gently; they simply kind of catch naturally at that preliminary outer place. Push extra, and so they’ll transfer to the bassier seating. The issue is that it’s very straightforward for the tricks to transfer as you’re placing the IE 200s into your ears, so if you would like the sunshine bass tuning, you’ve obtained to watch out. In the long run, it’s not value it: these earbuds sound higher with fuller bass, and this concept appears just a little too intelligent for its personal good. 

It’s been good getting reacquainted with wired earbuds whereas reviewing the IE 200s. I nonetheless bemoan dongle life, and it may be awkward after I often overlook that there’s no mic on these when answering a name. However neither of these issues is sufficient to cease me from often pushing apart Bluetooth earphones — even for all their conveniences — and plugging in. After I take the time, that’s nonetheless after I really feel essentially the most linked to the music I’ve liked for many years and the place it sounds one of the best. I’ll nonetheless seize my most popular wi-fi earbuds on most days; that’s not going to alter. However if you happen to decide up Sennheiser’s latest earbuds, you would possibly end up having fun with the identical occasional reprieve from our wi-fi world.

Images by Chris Welch / The Verge