Sennheiser IE 300 Audiophile In-Ear Headphones - Noise Isolating with XWB Drivers for Balanced Sound, Detachable Cable with Flexible Earhooks, 2 Year Warranty (Black)

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It’s more obvious the producer used a filter to remove the singer Lawrence’s sibilance (at 2:04 for example). The varied instrumental that rides above the bedrock of deep, uncompromising bass in the 20-minute track – the keys, percussion and series of kaleidoscopic synths – is somewhat muted in comparison.

When I listened to the IE 200, I found it odd how much power it wanted from my simple iPhone lightning adapter. The units themselves are a dark grey-black with metallic flecks, which on close inspection are gold and blue speckles, but this is only really noticeable at extreme proximity. Soundstage is wider than deep with some sense of height and is on the intimate side which shouldn’t be a shock for a closed back in-ear model, but what will surprise is how good the instrument separation and imaging is. While true treble is emphasized, there is a drop off before we reach the 9kHz range that keeps the IE300 from getting really fatiguing.Support me on Patreon to get access to tentative ranks, the exclusive “Clubhouse” Discord server and/or access to the Premium Graph Comparison Tool! This piece has more dynamic range than most and gives the ie300 a chance to really show off the distance between the quiet passages while retaining detail and the elevated passages without loss of control of the low end. Diehard headphone jack fans likely already have a solution, either in the form of a USB-C (or Lightning) to 3. Serkin is among the world greatest pianists and a joy to listen to on a good system as he can coax every last bit of power out of the stronger passages and still make the quiet moments nearly inaudible. Plus, the album has one of my all-time favorite Zappa tunes, “Peaches en Regalia,” which a friend in high school transcribed from the record and arranged for our big band.

If you’re a bass head, you might want more, but the IE 300 is reasonable with its bass, closely mimicking our chart. The move of the boost from lower treble to true treble does create a little brittleness in higher vocals at times so tracks that are a little on the hot side anyway may show this and mild sibilance as a result. This is a good thing… and you are really nice in not disclosing who did it, or they would get a lot of heat from that. When it comes to physical build and ergonomic comfort, Sennheiser’s formidable reputation has been maintained here.

Since its release, the IE series has only gotten better, and I feel like the IE 200 has superior ability. I have tried to keep the format the same as my standard with the exception of the playlist section that details the tracks I recommended be added to it and the reasoning for each.

It appears that Sennheiser is playing both sides by using mainly Chinese labor, but advertising German manufacturing. In better news, the earphones themselves are comfortable, well made unobtrusive and come with a decent carry case too. Six sets of ear tips (three made of foam and three made of silicone) come in the box along with a cleaning tool with a microfiber cloth, an optional lapel clip, and three choices of hardy para-aramid cables round out the bundle. The splitter is brushed aluminum with a plastic V relief on the lead in and matching black plastic chin slider above the splitter. These are both two very accurate representations of soundstage, but the IE 200 just appears more transparent and pure, while the IE 300 is a little flatter in comparison.

The IE 300 under-emphasizes the treble response which makes the IEMs sound slightly more studio-oriented than most consumer-friendly headsets.