Sennheiser IE 200 review: audiophile-level wired earbuds at an affordable price
Welcome to Audiophile Club. The 1st rule of Audiophile Club is: you do discuss about Audiophile Club. The next rule of Audiophile Club is: you do speak about Audiophile Club! If there was a Struggle Club-influenced set of 8 rules to sign up for these a club, Sennheiser may vote to make the third: all people is welcome. (Soon after all, the film’s 3rd rule – if a person yells “stop!”, goes limp or taps out, it is above – possibly would not be ideal, even though likely limp at hearing your favourite track seem the greatest you have ever read it would not be inconceivable!)
The German company has extended produced bigger-conclusion ‘audiophile headphones’ for the additional discerning new music listener fortuitous enough to be in a position to manage them, but head to that extremely part on the company’s web site and you are going to see that these ‘audiophile headphones’ – nearly all wired (maybe that would be Sennheiser’s suggestion for a fourth rule…) – now involve a array of in-ear and above-ear pairs at a array of price ranges, from as minimal as £130 / $150 / AU$240.
Sennheiser IE 200 tech specs
Sort Wired in-ear headphones
Bluetooth? No
Cable length 1.2m
Pounds (without having cable) 4g
Connectors MMCX, 3.5mm
Finishes x1
Ear idea dimensions x3 (memory and foam)
Without a doubt, Sennheiser has in current decades improved the accessibility of this revered variety (which, if you were wanting to know, sits higher than its normal ‘Headphones’, its genuine wireless earbuds and noise-cancelling wi-fi above-ears, for case in point) – and none extra so than with the introduction of the IE 200 wired earbuds. The Sennheiser IE 200 appear into the assortment at that aforementioned value, using up the entry-degree spot and arguably representing the brand’s most valiant exertion still to encourage far more folks to practical experience ‘audiophile’-grade audio quality.
Carrying that ‘IE’ naming can be seen as putting on a badge of honour at this point, thinking about additional than a single of the company’s IE earbud styles has achieved acclaim – the IE800 from 2013, for illustration, were a few-time What Hi-Fi? Award winners inspite of their then-£600 value tag. That is a determine which would no question be considered just as ludicrous an total to devote on earbuds now as it would have back again then. Much a lot more lately, the IE900 proved their sonic quality so wholly that we couldn’t assistance but conclude that they justified their four-figure asking selling price. The IE sequence has because come to be a lot more attainable with the arrival of the IE600 and IE300, albeit to a lot less fanatical fanfare in the latter situation, which we did not imagine slash the mustard from their closest rivals.
Even though less headphones companies are bothering with mid-array wired headphones as much as they might’ve done 10 several years in the past, there remains an outstanding sonic benchmark for the Sennheiser IE 200 to try for. So, how do they get on?
Style
Anybody thinking of wired in-ears at this degree is nearly absolutely just after far better sound quality than wi-fi solutions at the similar rate point can provide them. Possibly that or they have neglected to demand their prior wireless pair 1 time far too quite a few. Wired in-ear headphones are not much more hassle-free to put on than the floods of Bluetooth earbuds offered (not the very least as quite a few telephones now call for a dongle to accommodate them), nor do they have as a lot road cred. They just cannot respond to application management, nor can they connect to two units at after (devoid of a actual physical splitter).
To set it crudely, they stay two motorists within two earbud housings on a wire terminated with a jack, able of providing sound but minor else. In the IE 200’s situation, these types of parts preserve their ‘Audiophile’ stop of the deal. The 1.2m braided cable feels reassuringly sturdy and, many thanks to MMCX connectors at the earbud conclusion, can be swapped out for an additional down the line. The finger-duration ends closest the earbuds are covered by a tubing designed to wrap all-around ears for a extra protected match, while the reasonably non-descript black housings themselves are discreetly compact. A few measurements of silicone and memory foam eartips, as well as a pleather pouch (considerably less ‘audiophile’ but acceptable for the rate), complete what amounts to the type of generous, very well-regarded as design you could possibly be expecting from a business that has been in the company for as lengthy as Sennheiser has. The only modest detrimental listed here is the absence of an in-line remote, a thing the IE 200 share with the rest of the assortment.
Sound
Another discernible lineage concerning the IE 200 and their siblings is their sonic character, which is as recognisable to us as a Warhol painting would be to a pop-art supporter. Very clear, rich and weighty, they’re instantly likeable, and anyone who has knowledge with equally priced wi-fi earbuds may extremely quickly realise that they really don’t get you any place around the Sennheisers’ amount of openness, clarity and insight. It’s really worth noting that if you are not hearing that lushness and are scratching your head above our descriptions of ‘rich’ and ‘weighty’, you must try out distinct ear guidelines and make use of that tubed cable as a hook to realize a protected match and proper seal.
The fullness that extends the frequency selection, from its strong highs to its extremely current lows, does miracles for the plunging percussive and operatic vocals that make up Younger Jesus’s Rose Eater. The song’s theatrical composition is lapped up by the Sennheisers’ authoritative sonic signature like milk from a saucer in front of a kitten. The IE 200’s stage puts them on the cusp of what we’d advise applying with a budget portable DAC, while know that the earbuds’ transparency is plenty of for owners to profit from possessing a single. We unplug the earbuds from our Macbook Pro’s 3.5mm output and place them into the jack of the Chord Mojo 2 (admittedly an overkill decision for the IE 200’s capabilities an AudioQuest DragonFly Black would be far more like it), and the further detail is palpable – there is larger precision to the melody-main piano notes, more textural variation to the twinkling seems, and increased effect to the song’s drum-strike substratum.
In excess of to one thing a small sprightlier, Major Thief’s people-infused Spud Infinity, and the IE 200 talk the joviality with a apparent, agile midrange. The spring-boing sounds at the farthest sides of the soundstage are a reminder of the earbuds’ breadth, though their audibility as they go beneath the vocal and guitar melody is a testomony to the Sennheisers’ finer-element retrieval.
This is about as get up and go as the IE 200 like to go, nevertheless. Their effortless-breezy nature turns away from attacking tracks that need travel and bite, which leaves these music experience a very little misrepresented. Play some of our highly billed go-tos – M.O.P.’s Ante Up, Eminem’s Bezerk and The Chemical Brothers’ Das Spiegel – and the deliveries come to feel a little restrained, like a sober introvert in a karaoke bar.
Verdict
Eventually, as with their layout, the IE 200’s efficiency justifies their inclusion underneath the brand’s ‘Audiophile’ umbrella. A lot more sonic sting in spot of some of that smoothness, and an in-line remote if we’re currently being picky, would make them best earbuds at a level where by the wire nonetheless would make perception for outright audio good quality. But even devoid of that, the Sennheiser IE 200 make superior on their mission to welcome much more people to the Audiophile Club.
SCORES
Extra:
Study our critique of the Shure Aonic 3
Also take into account the SoundMagic E11C
Finest in-ear headphones: funds to quality
