Sennheiser IE 300 in-ear headphone overview: Stellar performance is the name of this game

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I vastly recognize Sennheiser headphones—I’ve had a classic on-ear HD 414 SL in my recording studio for 40 years. At this time time, the company additionally makes in-ear headphones (IEHs), including the IE 300, which became introduced at CES 2021.

After I realized referring to the IE 300 final January, I became mad to check it out. Now that I contain, I will be able to divulge it’s the right in-ear headphone I’ve ever heard.

This overview is phase of TechHive’s protection of the right headphones, the set you’ll bag critiques of the competition’s choices, plus a purchaser’s data to the aspects that you just would possibly want to peaceable contain in tips when browsing for this vogue of product. Must you’re trying protection of noise-cancelling headphones, now we contain that too.

Facets

The IE 300 is just not any doubt aimed toward audiophiles—there’s no Bluetooth, noise cancellation, or microphones for phone calls; factual a 4-foot, unbalanced cable terminating in a 3.5mm stereo crawl. That cable is removable from each earpiece thanks to a gold-plated Fidelity+ MMCX connector, which is seated in a recessed socket for extra stress relief. A removable cable map that you just can swap it out for a balanced cable in the event you will need, and the company will shortly provide such cables with 2.5- or 4.4mm connectors as non-compulsory accessories for $149.95.

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This IEH aspects a complicated version of Sennheiser’s 7mm Further Huge Band (XWB) dynamic transducer, with an optimized membrane foil that minimizes natural resonances and total harmonic distortion, which is specified to be now not as a lot as 0.08% at 1kHz/94dB. To boot, the house at the help of the transducer is designed to minimize reflections within the housing, and a resonator chamber in entrance of the transducer reduces keeping resonances in the ear canal.

The highest consequence is a frequency response from 6Hz to 20kHz (no tolerance given). Varied specs contain a nominal impedance of 16 ohms, which is plenty low ample for portable gadgets to with out peril force it. The most sound stress stage is specified to be 124dB SPL (1kHz/1Vrms), but I strongly expose against enjoying tune that loud; it will damage your hearing in simplest a pair of minutes.

Like merely about all IEHs, the IE 300 comes with several sizes of silicone and memory-foam eartips, which is important because the usage of the merely dimension to your ears is crucial for getting the right sound from any IEH as well to maximizing noise isolation. To boot, each earpiece has an in my thought adjustable ear hook for steadiness, and the integrated cable is reinforced with para-aramid that would possibly per chance per chance withstand thousands of bend cycles.

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Sennheiser IE 300 performance

I started by trying the most real looking doubtless integrated eartips, each silicone and memory-foam. I contain somewhat tall ear canals, so I need tall eartips to achieve a factual seal. The most real looking doubtless eartips that contain the IE 300 are about 13mm in diameter, and each styles labored slightly effectively at sealing my ear canals—with out a doubt, they fit me larger than the pointers integrated with most IEHs I’ve tried.

The memory-foam pointers are a diminutive bit much less assailable than others I’ve tried, which is a factual thing. But it took some fussing to effectively seat them in my ears. I stopped up the usage of 14.5mm eartips from 1More, which constantly work tall for me.

I performed all overview tracks for this overview from Qobuz’s high-res library the usage of my iPhone XS and an iFi hip-dac. I take care of that Qobuz unearths the decision of each display screen, now not like Tidal.

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Likely the most foremost issues I stumbled on became Frank Zappa’s 1969 album Sizzling Rats in 24/192 decision. It is now not real looking to digitize an analog recording from better than 50 years prior to now at a call that high, but there it is miles. Plus, the album has one of my all-time well-liked Zappa tunes, “Peaches en Regalia,” which a friend in high college transcribed from the document and arranged for our mountainous band. It became complicated to play, but in point of truth enjoyable!

On the IE 300, the sound became tall honest, and I could per chance per chance distinguish each instrument slightly clearly thanks to mighty imaging. The bass is mixed severely low, but that’s in the recording, now not in the reproduction by the IEH.

Subsequent up became “A Bigger Utter” by Tom Petty on his posthumously released album Finding Wildflowers (Alternate Versions), which sports a call of 24/96. The sound on the IE 300 became honest, tender, fat-bodied, and effectively-balanced with tall imaging. In explicit, Petty’s vocal became mighty and utterly natural.

Stephen Colbert’s bandleader, Jon Batiste, released the good album We Are final 365 days at 24/44.1. I listened to “Maturity,” in which the acoustic bass is fairly prominent. The IE 300 sounded honest and distinct with effectively off, authentic bass and natural vocals. The engaging backbeat (it would possibly per chance per chance be rim shots, but I’m now not distinct) became tall crisp, and the brass band at the head became dazzling.

For some African jazz, I cued up “Eretseretse” by Omar Sosa from his album An East African Lope at 24/96. This display screen starts with leisurely piano and a immediate plucked African stringed instrument (I wish the liner notes known it) with some very provocative panning effects in which notes jump help and forth in the end of the soundstage. Later, the beat picks up with drums, bass, and percussion.

Over again, the IE 300 introduced an very ultimate, distinct, originate, effectively-balanced sound with extra special imaging. The piano and plucked string instrument sounded utterly natural and cohesive, as did the numerous instruments when they joined in.

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I take care of factual funk, which Dumpstaphunk delivers in spades. Lead by Ivan and Ian Neville, sons of the legendary brothers Aaron and Art work Neville respectively, the neighborhood’s third studio album, Where Perform We Sprint From Here at 24/44.1, entails the tall-funky, horn-laced “Itchy Boo.” As I had come to hunt data from, the IE 300 sounded honest, fat-bodied, and effectively-balanced with tight bass, natural horns, and tall imaging. I fail to hunt, nonetheless, why the recording wished 24 bits, since the dynamic differ of the tune is fairly narrow.

Turning to bluegrass, I cued up “Suzanne” by Mo Pitney from the compilation album Industrial Energy Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy at 24/96. Over again, the IE 300 sounded honest, distinct, originate, and effectively-balanced from bass to banjo with tall imaging and utterly natural-sounding tight vocal harmonies.

Though-provoking on to chamber tune, I listened to “Gagliarda del Principe de Venosa” by Carlo Gesualdo, one of my well-liked renaissance composers, as performed by Les Récréations on the album Scarlatti Sonate a Quattro at 24/96. The ensemble entails two violins, one viola, and one cello which will most doubtless be joined by a lute for this different. I could per chance per chance with out peril distinguish each instrument clearly on the IE 300, which produced a graceful, effectively-balanced, originate sound.

For one thing bigger, I cued up the fourth bolt of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 in D minor, WAB103, as recorded by the Wiener Philharmoniker below the direction of Christian Thielemann at 24/96. As expected by now, the IE 300 sounded dazzling—an very ultimate, distinct, effectively-balanced, fat sound with mighty imaging and dynamic differ. I could per chance per chance with out peril hear each half and solo instrument within a truly cohesive entire.

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Comparison with 1More Quad Driver

The becoming IEH I had readily readily accessible for the length of this overview is the 1More Quad Driver ($169.99), which I reviewed for TechHive alongside with the Dual and Triple Driver items. I listened to each overview display screen on each to hunt how they in contrast.

The Quad Driver sounded very just just like the IE 300—my notes in most cases divulge “merely about identical.” But there were some refined variations. In most conditions, the Quad Driver sounded factual a tad thinner with a skosh more bass. The most simple exception became for the length of Jon Batiste’s “Maturity,” in which the bass became a ways more prominent and even a diminutive bit overbearing. On a pair of tracks, such as Dumpstaphunk’s “Itchy Boo,” the bass became a diminutive bit more diffuse and no more effectively-outlined, whereas the Gesualdo chamber tune sounded factual slightly warmer.

With the exception of the bass on “Maturity,” all these variations were extraordinarily minor, however the IE 300 never once gave me one thing else but stellar sound.

Final analysis

I’ve got nothing but high praise for the Sennheiser IE 300. As lengthy because it’s ragged with the merely eartips to your ears, it delivers honest, distinct, originate, fat-bodied sound with extra special imaging, and the balance between bass, midrange, and treble is nigh on excellent. Even larger, the adjustable ear hooks retain them securely in space, and the removable cable lets you upgrade to a balanced connection in the event you will need.

At factual below $300, the IE 300 ain’t cheap; it’s practically twice as great as the 1More Quad Driver, which performs practically as effectively total. But as with most high-discontinuance audio, you on the total must employ severely more to procure slightly larger performance. Is it price the extra dough on this case? Must that you just can afford it, I divulge completely!

• That is the right in-ear headphone I’ve ever heard, with extra special sound and no drawbacks—though that quality comes at a somewhat steep designate.

  Mavens

  • Fabulous sound: honest, distinct, originate, fat-bodied, effectively-balanced
  • Detachable cable lets you upgrade to a balanced connection
  • Adjustable ear hooks retain earpieces securely in space