Reviews by lmf22
I had the IE 900 for two weeks, with over 150 hours. They are so aaamaaazing! Not only do they sound great, they are so light and comfortable. The IE 900 is so good that I sold my other IEMs, including the Campfire Audio Polaris II, Dorado 2020, Solaris 2020, and gave my UM Mest II to my dad. All of these IEMs are excellent in certain areas or genres of music, but I feel the IE 900 is the best all-rounder across the board, from musical qualities to comfort.
I’m using the Sony WM1A (MrWalkman custom firmware Dawn Plus). DSEE AI on, DC Phase Linearizer Type B Low, low gain, 4.4mm balanced output.
My music preferences are: Pop, country, jazz, and occasionally classical.
I'm skipping the unboxing, technical description, and walkthrough of the accessories. Other reviews are much better at doing that than me. Let's just get right to the sound!
The bass
The IE 900 has the best bass I’ve heard in an IEM. It goes deep when needed, but doesn’t artificially make every bass note deep and big. They are clean, detailed, and beautifully textured. The same goes for bass quantity; there is plenty of it, but only when the music has it, and never interferes with the lower-mids and mids. The bass quality reminds me of my home stereo system (PSAudio DirectStream Jr DAC, Octave V70SE tube integrated amp, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 speakers).
The mids
So beautiful, articulate, and detailed. Both female and male vocals come through strong and natural; never shouty or thin. The small details of familiar singers’ voices come through better and has better textures without overwhelming my ears with too much details. They are much more natural than other IEMs I’ve heard.
The highs
Extended and very smooth. Silky smooth. Some burn-in (either the IEMs or my ears or brain) is needed for the treble to shine. Initially, they seemed bright, even when using foam tips. After about 100 hours, they calmed down and became well extended and smooth. Instruments sound natural and non-fatiguing. This is important for me because I use IEMs when I work, so don’t like IEMs with distracting and fatiguing treble.
Soundstage and imaging
Both the soundstage and imaging are very beautifully done. The soundstage is moderately wide and deep, with a good amount of height. Sounds extend slightly outside my ears and around my head. What I like is that the soundstage is natural. It’s intimate if the music requires it, and extended if the music has it. More importantly, the soundstage doesn’t extend too far out where it can become unnatural, like an artificial 3D effect. Imaging is excellent. Every instrument and vocal has their own space and music rarely sound crowded. But please keep in mind these are not magical IEMs; poorly recorded/mix/mastered music still has poor soundstage and imaging. I would say the IE 900 presents the soundstage and imaging as they are in the music.
Comfort
One of the most comfortable IEMs I’ve ever had. I can use them throughout my workday and rarely had to take them off or adjust them. I also like how extremely light they are. The comfort and weight don’t distract me from the music, which allows me to get more immersed in it.
The cable
I really like the cable. They are light, hard to tangle, and has a nice neutral color with a slight shimmery look under bright lights. They are more microphonic than other IEM stock cables, and may not be good when you’re using the IE 900 on-the-go. The shirt clip helps a lot. This drawback doesn’t bother to me because I use these in the office or at home.
Accessories and ear tips
Love the small case. The Sennheiser logo on the front looks great. The serial number on the back is a nice touch, and makes me feel special
I’ll write some brief impressions of the ear tips I’ve tried. Keep in mind these are highly subjective (I tend to like sounds can be described as smooth, slightly on the warm side of neutral, and even slightly rolled off highs while retaining airiness). The sound descriptions may not apply to your ears, but hope they will give you an idea of how each tip can change the sound of the IE 900.
Stock ear tips
Out of all the stock ear tips, my favorite is the foam (size S). I like them with the small foams in them, which gives the sound a very slightly smoother treble.
I got a good fit with the medium silicone ear tips with a shallow insertion. I was not able to get a seal with the small or large sizes no matter the kind of depth of insertion.
+ Light and airy sound.
+ Excellent detailed and deep bass.
+ Very extended highs.
+ Very comfortable. They seem to just sit in my ear and doesn’t exert much pressure.
– Poor isolation (this can be plus if, for example, you’re working in the office and need to hear colleagues when they try to get your attention).
– The highs can get fatiguing for long sessions with poorly recorded music, but it’s fine with well recorded music.
I got a good fit with the small foam ear tips. The medium and large sizes put too much pressure in my ear canals, resulting in discomfort after about 15 minutes.
+ Full bodied sound.
+ Deep bass (but not as detailed as the silicone tips and can sound muddy with bass-heavy music).
+ Fuller sound, especially great for vocals.
+ Very comfortable. Slight pressure but never got uncomfortable.
+ Good isolation.
– Slightly rolled off highs (can be a plus because they are more forgiving of poorly recorded music, and good for long listening sessions).
Third-party ear tips
My favorites are the Final E (size S). I also like the Symbio F (size S).
Final E
+ Deep and bold bass with nice textures (but not as detailed as the stock silicone tips).
+ Full mids (much fuller than the stock silicone tips).
+ Smooth highs (need to have a deep insertion, otherwise the treble rolls off too much and you lose sparkle and air).
+ More body across the board.
+ Comfortable for long sessions.
– Slightly rolled off highs, but can be a plus because it’s more forgiving with poorly recorded music.
Symbio F
+ Detailed mids.
+ Great highs for foam tips; only slightly rolled off (less roll off compared to the stock foam tips).
+ Comfortable.
– Mids can sound grainy depending on the music.
– Bass doesn’t go as deep and there’s less of it.
Campfire Audio Marshmallow
+ Comfortable.
+ Forgiving sound for modern pop music.
– Rolled off bass and treble.
Symbio W Peel
+ Comfortable
+ Great bass quantity, but I not as textured as the stock silicone or Final E tips.
+ Smooth mids
– Treble doesn’t sound natural.
Azla SednaLight (regular and short versions)
– Easy to lose the seal in my ears.
– Bass sounds strange. I can’t put my finger on what it is.
– Highs can be fatiguing with modern music. More so with the short version.
Spiral Dot ++ and Spiral Dot regular
+ Comfortable
+ Forgiving sound for modern pop music.
– Diffused imaging. No solid center image. The vocals are too spread out.
Spinfit 145
+ Comfortable
– Muddy bass and midrange
(Photos have the Symbio F ear tips because the orange color looks great in photos
)
I’m using the Sony WM1A (MrWalkman custom firmware Dawn Plus). DSEE AI on, DC Phase Linearizer Type B Low, low gain, 4.4mm balanced output.
My music preferences are: Pop, country, jazz, and occasionally classical.
I'm skipping the unboxing, technical description, and walkthrough of the accessories. Other reviews are much better at doing that than me. Let's just get right to the sound!
The bass
The IE 900 has the best bass I’ve heard in an IEM. It goes deep when needed, but doesn’t artificially make every bass note deep and big. They are clean, detailed, and beautifully textured. The same goes for bass quantity; there is plenty of it, but only when the music has it, and never interferes with the lower-mids and mids. The bass quality reminds me of my home stereo system (PSAudio DirectStream Jr DAC, Octave V70SE tube integrated amp, Dynaudio Contour S3.4 speakers).
The mids
So beautiful, articulate, and detailed. Both female and male vocals come through strong and natural; never shouty or thin. The small details of familiar singers’ voices come through better and has better textures without overwhelming my ears with too much details. They are much more natural than other IEMs I’ve heard.
The highs
Extended and very smooth. Silky smooth. Some burn-in (either the IEMs or my ears or brain) is needed for the treble to shine. Initially, they seemed bright, even when using foam tips. After about 100 hours, they calmed down and became well extended and smooth. Instruments sound natural and non-fatiguing. This is important for me because I use IEMs when I work, so don’t like IEMs with distracting and fatiguing treble.
Soundstage and imaging
Both the soundstage and imaging are very beautifully done. The soundstage is moderately wide and deep, with a good amount of height. Sounds extend slightly outside my ears and around my head. What I like is that the soundstage is natural. It’s intimate if the music requires it, and extended if the music has it. More importantly, the soundstage doesn’t extend too far out where it can become unnatural, like an artificial 3D effect. Imaging is excellent. Every instrument and vocal has their own space and music rarely sound crowded. But please keep in mind these are not magical IEMs; poorly recorded/mix/mastered music still has poor soundstage and imaging. I would say the IE 900 presents the soundstage and imaging as they are in the music.
Comfort
One of the most comfortable IEMs I’ve ever had. I can use them throughout my workday and rarely had to take them off or adjust them. I also like how extremely light they are. The comfort and weight don’t distract me from the music, which allows me to get more immersed in it.
The cable
I really like the cable. They are light, hard to tangle, and has a nice neutral color with a slight shimmery look under bright lights. They are more microphonic than other IEM stock cables, and may not be good when you’re using the IE 900 on-the-go. The shirt clip helps a lot. This drawback doesn’t bother to me because I use these in the office or at home.
Accessories and ear tips
Love the small case. The Sennheiser logo on the front looks great. The serial number on the back is a nice touch, and makes me feel special
I’ll write some brief impressions of the ear tips I’ve tried. Keep in mind these are highly subjective (I tend to like sounds can be described as smooth, slightly on the warm side of neutral, and even slightly rolled off highs while retaining airiness). The sound descriptions may not apply to your ears, but hope they will give you an idea of how each tip can change the sound of the IE 900.
Stock ear tips
Out of all the stock ear tips, my favorite is the foam (size S). I like them with the small foams in them, which gives the sound a very slightly smoother treble.
I got a good fit with the medium silicone ear tips with a shallow insertion. I was not able to get a seal with the small or large sizes no matter the kind of depth of insertion.
+ Light and airy sound.
+ Excellent detailed and deep bass.
+ Very extended highs.
+ Very comfortable. They seem to just sit in my ear and doesn’t exert much pressure.
– Poor isolation (this can be plus if, for example, you’re working in the office and need to hear colleagues when they try to get your attention).
– The highs can get fatiguing for long sessions with poorly recorded music, but it’s fine with well recorded music.
I got a good fit with the small foam ear tips. The medium and large sizes put too much pressure in my ear canals, resulting in discomfort after about 15 minutes.
+ Full bodied sound.
+ Deep bass (but not as detailed as the silicone tips and can sound muddy with bass-heavy music).
+ Fuller sound, especially great for vocals.
+ Very comfortable. Slight pressure but never got uncomfortable.
+ Good isolation.
– Slightly rolled off highs (can be a plus because they are more forgiving of poorly recorded music, and good for long listening sessions).
Third-party ear tips
My favorites are the Final E (size S). I also like the Symbio F (size S).
Final E
+ Deep and bold bass with nice textures (but not as detailed as the stock silicone tips).
+ Full mids (much fuller than the stock silicone tips).
+ Smooth highs (need to have a deep insertion, otherwise the treble rolls off too much and you lose sparkle and air).
+ More body across the board.
+ Comfortable for long sessions.
– Slightly rolled off highs, but can be a plus because it’s more forgiving with poorly recorded music.
Symbio F
+ Detailed mids.
+ Great highs for foam tips; only slightly rolled off (less roll off compared to the stock foam tips).
+ Comfortable.
– Mids can sound grainy depending on the music.
– Bass doesn’t go as deep and there’s less of it.
Campfire Audio Marshmallow
+ Comfortable.
+ Forgiving sound for modern pop music.
– Rolled off bass and treble.
Symbio W Peel
+ Comfortable
+ Great bass quantity, but I not as textured as the stock silicone or Final E tips.
+ Smooth mids
– Treble doesn’t sound natural.
Azla SednaLight (regular and short versions)
– Easy to lose the seal in my ears.
– Bass sounds strange. I can’t put my finger on what it is.
– Highs can be fatiguing with modern music. More so with the short version.
Spiral Dot ++ and Spiral Dot regular
+ Comfortable
+ Forgiving sound for modern pop music.
– Diffused imaging. No solid center image. The vocals are too spread out.
Spinfit 145
+ Comfortable
– Muddy bass and midrange
(Photos have the Symbio F ear tips because the orange color looks great in photos
)Attachments
Evshrug
Thanks for making the review so easy to find! If you ever want to share a link directly to this with someone, copy the link on the review date.
