Sennheiser IE 600

Review Of The Sennheiser IE600​

Introduction​

Sennheiser, A German company that has been in business since 1945 and is well known for providing high-quality studio and professional electro-acoustic products like speakers, headphones, and in-ear monitors has outgrown its capacity to produce these products and has turned to more reasonably priced options in order to reach a wider audience of customers while still maintaining the promise of current-day true superior sound quality. They flourished in this market because they are renowned professionally for high-quality microphones and other electronic equipment like Bluetooth headphones and earbuds that are more geared towards a customer-friendly approach. Nevertheless, being an audiophile, I am more interested in IEMs and headphones, thus I will be examining their mid-level IEM, the IE600. But first, let's discuss certain concerns before evaluating.

Disclaimer​

*Since I received this unit from my fellow audiophile Pulkit Dreamz, I am grateful to him. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link.
*I am not associated with the connection, and I receive no financial assistance from anyone.
*For the remainder of the review, I will refer to these IEMs as "IE600."
*I am using different Ear-tips for convenience and better versatility.
*Finally, I will only evaluate the IE600 based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically.

Specification​

The IE600 is a single dynamic driver IEM. The driver it houses is what they call a TrueResponse transducer which is a 7mm driver. The shell is made of zincronium alloy and the nozzle front is made of plastic. The shell feels very rigid and strong and feels a little heavy on hands. The fit on the ears was comfortable and non fatiguing despite being heavy. The shell are constructed in a way that they help produce exceptionally neutral sound thanks to their dual resonator chambers D2CA. The coonectors used are gold plated mmcx and the cable it comes with is a para-aramid reinforced cable available in 3.5mm or 4.4mm termination stock. The problem the cable is very microphonic, but other than that I am happy with the cable. Other than the cable, accessories include three pairs of silicon eartips(small, medium and large), three pairs of foam eartips(small, medium and large), a premium carry case, cable clip, cleaning tool and a cleaning cloth. Coming to the technical specifications, the impedance is and the sound pressure level is 118dB. The frequency response is from 4hz to 46.5kHz and the total harmonic distortion is less than 0.06%.

Sound​

The IE600's sound has a more neutral, sub-bass-boosted inclination than a true V-shape sound signature. Anyway, these sound surprisingly good tonally. The midrange and lower treble are very upfront in this fundamental spectrum, but the bass is very punchy, hits hard, and resolves almost immediately. The midrange is also very melodious and energetic.

Treble​

The IE600's treble is very well extended, has a lot of air to it, and sounds spacious when the tonal balance is right. The treble is lively and serves a purpose in the detail department that is obvious. Female vocals in the higher octaves have a very full and rounded sound, while the upper treble is smooth. On the other hand, the lower treble has a more forward, tidy, and sparkly sound. The instruments have enough room to express their own will while still sounding right and present. Sounds like guitars, cymbal crashes, snare hits, etc. are exposed with enthusiasm. Overall, they don't let me down in this area, but if I had to pick something, it would be that on some tracks, the energy in the lower treble and upper mid-range, especially in female vocals, becomes a little too much, making the music sound a little hot.

Mid Range​

The mid-range is very well established in this spectrum and stands out in the mix for how neat and lively it sounds. The upper mid-range is very upfront and detailed in the mix. That the upper mid-range, despite being very engaging in the mix, still sounds non-offensive—that is, there is no shout, no harshness, or sibilance—amazes me. The female vocals do have a hint of heat to them, yes. Each audio component closely resembles a natural reproduction and sounds alive. Everything, including the acoustic guitars, violins, piano, and others, sounds so natural and authentic. The lower mid-range is slightly pushed back, which I think introduces lean characteristics and makes the vocals a little hot. In my testing, I discovered that this trait is almost nonexistent. I'd say the mid-range is exceptionally well done, very organised, and enthusiastic in terms of the overall performance.

Bass​

The bass is delivered with compulsion and authority. This doesn't mean the bass is very substantial in the mix; rather, it just means it moves quickly but effectively. Although the mid-bass has enough weight to be heard, the sub-bass is given more prominence in the bass. The bass is very powerful and has a significant impact on me. Although it almost sounds thick, the tone is very pleasant and recovers very quickly. The bass slams are almost perfect, and the kick drum hits are submissive. It reproduces sounds very naturally. Yes, the mid-bass extends into the lower mid-range, giving the mid-performance range's a more rounded edge. Overall, the bass response is excellent: deep while extreme, powerful hits with quick recovery.

Technical Performance​

The technical performance of IE600 is outstanding. While being extremely wide and tall in all directions, the soundstage is well orchestrated. The layering and imaging are both very distinct and sharp. The separation is extremely accurate and thorough. Details are strongly retrieved while the resolution is overly achieved. And for a 7mm transducer, speed is extremely quick. The IE600, in my opinion, is the Usain Bolt of the Mid-Fi market.

Soundstage, Sound Imaging & Separation​

Every vocal or instrument is placed specifically in the right place in the carefully staged, wide and tall, in all directions 3D holographic representation. With everything being distinct and the imaging and layering being sharp, I can identify each fundamental component of the sound and determine which instrument is closer or farther away thanks to the separation. Very nicely done.

Speed & Resolution​

The resolution is overly achieved, which can be good or bad and depends on personal preference, leaving the Mid-Fi segment behind and competing with higher-end IEMs. Excellent detail retrieval is provided. I'm amazed at how quickly notes recover because the attack and decay are so fast for a dynamic driver.

Conclusion​

Sennheiser has made significant progress with their IEM lineup, and with the introduction of the IE600, I can confidently predict that they will begin to dominate the IEM market. The IE600 is the best IEM I've heard in this category, so I can easily recommend it to anyone looking for a neutral sound with fantastic bass response and a clean presentation overall.

Sources And Tracks Used​

Sources​

Apple iPhone XS Max
LG G8X
iPad (4th generation)
Apple Dongle Dac
Shanling UA1 Pro
iFi HIPDAC
Venture Electronics Megatron
Apple Lossless
UAPP
Locally stored Flac and Wav Files

Tracks​

Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove
Boston - More Than A Feeling
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere(Remastered)
Toto - Africa
The Police - Every Breath You Take
George Benson - Affirmation
Daft Punk - Doin' It Right
Daft Punk - Derezzed
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy (End Titles)
GOJIRA - Amazonia
The Mars Volta - Inertiatic ESP
Fergie - Glamorous
50 Cent - In Da Club
Jay Z - Holy Grail
Erbes - Lies
Nitti Gritti - The Loud
Juelz - Inferno

Currently one of my absolute daily drivers (beside Sony M9)
my personal choice for 2022's best iem release


Build & Fit : housing is made to last with very small and ergonomics shape, yet the cable and eartips are not as good
- the stock eartips has a layer of foam, somehow using a very easy to collapse thin material sounds congested and very bassy using their stock silicone tips
- cable is not really flexible, and my main problem is the propietary mmcx, the pin is similar to other mmcx, yet it has a small mount that makes other mmcx cannot be easily connected to the pin, and i hate the earguide (every time i wear them i need a small time to adjust it)

sound : now here comes the good things

(yes my unit's channel matching is essentially perfect!! good job sennheiser)

i would categorize their sound as V shaped, by measurement alone it has a LOT of bass boost
but from real life perception somehow it is not as big as the measurement suggest

they are very tips dependent also, the stock tips somehow does sound a bit too bassy yet 3rd party eartips like spinfit, final type e, accoustune aet08 will give more balance presentation

bass has a very good sub bass depth with good rumble and dynamics, every song sounds fun and exciting, orchestral music like two steps from hell - never give up on your dreams sounds superb with majestic rumble

midrange might not be the most elevated frequency here, yet what i love is they are tuned correctly in terms of portion and balancing for male/female voices, piano, and guitar on middle octave sounds natural and well balance, i do perceive some brightness coloration from the treble elevation, making some S word has an extra air and gives a bit of brightness tinge

treble is very exciting with a lot of airiness, impact, and extension (the default stock silicone tips somehow limiting the air)
violin, percussion, cymbals sounds really lively, impactful with a lot of bite that is just enough to make them exciting without sounding harsh, trying lindsey sterling - dance of sugarplum fairy has never sound so good, also la primavera from vivaldi's 4 spring

honestly the treble is a very sensitive area, incompatible eartips or incorrect seal and depth will results in too spicy treble

the very special thing about this ie600 is how lively, dynamics, and impactful they are but still sounds coherent and natural, hearing bands and orchestra really takes me back to the time when i was still active in band and choir, the emotion is flowing abundantly, i could hear the emotion and soul from the music

for a single DD the technical is mind blowing, a lot of details and very high in resolution, solid note definition, also good 3D presentation, maybe the only downside, it doesn't sound as separated or as wide as some multi driver competitors

quick comparison:
vs zen pro : ie600 sounds more energetic and resolving yet, zen pro sounds more neutral and calm, but could be bit boring for me

vs softears twilight : ie600 sounds brighter, more lively, with more sub bass rumble, resolution and detail is also better, twilight has softer, thicker and laidback presentation, but it has more natural vocal and much wider soundstage

honestly as a 1DD lover i love em all, but for now maybe because of my playlist for orchestra and movie soundtracks, i feel more satisfied with ie600

vs moondrop s8 : ie600 has better sub bass rumble, more energetic treble and less shouty midrange, s8 has more noticable ba timbre, more shouty and forward midrange, better separation, resolution are about the same

vs clairvoyance : ie600 has more dynamics and impact on the treble also sharper note definition and resolution,
clairvoyance sounds warmer, more relaxed, with much bigger soundstage

vs IE900 : ie600 simply has better vocal presence due to more elevated pinna gain, while ie900 has too little ear gain pushing vocal and sound more distant, also even technically ie900 is definitely better in all area including better bass texture, but it somehow sounds sharper for me and i do pick more sibilances, so i do prefer ie600

vs ier M9 : ie600 has much better dynamics and impact, deeper rumble and higher treble extension, yet in soundstage, separation, and imaging, ie600 become a dwarf compared to M9's monstrous pin point imaging, M9 sounds much more calmer, warmer, and more neutral

for my personal choice M9 and ie600 completes each other depends on my moods

ie600 takes me out for a thrilling adventure
M9 takes me back to a comfy home

i've tried a lot of iems with much higher prices, but for now i think i could rest for a while with these 2 as my favorite

bonus photo, the only iem i bring during my holiday to bali

TL;dr: Color me impressed.

I got to hear these as part of the IE600 tour, and they're now on the way to the next listener. Thanks @ericpalonen for the loan. Opinions here are subjective, unvarnished and unquantified.

I'm not going to bother with the company, packaging, accessories. I'm pretty sure you've heard of Sennheiser, and there are plenty of photos around. You're certainly not getting these IEMs for the box.

Specs from the Sennheiser site:
Transducer: Single Dynamic Driver, Pressure Chamber
Frequency response: 4-46,500 Hz
Sound pressure level (SPL): 118 dB at 1 kHz, 1 Vrms
Total harmonic distortion (THD): <0.06% (1 kHz, 94 dB)
Cable length: 125 cm
Connector: Fidelity (+) MMCX
Impedance: 18 ohm system impedance
Attenuation: 25dB

You'll have to ask somebody's dog about that 46.5 kHz frequency response-- I'm only human!

Let's talk about what matters most: Fit, Cable and Sound.


Fit

These are the same form factor as my own IE300 (and other Sennheiser IEs). It's a small oblong/rectangular hybrid that should tuck into just about anyone's ears easily. With metal housings, the IE600 are a little more substantial in the hand than the plastic IE300, but they still pretty much vanish in the ear. Light and unobtrusive.

But there is something unusual about the way Sennheiser IEMs fit.

With most IEMs, I use large eartips and push them in as deeply as possible to get a good seal. Sometimes foam, sometimes silicone, but without a deep fit there's no isolation or bass for me.

These are different. I tried a lot of my other tips with these, but I came back to Sennheiser's included L silicones because they are the only ones that worked for me. (The package includes S-M-L silicones and foams).

There's a trick with the IE300 and with these. The Sennheiser tips have an extra groove inside their sleeves, so you can put them on the nozzles in two spots: pushed all the way onto the nozzle or about 2mm up from there.

Large silicones, on the notch away from the base, were the only ones that worked for me -- and absolutely everything else sounded tinny and pathetic. You get a seal or you don't. Also, and crucially, instead of deep insertion with the silicones, I pulled back slightly once they were in my ears. There's exactly one spot where the soft silicone completely conforms to the ear canal. And at that spot....yes!

Just don't expect to seat these like your other IEMs. They work their own way to get the ideal fit.

Also, you need to rotate them just so on the MMCX connection. The cable has a stiff memory hook around the ear, and it can fight with you, trying to pull them out. That cable!

Cable

Sigh.

The 3.5mm SE "para-aramid reinforced" cable looks and feels the same as the much-derided IE300 cable, and the IE600 also comes with a 4.4 balanced cable of similar construction. (The para-aramid family of plastics includes Kevlar, but perhaps for trademark reasons Sennheiser doesn't use the word.)

I hate the cable. On the plus side, it's light, and Sennheiser has said it's made to be durable; the same cable on my IE300 is going strong after more than a year. BUT: It is seriously microphonic and it has nonstandard, recessed MMCX connectors. So you're stuck with the noisy OEM cable unless you want to pay $$$ for one of the few aftermarket replacements -- and then hope that they are less microphonic. Why Sennheiser made this new unit with the same annoying cable baffles me.

Using the 3.5mm cable, I listened to Tidal Masters and my own downloaded or ripped 192k/wav/FLAC/mp3 files on Foobar2000 and Vox, both from my MacBook Air headphone jack and via my VE Megatron DAC/Amp. I also played FLAC, hi-res wav, CD-quality wav and mp3 via 3.5mm SE from my A&K AK70.

With the 4.4mm cable I listened to Tidal Masters and my offline files via the VE Megatron. There's plenty of volume without amping. The sound from the Megatron was an improvement -- more open and realistic -- but I can't specify whether that's a result of the DAC or the amping. Single DD with 18 ohm impedance probably didn't need an amp.

Considering the cable changes and volume matching it would require, I'm not set up for any detailed comparison of SE and balanced. Perhaps someone else on the tour can do that.


SOUND:

Ahhhh, yes. It's impressive. Without looking at graphs, I had guessed that it's a W tuning: deep bass, upfront vocals, extended treble.

I threw a lot of things at the IE600: African and trip-hop subwoofer madness, Bach and Stravinsky and Messiaen, jazz, organic roots-rock and Americana, thrashing metal, vintage soul, future-R&B, sparkling Laurel Canyon productions, low-fi indie-rock, high-density prog-rock, New Orleans brass bands, subliminal-noise Nine Inch Nails, extreme-bass Hans Zimmer soundtracks, grimy low-fi hip-hop, otherworldly ambient, whisper-to-crash Billie Eilish.

I also ran the test tones from audiocheck.net -- no big peaks or troughs --- and, for spatial cues, tried the Abyss video on YouTube.

It's hard to trip up these IEMs. Not impossible, but not easy.

Bass is extended and precise; the lowest notes retain pitch as well as impact. The bass drum that opens Feist's "The Bad in Each Other" goes straight to the solar plexus, and so do the thuds and swoops of Amazondotcom's "Gut Ritual." In "Angel" by Massive Attack, the pitch is undistorted enough to clarify that the bass notes at 0:07 are microtonally lower than the ones that start the song.

Vocals, male and especially female, seem slightly pushed upfront, along with midrange instruments. If you're trying to pick out lyrics that's often a plus. David Bowie's "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" surrounds him, in the same register as his vocals, with a jabbing guitar riff and a saxophone panning around the mix. But his voice still holds the center. In a weird mix like "Here She Comes" by the Beach Boys (from "Carl and the Passions -- 'So Tough'"), the lead vocals in the later verses (around 1:54) aren't exactly prominent, but the IE600 gives them a fighting chance.

Beth Orton's voice hovers unforced above the piano and percussion of "Haunted Satellite." Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy" really skulks along in the bass, yet without any intrusion on her breathy voice ("duh!"), and the IE600 also beautifully details how staggered all the overdubbed fingersnaps are. It's even possible to decipher Thom Yorke's rant in the Smile's "You Will Never Work in Television Again."

A well-recorded string quartet -- how about the Emerson playing the Allegro attacca from Bartok's String Quartet No. 3 -- sounds bracing on the IE600, and brasses and saxes gleam.

The IE600 puts some air around each instrument; there's treble extension to match the bass impact. Transparency is the priority, more than warmth/blend. Personally, I'm a big transparency fan. A piano-and-percussion duet like "Fititi Nongo," by the Cuban pianist David Virelles, neatly delivers all the rhythmic crossfire it should. Everything Lindsey Buckingham picks and strums on Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" shows off distinct timbre and transients, while the backing vocals hop in and out.

In Paul Simon's "Can't Run But," the fitful percussion and J. J. Cale's guitar curlicues glimmer throughout. The percussion that's spread across "On the Corner" by Miles Davis -- trap drums, tabla, cowbell, congas -- is differentiated and distinct. And every scurrying piccolo and clarinet in Valery Gergiev conducting Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" streaks brightly through the pagan wilderness.

But there are also downsides. For styles like thrash and death metal that feature high-speed, distorted rhythm guitar, the IE600 seems to spotlight the buzzing top end of the distortion instead of the thrust of the chords. Or in a song like Sylvan Esso's "Moving," with a lot of sizzling synth tones, the IE600 seems to emphasize the hissiest frequences. The IE600 isn't going to smooth out any extremes of a recording. And if you're sensitive to sibilance, the IE600 are likely to trigger you unless you dial in a different EQ. (I didn't play around with EQ, though I would if I owned the IE600, taming the treble and maybe rolling off a tiny bit of bass.)

The bright treble improves positioning, of course. Some three-dimensionality was audible when watching the Abyss video, though more width than depth and more depth than height. (Too bad the lossless download from the @Abyss YouTube page doesn't sync with the video.)

Listening to music files that are better quality than YouTube, there are plenty of spatial cues -- certainly in the round if not fully spherical. "Lonely," by Koffee, has that thick reggae bass, but it never masks the rimshots or hi-hats; tom-toms roll across from left to right, and the placement of organ, piano and backup voices is well-separated and precise. In "Jele," from the "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" soundtrack album, I turned to look around at 0:59 where Busiswa suddenly shouts her entrance.

All in all, the IE600 is an IEM that makes good on its obvious intentions: full-spectrum response with an emphasis on revealing as much as possible, plus a little bit of fun at the extremes.

Comparisons: Well...I don't have any other IEMs in this price range. My Venmo is...j/k.

Sennheiser IE300: Simple -- the IE600 outdoes the IE300 in every way (as it should at 3x the price). I like the timbre on the IE300, but it has a pushy, exaggerated bass. That's especially obvious when compared to the IE600, which hits the same notes but keeps them more in proportion. The IE300 doesn't match the lucid high end of the IE600, either; it sounds more constrained. I guess they had to save something for the upgrade. For what it's worth, the vent hole is differently shaped and differently placed on the IE300 and IE600, which may account for some of the increased openness.

Tri I3: Included just because they're my other favorites among my IEMs, the original Tri I3 (not Pro) make an interesting contrast to the IE600. They're a tribrid -- DD, BA, Planar -- that begs for more power than the single DD IE600. With a more restrained treble, they don't spread the instruments as widely as the IE600 or provide the last bit of crispness on percussion. On the other hand, despite the multiple drivers, they do seem to bind a mix together. I'd say the Tri I3 is the huddle, while the IE600 fans out the instruments for the play.

The list price of $699 is a serious investment, and without comparing others in that price tier I can't say whether the IE600 is a good value proposition -- though it's a good-sounding IEM. I'll also note that the Sennheiser IE300 quickly dropped in list price from $300 to $200. An equivalent price drop for the IE600 would take it down to $466, which wouldn't be a bad thing, so you might want to wait a bit before pulling the trigger. (It could help pay for replacing the cable.)

All in all, a very enjoyable sound, nicely positioned between analysis and oomph.