[oluv]

Yesterday as i wanted to test the IE3 at a local distributor they told me that the sennheiser IE3 (which is actually the same as the FutureSonics EM3) has been dropped and a new model will come out soon, so after requesting more information about it, this is what came today from them:

edit: because of stupid rumors about photoshop-manipulation i put the source online which i got from them with their original pictures uncompressed:

http://homepage.boku.ac.at/h9526506/temp/senn/ie4.html

here the direct links to the images in their original size:

http://homepage.boku.ac.at/h9526506/..._m15d7e973.jpg
http://homepage.boku.ac.at/h9526506/..._m58b0560e.jpg


New earphone for evolution wireless IEM G2

>pushing The Limits<

Dear Ladies and gentlemen,

at the request of numerous customers we will replace the earphone IE 3 with a new model named IE 4.

Der IE 4 has the following features:
•Universal fit
•Natural sound and dynamics
•Extremely robust at high SPL
•Outstanding bass response
•Rugged cable

In the first step, the IE 4 will replace all IE 3 in the ew 300 IEM G2 sets and EK 300 IEM G2.

Later, we will offer the IE 4 in black as well as in beige colour as single products.
We will announce the accurate launch date separately.

The IE 3 will be phased out.

 

[control]

They look exactly like my Sharp M33's. Coincidence?

 

[oluv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by control They look exactly like my Sharp M33's.

indeed! i wasn't aware of it, because i don't know the md33 so well, but they look exactly the same!

first sennheiser ripped off future-sonics, now they rip off sharp?!

and i thought it would be some more interesting product. anyhow, let's see... maybe they sound even better than the md33, which shouldn't sound too crappy.

 

[benjamind]

Geesh, why don't they just create their own design. I mean, can't they isolate better? These look like the MD33s. I take a guess - they'll provide crappy isolation, like 12db max

, which is just not enough for my sensitive ears. I need about 20db, 30 even better!

Alas, I'll have to settle for E2c and ER-6i. Nothing else has as much value for money as those two. Sharp MD33 are also very good for the money but don't isolate as well.

 

[Daroid]

Ah, don't worry too much about it. It is like Grado vs. Alessandro Music, they have a deal

 

[Jmmmmm]

i like them
any word on how much theyre goign to be?

this makes my 'wait til i have money to try out the ie3's' a problem. If in a month I won't be able to get the ie3s, and the ie4s are $200+, then i'll be sht out of luck

 

[DigDub]

a md33 without the 4-pole plug! i'd be the first to get it if i ever see one. look like senn made a very wise choice in choosing the md33 as their oem. this thing is gonna sell like hotcakes, given the reputation of the md33 around here. mass availability won't hurt either.

 

[emadgin]

that picture is photo shopped, i do not believe that sennheiser is making a canal phone as they have never made one before, future sonics made the ie3 and it was never even put in sennheiser packaging rather just mislableled on a couple of websites. I have seen the phones shown in that pic under a different brand i'll find the site and link it, no need to get all excited yet.

 

[oluv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emadgin that picture is photo shopped, i do not believe that sennheiser is making a canal phone as they have never made one before, future sonics made the ie3 and it was never even put in sennheiser packaging rather just mislableled on a couple of websites. I have seen the phones shown in that pic under a different brand i'll find the site and link it, no need to get all excited yet.

look, i have got this information directly from my sennheiser distributor in austria. and maybe sennheiser never made canalphones before, but they always made portable monitoring-systems for stage-musicians and apparently took the futuresonics under licence to be able to include some phones with their monitoring-systems. but maybe the sennheiser-futuresonics sold too good (this was indeed the explanation of the selling-guy) that they got dropped and a new solution had to be found. maybe now they licenced the sharp md33s? who knows? and sennheiser will sell them for double price and they will still sell like hot cakes?!

by the way, here one "source" for the sennheiser IE3 from germany. this comes from a musician-store not an audio-store:

http://www.musik-produktiv.de/shop2/shop04.asp/artnr/2708393/sid/!18121995/quelle/listen

 

[appar111]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oluv but maybe the sennheiser-futuresonics sold too good (this was indeed the explanation of the selling-guy) that they got dropped and a new solution had to be found.

Yeah, maybe they sold so well that they got dropped

 

[EdipisReks]

none of this makes any sense. the sharp MD33's look a lot better than the IE3's, though

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emadgin that picture is photo shopped, i do not believe that sennheiser is making a canal phone as they have never made one before,

Oh, they do, but their products are aimed at musicians who need wireless stage monitors. Go look for the Evolution system.

 

[loco26]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 Yeah, maybe they sold so well that they got dropped

I don't really get your point, to be honest...

if the selling guy tells the truth, sennheiser would be stupid not to drop them. the IE4s seem to be coming up really soon, so it would be rather risky for sennheiser to continue selling both products (if our suggestions are right that the IE4s won't be much better than the IE3s, just more expensive)

a lot of speculations there, that's right. but olav's argumentation sounds considerable to me.

 

[oluv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appar111 Yeah, maybe they sold so well that they got dropped

...because they were under licence of futuresonics... i mean this is only speculation, i have no idea what the relationship between sennheiser and futuresonics was, but i think sennheiser didn't profit much from the IE3 they only needed something to be included with their wireless system, and when the IE3 began to sell like crazy, they had to find a solution not to lose all the profit to futuresonics... again, this is all speculation, but we all know that the IE3 is a simply rebranded futuresonic earbud...

but i cannot explain why the new IE4 now looks like the sharp md33s???!

 

[Talonz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emadgin that picture is photo shopped, i do not believe that sennheiser is making a canal phone as they have never made one before, future sonics made the ie3 and it was never even put in sennheiser packaging rather just mislableled on a couple of websites. I have seen the phones shown in that pic under a different brand i'll find the site and link it, no need to get all excited yet.

I'm willing to agree with you.

First of all, they look EXACTLY like the MD33. Now, it's possible that they are sourced from Sharp, and that would be fine.

However, take a look at the second picture carefully. If you look at the region surrounding the cord and the plugs, you will notice that there are fuzzy grey pixels. That's a byproduct of JPEG compression. Also notice that the grey region is not uniform. The pictures have been digitally modified (and not professionally either).

Just my $.02