Exceptional in Every Detail: Say Hello to the IE 600

[Edyeded86]

Has anyone here had a chance to compare the ie 600 over the ie 900. I personally really enjoy the ie 300 sound and have been told the ie 900 might be the better progression?

 

[Ichos]

Has anyone here had a chance to compare the ie 600 over the ie 900. I personally really enjoy the ie 300 sound and have been told the ie 900 might be the better progression?

Here you are

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/sennheiser-ie-600.25733/review/28153/

 

[Menkau-ra]

From a mechanical standpoint, the IE 600 resolves a lot of the criticism of the IE 800 by using MMCX connectors and an ear-loop design. Sound-wise, the 600 is tuned differently, with an intimate and engaging sound signature that will sound much fuller versus the 800. The 800 was smooth but couldn't hook you in like the 600 does with its sultry vocals and juicy bass. The 600 does the best job, IMHO, of balancing natural with fun, without sacrificing detail to do it. As the 600 becomes more available we'll see some non-Sennheiser opinions about those exact two earphone models, so stay tuned and sub to this thread! Cheers!

Here you go - $$, just take my money. I want IE600 ))

What do I expect if I get IE900 vs IE800?

 

[Capyr]

I couldn’t resist and got me a pair. They are truly “exceptional in every detail”.

Where the IE900 was to bright sometimes the IE600 is just smooth and pleasing yet incredibly detailed. The housing material feels solid and is quite a bit heavier than the 300/900. It doesn’t make them less comfortable and compared to the 900 it will certainly look better over time. The 900 gets scratched and dented easily. The perceived build-quality of the IE600 is on par with the IE900 for me.

Compared to my IE300 it sounds a lot more precise and fast. Drums and cymbals are punchy and clear. The IE300 is sometimes a bit boomy in the bass and less clear in the highs. The IE600 smoothes that out and adds lots of detail. The IE300 is not a bad IEM by any means, but the IE600 blows it out of the water.

Vocals, especially female feel intimate and close. It is a feeling like no other headphone I’ve listened to. Male vocals are similar, but feel a bit more distant. The IE600 is comparable to the HD6XX that I own and love, but even more intimate.

I can now also confirm what @ericpalonen said about the balanced vs unbalanced cable. When driven balanced it adds a little more space and differentiation between instruments and vocals. It is however not a night and day difference, at least for me. It adds to that goosebump feeling I get with the 600s tho.

I noticed that my IE600 where “Made in Germany” and not Ireland. Did I catch a special one here?

After a long way across the globe, this pair is back in its home country.

 

[Edyeded86]

I couldn’t resist and got me a pair. They are truly “exceptional in every detail”.

Where the IE900 was to bright sometimes the IE600 is just smooth and pleasing yet incredibly detailed. The housing material feels solid and is quite a bit heavier than the 300/900. It doesn’t make them less comfortable and compared to the 900 it will certainly look better over time. The 900 gets scratched and dented easily. The perceived build-quality of the IE600 is on par with the IE900 for me.

Compared to my IE300 it sounds a lot more precise and fast. Drums and cymbals are punchy and clear. The IE300 is sometimes a bit boomy in the bass and less clear in the highs. The IE600 smoothes that out and adds lots of detail. The IE300 is not a bad IEM by any means, but the IE600 blows it out of the water.

Vocals, especially female feel intimate and close. It is a feeling like no other headphone I’ve listened to. Male vocals are similar, but feel a bit more distant. The IE600 is comparable to the HD6XX that I own and love, but even more intimate.

I can now also confirm what @ericpalonen said about the balanced vs unbalanced cable. When driven balanced it adds a little more space and differentiation between instruments and vocals. It is however not a night and day difference, at least for me. It adds to that goosebump feeling I get with the 600s tho.

I noticed that my IE600 where “Made in Germany” and not Ireland. Did I catch a special one here?

After a long way across the globe, this pair is back in its home country.

Thanks for the comments. Can you describe how the bass of ie 600 compares to the ie 900?

 

[Capyr]

Thanks for the comments. Can you describe how the bass of ie 600 compares to the ie 900?

There is just a bit more bass in the IE600 compared to the IE900. The control and definition seem similar, but I can’t compare them directly since I don’t have a IE900 on hand. I listened to the IE900 for several hours about 3 months ago and even though I liked the headphone, it didn’t really click for me. It is near perfect, but its a little to bright for my taste. That said I would have bought one if it would cost in the region of the IE600, but now that the 600 improved on everything I didn’t like about the IE900, the IE600 suits my taste pretty well.

I would say, if you enjoy a tad warmer sound with crisp details, without sounding sibilant, the IE600 is perfect for you. It isn’t neutral, but that makes it such a pleasure.

 

[Ichos]

Let me respectfully disagree, the bass on the IE900 sounds bigger and fuller, it digs deeper and is more impactful than the IE600.

 

[Derivative]

Very much looking forward to getting my hands on these.
I have a dragonfly cobalt (plugged to my iphone using the ungainly camera adapter) and will soon be trialling the Violectric Chronos to see of it can take it's place.
However all this talk of balanced connections makes me want to explore that route too... any recommendations for balanced 4.4mm dongle DACs that will work with an iphone?

 

[rwelles]

Very much looking forward to getting my hands on these.
I have a dragonfly cobalt (plugged to my iphone using the ungainly camera adapter) and will soon be trialling the Violectric Chronos to see of it can take it's place.
However all this talk of balanced connections makes me want to explore that route too... any recommendations for balanced 4.4mm dongle DACs that will work with an iphone?

I really like the Chronos!! While it's only SE, it easily rivals the sound on balanced on other dongles. Plus it only draws about ¼ the power of the others, so you can listen to it a lot longer.

The two FOTM for dongles are the LP W2 and the Cayin RU6. Both are excellent in their own right. The RU6's volume can only be controlled by the dongle. You can't use the phone or Apple Watch to control the volume. That was a deal-killer for me, but it does sound great. It seems every week another company releases a new dongle. Hard to keep up...

 

[VendettaRiich]

Let me respectfully disagree, the bass on the IE900 sounds bigger and fuller, it digs deeper and is more impactful than the IE600.

Yeah this.
Having them both in hand i wrote my first impressions in the IE900 thread.
The IE600 has ever so slightly more bass but it just isnt nearly as tactile or precise.
Technicalities across the board no matter what are at the very least one step below the IE900.
Dont get me wrong the IE600 is a crazy good IEM especially for the price but it simply cant match the IE900 tuning preferences aside

 

[Derivative]

I really like the Chronos!! While it's only SE, it easily rivals the sound on balanced on other dongles. Plus it only draws about ¼ the power of the others, so you can listen to it a lot longer.

The two FOTM for dongles are the LP W2 and the Cayin RU6. Both are excellent in their own right. The RU6's volume can only be controlled by the dongle. You can't use the phone or Apple Watch to control the volume. That was a deal-killer for me, but it does sound great. It seems every week another company releases a new dongle. Hard to keep up...

Thanks for that, greatly appreciated. I will take a closer look at both the LP and the Cayin.
Good to hear you like the Chronos, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how I get along with it!

 

[BooleanBones]

Lost patience and snagged some IE 600s from Amazon Japan last week when they showed back in stock. Exactly what I was wanting, I love them. Thanks for all of the notes and feedback on them folks (well done and spot on). And thanks to Sennheiser, it's like Christmas in April today

 

[ericpalonen]

Lost patience and snagged some IE 600s from Amazon Japan last week when they showed back in stock. Exactly what I was wanting, I love them. Thanks for all of the notes and feedback on them folks (well done and spot on). And thanks to Sennheiser, it's like Christmas in April today

Congrats and welcome to the #IE600Club ! Don't forget to share some of your favorite IE 600 test tunes with us!

 

[BooleanBones]

Congrats and welcome to the #IE600Club ! Don't forget to share some of your favorite IE 600 test tunes with us!

Personally, I love unplugged instrumental/acoustical tracks, which seem to get muddied a bit in the mids and instrument separation with my other headphones (probably because I am not a huge wire guy). Some of my vocal/instrumental favorites so far on these are:

Florence and the Machine - MTV Unplugged - No light, no light & Heartlines
Chris Cornell - Deluxe Edition - Imagine & Redemption Song
Masayoshi Yamazaki - Concert at Suntory Hall - Ajisai, Hoshi Ni Negai Wo

... that being said, they have sounded good with all of my genre test tracks so far. Oh, and the size and comfort of these is nuts (I have the 300 too, so I knew in advance).

 

[TheFrator]

Personally, I love unplugged instrumental/acoustical tracks, which seem to get muddied a bit in the mids and instrument separation with my other headphones (probably because I am not a huge wire guy). Some of my vocal/instrumental favorites so far on these are:

Florence and the Machine - MTV Unplugged - No light, no light & Heartlines
Chris Cornell - Deluxe Edition - Imagine & Redemption Song
Masayoshi Yamazaki - Concert at Suntory Hall - Ajisai, Hoshi Ni Negai Wo

... that being said, they have sounded good with all of my genre test tracks so far.

Give Chris Cornell's cover of Billie Jean a listen .