On the search for an IE upgrade I first tried the Shure Aonic 5. Sadly it somehow lacked everything. Strange focused mids (which kinda annoyed me in many e.g. rock songs), no treble and like non-existent bass. Nearly every audio gear I owned is V-/U-Shaped so I quickly returned the Aonic 5 and started to search again for a better fit.
I have to admit that I am not that interested in ChiFi. Had two InEars in the past and only had Quality Problems. Returning, repairs, ... are a pain in the ass. And I hate the feeling to throw away perfectly fine gear just because some shell broke. And somehow I stumbled onto the IE600. Way out of my (target) budget. But seemed like everything fits. Produced in europe, U-Shaped with some extended bass-range, small form-factor, ... So i bit the bullet.
And I am so glad I did! What a nice little monster! Really a great InEar! Since many people already wrote about the InEar I am gonna make it quick:
- Okayish/Good soundstage. I don't expect more from an IE. Maybe BA-InEars provide a better Soundstage. But I really disliked the crossover problems of multiple InEars Drivers so I didn't listen that much BA InEars.
- Extended Sub-Bass: Really love the punch. Another strength of the DD. Probably not for everyone, but if you prefer bass they do provide. Without 'overdriving' anything. Myself would enjoy some itsy-bitsy more non-sub bass. But that is easily achievable via EQ.
- Midrange is nearly on point. Great job on the tuning. Don't sound muddy at all for me.
- Treble is for sure focused but not something extreme. But I have to note that I also like the Beyerdynamic sound. Treble hits different for different people. But I would guess that the IE600 is fine for everybody except super sensitive people. Listening to them for hours is no problem. And they provide the kind of detail I try to find in InEars or Headphones.
- Love the idea of "long lasting". They look great and the shell is really something else. But it kinda hurts your soul every time both headphones swing together and make a metal-clacking sound. I hope the used material is sturdy as the described it! Also hope that the Ear Canal is not the weak point. Compared to the IE900 it's sadly made out of plastic and it would be a shame when it snaps in 10 years.
- Some described the sound isolation as "Top notch even with vent". Sadly that's not my experience. Dunno If my comparison is unfair, but for example Shure InEars with the long Comply Foams are Top Notch for me. The IE600 doesn't enter the ear canal that much and with especially with Silicon tips I can hear many outside sounds. Working in an office with people talking around you already wasn't that pleasing. No way I would like to use them on a plane. For example with silicon tips I can hear mouse clicks from the desk next to me when no music plays. When music is on everything is blocked out. So they are fine but not top notch.
- I hoped for an Out-of-the-box experience. Especially with when the IE go with a 700 Euro price tag. Sadly that did not happen: The silicon tips are super smooth and thin. Had a hard time to find a find a fit. Even tried the large ones (more a M guy) which kinda worked better. But even they didn't provide really a snug fit. The typical "Old foam tip inside silicon tip"-trick could probably help but didn't try it. The provided silicon tips are rather short and don't have much room for expansion. They provided a kind of better seal but put pressure on my ear canal. So far I had the best fit with some old Spin Fits. But like mentioned earlier Silicon Tips don't provide the isolation I try to archive so I ordered Comply TS-400 and hope they will help me out.
- Also - like many people already mentioned - the cable is rather stiff and rubbery. The first doesn't bother me that much (and probably it get's softer over time) but the latter is rather annoying. It's super microphonic for me. Even while sitting at a desk, the cable connected to the desktop DAC (so not much contact with any fabric) even the slightest head movement turns into noise. For sure when you listen to music there isn't much to notice but between tracks and in low volume phases it really bugs me.
The last point is also rather annoying since they didn't use the default MMCX connectors. I am really not into the cable game as long as they have a good build quality there isn't any kind of sound difference for me (and I don't want to start that topic now). So I didn't plan to buy a 3rd party cable as long the 1st one doesn't break. Finding a "Sennheiser MMCX" cable in europe is nearly not possible. So off to AliExpress. Digging through endless pages of trash (or cables priced way out of my target budget) I still didn't order any cable. Finding "IE300/600/900" cables with the search is really cumbersome. Ordering a MMCX Adapter on top of the cable adds another 40 bucks (but I mainly dislike the looks of the adapter). And when I did find a fitting cable, it had these super big and (in my opinion) ugly connectors/splitters.
Hope I will find a fitting replacement in the future. Otherwise I am really glad that I did order the IE600 and wish every other owner also much fun with these little monsters!
Just to let you know I am a BIG fan of Sennheiser products. I've sold most of my gear but kept all Sennheiser headphones.
