[Voltriant]

New IE600 setup:

Tripowin Noire Cable (Sennheiser MMCX version) with swappable 2.5/3.5/4.4mm plugs

Sennheiser Custom Comfort Tips

Think I‘m done (for now)

I'm thinking about to buy this Tripowin cable. Can you please share your impressions on how it is compared to the stock cable and how reliable the exchangeable connector is?

This is not exactly a review but I did want to spend a few minutes commenting on the custom tips that I received for the Sennheiser IE600.

I have mentioned quite a few times how much I enjoy the Sennheiser IE600 IEMs. They became my default set of travel IEMs, the set that I grab first and then think about what else I may want to take with me. They have basically become my go to IEMs for when I am out and about also, due to the fact that they sound great, are very comfortable and are easily stored due to how small they are.

I actually found that I would wear the IE600 on flights underneath a cheap set of ANC headphones (that don’t sound great but have decent noise cancellation).

Earlier this year, at High End Munich, those of us that were present on the press days got the chance to have our ears scanned at the Sennheiser booth and a set of custom ear tips made for the IE series of IEMs. The tips took quite a while to arrive but finally made it some weeks ago and I want to share my experience with them.

I have been interested in custom tips for quite some time, as there are a few companies out there that offer them, but I haven’t really heard great things about them and the price is not cheap (usually around 150€ plus the scan). So, getting a free set courtesy of Sennheiser was a great chance to try them out. I really have no idea what price these tips would retail for, I don’t even know if they are officially available to the public yet, but I guess checking Sennheisers site now and again would be the best way to find out.

I was expecting the tips to be a lot larger than they are. The images I have seen of custom tips by other brands usually fill the ear much more, yet these are tiny and only fit over the actual nozzle of the IE600, fitting completely inside the ear canal.

While it is great that they are so small, making a set of very compact IEMs even more compact. At first it took me a while to get them to seat properly and seal well, mainly due to not ever trying custom molded tips (or IEMs) before, but when I finally found the correct seating, I was amazed at how well they sealed and how the isolation of the IE600 increased 10 fold. I could feel the perfect match to my ear canals and it blocked out almost all of the external sound.

The issue came when I went to remove them. As they are so small and fit my ear canals so tight, the IEMs come out of the tips easier than the tips come out of my ear! I have since had some practice and being very careful to use the exact angle upon removing does allow them to come out… most of the time. There are still occasions when I will accidently move a millimeter in the wrong direction and the tips stays in my ear. Trying to get the tip out of your ear is not a fun job, although I am getting a little better at it The first time took around 40 mins to finally get them both out, now it’s just a minute or so of messing around.

As far as sound, these are by far the best sounding tips that I have used on the IE600. I was worried that the deeper insertion would increase the bass presence on a set that is already a little over my normal preferences for midbass levels but I actually find the bass to be punchier and clearer, which gives the impression of having slightly less bass. I don’t think there is actually less bass but the improved clarity gives me that sensation and I find myself liking these IEMs even more than I did. I like a little bit of extra bass when out and about due to it being the first thing to suffer against external noise, yet the increased isolation makes that no longer an issue and I even find myself reaching for the IE600 when just listening for pleasure at home or in the office

As I said, I don’t know the price of these tips but the improvement in isolation and bass presentation are something that I would consider well worth an investment.

These custom tips retail in Germany for 165 €.

I bought them and this was the best idea I had I second your impressions on the less bass and enhanced clarity. My IE600 with custom tips is also my go to kit.
I didn't had any problems on getting tbe IEM together with the tips out of my ear. But I needed some practicing to get a proper fit and seal with the custom tips.

Overall I love my IE600 with the custom tips

 

[ericpalonen]

This is not exactly a review but I did want to spend a few minutes commenting on the custom tips that I received for the Sennheiser IE600.

I have mentioned quite a few times how much I enjoy the Sennheiser IE600 IEMs. They became my default set of travel IEMs, the set that I grab first and then think about what else I may want to take with me. They have basically become my go to IEMs for when I am out and about also, due to the fact that they sound great, are very comfortable and are easily stored due to how small they are.

I actually found that I would wear the IE600 on flights underneath a cheap set of ANC headphones (that don’t sound great but have decent noise cancellation).

Earlier this year, at High End Munich, those of us that were present on the press days got the chance to have our ears scanned at the Sennheiser booth and a set of custom ear tips made for the IE series of IEMs. The tips took quite a while to arrive but finally made it some weeks ago and I want to share my experience with them.

I have been interested in custom tips for quite some time, as there are a few companies out there that offer them, but I haven’t really heard great things about them and the price is not cheap (usually around 150€ plus the scan). So, getting a free set courtesy of Sennheiser was a great chance to try them out. I really have no idea what price these tips would retail for, I don’t even know if they are officially available to the public yet, but I guess checking Sennheisers site now and again would be the best way to find out.

I was expecting the tips to be a lot larger than they are. The images I have seen of custom tips by other brands usually fill the ear much more, yet these are tiny and only fit over the actual nozzle of the IE600, fitting completely inside the ear canal.

While it is great that they are so small, making a set of very compact IEMs even more compact. At first it took me a while to get them to seat properly and seal well, mainly due to not ever trying custom molded tips (or IEMs) before, but when I finally found the correct seating, I was amazed at how well they sealed and how the isolation of the IE600 increased 10 fold. I could feel the perfect match to my ear canals and it blocked out almost all of the external sound.

The issue came when I went to remove them. As they are so small and fit my ear canals so tight, the IEMs come out of the tips easier than the tips come out of my ear! I have since had some practice and being very careful to use the exact angle upon removing does allow them to come out… most of the time. There are still occasions when I will accidently move a millimeter in the wrong direction and the tips stays in my ear. Trying to get the tip out of your ear is not a fun job, although I am getting a little better at it The first time took around 40 mins to finally get them both out, now it’s just a minute or so of messing around.

As far as sound, these are by far the best sounding tips that I have used on the IE600. I was worried that the deeper insertion would increase the bass presence on a set that is already a little over my normal preferences for midbass levels but I actually find the bass to be punchier and clearer, which gives the impression of having slightly less bass. I don’t think there is actually less bass but the improved clarity gives me that sensation and I find myself liking these IEMs even more than I did. I like a little bit of extra bass when out and about due to it being the first thing to suffer against external noise, yet the increased isolation makes that no longer an issue and I even find myself reaching for the IE600 when just listening for pleasure at home or in the office

As I said, I don’t know the price of these tips but the improvement in isolation and bass presentation are something that I would consider well worth an investment.

Wow thank you for these awesome pics and impressions (pun intended)! The 3D scanning tech has a lot of promise and from what we can see here, but did the trick with the unique-to-you seal. If you were to estimate, how long did your particular scan take?

 

[Tenlow]

I'm thinking about to buy this Tripowin cable. Can you please share your impressions on how it is compared to the stock cable and how reliable the exchangeable connector is?

Sure! First of all, the interchangeable connectors/adaptors fit great. One needs to press them in firmly but once they’re in, they’re in! I was afraid of that, too but am delighted with it.

Other than that, are pros and cons compared to the stock cable!

Pro:

- Interchangeable (and included) connectors (obviously!)
- No microphonics
- No swivel on the MMCX connectors
- No earhooks needed (perfect fit for me) and therefore more comfortable (don’t like the hooks on the stock cable)
- No difference in sound to my ears

Cons:

- Bigger… and
- Heavier (but not too bad, really)
- No L-shaped jack(s)

All in all, very happy so far. I like how thin the stock cables are better but other than that, I prefer the Tripowin in most other areas.

 

[M3NTAL]

Senn - since you are tied with Sonova - will there be more audiologist locations in the states that can do 3-D scanning?

 

[SenyorC]

Wow thank you for these awesome pics and impressions (pun intended)! The 3D scanning tech has a lot of promise and from what we can see here, but did the trick with the unique-to-you seal. If you were to estimate, how long did your particular scan take?

Hi Eric, the scans were quick, probably around 5 mins total. I couldn't say exactly how long as I was talking to the rep about the HE-1 at the time

 

[Voltriant]

Sure! First of all, the interchangeable connectors/adaptors fit great. One needs to press them in firmly but once they’re in, they’re in! I was afraid of that, too but am delighted with it.

Other than that, are pros and cons compared to the stock cable!

Pro:

- Interchangeable (and included) connectors (obviously!)
- No microphonics
- No swivel on the MMCX connectors
- No earhooks needed (perfect fit for me) and therefore more comfortable (don’t like the hooks on the stock cable)
- No difference in sound to my ears

Cons:

- Bigger… and
- Heavier (but not too bad, really)
- No L-shaped jack(s)

All in all, very happy so far. I like how thin the stock cables are better but other than that, I prefer the Tripowin in most other areas.

Thank you very much for sharing your impressions!
I will give the Tripowin cable a try. Sounds good to me

 

[BooleanBones]

Thank you very much for sharing your impressions!
I will give the Tripowin cable a try. Sounds good to me

The Hart cable a couple pages back has the same type of connector setup available. Maybe gives you a second option to look at as well.

 

[PixelSquish]

From FiiO:

1. UTWS15 ((NEW), expected to be available in the fall
The UTWS15 is the upgrade model of the UTWS5. The core architecture of the UTWS5 is still the one with the best sound quality among TWS products, because ordinary TWS products still choose the integrated DAC, which has weaker audio performance than the independent HiFi DAC used in the UTWS5. Even for the new TWS from vivo, we later got to know it used an independent DAC because it is attached to the noise cancellation function, but not using it for better sound quality like us.
So, the main progress of the UTWS15 is in some details of the experience, such as the size and weight of the charging case, the size and weight of the ear hook, as well as the new design of the contact connection. Old UTWS5 users are not necessary to upgrade it.

Very interested to see how these perform. The Go Pods have the best SQ in this product category because they are basically only one of two companies in it. But they overcharge and under-feature due to their leverage, and the case is a clunky behemoth. Not a 'Go' travel case for sure.

 

[Waddiewadkins]

https://darko.audio/2023/05/podcast-sennheiser-talks-ie-900-ie-600-ie-200/..... wo wohh.. what's all this about? I'm not liking what i read here some serious shade on our ie600. Anyone educated enough to tell me this is rubbish

 

[gourab1995]

Has anyone had their ie600 show channel imbalance? Mine started playing louder from the left sight compared to the right out of the blue. I had sent it for warranty inspection and it seems to have come back as it was sent. In every song I hear the vocals on the left. It's a very slight imbalance. At first I thought it was earwax or something. But it's very apparent when I listen to something with my etymotic er2xr vs. this. Very disappointed right now about the warranty service. Even in games the higher frequencies are more apparent on the left. Is there a way I could test this without a frequency-measuring rig?

 

[gourab1995]

My right channel is suddenly sounding much quieter than the left. I’ve tried different cables, sources, tips, etc. and the problem is still there. Short of sending them back under warranty, is there anything else I can do/try?

I have the exact same thing, right is quieter than left. Did the silica gel trick help? I had sent mine to warranty even, and it came back in the same state as it was sent. Really troubling.

 

[splogg]

Does anyone know what US retailers sell the stock IE 600 silicone tips? The tips are listed on the Sennheiser store but they're out of stock there.

 

[KeaneShadow]

Does anyone know what US retailers sell the stock IE 600 silicone tips? The tips are listed on the Sennheiser store but they're out of stock there.

Try Bloom Audio, Audio 46, or Moon Audio.

 

[gourab1995]

In India, this was the response I got. Not sure what 'cable reliability improvements' means because it's the exact same cable I had sent. I know because it's curled up the same way. Besides the channel Imbalance still exists.

Seems like the facility does not have a frequency-measuring rig even. Not a sound level meter? How are they supposed to have 'checked' it then?

All I can do right now is buy some silicone packets and hope there is some level of customer support provided.

 

[gadgetgod]

In India, this was the response I got. Not sure what 'cable reliability improvements' means because it's the exact same cable I had sent. I know because it's curled up the same way. Besides the channel Imbalance still exists.

Seems like the facility does not have a frequency-measuring rig even. Not a sound level meter? How are they supposed to have 'checked' it then?

All I can do right now is buy some silicone packets and hope there is some level of customer support provided.

I can help you in measuring the unit as i have a coupler with me.