[Fredou]

That pretty much destroyed what I said but thank you for enlightened me XD.

Though I still strongly feel there was a significant difference between my two earphones. The first pair sounded kind of congested I would say, but that second pair really took me by surprise, like the sound was improved all around, and reminded me of the IE800S. But well, only feelings without true comparisons or proofs...

May I ask you what is the tolerance level?

 

[Otto Motor]

That pretty much destroyed what I said but thank you for enlightened me XD.

Though I still strongly feel there was a significant difference between my two earphones. The first pair sounded kind of congested I would say, but that second pair really took me by surprise, like the sound was improved all around, and reminded me of the IE800S. But well, only feelings without true comparisons or proofs...

May I ask you what is the tolerance level?

Don't know but it is probably so small that nobody would notice any differences.

 

[jwbrent]

The IE 400 and 500 Pro are on sale for $199 and $299 though the end of April. Sennheiser sponsored sale.

I wonder with the sale if opinions about the 500 would change ...

 

[Tiax]

A word of caution: i've read several times about durability issues with this series, for some people IE Pro 400 would just fall apart after couple of months, or one side would stop working. So only buy them from a place with a real warranty.

 

[jwbrent]

A word of caution: i've read several times about durability issues with this series, for some people IE Pro 400 would just fall apart after couple of months, or one side would stop working. So only buy them from a place with a real warranty.

Thank you for your advice. If I do buy either, I’ll do so directly from Sennheiser.

 

[Otto Motor]

The IE 400 and 500 Pro are on sale for $199 and $299 though the end of April. Sennheiser sponsored sale.

I wonder with the sale if opinions about the 500 would change ...

No, they really lack upper midrange and sound congested. The bass is good, the rest is awful. The ie40s sound better (apart from the bass).

 

[Earbones]

The IE 400 and 500 Pro are on sale for $199 and $299 though the end of April. Sennheiser sponsored sale.

I wonder with the sale if opinions about the 500 would change ...

I think the 500 is fairly priced at $300.

That said, in my opinion, it's by no means king of the hill in that price point.

For instance, I prefer the JHA (for A&K) Billie Jean... and they can be had for $250.

As always, YMMV.

 

[jwbrent]

I think the 500 is fairly priced at $300.

That said, in my opinion, it's by no means king of the hill in that price point.

For instance, I prefer the JHA (for A&K) Billie Jean... and they can be had for $250.

As always, YMMV.

I owned the IE 800 a while ago and it was a favorite, so since the 400/500 use the same 7mm driver, I was hoping for an affordable version of the 800. Based on feedback in this thread, I’ve moved on.

 

[fablestruck]

No, they really lack upper midrange and sound congested. The bass is good, the rest is awful. The ie40s sound better (apart from the bass).

So you would consider the ie400 a better overall performer than the ie500?
Thinking of getting one of those and I'm not sure which.

 

[Otto Motor]

So you would consider the ie400 a better overall performer than the ie500?
Thinking of getting one of those and I'm not sure which.

I don't know the ie400 but according to crinacle.com they are better. I would recommend the ie40.

 

[fablestruck]

I don't know the ie400 but according to crinacle.com they are better. I would recommend the ie40.

Well I already have the IE40. I do enjoy them but they sound sometimes muffled and distant in the case of complex tracks so I was looking for something with a similar signature but with better resolution. From what I read the IE400s will be a better choice for this than the IE500s. They cost now less tnan 200 euros which makes them resonably priced as well.

 

[bubbasworld]

I Ordered yesterday the IE 500 Pro for 279 €. I´m using the IE 8 for the last 11 Years. They still work. 1 st cable. Quality i guess .-) Made in Germany
Over the years i tried different once but i stayed with them.
I can wear them for hours. Comfy And they seal perfect in my Ears.
So hopefully i will get a sound upgrade and perfect fit.

 

[Earbones]

I Ordered yesterday the IE 500 Pro for 279 €. I´m using the IE 8 for the last 11 Years. They still work. 1 st cable. Quality i guess .-) Made in Germany
Over the years i tried different once but i stayed with them.
I can wear them for hours. Comfy And they seal perfect in my Ears.
So hopefully i will get a sound upgrade and perfect fit.

High points of the 500 are lightweight construction, wonderfully comfortable fit, easily-achievable seal, and excellent isolation for a dynamic driver IEM.

 

[bubbasworld]

I´m pretty impressed so far from the Sound Quality (i would say worth the money)
And they seal a lot easier than the IE8.
The isolation is a little better too.

 

[Hanesu]

I use the IE500 PRO almost daily since July. I don't know why but on December my right earbud stopped working, so I sent them to Sennheiser Canada for a repair. Instead of a repair, I got a brand new pair. I don't have my first pair anymore, but having spent much time with them, I can confidently say the new ones I am using don't sound the same.

My first pair sounded pretty much like some of you say, great bass but lacking energy in upper mids. I admit I was not fully satisfied but still kept them, mostly for electro music. But this new pair I have, there is no lack anywhere anymore. Very neutral sound. Voices and strings have presence and sound nice and full now. Even the bass has improved: better controlled and that you feel even more, very very nice! I also noticed more details in music.

I find it strange Sennheiser would retune a product while it's out for sale, but it looks like that to me...

I know this kind of feeling very well from myself, that the sound of something seemingly has changed, but I honestly believe in most cases it’s just psycho acoustics like volume differences, no reference from memory etc.
In the audio world the mind gets tricked so easily. It’s really the same as optical illusions that are hard to believe.
If one diggs a bit for information, there is quite a lot of science going on concerning these phenomena. Very interesting topic. Even the most professional audio guys fail to tell the difference or non-difference between sounds if you just change some very simple parameters (volume for example). Imo the „burn in“ also falls under this category.