[Rorix]

Hey there, I had my IE300 right driver fail last month, mere weeks after buying it, and got it RMA'd and replaced. Today I had my left driver fail, same issue, audio starts cutting in and out and then goes out completely.

This is starting to become very tiring, I've never had a pair of earphones be so unreliable, especially on such a simple, wired product that lacks any digital circuitry or internal battery. Customer support had me pay my own shipping fees to send them in, and the whole process took more than a week. When I got them back I realised that they had swapped the foam tips I use for silicone ones so I had no tips for it until they had to ship me replacement foam tips as the silicone ones had terrible fit.

And now I have to repeat the process all over again.

 

[544592]

Not good at all. Very strange problem to have considering the build quality. Only obvious probable cause for me was loose fitting connectors to the IEM's, perhaps causing spikes and blowing the driver? Unless it's just a slowly developing connection fault ending in complete failure.

I still have my IE100 Pro's so I may try those cables to see if they provide a more stable fit.

I actually reordered a set on Wednesday with high hopes that there was just a small faulty batch manufactured/assembled. They were shipped today. I have everything crossed (except my eyes).

 

[Tenlow]

Just received my pair yesterday. I found it tough to get a good seal with the silicone tips which usually isn't a problem for me and I always used the biggest silicone tips provided by Sennheiser IEMs when I had them (IE 80, MTW1 and 2). I have to very softly insert them into my ears and don't push them in deep at all otherwise the seal breaks and they sound very thin. The largest foam tips work well for me, though.

The sound seems to be really good so far but I have only listened for a couple of hours and need more time with them. I don't like the cable at all - as others have pointed out it is extremely microphonic. I will replace the cable when more alternative ones are out.

Are there any recommendations already despite the one in the thread here? Also, replacement tips seem "not available" at Sennheiser at the moment. Hope this changes soon as I wanted to buy some more foam tips. Does anyone know where to get them at the moment?

 

[Evshrug]

Not good at all. Very strange problem to have considering the build quality. Only obvious probable cause for me was loose fitting connectors to the IEM's, perhaps causing spikes and blowing the driver? Unless it's just a slowly developing connection fault ending in complete failure.

I still have my IE100 Pro's so I may try those cables to see if they provide a more stable fit.

I actually reordered a set on Wednesday with high hopes that there was just a small faulty batch manufactured/assembled. They were shipped today. I have everything crossed (except my eyes).

FYI, the IE 100 Pro has a different cable connector.

It’s a shame you’re experiencing a connection issue... If you say you’re having an issue, I believe you, but you should be in good shape after you get your unit exchanged.

Sennheiser chose to use the slightly recessed MMCX connector specifically to make it less likely to have problems like this, and have managed to decrease them quite a bit compared to more “bare” MMCX connections... the Fidelity+ MMCX is the most robust (and expensive) on the market, rated for at least 500 mating cycles. There has also only been one big “batch” of production so far. So... it’s probably a case of very bad luck.

I did notice that the IE 300 is completely sold out already... that could explain the tips being sold out for now as well. They should be back in stock soon, but if you’re in the US, you could try calling 1-877-736-6434 extension 1, and reference the part #.

Silicon S: 509105
Silicon M: 509106
Silicon L: 509107

And if you wanted to try the foam tips:
S: 509108
M: 509109
L: 509110

I hope you get a working pair back soon... I’ve been using a pair of IE 300 as walking buddies at a nearby park.

@Tenlow I have the opposite problem as you... if I use the medium tips, the seal breaks for me and they feel a bit uncomfortable, but if I switch to the small size, the seal and comfort are much better! It’s funny to think that the bigger one would seal worse, but I know I have smaller ear canals (I can’t even wear some large-bore in ears at all). Also, note that there are actually TWO grooves in the Sennheiser tips, so you can try attaching them so they sit shallower or longer in your canal... I’m still testing this out myself!

My go-to when I’m having fit problems is to try foam. You can use the foam tips from the IE 900 on the IE 300 too (part numbers listed above), and they also have the interesting shallow/deep connection options, or you can use most third party tips because the IE 300 has one of the most common nozzle diameters. One example that is made-to-fit is https://www.complyfoam.com/sennheiser/

 

[544592]

I bought another set hoping it was bad luck. As a few have said, there's not a lot to go wrong with them so it's very strange thats there's been so many faulty units.

It may not be a connection issue, it was just a loose theory based on the crackling before failure and a fairly loose feeling interface.

Hoping the new set have no problems!

 

[MRSallee]

Just received my pair yesterday. I found it tough to get a good seal with the silicone tips which usually isn't a problem for me and I always used the biggest silicone tips provided by Sennheiser IEMs when I had them (IE 80, MTW1 and 2). I have to very softly insert them into my ears and don't push them in deep at all otherwise the seal breaks and they sound very thin. The largest foam tips work well for me, though.

This is consistent with my experience. The stock silicone tips appear to be so thin that they're too weak to press against my ear and make a seal. I ended up using Final E-type tips, which work quite well on the IE 300.

 

[KPzypher]

This is consistent with my experience. The stock silicone tips appear to be so thin that they're too weak to press against my ear and make a seal. I ended up using Final E-type tips, which work quite well on the IE 300.

E-type fit well but for me, didn't sound too good.

Have you tried the Azla earfit standard tips? I've tried over 30 different sets, and Azlas By far have the best fit/seal/isolation, and sound. Of course YMMV.

 

[MRSallee]

E-type fit well but for me, didn't sound too good.

Have you tried the Azla earfit standard tips? I've tried over 30 different sets, and Azlas By far have the best fit/seal/isolation, and sound. Of course YMMV.

Yeah, tried with Final and Azlas, and measured! I actually like what the Finals do for the sound, cut the treble a tad which resolved some slight sibilance I experienced, and even seem to add some (IMO) needed upper midrange.



https://squig.link/?share=Super_Rev...300_(Final_E),Sennheiser_IE_300_(Sedna_Light)

 

[earmonger]

E-type fit well but for me, didn't sound too good.

Have you tried the Azla earfit standard tips? I've tried over 30 different sets, and Azlas By far have the best fit/seal/isolation, and sound. Of course YMMV.

I also found the Sennheiser IE300 silicones just a little too small.

My best fit and seal so far has been these no-name silicones in red. They are stiffer than the Senn silicones, and they have a non-smooth finish that provides a little grip. The larges are 13.5 mm, just that little bit larger than the Final Audio E (which are too small for me). As the listing says, if you know your size you can get all the same size instead of the assortment.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32913001219.html

 

[autosleeper]

I bought another set hoping it was bad luck. As a few have said, there's not a lot to go wrong with them so it's very strange thats there's been so many faulty units.

It may not be a connection issue, it was just a loose theory based on the crackling before failure and a fairly loose feeling interface.

Hoping the new set have no problems!

I had my right side die too, but I don't know if it was a connection issue; when I swapped the cables over I still had sound in the left and nothing in the right. I've had my replacements for a month and they seem fine.

 

[544592]

I had my right side die too, but I don't know if it was a connection issue; when I swapped the cables over I still had sound in the left and nothing in the right. I've had my replacements for a month and they seem fine.

Yeah i also swapped cable L/R and it was definitely a faulty IEM, was just thinking the connection may have caused the issue?

Glad to hear your replacement is still good. Looks more promising and hopefully we've all just experienced a bit of bad luck.

 

[scarfacegt]

Many people who experience problem with the ie300? I havent noticed anything with mine.I hope they work fine.I have throwed the original box they came in

 

[frix]

No problems so far

 

[544592]

There's been 4 or 5 folk just by my count, and myself included, others have had multiple failures. I guess we'll hear more stories of failures than non-failures so hopefully it's just been a very small %.

 

[Tenlow]

@Evshrug: Thanks for your information regarding the tips! Also, I actually didn't know about the two grooves in the provided tips - very helpful hint. Using the "longer" variant helps me getting a better seal on the large silicone tips it seems!