[Obizzz]

I originally bought the IE40 Pros to use with my VR headset in my simracing rig to get rid of the hassle of wearing my HD600:s on top of the VR goggles. They worked really well for this and the noise isolation so I wouldn't hear the rattle of the bass shakers in the simrig was a nice bonus

I also tired them with some music because why not?

Turns out I really liked the tuning and overall sound and while there is nothing I don't like about them I read about the IE 300 and the question "What if there's more?" comes up...

From what I understand the tuning of the IE 300 is similar to the IE 40:s and that's a positive thing since I really like the FR of them. IE 300 is said to have a bit more bass which I don't mind as long as it's controlled. I actually prefer a slight bass boost using the PEQ in Roon whenever I use them at home.
Sometimes I actually prefer them to the HD600:s due to the tuning even if the 600:s are more detailed. If the IE300 would get me closer to the HD600 while still having a similar sound signature as the the IE 40 Pros that would be really nice...

While I could potentially could afford the IE900 I'd rather not spend that kind of money on IEM:s at the moment.

So a few questions I've seen raised in this thread...

A few mentions of the size of the tips and them deviating from "standard" tip sizes. Are they the same size as the IE40 Pro tips or different? If the same it's a non issue for me as the M tips fit me perfectly.

Same question about the size of the actual units. Are they smaller than the IE40 housings or roughly the same? The IE40:s are some of the most comfortable IEM:s I've tried so hopefully the IE300 are not far off?

A lot of people have brought up cable microphonics. For those of you who have tried the IE40 Pros would you say it's the same or worse? IE40 cables are a bit microphonic but it's never really bothered me.

So what's the general opinion on IE40 Pro vs IE300? What's better and (if anything) what's worse? Not a big fan of the speckles of the IE300 and would have preferred them in black but that's hardly a deal breaker. They seem pretty subtle anyway.

 

[Obizzz]

I originally bought the IE40 Pros to use with my VR headset in my simracing rig to get rid of the hassle of wearing my HD600:s on top of the VR goggles. They worked really well for this and the noise isolation so I wouldn't hear the rattle of the bass shakers in the simrig was a nice bonus

I also tired them with some music because why not?

Turns out I really liked the tuning and overall sound and while there is nothing I don't like about them I read about the IE 300 and the question "What if there's more?" comes up...

From what I understand the tuning of the IE 300 is similar to the IE 40:s and that's a positive thing since I really like the FR of them. IE 300 is said to have a bit more bass which I don't mind as long as it's controlled. I actually prefer a slight bass boost using the PEQ in Roon whenever I use them at home.
Sometimes I actually prefer them to the HD600:s due to the tuning even if the 600:s are more detailed. If the IE300 would get me closer to the HD600 while still having a similar sound signature as the the IE 40 Pros that would be really nice...

While I could potentially could afford the IE900 I'd rather not spend that kind of money on IEM:s at the moment.

So a few questions I've seen raised in this thread...

A few mentions of the size of the tips and them deviating from "standard" tip sizes. Are they the same size as the IE40 Pro tips or different? If the same it's a non issue for me as the M tips fit me perfectly.

Same question about the size of the actual units. Are they smaller than the IE40 housings or roughly the same? The IE40:s are some of the most comfortable IEM:s I've tried so hopefully the IE300 are not far off?

A lot of people have brought up cable microphonics. For those of you who have tried the IE40 Pros would you say it's the same or worse? IE40 cables are a bit microphonic but it's never really bothered me.

So what's the general opinion on IE40 Pro vs IE300? What's better and (if anything) what's worse? Not a big fan of the speckles of the IE300 and would have preferred them in black but that's hardly a deal breaker. They seem pretty subtle anyway.

Amazon had a deal on the IE300 so I will be able to answer my own questions soon

 

[superout]

Used the medium foam tips that came with the IE300. The bass was great but after a few minutes it felt painful since the foam was very hard. Got the comply TX400 tips and the bass is still there while giving a perfect fit. Recommend them to anyone that felt pain with the stock foam tips.

 

[Jff007]

Used the medium foam tips that came with the IE300. The bass was great but after a few minutes it felt painful since the foam was very hard. Got the comply TX400 tips and the bass is still there while giving a perfect fit. Recommend them to anyone that felt pain with the stock foam tips.

I'll second this. Comply for foam, Spinfits otherwise.

 

[AnalogEuphoria]

It’s sad to see this thread only being 32 pages long, chi-fi really has killed the more affordable iems from reputable well known companies.

I took a break from headfi for a few years only to come back and see quality R&D from from brands like Sennheiser no longer seems to be as appreciated as it once was.

These iems are very good for their price, if only people could give it a chance instead of avoiding it due to only having one well engineered driver. I guess people only want 50$ Multi driver, reviewer branded iems nowadays. Times change but I’m glad Sennheiser is still around doing it’s own thing.

 

[Cheradenine]

It’s sad to see this thread only being 32 pages long, chi-fi really has killed the more affordable iems from reputable well known companies.

I took a break from headfi for a few years only to come back and see quality R&D from from brands like Sennheiser no longer seems to be as appreciated as it once was.

These iems are very good for their price, if only people could give it a chance instead of avoiding it due to only having one well engineered driver. I guess people only want 50$ Multi driver, reviewer branded iems nowadays. Times change but I’m glad Sennheiser is still around doing it’s own thing.

My experience with the ie300 was very different from that expressed by many reviewers. I stupidly delayed buying it because of a few lukewarm reviews. I found it well rounded and very competently tuned, I enjoy it a lot. I've since stopped paying much attention to reviews.

 

[Obizzz]

They arrived today and first impressions were very good. Only listed to 5-6 or songs before dinner though and now they’re occupied by my girlfriend. Maybe I have to buy her a pair as well

 

[AnalogEuphoria]

My experience with the ie300 was very different from that expressed by many reviewers. I stupidly delayed buying it because of a few lukewarm reviews. I found it well rounded and very competently tuned, I enjoy it a lot. I've since stopped paying much attention to reviews.

They sounded nothing like the graphs would have me believe either, if people think these are too bassy then they must like lean and thin sounding iems.

The sub bass gives an excellent foundation to music. If you’ve listened to loudspeakers you’d know that well done bass if a very big part of the sound. It makes music more enjoyable and not completely weak and lifeless. It’s really not overdone or bleeding into the mids in my opinion, just like the 560S the IE300 are transparent to the source so if you give them a good signal they sound clean and precise. The only nitpick I have with these iems is the treble can sizzle depending on the quality of the recording but the IE900 polishes all that up. At the current price of £150 it’s a winner for sure.

 

[weissglut]

My IE100 Pro have arrived today. So far:

• stock tips are all unusable for me, just like with the IE300. They all don't have a proper seal. Never had those problems with other IEMs. These are working for me: Final E, Comply TSX-400, Azla Xelastec. The Comply work best, because they are less prone to sibliance.
• I actually like the cable of the IE100 better than the IE300 cable. It's a little bit thicker, but feels softer and the surface is smoother. It has a cheaper look, but honestly I don't care about it. My Impression is, that I won't have the need for a replacement with this one.
• Not needing a replacement cable is good, because here are some proprietary connectors. Good thing about them: they do not turn in circles as easily as the MMCX connectors on the IE300. At least now when they are new.
• Sound: they have less bass than the IE300, which is bad and good at the same time. Bad because during the last week with the IE300 I got used to much bass Good because the IE300 just can have to much bass here and there...

A short update to the IE100 Pro: Since I'm using them with the Final E tips I'm really happy with them. I actually did not use any of my other IEMs anymore and also I did not have the feeling to find better ones anymore (which is actually very impressive for me ).

Only one thing on the bad side: the right IEM starts to have cable contact issues...

 

[weissglut]

Are you satisfied with IE 300?

I don't know whether to buy this or spend € 100 more on the Etymotic ER4XR.

That depends on your preferences. The IE300 are much more bassy compared to the ER4XR.

I don't have an ER4XR here and I don't have a IE300 anymore, but I have a IE100 Pro and an ER3XR. Bass is: IE300 >> IE100 Pro >>>> ER3XR

 

[ericpalonen]

They sounded nothing like the graphs would have me believe either, if people think these are too bassy then they must like lean and thin sounding iems.

Completely agree—the FR graphs are always a double-edged sword. They can't tell you what a headphone sounds like on your head, nor what it feels like to listen to from end-to-end, but certainly represent what the transducer is doing in a specific setting.

 

[ericpalonen]

They arrived today and first impressions were very good. Only listed to 5-6 or songs before dinner though and now they’re occupied by my girlfriend. Maybe I have to buy her a pair as well

Had a similar scenario with the wife when I was putting the pre-announcement set through its paces. She said and I quote "I've never heard music like this". She's not into audio but it's always gratifying to see someone experience the joy of hi-fi for themselves, even if a limited capacity. What tracks do you use to audition?

 

[Obizzz]

Had a similar scenario with the wife when I was putting the pre-announcement set through its paces. She said and I quote "I've never heard music like this". She's not into audio but it's always gratifying to see someone experience the joy of hi-fi for themselves, even if a limited capacity. What tracks do you use to audition?

She’s listened to my HD600 via the Schiit stack (Modi 3+ Asgard 3) she’s no stranger to high quality audio and the AirPods Pro she uses aren’t exactly crap sounding either even if they’re not as good as the IE300.

Not sure what she listened to actually. A mix of prog rock, indie pop/rock, singer songwriter stuff and metal probably. We have a very similar taste in music and it’s something we enjoy a lot together with live concerts etc.

Anyway I ordered a second pair and and an iFi Go Blu as a surprise for her

Sadly my left side suddenly started to lose connection today and it drops out intermittently. I’ve already arranged a return for a new set via Amazon. Hopefully I was just unlucky but it makes me doubt the 0.5% risk a Sennheiser rep stated in the Q&A quoted earlier in the thread considering we have more than one failure in this thread alone.

…and I just got my less than one month old AirPods Max replaced for a similar issue last week

Hopefully that’s enough bad luck in the headphone department for a long time…

 

[Obizzz]

Our monkey friend is waiting with a head-fi package for my girlfriend when she gets back from work today.

My replacement set for my own IE300 also arrived today. Hopefully both our new sets last a lot longer than the two days the first ones did. Considering they broke down after a few hours of use it must have been a manufacturing error.

 

[ericpalonen]

Our monkey friend is waiting with a head-fi package for my girlfriend when she gets back from work today.

My replacement set for my own IE300 also arrived today. Hopefully both our new sets last a lot longer than the two days the first ones did. Considering they broke down after a few hours of use it must have been a manufacturing error.

Now this is love!

You may have just had a streak of bad luck. I use my IE 300 every few days and have been for almost 18 months with no hiccups. We're here to help