Sennheiser IE6 -- the forgotten IEM
Jan 18, 2009 at 3:52 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 55
Nocturnal310

Nocturnal310

Headphoneus Supremus
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This poor little IEM got squeezed so far down i cant even find anyone mention it once over here.

mostly its either IE8 or IE7 or then W3.

dont forget IE6 is also part of the latest release of iems so its NEW.

any idea how it sounds? ..i couldnt find any review or impressions thread on it.

biggrin.gif


hopefully it shud be cheaper..and if it sounds good enough why not IE6 over SF5.

reason for my post is coz i am saving for IE7..but if IE6 is close enuff..why not give it a chance.
 
Jan 19, 2009 at 5:32 PM Post #4 of 55
Well, I auditioned Senn IE6 briefly at a local audio store a few days ago and compared them with my IE8. My source was unamped Sony NWZ-A816. My first impression was the size and weight of the IE6 - compared to IE8, it's much smaller and lighter. Then, once I started putting it into my ear, another thing that I noticed immediately was the fit - it was much better than that of IE8 for my ears! I used the medium, soft black single-flange silicone tips and with the IE6s the fit was very nice and secure, providing good isolation. By contrast, I am having a much harder time shoving the large, heavy IE8 drivers into my ears using the same tips - with the IE8, I have to use foamies to get the same secure fit as with IE6 and even then, they are not as comfy as IE6 and the sound quality suffers.
frown.gif


As for the sound, compared to IE8, the IE6s sound quite a bit thinner, less detailed and less accurate. However, compared to Senn CX300 and other cheap canalphones like that, IE6 are, of course, a big step up. They offer a nice tight bass response that's way more accurate than that of CX300 and the quantity of bass is not overpowering like on CX300. The mids and highs are also very good - they are much clearer and cleaner than CX300 mids and highs and offer more detail as well.

Overall, I think that IE6 is a very good IEM, if you can get it for around $150. It provides a more spacious and more forgiving sound than balanced armature IEMs, while sacrificing some accuracy and detail. However, at it's MSRP, it's not quite as great, since for the same price you can get a more accurate and detailed Sleek SA6 or Head-Direct RE0. Nevertheless, if you are looking for easy insertion, best comfort and dynamic sound, the IE6 is still worth considering even if it cost $200 or slightly more.
 
Jan 19, 2009 at 11:03 PM Post #5 of 55
I got a pair from Advanced mp3.com a couple of weeks back for £80 or so. Not bad at all. As mentioned, they're light and fit very easily - especially since the standard medium tips are perfect for my ears.

I also purchased the IE7 from play.com at the same time, and listened to them both for a few days before deciding which to return. I preferred the IE6. Not quite as detailed or refined, but they really do rock with hard hitting, extended bass and addictive dynamics. The IE7s weren't as satisfying in this respect for me, and a particluar requirement for me was use with a motorcycle where wind noise seems to diminish bass more than higher frequencies.

I think the IE6 and IE7 are more of a personal preference choice, despite the price differential. The IE8, however, claims to be the best of both and much more, so I'm keen to get a listen as soon as possible.
 
Jan 20, 2009 at 4:26 AM Post #7 of 55
I want to get the IE6 or CX6 but I am worried about the isolation. I ride the bus a lot and the etymotics did a wonderful job at attenuating the motor noise. Even my radio shack comply earphones did a good job.
 
Jan 20, 2009 at 8:45 AM Post #9 of 55
Jan 20, 2009 at 9:01 AM Post #10 of 55
well ive never seen thos before so its an educated guess.

cx6 should be similar maybe a little worse but if u stuck on comply tips i would think they should make the cx6 the same as those.

ie6 will be quite a bit worse, they are an open earphone i.e. they have an opening that lets in sound

either way between the ie6 and cx6 the cx6 will isolate more
 
Jan 20, 2009 at 9:47 AM Post #11 of 55
Both seems to be the exact same. Sennheiser even states that both will reduce ambient noise by up to 20dB. Only the case design is different.

The grills on the IE 6 may just be an aesthetic feature. They do look ugly though and just for that I would suggest getting the nicer looking CX 6 instead.

Both the IE 6 and IE 8 are designed by the same design group:
http://www.vanberlo.nl/index.php?opt...d=90&Itemid=83
 
Jan 20, 2009 at 7:02 PM Post #13 of 55
The cx6 is the traveling version of the ie6, witch probably means better isolation and i think a airplane-converter.
 
Jan 20, 2009 at 8:43 PM Post #14 of 55
Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
well ive never seen thos before so its an educated guess.

cx6 should be similar maybe a little worse but if u stuck on comply tips i would think they should make the cx6 the same as those.

ie6 will be quite a bit worse, they are an open earphone i.e. they have an opening that lets in sound

either way between the ie6 and cx6 the cx6 will isolate more


I know it is hard to judge just by the picture. But I am hoping that the CX6 has just as good isolation as the comply tip earphones, in that link above. Secondly, I have a Sony D-nf430 MP3 CD player, where I do not want the volume to go above 50%. Especially, when riding the bus.
 
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