Sennheiser IE900 Review, Measurements, & Harman Target Talk
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Here are a few
Enjoy!
Good to see Ageispolis in there - that's been testing my ears, brain and head in many ways since about 1993, along with the rest of the album. Actually Polygon Window 'Quoth' should be good too. Only other I have there is Darkside. I'll check out the others - cheers.
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C_Lindbergh
Headphoneus Supremus
Great track. If you're talking about the drums in that it's actually the artist just drumming the body of the double bass. If I can feel the woody notes in that track I know I'm set with an IEM. His other album Bass Room is excellent too. I actually shared the album with Fred for his test list with the Mentawai.
newworld666
Headphoneus Supremus
Here are a few
Some of those are in my reviews
Enjoy!
I have just read your review of the Vision Ears EXT .. Till now, I was not thinking to go soon or late to such type of complex structure IEM (multiple and different technologies involved together). After reading carefully your review, it makes me wonder if I shouldn't open my mind and give a try to the EXT.
So, as now, I know perfectly the IE900, I really hope your review will help me to pull the trigger or not for the EXT too !!
People keep asking me why I rate the IE 900 so highly and why it's my top IEM for 2021. You've basically repeated what I've been saying since the first day I heard it. I really don't like to use the term 'good for the price' in this hobby, because it's basically like saying 'it's fine because it's cheap', but IE 900 does some things - like bass (and overall instrument) realism - better than most IEMs at ANY price, and it does this using a single 7mm driver...and just so happens to cost less than the stock cables on some of the IEMs it surpasses! Add to that incomparable fit and comfort (for me anyway), and the meticulous build quality, and it's really hard to fault it.Now I do know what you guys were talking about... this shows how it takes more than a few minutes to grasp an IEM... especially this one.
The bass on that track on IE900 the richness of the nuances in the drums is just jaw dropping... I feel like I can touch the textures of the drum... and the double bass... eerie realism and feeling of sharing deeply with the artist... wow! This is the best portrayal of that track I have ever heard... and I just spent days with the EXT which is no slouch. It's not as fast punchy bass but a more textured and realistic bass than the EXT, heck it's a more textured bass than anything I have heard, period.
Anyone who didn't loose their jaw at IE900 bass performance had the wrong tips, the wrong source or something.
This is elite bass level.
Not a basshead IEM that slams in your face, but the IEM with bass that will just sound right and real and nuanced like the interpretation was lost on other gear...
This is a special special IEM for sure... there is no distorsion whatsoever...
I left this one burning in all afternoon and now this... I suspect this will only get better.
It only has 24hours or so on it. I am leaving it 24/7 for a week and we'll see.
gazzington
Headphoneus Supremus
Fully agree with what you say. Superb iem
tgx78
Member of the Trade: tgxear
Did somebody mentioned about the great synergy between the IE900 + N6ii-Ti combo? I just purchased my first R2R DAP 
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That combo is legit. Amazing synergy.Did somebody mentioned about the great synergy between the IE900 + N6ii-Ti combo? I just purchased my first R2R DAP
I like that Sennheiser includes 3 cables that terminate in 2.5, 3.5, and 4.4 as well. No need for adapters or buying other cables.
joshnor713
Headphoneus Supremus
So I haven't posted a follow-up here after my first impressions about a month ago. It's taken me a bit longer than I thought it would to collect my thoughts about this IEM. Straight to the point, things didn't go as I expected. Being a Sennheiser a fan, and having owned the IE 800 and IE 800 S, I just expected to receive the IE 900 and love it from the bat. So much so, I let go my trusty SE846 and IE 800 S in place for it. Ironically enough, while I could see the strengths of the IE 900 right away, it wasn't love at first listen. As a matter of fact, I thought they were good for what they were, but not great. So much so that despite being in the honeymoon period, still found myself mostly using my other headphones (KSE1200, HD 820, and Utopia). That never happened in my headphone journey and kinda scared me considering how much they costed. There was a point in there I thought about posting them up for sale.
The main problems were the midrange and bass (the treble, like back when I first got them, sounds perfect to me and still does). While the IE 900 sounds "bigger" and livelier than the IE 800 S, I still found the midrange significantly recessed when compared to the rest. The bass and treble are more emphasized than the IE 800 S, making the midrange sound blander in contrast. In other words, the IE 900 has more midrange presence than the IE 800 S, but there was still an unbalance that was hindering the experience for me. I found the bass just too strong for a flagship. Additionally, I found the IE 900 more of a smooth listen and not up there for resolution compared to my KSE and Utopia, which I mean, is not unexpected, but worth saying it's more-so of a difference than I expected. So I pegged this to be my causal, "fun" headphone, rather than one for serious listening, and wouldn't recommend it as a primary headphone unless you're specifically a bass-head looking for a high-end earphone.
Well, things weirdly kinda changed when I took the IE 900 as my only headphone on a week trip. It forced me to use them more and there was this one point where something clicked and I was finding the mids to sound superb. The bass also seemed to chill out. And with this combination, it completely changed my outlook for this IE 900. Deem it physical or brain burn-in, I really dunno. All I knew was I was loving this IEM thoroughly now. Even with my Mojo, which in the beginning, after five minutes I stopped pairing it with because it sounded muddy.
So when I got back from my trip, and regrouped with my headphone collection, I found myself now reaching for the IE 900 more. It's just such a pleasant listen that I crave it. No, I don't magically find it more detailed than the KSE or Utopia. But I guess what I'm saying is that when listening to the IE 900, I'm finding myself not caring about it. I don't sit there listening for what I'm missing, I just listen and sink into it. I can still focus on details, but equally so still have an enjoyable experience. It's a fantastic balance between both sides.
No, the IE 900 isn't going to make my collection obsolete, but I hold it in much higher regard now. I take back what I said about this not being a good primary headphone for an audiophile. It'd actually be a really great one.
The main problems were the midrange and bass (the treble, like back when I first got them, sounds perfect to me and still does). While the IE 900 sounds "bigger" and livelier than the IE 800 S, I still found the midrange significantly recessed when compared to the rest. The bass and treble are more emphasized than the IE 800 S, making the midrange sound blander in contrast. In other words, the IE 900 has more midrange presence than the IE 800 S, but there was still an unbalance that was hindering the experience for me. I found the bass just too strong for a flagship. Additionally, I found the IE 900 more of a smooth listen and not up there for resolution compared to my KSE and Utopia, which I mean, is not unexpected, but worth saying it's more-so of a difference than I expected. So I pegged this to be my causal, "fun" headphone, rather than one for serious listening, and wouldn't recommend it as a primary headphone unless you're specifically a bass-head looking for a high-end earphone.
Well, things weirdly kinda changed when I took the IE 900 as my only headphone on a week trip. It forced me to use them more and there was this one point where something clicked and I was finding the mids to sound superb. The bass also seemed to chill out. And with this combination, it completely changed my outlook for this IE 900. Deem it physical or brain burn-in, I really dunno. All I knew was I was loving this IEM thoroughly now. Even with my Mojo, which in the beginning, after five minutes I stopped pairing it with because it sounded muddy.
So when I got back from my trip, and regrouped with my headphone collection, I found myself now reaching for the IE 900 more. It's just such a pleasant listen that I crave it. No, I don't magically find it more detailed than the KSE or Utopia. But I guess what I'm saying is that when listening to the IE 900, I'm finding myself not caring about it. I don't sit there listening for what I'm missing, I just listen and sink into it. I can still focus on details, but equally so still have an enjoyable experience. It's a fantastic balance between both sides.
No, the IE 900 isn't going to make my collection obsolete, but I hold it in much higher regard now. I take back what I said about this not being a good primary headphone for an audiophile. It'd actually be a really great one.
Such a good write-up this. I feel very similarly to you, especially regarding the quote above. Though it didn't take me a month to get there, but rather a few hours.
When I got the IE 900, I did so to review them, not ever expecting them to even trouble my 'endgame duo' at the time, Tia Fourte and Legend X. In those two I had the perfect balance of world-class resolution, stage and overall technicalities (Fourte), and a warm, organic sound with excellent technical performance and legendary bass (LX).
Long story short, the IE 900 held up a mirror to my then 'obsession' with resolution, and showed me how 'natural' and 'correct' music can sound without resorting to a flat, boring, neutral tuning. After a few hours' listening and realising that realism was far more important to me than microscopic details (which, like you say, are all there with the IE 900, just not forced into your brain), I knew Fourte's days were numbered, regardless if how good I still felt they were.
Over the next few months though, IE 900 revealed something even less expected: it usurped LX for bass quality, and I preferred the quantity too. Just a few posts up, @davidmolliere was waxing lyrical about IE 900 bass, and I was smirking in agreement, having arrived at the same conclusion.
Is IE 900 perfect? Of course not, and each of us will have different things we like and dislike about it, be it too much bass (really?
) or too small a fit, or recessed (or rather not forward) midrange. But on balance it's my favourite IEM, even though I've recently found my favourite sounding IEM of all time.
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Can't wait for you to reveal what this is - intrigued!
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