Sennheiser RIP

Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser, the founder of Sennheiser, has passed away.

Put simply, without him, I would never have had the pleasure to own and listen to a IE 8, the greatest IEM Sennheiser has ever made - or indeed the countless of other Sennheiser headphones I've worn so many times in over ten years since I discovered the joy of headphones and portable music.

Thanks Sennheiser!

Sennheiser IE 8 in-ear headphone review

The IE 8 is Sennheiser's flagship high-end in-ear headphones. With a suggested retail price of £263/US$450 (the street and online price is significantly cheaper) the IE 8 forms part of the upper end of universal fit in-ear headphones and is designed to compete with established products like the Shure SE530, Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10 Pro, Westone 3 and Klipsch Custom 3. Thie Sennheiser model is unique as it is one of the very few high end IEMs that uses dynamic transducers instead of balanced armatures. Also, among the IE series, the IE 8 is the only model to be fitted with a modular cable allowing the user to replace the cable with different lengths and stuff as well as a tune-able bass system.

Specifications and stuff:

Frequency response: 10 Hz – 20 kHz
Sensitivity: 125 dB SPL/mW (1mW)
Nominal impedance: 16 ohms
Attenuation: up to 26 dB (95%)
Transducer: Dynamic
Headphone weight: 5 grams



For your money Sennheiser ships the IE 8 in a nice tin metal case. Whether or not these are useful is debatable, but maybe Sennheiser thought a nice tin metal case would appeal to users who likes to feel 'premium' and pampered. Inside the box contains a a massive amount of accessories, some useful, some not so much. Various tips (single flange silicons, double flange silicons, Shure black olives-like foamies and bizarre ridge silicon thingies) are included, a tool with ear wax cleaner and screw driver (for the bass knob), shirt cable clip and memory wire holder (similar in function to the one on the Klipsch Customs but removable).

Also included is an over engineered protective case that is lined with 'dry salt pads'. These pads are said to 'control the humidity' of the case whilst also absorbing any sweats. May be useful for people who excercise with $300 headphones. The case itself, while nice and pretty, is overtly complicated for everyday use. I wonder how much time and R&D is wasted on this? They even designed a compartment so that the user can keep a silicon gel bag! Dear Sennheiser, a zipped semi-hardcase, like the one Klipsch bundles, is more than sufficient.



Now on to the IE 8 itself. My first impression is I thought it was a fake because of how light the overall package was. The IE 8 is like the Kate Moss of the IEM world especially when compared to the CX 95 and Klipsch Custom 3 which felt awfully heavy afterwards. Built quality seems to be good and the industrial design is a nice change from the streamlined design favoured by other manufacturers. The IE 8 uses a modular cable meaning that if you ever lose your cable or fancy a different length cable you can always order one from Sennheiser and just plug in the new one. It also means you do not have to purchase a whole new IEM just because the cable breaks. Not that you should feel worried as the bundled cable is thick, flexible and seems well constructed.

The IE 8 are pretty comfortable on my ears. I've read that due to the IE 8's design many has been experiencing problems getting a good fit/seal. The problem stems from the short nozzle/large driver body design which prevents users from pushing the tip all the way in. Klipsch cleverly avoided the same problem despite sharing a similar design by extending the nozzle where as with the CX 95, the problem is none-existent due to the slim driver body. On a personal note I am happy to report I've not experienced such a problem despite only using the medium single flange tips. IE 8 has always held securely onto my ears and does not dislodge despite doing silly faces and whatnots. However they do don't isolate as well as the Klipsch Customs with the silicon tips, though they are far less microphonics (in fact almost none-existent).



Like Sleek Audio's SA6, the IE 8 allows the user to customise the sound somewhat. But rather than using modular treble tips and bass ports which are easily misplaced, Sennheiser's boffins decided to engineer in a small knob that allows the user to control the bass response to something that is more to their liking. A small sound adjuster screwdriver-like tool is included for this. Personally I find the bass response to be more than adequate with the minimal setting but bass heads will no doubt love this feature and will take advantage of the knob the moment they can. I do turn it up a notch or two when listening to electronica music and find the bass beats are phenomenal. It feels like there are tiny subwoofers in your head.

The IE 8 has to be one of the most average sounding high-end IEM I've listened to out of the box. Like many IE 8 owners I found the initial bass response to be bloated and harsh. This is because unlike the Klipsch Custom series I reviewed in December, the IE 8 uses a single dynamic moving-coil driver which tends to require burn-in period before they shine. Leaving aside the fact that I personally think that Sennheiser should be the one doing the burn-in dirty work at the factory, I left the IE 8 to burn while listening to it at intervals. The upside of using dynamics is the wide frequency response and better bass response.



After just a couple of hours burn-in, the bass tames a little and the clarity improves. With further burn-ins, the IE 8 turned from an average sounding headphone to something that was well capable of delivering great midrange definition. The once recessed highs were blooming and the initial dark sound is all but gone, though they were still a little bit muddy. At this point I notice how vocals is one of the strength of the IE 8. They were clear and smooth. There were no issues with sibilance during my period with the IE 8, except perhaps with badly recorded music.

50 hours of listening later (I've stopped burning-in by then) IE 8's soundstage is simply astonishing - with depths unheard of in any IEMs I've ever owned/listened to. It makes for a pleasant change from the sound signature of more "inside-head" IEMs, like the Klipsch Custom 3, as this increases instrumental seperation. The clarity is amazing and while the resolution isn't nearly as detailed as the Custom 3, it is still pretty good. Even the highs improved, though still not nearly as forward as the Custom 3 or as extended as a Etymotic headphone. Mind you, both are very different IEMs. While the Klipsch has a very clinical sound, the IE 8 seems to be have a softer grainier texture with a wider dynamic range at its disposal.



If you do not require the bass knob or modular cable, then you should also consider the IE 7, the IE 8's slightly more svelte and cheaper Darth Vader-like cousin. Apparently they sound just as good as the IE 8 with the bass knob set to low. Even if the cable isn't replaceable, they ought to last long. Still the IE 8 is, at least for the moment, the pinnacle of dynamic transducer based in-ear headphones. They sound wonderfully like open headphones with amazing sound quality to match.

Perhaps the worse thing about the IE 8 is how they expose some badly ripped and low bitrate tracks, thus forcing me to re-rip some of my music collection - something that I should have done a long time ago if I weren't being such a lazy arse. With very strong and tight bass impact and extension, amazingly wide soundstage, strong lush mids and treble extension; combined in a thoughtfully light package, the IE 8 is without a doubt one of the best portable headphones you can buy today. Happy listening.

The good stuff
Open headphone-like soundstage
Good thumping bass
Lush mids
Very light
Modular cable
Good selection of tips
Standard two years warranty

The bad stuff
Fit may be an issue, this is one IEM you should try before you buy
Noise attenuation is less compared to other brands
Expensive
Lousy case

The Sennheiser IE8 is available at Amazon UK or Advanced MP3 Player (use the voucher code head10 to obtain 10% off). US residents can also order them Amazon.com.

Sennheiser IE 8 first impressions

The IE 8 is Sennheiser's flagship high-end in-ear monitor headphones. Costing around £200, the IE 8 is designed to compete with established high-end universal fit IEMs like the Shure SE530, Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10 Pro and Westone 3. The IE 8 is unique as it is one of the very few high end IEMs that uses a dynamic transducer instead of the more popular approach of using multiple balanced armature drivers. It is also Sennheiser's first IEM that allows the user to fine-tune the bass response and also the only in-ear headphone by the company that is fitted with a modular cable.

I've only had it for less than two days, so please bear with me. After all this is merely an impression. I've read that many had problems getting the correct fit with the IE8 (and to a certain extent, the IE 7). Maybe I am lucky but I have not experience such a problem. They do not go as deep as my Klipsch Custom 3 or CX 95, but they do seal well. On the other hand the isolation isn't as good as the Klipsch Custom 3 with the stock single flange tips, but proved adequate for Tube journeys. Sennheiser has also provided a vast selection of tips, including bi-flange silicon tips as well as foamies that resembles Shure's black olives. I've not tried them yet.



The initial sound (out of box, new) was harsh. The bass was muddy and the soundstage practically none-existent. I do not believe in the requirement of burn-in period (manufacturers should do it in the factory level), but I did burn it in for an hour before my second listen to avoid some form of mental burn in. Upon listening the IE 8's initial muddy bass is gone, but the treble were still recessed. The initial sharp sound that gave me fatigue when listening to female vocals were also gone. Today after roughly 20 hours of burn in, the bass response has improved dramatically and while the highs were still recessed, I found that the soundstage to finally open up.

I will continue listening to them, but if the burn-in are of any indication I believe this would be one of the best in-ear headphones I've ever have the pleasure of listening to. The clarity is already as good as my Klipsch Custom 3 but with more bass impact. Look out for a review sometime next week.

The Sennheiser IE 8 is available at Amazon UK for £199.99 or Advanced MP3 Player for £220.02 inc. worldwide delivery (use the voucher code head10 to obtain 10% off). US residents can also order them from Amazon.com.

Sennheiser HD650 for £179.99

Amazon UK has the Sennheiser HD650, their high-end audiophile reference headphones, for a rather low cost of £179.99. Not bad considering it is being sold for US$500 across the pond. The relatively low price is likely due to the pending arrival of the new top of the line HD800 headphones.

The HD650 is an open, dynamic headphone and is based on the award winning HD600 headphones with improved materials for "better sound reproduction". It comes with a standard two year warranty.

Sennheiser MX 300 headphone review

So what can you expect from £5 these days? Well you could get a 'burger' or two at McDonalds. Or you could get a Sennheiser MX 300 from Richer Sound.

I wasn't expecting much when the Richer Sound guy chuck a pair into my palm. After all the MX 300 is Sennheiser's lowest common denominator in a range that spans from it to the £200 high-end IEM IE 8. The case housing the driver is made of plastic and felt cheap and light. The cable was thick and sturdy, an actual improvement over the cables used on some of their more expensive headphones like the CX 300. Overall the design is pretty generic. In fact the MX 300 is quite possibly the ugliest earphones I have ever seen. Still what matters is whether it sounds good...



Not expecting much I tore the poly bag, unplugged my Klipsch, plugged in the MX 300 and pressed 'Play'. Whoa. This little thing sounds amazing (for its price). Sure they sound like crap when compared to the Custom-3 (or any of the Customs actually...) and is uncomfortable like hell, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The bass was almost none-existent until I used the EQ to increase the low-end. The highs were shrilled a little bit and vocals recessed. But they do sound way better than the stock buds that came with my old Creative MuVo and Samsung DAP, though no where near the clarity of my Walkman's stock headphones. They also don't leak as much sound as the Sonys though.

I wouldn't exactly recommend the MX 300 at least unless you really really need something cheap. It is probably wise to get the best that your budget would permit and unless you are only planning on spending a mere £5 (versus the hundred or two you plonked down for your DAP), I would recommend something like the Sennheiser CX 300 or Denon AH-C351 instead for those on a tight budget.

But for people who hates canalphones and finds them uncomfortable or just do not care that much about sound quality (shame on you), and more importantly for the idiots who pay £25 to replace their bundled iPod headphones with the same, you really can't go wrong with Sennheiser's MX series.

Sennheiser CX 95 canalphones review

My desire to obtain a new mid-range headphone for my Walkman stemmed from the lack of good sealing on the bundled MDR-EX082 and the average quality (but supremely comfortable) of the CX 300. I narrowed down my choices to either a Denon AH-C700, Klypsch Custom-1, Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3 and Sennheiser CX 95.

I finally got the CX 95 cheap from a fellow Head-Fi'er. These canalphones retails for £60-70 on the high street (or less online), a price which puts it at the high-range non-IEM canalphone market (or entry-level depending on whom you ask). Sennheiser is a brand I can trust, having a good impression with their budget canalphone, the CX 300 priced at £40 (but you can get them for under £20 easily) as well as the mainstream PX 100. The construction of the CX 95 is fairly predictable. Made of tough plastic material, the CX 95's heads are pretty sturdy protecting the single driver design. The same can't be said about the cables - which are flimsy and rubbery almost like the CX 300. The default lenght is perfect for when I slip my Walkman into my shirt pocket, but the extension cable is a just too long. I pair it with my Sony extensions instead.

The CX 95 does not disappoint in the sound quality department. With a rated impedance of 16 ohm, the CX 95 isn't difficult to drive. Playing FLAC files from my PC, the Sennheiser provided my blessed eardrums with good and balanced dynamic sound. At the price range, the CX 95 blew away the CX 300 in bass level in its quality, while maintaining a more balanced sound throughout. While it isn't as great as Denon AH-C751 (which has a greater frequency range I believe) IEMs I auditioned two week ago, it also costs far far less. Sounds are warm, with a reasonable clarity an overall detailed sound stage with Sennheiser's usual bass performance. Even when paired with my A818, and despite using lossy 256kbps files, the CX 95 performed extremely well. Highs are bright and the mids and lows balanced. Compared to my self-repaired Shure e2c, the CX 95 is a more 'fun' headphones while the e2c was more clinical and the Sony crispier.

In terms of isolation, the CX 95 works well, though no better or worse than the snug fitting CX 300. I had no problem riding the tube or waiting outside the changing rooms in Selfridges, with a little ambient noise disturbing my enjoyment. The same can be said about sealing, as I can comfortably use this in bed without any retort aimed at me. Comfort wise, the Sennheiser's soft tips are pretty much as comfortable as they can get (I settled for the medium size tips), and best of all I can use my Sony tips on them. They are not meant to be worn behind the ears like the e2c (which I tolerate only because they sound great), which is even better for my ears. The downside of the CX 95 is its microphonics. Microphonics level with in-ear canalphones has improved a lot since a decade ago, but they still exists. The CX 95 can be worn over the ear to alleviate the problem slightly, if you do not mind reversing the stereo imaging.

I love the CX 95 as it provides a reasonably great sound quality. It doesn't work well with all music genre, particularly if you prefer music with great clinical detail like classical genre. Despite that I found it pleasing for listening to old Metallica, Vanessa-Mae, Ministry, Carcass etc., and oddly loving the enveloping warmth sound the CX 95 produces. I am not a bass head and yes, the CX 95 like the CX 300 is bass-driven. But with proper EQ-ing and customising the A818's DAC, I found that the bass quality is soft and warm complimenting my sound preference very well. Overall the CX 95 is a great and balanced canalphones that isn't too expensive to invest in and is a couple of steps up over their entry level CX 300 models. Just don't expect to use it in the gym.

+ Great SQ and clarity for a sub £70 headphone
+ Warm and soft bass quality
+ Good seal
+ Interchangeable with CX 300 and Sony silicon tips
+ Isolates well
- Extension cable too long
- Flimsy cable
- Microphonics

8/10

The Sennheiser CX95 is available for less than £60 at Amazon UK, but has since been replaced by the CX 550

Sennheiser CX300 review

My first in-ear earphones was the Sony NC-11 which I returned because while they sounded great, they tend to channel echos to the ears every time the cable touches my shirt. Since then I stayed clear off in-ear phones until I finally bought the EX71. They were the best budget earphones back then without resorting to professional graded earphones from Shure and Etymotic. After the EX71 broke I went through a number of earphones looking for a replacement, including the Shure e2c (which lasted me about a year before it too broke).

The Sennheiser CX300, at less than £20 if you shop around wisely, is a nice in-ear passive noise isolation earphones that Jennifer ordered to replaced her own broken EX71. These are canal phones that goes into the canal of your ears, sealing outside noise so that you can enjoy your music in peace. It works just as well as the EX71 when using it on the Tube, sealing out noisy passengers and rattling trains. Because the drivers are inside and because of the lack of ambient noise, those using in-ear phones like the CX300 are capable of enjoying their music with less volume.

The CX300 is as comfy as the EX71, with Sennheiser (like Sony and Shure) providing different caps for different ear size. The caps are silicon made and soft like the ones provided by Sony. They fit in snugly into the ear and we had no problems with the earphones accidentally falling out. While not as tough as the e2c, the CX300 does seem to be capable of withstanding most abuses provided you treat it well. The sound quality is not as great as the e2c, but at the price you can't really complain. It is still much much better than stock earbuds that are provided with your digital music player and is capable of providing so much more detail and warmth than a £5 set. Bass, mids and trebles are all good.

We like the CX300. It is available in black, grey and white and retails for £30. Shop around and you will definitely save some money (mymemory is one such suggestion). The only issue I had with the CX300 is the rather thin cords which tangles easily and may also break if it is tugged with force, as well as some microphonic issues (echos when caable rubs against something).

Specification

Bass-driven stereo sound
Frequency response: 18Hz - 21kHz
Cable length: Asymmetrical, L: 170 mm; R: 510 mm, (850 mm divider to plug)
Impedance: 16 Ohm
Sound pressure level (SPL): 112 dB (1 kHz, 1 Vrms)
Jack plug: 3.5 mm stereo (angled)
Ear coupling: intraaural (ear canal fit)
Transducer principle: dynamic, open

An (almost) dead Shure

Curse this world and my bad luck. My Shure e2c is halfway through its deathbed, just ten months after I bought it. While walking to the Tube station on Saturday evening, I found that my MuVo was outputting crackling songs. I thought that I was walking too fast and tracks are skipping (it shouldn't happen since it is flashed based). But it the music kept on crackling. While waiting for the Piccadilly Line train to arrive I took my chance to check if there was anything wrong with the Shure.


Which do you prefer? I hate white.

Sweet jesus. How the fuck did it get there? A large tear just below the right earbud. As you can see in the pictures above, the e2c cable is quite a bit thicker than your average buds, but I guess one its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. You see, Shure sound isolating earphones are meant to be worn wrapped through the top and down the back of the ear. I guess all those wrapping gave the part of the cable some pressure. Sure it may thick and durable, but its thickness made it less flexible.

The e2c still works but I need to pull the cable down from time to time for it to work. It works well if I am stationary, so I may yet keep it for those time when I need to chill. But right now I am stuck with the generic Creative buds that came with the MuVo. The sound fidelity is no where near the e2c but at least it is much more comfortable than the cheap throwaway Sony earphones I have (about ten of them). The problem with wearing the Creative buds are they are white. Now I look like a generic iPod wanabee clone.

Right now I am looking for a possible replacement, unless someone here can suggest how I can repair the tear. The Shure e2g looks nice. This is basically a Shure e2c with a black casing (and apparently optimised for gaming). I find the e2c's transparent case wicked, but if I am going to spend more money, might as well get something different right?

Sennheiser recently introduced its first in-ear canal earphone called the CX 300. Unfortunately there aren't any reviews of this unit (which looks awfully similar to the EX71) so I will hold out on getting it.

Sennheiser PX100

Well two days ago my 1-1/2 year old Sony MDR-EX71SL finally died. I was walking around town when the right fontopia started choking and three seconds later finally muted. The left side still works.

I am not sure what happened but it wasn't surprised since I have used the EX71SL almost daily, each time for a couple of hours. It was a great pair of earphone and the sound was great when compared to Sony's first in canal fontopia the EX70LP which was so crap I had to reseal it in order to return it to Dixons about three years ago.



So today I went around shopping for a new pair of earphones. I have decided that I would be looking for an open ear model. Sony and Sennheiser models are the top of my list and my budget is roughly £30. I didn't want to get another EX71SL because when spending money I rather have something completely different.

Index has recently gone bust. The catalogue store is currently offering clearance prices of 30% cut on audio visual accessories. But I got there a little too late and all the earphones has been sold out. Pity though as the quoted discounted price were pretty darn good.

I contemplated on ordering Sony's MDR-NX1 from Brando but decided that I wouldn't want another white/black in-ear fontopia. If only they still do red or blue. Sony Style stores were over quoting the prices of their headphones and they don't do NX1s.

Lucky for me though, I remembered that there was a Richer Sounds nearby. And they do Sennheisers.

So I got the Sennheiser PX100. Price wise it is very similar to other high street stores (around 30 squid) but you do get the backing of Richer Sounds and my past experience in dealing with them has been very positive.









Sound quality is fine but I didn't have much chance to test it yet. I just want to break it in for a couple of weeks first. I hope I won't regret my decision not to go for the larger HD models. And hopefully this will last me for another 1 1/2 year.

Portable Audio

Headphones
Audio Technica ATH-CK9 in-ear headphone review (soon)
Audio Technica ATH-EQ700 clip-on headphone review (soon)
Audio Technica ATH-ES7 closed-back headphone impressionsAudio Technica ATH-SJ5 headphone reviewCrossRoads MylarOne Quattro in-ear headphone review
Denon AH-C551 in-ear headphone review
Jays s-Jays in-ear headphone review
JVC HA-F130 GUMY earphone review
Klipsch Custom-1 in-ear headphone review
Klipsch Custom-1 in-ear headphone follow-up
Klipsch Custom-2 in-ear headphone review
Klipsch Custom-3 in-ear headphone review
Koss Porta Pro headphone review
Radiopaq Tuned Custom Earphones (Pop, Rock, Classical, Jazz) review
Sennheiser CX 300 in-ear headphone review
Sennheiser CX 95 in-ear headphone review
Sennheiser IE 8 in-ear headphone first impressions
Sennheiser IE 8 in-ear headphone review
Sennheiser MX 300 earphone review
Sennheiser PX100 headphone preview
Shure e2c in-ear headphone preview
Westone UM3X in-ear headphone first impressions
Westoe UM3X in-ear headphone review

Digital Audio Players

Creative MuVo Micro N200 / Creative Zen Nano Plus 1GB review
Samsung YP-U1Q 2GB Digital Audio Player review
Sony Walkman NWZ-A818 8GB DAP review
Sony Walkman NWZ-A840 series A845 16GB DAP impressions
Sony Walkman NWZ-A840 series A845 16GB DAP review
Sony Walkman NWZ-S639 16GB DAP review
Sony Walkman NWZ-S739 16GB DAP review
Sony Walkman X-Series NWZ-X1060B 32GB DAP impressions
Sony Walkman X-Series NWZ-X1060B 32GB DAP review

Meridian Explorer USB DAC review