Sennheiser IE 600 In-Ear Headphones

Product Information

The IE 600 according to Jermo Köhnke, Product Manager at Sennheiser delivers a neutral reference tuning. The IE 600 will be a reference for the most demanding mobile audio enthusiasts. Since I received this unit from my fellow audiophile Pulkit Dreamz, I am grateful to him. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link. During these two weeks, I haven’t used the IE600 exclusively as other things need to be reviewed, but I did find that, apart from the exclusive use for 4 or 5 days, that any time I felt like listening at other times of the day, I reached for the IE600. That is already something that goes to prove my very positive experience with these IEMs. They are not perfect, I will get into details in just a second, but I still feel that the overall sound of these IEMs is very very good. The cables comes in 3.5 and 4.4. They look very basic but the more I used the IE600 the more i liked them. I never had any tangles and there were never any kinks in the wire. It’s also really nice to have the 4.4 cable. While listening to “ Playing God” by Polyphia, all enphasized aspects come alive. The level of treble presence and detail bring a new level of micro-details to the song, while the bass drop around the 28 seconds just feels authoritative. Both are a bit on the overemphasized territory in comparison to the mid-range, but still leave out a clinical taste on your lips, without bleeds whatsoever.

What was less expected to me is the fact that the female vocals sound better than male do, having more bite but without ever going into the shout territory whatsoever ( Adele - Oh My God and Lykke Li - Silent My Song). Michael Bublé’s performance on “ Feeling Good” gives a slight feeling of something missing, maybe some weight and presence that is, again, south of neutral. There is no bleeding whatsoever into the mids and the mid-bass is perfectly pitched without any unnecessary emphasis or coloring, at the same time the IE600 should be considered warm enough in a balanced manner.

How does the Sennheiser IE 600 connect?

The IE300 is more 'consumer-friendly' with an entry-level sound. Treble is sharper & thinner while mids are more recessed & there is some mid-bass bloat. The IE600 is a technical upgrade in all directions from the IE300 offering a more balanced presentation. We’ve of course featured and reviewed many Sennheiser products here on HFN. My personal favorite Sennheiser headphones are the HD 800 S, the HD 650 (on tubes) and the HD 660S. My most used Sennheiser IEMs are the IE 900.

Even if the IE 600 sounds more intimate, the IEM’s spaciousness and airiness is natural. Separation-wise the IE 600 scores well, but it’s not as pronounced as in its big brother’s. vs moondrop s8 : ie600 has better sub bass rumble, more energetic treble and less shouty midrange, s8 has more noticable ba timbre, more shouty and forward midrange, better separation, resolution are about the same I know that this sounds a little as expected, but the IE 600 tuning-wise really is situated between both other Sennheiser IE inears. I would consider it best suited for instrumental/orchestral/jazz/classical libraries. It can get physical fatiguing after some hours of usage due to its weight and I would consider it good for medium sessions.

Design

As you can see, the low end is way above my usual preference target, but as I have said in the past, if an IEM is capable of producing very clean and articulate bass while still being boosted, I will often find that I like the low end. And that is the case with the IE600. Compared with the IE600s which are extremely balanced across major frequencies, the A8000s feature deeper & more pronounced sub bass but substantially less midbass. Their lower midrange is less prominent resulting in less warmth added to the presentation, but the upper midrange & lower treble are boosted significantly. The net effect is the A8000s have what might be labelled a traditional reference sound signature, with an upper midrange & lower treble emphasis. It is a flavour suiting some genres better than others. The IE600s by contrast seemed far better balanced, indeed their standout quality was that nothing stood out as wrong. The A8000s I immediately recognised as bright and lively, with a character reminiscent of the Dunu Lunas. At the end about the power requirements, I would say IE600 can run easily off a decent enough source, even a Portable USB DAC/AMP is good enough for it. If you have a mid-fi level or high-tier DAP or DAC/AMP, that would just be the icing on the cake.

Well, Do I still have to tell you that the pair has excellent resolution hehe. Man the IE600 excels in clarity and resolution, that’s among the list of things I like about the set. Soundstage-wise, the pair shows good width and depth on the stage. I would say depth especially with my Shanling M7 is pretty good with the pair. Everything on the stage is presented in a layered manner. Imaging wise it's good, one can pinpoint different instruments and determine the position of the vocalist easily on the stage. Sennheiser IE600 has a dynamic presentation, it just sounds lively and full of energy.The IE600 sits in between the IE300 & IE900 in regards to pricing as well as specs. Sound-wise & resolution-wise it slots in between the two as a middle ground, although the jump from the entry level IE300 to the mid-priced IE600 is more marked than the difference between the IE600 and the flagship IE900. The balanced & natural tonality should work with most music genres. Coupled with the solid & compact build as well as their efficiency means the IE600 would be a great daily driver. I got to hear these as part of the IE600 tour, and they're now on the way to the next listener. Thanks @ericpalonen for the loan. Opinions here are subjective, unvarnished and unquantified.