Table of Contents
Introduction
More likely than not, you, the audiophile, would’ve heard of the great Sennheiser brand due to their reputation in the headphones game.
The venerable HD600, released in 1997 and based off the HD580 in 1993, later spun off to the HD650 in 2003 and then made cheaper in collaboration with Massdrop as the HD6XX in late 2018. The HD800, introduced in 2009 and then further refined into the HD800S in late 2015. The HD25, an industry staple in both the DJ and broadcasting world since 1988. And lets not forget the “concept headphone” models in the Orpheus, the HE-1, and various other “babies” in-between.
But it’s no secret that Sennheiser has had quite the rocky journey through the IEM world. The original IE8, the updated IE80, the flagship IE800, and subsequent updates IE80S and IE800S, all found lukewarm responses during their time but have long since lost their allure in today’s hypercompetitive market. And of course the Momentum In-Ear series, but it’s been a while say they’ve been brought up in conversation.
Sennheiser did have a brief stint with the pro-audio market, releasing the IE40 Pro, the IE400 Pro, as well as the IE500 Pro. Again, all IEMs catered to the pro-audio crowd (hence the “Pro” suffix) but now it seems that Sennheiser is ready to dip their toes into the audiophile pool once again.
Enter the IE300, notably with a distinct lack of the “Pro” suffix. Sennheiser has graciously allowed me to be one of the first reviewers to ever hear and present to you their new lineup of IEMs, and expectations are understandably high. As per usual IEF is here to answer the age old question: how good is the IE300 actually?
Product page: https://en-us.sennheiser.com/ie-300
MSRP: $300
Driver configuration: single DD
This IE300 was kindly provided by Sennheiser.
Non-audio opinions
My unboxing posts are pretty much the only times I’ll ever talk about build quality, accessories and the like. I’m not really the person to ask about these things as I don’t really care about them that much.
Accessories:
- Tips
- Small canvas hard case
Cable: single-wire cable. Generally pliable, good skinfeel. Could be a little softer to prevent memory effect.
Connection: a pseudo-recessed MMCX connection (recessed on the IEM side). Should be more durable than standard MMCX, but third-party MMCX are likely not going to be compatible.
Build: seemingly sturdy. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Fit: negative-profile. Small footprint that should cater to most ears, even smaller ones.
Isolation: above-average to good.
Initial impressions
- Generally similar to the IE400 Pro. Slightly better balanced, too.
- U-shaped signature.
- Warm colouration going on.
- Bass, and lots of it. Would still classify it as being bloated, but I’ve heard worse anyways.
- Built-in resonator does wonders for allowing the treble to be emphasised without being fatiguing.
- Middling technicalities, nothing special but not horrible either.
Measurements
All data has been uploaded to the Graph Comparison Tool.
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7 thoughts on “Sennheiser IE300: Unboxing”
Hi, Mr. Crinacle. Do you happen to have the Fiio FH3 for first impressions or review? I’d really like know how it fares as an allrounder in its $130/under $200 bracket.
He said it’s average.
Will you do any review or cliffnotes on the fiio FH3 in the future?
He said on his livestream that it’s average.
In his latest video ranking on YouTube he said something about FH3 sounding just like another average IEM, so there wouldn’t be any review.
I had the FH3 and sold them. Too much bass and not enough detail IMO. It is average if you are working through the technicals. Mainstream will love them and they are better than most at their price.
Lol, why are the comments talking about a completely different make of IEM?
Anyways, I quite like these IE300s. A bit bass-heavy, but not too crazy, and the build quality is way better than my previous Moondrop Quarks