Sennheiser IE 600 In-Ear Headphones

Product Information

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. And then there’s the real party piece of recent Sennheiser designs. ‘Fluency’ is a subjective term; it can’t be measured and even the definition is a slightly shaky one. Even with this allowance made, I would be amazed if you didn’t listen to the IE 600 piledriver its way through Show Me How To Love by Audioslave and not be absolutely grabbed by just how together it is. The durable idea that crossovers are inaudible until the moment you take them out of the equation feels very applicable here because there’s so little between you and what you’ve chosen to listen to. 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. Considering the cable changes and volume matching it would require, I'm not set up for any detailed comparison of SE and balanced. Perhaps someone else on the tour can do that. And then there is the comfort. If ever there was a set of IEMs that I would want in my ears for extended periods and just forget they are there, the IE600 are those IEMs.

While Olina features a Harman tuning, compared to the IE600 it comes out as less energetic. This also translates into a better midrange presentation by the Tripowin offer, paired with a better stage size and more holographic. The mid-bass is more prominent as well which makes it more impactful than Sennheiser’s. Clearly these two IEMs were born of different goals, the one to illuminate equally and the other to shine brightest and cast deep shadows. The IE600 will satisfy a vastly larger audience, whilst the A8000 selectively radiates more powerfully. Sound stage and extension-wise the IE 600 scores well but as the IE 900 shows, there still is margin for improvement. This is valid for both the extension on top and at the bottom, as well as the note extension and decay. So overall I would label the IE 600’s technicalities as good and on the level it should be at this price. They do virtually nothing wrong and a great many things right. To begin with they’re very well made and feel remarkably durable. Others have said their Zirconium shells feel more pleasant to the touch than those of the IE900s, and I agree. Their form factor is vanishingly small and as a result it’s quite easy to forget you’re wearing them. Their recessed MMCX connectors are a problem (not all aftermarket MMCX cables fit) but Effect Audio’s CONX connectors play nicely with them which is some consolation.

Should you buy the Sennheiser IE 600?

For our testing we have used a mix of sources such as the Astell&Kern SP2000T, the EarMen Colibri and the Ferrum ERCO. The tips used are the memory foam ones provided by Sennheiser, and the cable is the 4.4 balanced one. More on tips and single ended use comes later in this article.

In Paul Simon's "Can't Run But," the fitful percussion and J. J. Cale's guitar curlicues glimmer throughout. The percussion that's spread across "On the Corner" by Miles Davis -- trap drums, tabla, cowbell, congas -- is differentiated and distinct. And every scurrying piccolo and clarinet in Valery Gergiev conducting Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" streaks brightly through the pagan wilderness. Every vocal or instrument is placed specifically in the right place in the carefully staged, wide and tall, in all directions 3D holographic representation. With everything being distinct and the imaging and layering being sharp, I can identify each fundamental component of the sound and determine which instrument is closer or farther away thanks to the separation. Very nicely done. I haven’t mentioned it during the review as I always share my opinions without EQ, yet, I find that with a little bit of EQ, these IEMs go from being very good, to almost excellent. I found that dropping the low end quite a bit (not 10dB to match my target but around 6dB), along with just a little tweak of the upper mids (to extend that 2kHz presence just a little more) really opened up these IEMs and made them sound amazing (in my opinion of course). Now, I am in no way saying that my little tweaks improved these IEMs, far from it, more that they adjusted them to my personal preferences. It’s not as neutrally tuned as the reference IE 900 is but it’s also much more neutral compared to the fun IE 300. However I do feel it’s closer to the neutral side than it is to the fun side, but this in a musical and slightly warmer way with a smooth delivery. (though the IE 600 is not full warm sounding IEM). The IE 600 is very natural and effortless sounding and it’s actually quite linear (see the bass part later) and balanced. At the other end, while the 3.5mm/4.4mm is plastic, I have no doubt that it is also of great quality. I have Sennheiser cables that I have used thousands of times over the years and not once have I had to worry about the connector.Vocals on the A8000 for instance, both male and female, will leave you hearing every miniscule nuance in the singer’s throat, and the images produced by individual voices & instruments feel noticeably larger than those of the IE600. The A8000’s remarkable speed also means instruments retain detail & remain distinct even when many are playing, whereas the IE600 becomes overwhelmed by complex passages far more commonly. 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. This might well be simpler in terms of design but the housing itself is radically different. I’m sure many of you will have been looking at the photos that go with the review and looking at the slightly rough finish on the housing and chalking it up to a curious lifestyle driven decision. Some of you, versed in the art of 3D printing will be aware that this is the sort of finish that often results from that process. 3D printing isn’t new and it makes perfect sense in this sort of application. It’s what the IE 600 is made from As for isolation, I would consider them on the average or slightly above average, depending on the size of your ears. The small form factor is brilliant for people with smaller ears or canals, as they fit really deep and not shallow. For people with larger ears, you might have more problems regarding fit or isolation. The DM has the most balanced tuning of the three - it is the real smooth operator. You can throw what you want to it, it will change like a chameleon and replay accordingly. Given its isolation and being less fatiguing than the others, I consider it can be used for ultra extensive listening sessions, for most libraries and anywhere.

The micro details are good and have some sense of clarity, but not everything is all sun and butterflies, as the tuning is rolled off in both spectrums, and it’s slightly noticeable - despite not affecting my library as much. Another point against and that needs to be noted is that the upper regions timbre can get slightly off, especially with ultra bright sources, giving a sense of metallic taste. In my experience, it really shines with more analog sources like the Cayin RU-6 R2R dongle. Tri I3: Included just because they're my other favorites among my IEMs, the original Tri I3 (not Pro) make an interesting contrast to the IE600. They're a tribrid -- DD, BA, Planar -- that begs for more power than the single DD IE600. With a more restrained treble, they don't spread the instruments as widely as the IE600 or provide the last bit of crispness on percussion. On the other hand, despite the multiple drivers, they do seem to bind a mix together. I'd say the Tri I3 is the huddle, while the IE600 fans out the instruments for the play. Solid! The shells of the IE600 are all metal and feel very durable yet light. They are just the right shape for my ears and I think will be a great fit for most. I wore these for hours at a time with zero ear fatigue or discomfort. The first difference with balanced is that you in single ended configuration get a more intimate presentation, with less space between the notes and an overall less airy presentation. This is especially noticeable in the mid section.The overall tuning of the IE600 is utterly natural, not neutral and very balanced, it is pretty much one of the best tuned earphones that I have ever tested, almost perfect. I am a source enthusiast, so what I am about to say should be taken with a grain of salt and keeping in mind YMMV: I think the Sennheiser IE600 scales a little bit with power and pairs better with slightly warmer or more analog sources. They establish and organise a coherent — and quite sizeable — soundstage, and allow every element on it the sort of elbow-room that makes even complicated recordings easy to follow. If you’ve made it till here in this article, you’ll know a lot of references have already been made to the IE 300 and IE 900, but let’s recap it here: These are, of course, a small and functional item — but that doesn’t mean Sennheiser hasn’t pushed the boat out at least a little way when it comes to design.

The IE 600 also benefits from the meticulous manufacturing process that is the hallmark of Sennheiser’s IE audiophile earphone family. Designed in Germany, they are manufactured at the Sonova Consumer Hearing's state-of-the-art transducer production facilities in Ireland to the very highest standards. One of the most advanced production lines of its type in the world, this manufacturing facility has a singular purpose: to exceed the expectations of audiophiles with the highest manufacturing standards, like industry-leading channel matching. With ultimate protection against corrosion and marks from wear, the IE 600 was designed to keep delivering flawless acoustic — and visual — joy for decades. vs ier M9 : ie600 has much better dynamics and impact, deeper rumble and higher treble extension, yet in soundstage, separation, and imaging, ie600 become a dwarf compared to M9's monstrous pin point imaging, M9 sounds much more calmer, warmer, and more neutral vs zen pro : ie600 sounds more energetic and resolving yet, zen pro sounds more neutral and calm, but could be bit boring for me Just don't expect to seat these like your other IEMs. They work their own way to get the ideal fit.In the IE 600 you get less presence than in the IE 300, but it has more technical qualities. Bass reaches down fairly low and the layering is quite good. The IE 900 on the other hand, is still technically stronger in this regard. You here really get a mix of the bass presence of the 300 and the skills of the 900. The unsurprising part of the IE 600 is the basic configuration. Sennheiser has never been an advocate of armature based earphones. For every advantage that they muster, there are elements of their design that the company is less keen on which has led to them favouring a single dynamic driver. Of course, asking one driver to cover an entire frequency response has issues all of its own too. Even in the compact world of the human ear canal, having one driver to handle everything is an engineering challenge in itself. Sennheiser’s approach is the TrueResponse driver. Overall the IEMs have a very solid build and the Zirconium Alloy body has a nice feel & density for the small size. Even though the nozzles are plastic, I actually prefer the IE600 shell to the machined shells of the flagship IE900 that are fairly easy to scratch with their aluminum build. The IE600 shells (6g each) actually weigh more than the IE900 shells which come in at 4 grams each (without cable). The understated shell color also belies their premium feel with a nice stippled effect. 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