Exactly two years ago, Sennheiser took its high-end wired earbud engineering to a more accessible price point than ever before with the launch of its IE 300, which incorporated the technology trickled down from its more premium IE models. Today, Sennheiser takes another step in bringing premium wired sound to even more people with the launch of its IE 200 in-ear headphones.
Described by Jermo Koehnke, Sennheiser’s audiophile product manager, as an “open invitation for everyone to enjoy high-end sound,” the IE 200 features the company’s 7mm extra-wideband transducer – just like the more expensive IE 300 , although he’s not clear at this stage whether there are discrepancies between the drivers in the two models. Sennheiser’s extra-wideband driver is used in the IE models up to and including the excellent IE 900, so hopefully the IE 200 should share some of that successful pedigree.
Sennheiser certainly believes that, claiming that harmonic distortion is “almost non-existent” in the IE 200’s delivery and that they have a natural frequency response curve typically found in earbuds that “cost significantly more”.
Recognizing that the fit of universal earbuds can sometimes be a tricky business, Sennheiser designed the IE 200 to allow owners to mount the included earbuds in one of two positions, giving them control over the balance they get. Visco-elastic foam and silicone ear adapters in multiple sizes aim to block out environmental distractions while maximizing low-end response.
A revised braided cable has been designed to further reduce cable clutter, featuring 3.5mm stereo plugs and MMCX connectors at the end. Perhaps unusual for the price, there doesn’t appear to be an in-line remote control – something we criticized in the IE 300. Let’s hope they can make up for that this time around in the sound department…
The Sennheiser IE 200 is available to pre-order now for AU$239.95 (about £135 / $162).
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