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SENNHEISER IE300 IEMs Review: It’s A Bassy Adventure!!

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Sennheiser is a well-reputed German brand with its network spread all across the globe. They specialize in both consumer and HiFi audiophile-grade audio products. Their HD600, HD800 series of headphones…
Sennheiser IE300-9

Sennheiser is a well-reputed German brand with its network spread all across the globe. They specialize in both consumer and HiFi audiophile-grade audio products. Their HD600, HD800 series of headphones are widely considered legendary with ultimate quality and performance. But today we are not here to discuss their headphones, Today I am gonna share my unboxing and impressions for their latest pair of HiFi In-Ear Monitors, the IE300. Just like their “HD” series of headphones, the “IE” series is also known in the audiophile world with high-quality products such as IE800s, and more. Let’s begin with our today’s review for the IE300.

Sennheiser IE300-1

Disclaimer:-

Sennheiser India graciously provided this unit of IE300 for this review. I am not connected to Sennheiser other than this review and all the thoughts in this review are based on my own experience with the pair.

You can checkout technical specs and features of IE300 on Sennheiser website on the link below.

https://en-in.sennheiser.com/ie-300

Package & Accessories:-

Sennheiser IE300-2

Sennheiser IE300 follows the packaging design of the HD series of headphones. They have an image of the product(IE300 in this case) on the front with the Sennheiser logo and some key features in different languages on the back. On opening up the lid of the box, There’s our beautiful IEMs sitting firmly into a soft foam layer. There’s a carry case on the lower portion holding ear tips and a cleaning tool. The package also contains a warranty card and a quick usage guide below the carry case. In terms of packaging design and quality Sennheiser has done a great job.

Sennheiser IE300-3

Package Contents:-

>IE300 earphones.

>MMCX cable with 3.5mm termination.

>Carry case.

>Six pairs of ear tips(3 Pairs foams, 3 Pairs Silicone).

>Warranty card.

>Quick start guide.

Build Quality & Fit:-

The Sennheiser IE300’s have a fantastic build quality. Earpieces have a matte finish with a glittery texture. The face panel area is slightly beveled and has the Sennheiser logo engraved on it along with a ventilation hole. On the top, we have MMCX connectors with a red ring on the right and black on the left. There’s IE300 engraved on the inner side of the left earpiece. The nozzle is quite short and has outside bevels around the corner for holding onto the ear tips. The pair has a small form factor with lightweight aesthetics providing a very comfortable fit. I got a very comfortable and firm fit with good isolation with the stock M-sized silicone tips.

Sennheiser IE300-4

The cable included in the package looks and feels quite simple. It tangles very easily and shows some microphonic issues on touching too. Other than that everything is perfect and pretty good in the package.

Powering the IE300:-

IE300 is fairly easy to drive pair. It has got a low impedance of just 16 ohms and a high sensitivity of 124dB. It can be driven well-off with smartphones but I always use Hi-res players for best performance. I find its synergy best with neutral to bright sources. One thing I noticed with IE300 is that it sounds best at a slightly louder volume(Slightly higher than my adequate listening level). For the purpose of this review, I used IE300 with Topping E30+L30 DAC/AMP system connected to my Desktop PC and with Cayin N3 Pro for portable usage. Here are my findings in these combinations:-

Sennheiser IE300-5

With Cayin N3 Pro(Tube Mode):-

This is kind of a warm pairing and synergy is not that good as I expected it to be. The bass punch is deep and fantastic, though I hear very very low noise in the background I guess since IE300 are highly sensitive it’s due to that only. This slight bit of muddiness is only noticeable when we try it with the solid-state timbre or other better pairings. About 60/100 volume on medium gain here for adequate listening level. Dynamics like soundstage width, layering are pretty good here.

With Cayin N3 Pro(Solid State Mode):-

The synergy here is better than Tube. Output has a cleaner background, output is punchy and enjoyable. Same 60/100 volume on medium gain for my adequate levels. Dynamics are similar to that with Tube mode.

Sennheiser IE300-6

Topping E30+L30:-

Well, this is the best pairing I have for IE300. The background is cleaner, dynamics are slightly better here, but just slightly not much. The synergy of this stack kind of matches with the pair and makes it sing melodiously. IE300 sings at 50% volume on medium(0dB) gain on the L30.

While I loved the IE300 with the Topping stack the most, during portable use I mostly use it with N3 Pro on solid-state mode and never found it lacking much on the acoustic part. I am pretty sure it would suffice even with regular smartphones as I tried it with my Wife’s Samsung Galaxy M10 smartphone.

Sound Quality:-

Sennheiser has tuned the IE300 with a fun, slightly V-shaped sound signature. The pair has thick, powerful bass that leaves its impact with every single hit. Mids are slightly recessed but are presented with good clarity and airiness on a wide soundstage. I actually like the soundstage of IE300, it has a good sense of depth and height too. Treble frequencies sound transparent, they are presented in a relaxed manner lacking some energy and sparkle. Overall the signature is relaxing with good clarity and powerful, impactful bass. One thing I really liked about IE300 is its non-fatiguing signature, on the day of receiving the pair I listened to it straight for like six to seven hours and I was not tired or fatigued at all. Let’s discuss separate frequency responses now.

Sennheiser IE300-7

Lower End:-

As I mentioned earlier, the IE300 produces a powerful and impactful lower end with thick and heavy punches in the mid-bass area. It might not be the fastest bass you might hear but it surely soothes the soul with its thunderous presence. The bass is great in both quality and quantity and has a rich texture to it. Sub-bass extension is also good with a rumble that shows its powerful presence in my music. There is also very minor bass bleed to the lower mids but that doesn’t affect or take away the fun factor this pair delivers. The pair complements genres such as Hip-Hop, EDM, and more with its fantastic lower end.

Mids:-

Mids are slightly recessed but show good detailing and clarity. The upper mids and lower treble portion have that Sennheiser’s veiled signature touch providing a smooth and transparent presentation. Acoustic instruments such as guitars have a great sense of airiness among the strings. Both male and female vocals are full-bodied with natural tonality to them. Male vocals in 9 Crimes by Damien Rice depicts its emotions with great clarity, female vocals such as I Cry by Yao Si Ting sounded so smooth and melodious that I just listened to it on repeat with the IE300’s.

Treble:-

The high-frequencies with IE300 are pretty relaxed and smooth providing a non-fatiguing signature for its users. It has good extensions with decent layering and imaging characteristics. Instruments such as Electric guitars, Trumpets, Violins are very well-extended and show good clarity among them. I personally like some sparkle in the high-frequencies but the IE300 has a more relaxed approach for the music. This is actually very good for people who are sensitive to harsh treble frequencies.

Soundstage & Imaging:-

Soundstage is another attraction with the IE300. The pair produces a wide soundstage with a good sense of depth and height. Imaging is above average with decent instrument layering and clarity.

Sennheiser IE300-8

Final Verdict:-

Sennheiser IE300 is a really fun sounding pair of In-Ear Monitors. What I actually like with IE300 is its superb fit, fantastic lower end, wide soundstage, and a relaxing, smooth overall signature. What I don’t like with it is the treble is too tamed for my personal taste, other than that it is a fantastic pair to have enjoyable music sessions.

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