Enlarge image
Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL
With the IE 900 from Sennheiser, you first have to do without.
They do not have everything that one is used to from modern in-ear headsets.
There is no microphone, no noise suppression, not even bluetooth is built in.
Instead, there are several cables in the box, a whole bunch of different ear tips made of silicone and memory foam and a robust transport box with a serial number.
In my test device, it has exactly as many digits as the price that the manufacturer specifies for the IE 900, i.e. four.
Yes, you read that right, Sennheiser is charging a four-digit sum for these headphones, namely 1299 euros.
You could buy a pair of Apple AirPods every day of the week and still have enough left for a good dinner.
But the IE 900 sets standards, the company boasts, and not just in terms of price.
It starts with the fact that it is not put together by cheap workers in distant countries, but rather manufactured at the company's headquarters in Lower Saxony.
A special feature are the housings milled from aluminum.
On the one hand, they are very stable and light, weighing only four grams, and on the other hand, three “acoustic chambers” are milled inside to help balance the volume ratio between high and low tones.
One must be enough
Unusual: In the IE 900, a single broadband driver is responsible for the sound generation. You could say that a single loudspeaker covers all frequencies. Many other high-end manufacturers tend to use multiple drivers in such expensive products that specialize in different frequency ranges. Also unusual: Sennheiser doesn't just pack a left and a right earphone in the box. Instead, the pairs are selected by hand. Apparently, tolerances in the manufacturing process are supposed to be compensated so that the left and right sides fit together particularly well in terms of sound.
A side effect of the design: Once you have found the right one among the six included earmolds, the Sennheisers sit comfortably tight, but not oppressive in the ears.
The cables pulled over the ears provide additional support.
As a wearer of glasses, however, I have to remove my glasses before plugging in the IE 900 and then put them back on again.
It depends on the accessories
A clear indication that the IE 900 are primarily intended for use with mobile devices is provided by the three cables supplied, which only differ in their plugs (2.5 mm, 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm).
At 1.2 meters in length, they are too short to plug into a hi-fi amplifier and lean back in the armchair.
They also lack the 6.3 mm plug that many amplifiers expect in headphones.
Enlarge image
With an adapter, the IE 900 also fits into a 6.3 mm headphone jack
Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL
In any case, it is advisable to treat yourself to a separate digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in addition to the headphones.
In other words, a device that converts digital audio data into analog music signals.
Of course, you can also plug Apple's ten euro “Lightning to 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter” into an iPhone, but that would give away a lot of the potential of the IE 900.
You can get cheap DACs from around 100 euros, good ones cost more, some are outrageously expensive.
The formats of these devices are just as wide as the price spectrum.
Some are as small as a USB stick, others as large as a desktop PC.
The sound
But regardless of whether you connect the headphones to an expensive DAC, a smartphone or the headphones of an analog amplifier through which you can listen to records: the sound is always above average. Instruments and voices are reproduced evenly and conspicuously across the entire frequency spectrum. The IE 900 have no trouble at the same time descending very far into the bass cellar and reproducing transparent mids and glossy highs. What I'm trying to say with all that flowery language: You just sound good, damn good. And that from the first note.
Whether it is worth spending 1300 euros on it is a difficult question that depends above all on when and how you listen to music.
As headphones for jogging, for example, the IE 900 would be a waste of money.
While running, you would not notice their subtle nuances and would be rather annoyed because the cables make noises with every step.
Conclusion
👍 Outstanding sound quality 👍 Very good workmanship |
👎 Very expensive |
No question about it, Sennheiser's IE 900s are too expensive for normal music listeners.
Way too expensive.
This is not only due to their four-digit price tag, but also to the accessories you need to take advantage of their capabilities.
Without a decent DAC or a good audio player, it would be a waste of money.
Anyone who has something like that, i.e. is willing to spend a comparatively large amount of money on music and listening to it, should give the IE 900 a chance.
The sound development is fantastic, the manufacturing quality is excellent.
Background: Product tests in the Netzwelt department
Which products are reported on in the Netzwelt section? Expand
We decide for ourselves which products we report in the Internet world and which we test or not. We do not receive any money or other consideration from the manufacturer for any of the test reports.
For various reasons it can happen that we do not report on products even though we have corresponding test products.
Where do the test products come from? Expand
We usually get test devices and review copies of games from the manufacturer free of charge for a certain period of time, sometimes even before the official release.
In this way, our test reports can appear in good time or shortly after the product is published.
We only test pre-release versions or devices from pre-series production in special cases.
We usually wait until we can get test devices or game versions that are identical to the retail versions.
In some cases we also buy products ourselves at our own expense if they are already available in stores or online.
Are the Netzwelt editors allowed to keep the products?
As a rule, test devices are sent back to the manufacturer after the end of the test.
The exception are review copies of games and so-called permanent loans: For example, we have game consoles and smartphones in the editorial office that we are allowed to use for a longer period of time.
For example, we can report on software updates, new accessories and new games or make long-term judgments.
Can companies invite the Netzwelt editors to travel?
DER SPIEGEL always bears the costs for travel to events, regardless of whether they take place in Germany or abroad. This also applies if, for example, a company takes over travel planning due to short-term appointments.
Events to which we travel at our own expense include the Ifa, CES, E3 and Gamescom trade fairs as well as events from companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft or Nintendo.
At conferences such as the Chaos Communication Congress or the re: publica, like other press representatives, we usually get free press tickets because we report on the conference and are not traditional participants.
What about the Amazon ads in some articles?
Since December 2016, Amazon ads containing so-called partner links can be found in some Netzwelt articles. If a user visits Amazon via such a link and buys online there, DER SPIEGEL receives a share of the sales in the form of a commission. The ads appear in articles regardless of whether a product test is positive or negative.