Buying Guide
The Most Affordable Sennheiser Earphone Ever - IE 200
Sennheiser has been knocking it out of the park with their IE series IEMs. After the success of IE 600 and IE 900, Sennheiser looks to scale back a bit with their IEMs and focus on a more budget-friendly product. The new IE 200 is the latest set of IEMs from Sennheiser that sets a new benchmark for the price-to-performance ratio. Combine that with the same style of fit and design from the IE 600 and IE 900, and you’ve got the perfect IEM to rediscover your music.
Featured in this Blog
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Audiophile Community Favourite
This headphone or gear has a seal of approval from our audiophile community.
It is hit among the pickiest of audio enthusiasts. It comes with two thumbs up and is the community’s and one of our favourites.
If you see a product marked as “🦋 Audiophile Community Favourite”, you're in for a sonic treat with top-tier sound quality that will make your ears swoon and elevate your listening experience to new heights!
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Cult Following
Cause some things just demand the dedication.
This headphone or gear has a dedicated fanbase, adored by those in the know and praised for its audio quality.
If you see products marked as “🧑🏼🤝🧑🏼 Cult Following”, you’re about to join an exclusive club of enthusiasts who swear by its awesomeness, enjoying a product that stands out from the crowd and never fails to impress!
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Flat Sound Signature
For those on a quest to try and hear the “purest” audio possible.
This headphone or gear offers an neutral, uncoloured audio profile, perfect for purists who crave accuracy.
If you see products marked as “📏 Flat Sound Signature”, you’re in for a true-to-life listening experience, hearing your music exactly as it was recorded, without any artificial boosts or tweaks.
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Perfect to Analyse Music
Delve deeper into the Bassline, Riffs and Harmonies.
This headphone or gear is designed for those who dive deep into the nuances of sound, offering precision for music analysis.
If you see products marked as “🔍 Perfect to Analyse Music”, get ready to dissect every beat, note, and harmony with exceptional clarity, making it an ideal tool for musicians, producers, and audiophiles who crave detailed insights into their music.
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Crisp Vocals & Instruments
Vocals and Instruments sound too good, its like a warm hug.
This headphone or gear excels at delivering clear, clean vocals and instruments, making every sound pop.
If you see products marked as “🍿 Crisp Vocals & Instruments”, prepare for an audio experience where every word and note is perfectly articulated, letting you enjoy your music with pristine clarity and detail.
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Sharp & Precise Details
Are you a lover of sharp and precise details in your music?
This headphone or gear delivers meticulous and accurate details in your audio, ideal for those who prioritise precise sound reproduction.
If you see a product marked with "📌 Sharp & Precise Details", it means this device excels in capturing fine nuances and intricacies in your music, ensuring a high level of clarity and fidelity.
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Audiophile Community Favourite
This headphone or gear has a seal of approval from our audiophile community.
It is hit among the pickiest of audio enthusiasts. It comes with two thumbs up and is the community’s and one of our favourites.
If you see a product marked as “🦋 Audiophile Community Favourite”, you're in for a sonic treat with top-tier sound quality that will make your ears swoon and elevate your listening experience to new heights!
-
Cult Following
Cause some things just demand the dedication.
This headphone or gear has a dedicated fanbase, adored by those in the know and praised for its audio quality.
If you see products marked as “🧑🏼🤝🧑🏼 Cult Following”, you’re about to join an exclusive club of enthusiasts who swear by its awesomeness, enjoying a product that stands out from the crowd and never fails to impress!
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V-shaped Sound Signature
Perfect for those who like a party in their head.
This headphone or gear boosts the bass and treble for a dynamic and lively audio experience.
If you see products marked as “🌶️ V-shaped Sound Signature”, get ready for punchy lows and sparkling highs that make your music pop, perfect for energising your workouts, parties, or just jamming out.
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Ultra-Wide Sound Stage
Do you wish to bring the concert hall to your ears?
This headphone or gear offers an ultra-wide soundstage, giving your music a spacious and immersive feel as if you're right there in the middle of a live performance.
If you see a product marked with "😳 Ultra-Wide Soundstage," it means this product is designed to deliver expansive audio, making your listening experience feel grand and enveloping, perfect for those who love a broad and detailed sound.
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Thick Bass / Kickass Bass
There are some headphones that just knock your socks off with high and impactful bass. There’s only one way to describe it - Kickass.
This headphone or gear is engineered to deliver powerful and thumping bass that adds an extra punch to your music, making every beat come alive.
If you see a product marked with "💣 Kickass Bass", it means this device is perfect for bass enthusiasts for an immersive audio experience that will make your music feel more intense and impactful.
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Crisp Vocals & Instruments
Vocals and Instruments sound too good, its like a warm hug.
This headphone or gear excels at delivering clear, clean vocals and instruments, making every sound pop.
If you see products marked as “🍿 Crisp Vocals & Instruments”, prepare for an audio experience where every word and note is perfectly articulated, letting you enjoy your music with pristine clarity and detail.
-
Audiophile Community Favourite
This headphone or gear has a seal of approval from our audiophile community.
It is hit among the pickiest of audio enthusiasts. It comes with two thumbs up and is the community’s and one of our favourites.
If you see a product marked as “🦋 Audiophile Community Favourite”, you're in for a sonic treat with top-tier sound quality that will make your ears swoon and elevate your listening experience to new heights!
-
Cult Following
Cause some things just demand the dedication.
This headphone or gear has a dedicated fanbase, adored by those in the know and praised for its audio quality.
If you see products marked as “🧑🏼🤝🧑🏼 Cult Following”, you’re about to join an exclusive club of enthusiasts who swear by its awesomeness, enjoying a product that stands out from the crowd and never fails to impress!
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Balanced Sound Signature
Perfectly Balanced, Accurately Presented.
This headphone or gear delivers a perfectly balanced audio profile, with highs, mids, and lows in sweet equilibrium.
If you see products marked as “⚖️ Balanced Sound Signature”, you’re set to enjoy a well-rounded listening experience where no single element overpowers the others, making your music sound just as the artist intended.
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Ultra-Wide Sound Stage
Do you wish to bring the concert hall to your ears?
This headphone or gear offers an ultra-wide soundstage, giving your music a spacious and immersive feel as if you're right there in the middle of a live performance.
If you see a product marked with "😳 Ultra-Wide Soundstage," it means this product is designed to deliver expansive audio, making your listening experience feel grand and enveloping, perfect for those who love a broad and detailed sound.
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Thick Bass / Kickass Bass
There are some headphones that just knock your socks off with high and impactful bass. There’s only one way to describe it - Kickass.
This headphone or gear is engineered to deliver powerful and thumping bass that adds an extra punch to your music, making every beat come alive.
If you see a product marked with "💣 Kickass Bass", it means this device is perfect for bass enthusiasts for an immersive audio experience that will make your music feel more intense and impactful.
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Layered and Nuanced Sound
Imagine sitting on the second row of a music hall. Instruments should sound like they are coming from different places on the stage - Layered and nuanced.
This headphone or gear is designed to deliver a rich, detailed audio experience, with every note and subtlety coming through crystal clear.
If you see a product marked with "🍰 Layered and Nuanced Sound," it means this device is crafted to provide an intricate soundscape, perfect for audiophiles who appreciate the depth and complexity in their music.
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Value for Money
Great sound always doesn't have to come with a fancy price tag.
Every once in a while we come across a product that give you a lot more value for the price.
If you see products marked as "🥜 Value For Money" you can be sure you're getting a great bang for your buck.
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Ideal for Beginners
Lost in the Audio Maze? Let Us Guide Your Beginner Audiophile Journey!
If you are a newcomer in the audio world, this headphone or gear is a stepping stone for those overwhelmed by the plethora of options available.
If you see a product marked with “🌱 Ideal for Beginners," it indicates that this device is perfect for starting your audiophile journey.
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Incredibly Popular
Some things deserve all the attention.
This headphone or gear is a crowd favourite, winning over fans everywhere with its undeniable audio quality.
If you see products marked as “🥇 Incredibly Popular”, you’re opting for a tried-and-true choice that’s loved by many, ensuring you're getting something that’s proven to be awesome and widely acclaimed.
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Works Great with Type-C
Don’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack on your phone? Don’t worry we got you covered.
This headphone or gear is fully compatible with Type-C USB connectors. Not only do they seamlessly connect to your device without needing an additonal dongle or adapter and ensures optimal performance without any hassle.
If you see a product marked as “📱 Works Great with Type-C”, you can be confident that you'll experience seamless connectivity with a universal connection standard that simplifies your audio setup.
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DAC Chip
Know the secret to your pristine audio.
This headphone or gear reveals the secret sauce behind superior audio quality, highlighting the presence of a high-performance DAC chip for pristine sound reproduction.
If you see products marked as “⚙️ DAC Chip”, expect to experience your music with unparalleled clarity, detail, and fidelity, ensuring that every note and nuance is faithfully reproduced for your listening pleasure.
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Power Output
When you need that juice to get the best out of your products.
This headphone or gear packs a punch, revealing the product's impressive power output capabilities, ensuring it can handle even the most demanding products with ease.
If you see products marked as “🚀 Power Output”, you're in for a treat with robust performance for driving high-fidelity products without breaking a sweat.
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Value for Money
Great sound always doesn't have to come with a fancy price tag.
Every once in a while we come across a product that give you a lot more value for the price.
If you see products marked as "🥜 Value For Money" you can be sure you're getting a great bang for your buck.
-
Ideal for Beginners
Lost in the Audio Maze? Let Us Guide Your Beginner Audiophile Journey!
If you are a newcomer in the audio world, this headphone or gear is a stepping stone for those overwhelmed by the plethora of options available.
If you see a product marked with “🌱 Ideal for Beginners," it indicates that this device is perfect for starting your audiophile journey.
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Battery Life
No need to be connected to the power socket with these devices.
This headphone or gear promises long-lasting battery performance, ensuring your device keeps up with your adventures without missing a beat.
If you see products marked as “⏳ Battery Life”, be rest assured that you'll enjoy extended usage time, whether it's for uninterrupted music playback, extended gaming sessions, or all-day productivity, keeping you powered up throughout your day.
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Storage
Storage is important. Even in this era of streaming music, you’d want to make sure you have enough space to store your amazing collection of music on your player. Imagine a long flight, it’s your offline files you’re going to be listening to.
Keeping your entire collection of Hi-Resolution music in one place is the most convenient way of carrying your music library. However, Hi-Resolution files are heavy. Most songs in a FLAC format can be about 100mb per track. So more space is always better.
Most players support both internal storage and expandable storage via an external memory card. Make sure you check both - the internal memory on players, and consider the maximum supported size of the expandable storage. It’s best to keep your library of offline files in expandable storage and use the internal storage for saving files from streaming apps.
At the time of writing this article, MicroSD cards for 256 GB were easily available and affordable for less than Rs. 2000. Higher capacity cards are also available, but that seems to be the sweet spot.
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DAC Chip
Know the secret to your pristine audio.
This headphone or gear reveals the secret sauce behind superior audio quality, highlighting the presence of a high-performance DAC chip for pristine sound reproduction.
If you see products marked as “⚙️ DAC Chip”, expect to experience your music with unparalleled clarity, detail, and fidelity, ensuring that every note and nuance is faithfully reproduced for your listening pleasure.
-
Power Output
When you need that juice to get the best out of your products.
This headphone or gear packs a punch, revealing the product's impressive power output capabilities, ensuring it can handle even the most demanding products with ease.
If you see products marked as “🚀 Power Output”, you're in for a treat with robust performance for driving high-fidelity products without breaking a sweat.
TO BE RESTOCKED BY December
Intro
Today we're looking at a very special IEM that we've just unboxed - The Sennheiser IE200. Now it's been a while since we've spoken about Sennheiser's IEMs, I think it was a while back and was looking at the Sennheiser CX 180 which was a very cheap entry level In-Ear earphone. That was insanely popular here in India a few years back and obviously that video was a video where I spoke about how bad those earphones sound and honestly why it does a lot of disrespect for a wonderful audio brand like Sennheiser to have cheap entry-level models. Here is the kicker, today's video is also about a relatively affordable entry level In-Ear Monitor but the IE200 is anything but bad sounding. It is the most affordable IEM of Sennheiser's IE lineup. A few years back we saw Sennheiser release the IE300 and the IE900 which were insane sounding IEMs which really really got out the very best of Sennheiser's audio engineering legacy to create IEMs which audiophiles all around the world love. The IE600 released a few months ago are easily one of my favourite IEMs from Sennheiser. They are fun they are detailed, they're analytical and every audiophile around the world will swear by how great they sound.
Perception About Audiophilia
Here's the problem with audiophilia in general, there's a perception people have that good sounding earphones cost a lot of money, that you get into this hobby you're gonna have to splurge money to get something expensive for it to sound good. The IE200 changes that. It's very similar, very similar to the other models of the IE series. It has the same sound signature, the same philosophy but tuned to make it a little bit more accessible and a lot more cheaper. This is priced at only 13000 rupees and it's the kind of IEM that everyone who's getting into the audiophilia hobby needs to have. Why? One it's German, it's manufactured in China but it's distinctly German. There is nothing Chinese about these earphones, they are superbly well engineered, they look fantastic, they're incredibly lightweight and comfortable. It sits on everybody's ears well and it's very distinctly a Sennheiser IE series IEM and it's got the same form factor and shape as the one and a half lakh rupee IE900 but made with much lesser cheaper plastic materials that feels premium for the price point but the fact is you're getting a superbly premium audiophile experience in the build quality and the design for a supremely affordable price. It comes with detachable MMCX cable something that we've seen from other Sennheiser IEM models as well and it comes with a range of different silicon and foam ear tips all of which are things any audiophile IEM should have, You can swap these cables out, use your favourite MMCX aftermarket cable and use this along with the balance cable to really make a big difference to the sound quality if you're using a Hi-Res audio player or a DAC that has a balanced output.
IE200 Vs IE300 - Sound
Okay if I can really talk about the sound of the IE200 it's a little hard to come up with a lot of different adjectives except to say it's superbly well balanced. I had to compare it to the IE300 which is just a little bit more expensive at about 20,000 Rupees to really give you a relative comparison between the two. The IE300 too is a superbly well balanced IEM but the IE300 seems a little bit more technical, a little bit more analytical, it has a little bit more details, a little bit more resolution and the IE200 is just made to be slightly more fun. There's a little bit of a bump in the mid-range there's a little bit of a bass extension, there's a little bit of sparkle that's there in the treble and it's made to be something that someone who's looking at buying the first serious IEM is going to be blown away by. For me the one thing that you're going to hear on this IEM that you probably haven't heard from a lot of the cheaper products is a lot of width and layering in The Sound Stage. You'll hear instruments which are very well separated forming a really beautiful virtual stage in front of you where different instruments are placed in different places. To find this at this price range is difficult and to find that in an IEM that looks and feels this beautiful impossible until now. The earphones themselves uses a single seven millimeter Dynamic driver and for those of you who are big chi-fi fans out there who have been following this channel can easily say “Hey listen there's this other IEM and this other IEM has four and six and eight different drivers packed into each side and this just have one”. What I'm going to remind you is that the IE900 which costs a lakh and a half also has just one Dynamic driver but sounds absolutely insane. So it's no surprise that just one seven millimeter Dynamic driver can do great justice to a wide range of frequencies and have virtually no distortion on them at all.
Tweaking The Sound Signature
Something Sennheiser would want me to talk about in this video. They have come up with with a really ingenious and very simple way of allowing you to tweak the sound signature on the IE200 just a little bit to suit your tastes. Now something that a lot of us who have been in the hobby for a while will tell you that if the IEMs are pressed closer to the ear, the bass just sounds fuller and if you use your ear tips to kind of space your earphones out a little bit it cools down the bass little bit and giving a little bit more emphasis on the treble and the mid-range. You can do that with a lot of ease and simplicity on the IE200 because the design allows you to change the placement of the eartips just a little bit. You can either pull them out thereby moving your earphones further away and reducing the bass, giving you a very analytical sound or you can push them in moving the earphones closer to the ear giving you a thicker fuller bass. Now here's my advice for someone who is listening to music at home with their player with their DAC and wants a fun musical experience, you're going to push the earphones all the way in to get that thick bass. If you're someone who is going to be using this on stage, as an In-Ear Monitor while performing and you really should do that If you're a performer, you can pull the ear tips out a little bit to just get a much cleaner flatter sound that's going to give you a great idea of what the music sounds like to the crowd.
Pairing With A DAC Or DAP
Now to really use your monitors like this I have to remind you guys again and again and again that you don't want to be plugging in these earphones into your phone or laptop and hitting play. It's just not going to do it justice. Number one you need to be using high resolution or lossless music from your favourite streaming service something like apple music does that. It's inexpensive and it does a great job of it. The second is that you can't be using the inbuilt digital to analog converter or DAC on your phone, it simply cannot play high resolution music and sounds terrible so using a dongle DAC to play the IE200 is going to make a huge difference to the listening experience. You can plug the DAC it into Android using USB-C and iOS devices using lightning adaptor and it drives the IE200 beautifully, improving the sound quality in virtually every way. DAC are also supremely inexpensive and you can get one for less than 5,000 rupees and it completely elevates what your 13,000 rupee IE200s can do. So I highly recommend that you get yourself a dongle DAC or a dedicated hi-res audio player. The cheapest ones are as cheap as 10,000 rupees like the Shanling M0 Pro. So for less than 25,000 rupees you have a complete audiophile setup. Audiophiles are just normal consumers listening to music on the go.
Conclusion
Everyone knows the Sennheiser brand name it's synonymous with German Precision, Engineering, high quality, great service and ultimately known for making cutting-edge products across the world. The IE200 is now the most accessible, affordable, high-end audiophile In-Ear Monitor that's made for everyone. There are several reasons I really like this product. I don't need to tell people that this is a good sounding earphone. The Sennheiser brand name does that. I don't need to tell people that this is very very different from every other Wireless and True Wireless earphone that's out there. The fact that it's a premium wired earphone tells everyone there.
Here's what I want you to walk away with from this video then listening to music on high quality gear and really pursuing audiophilia as a hobby does not have to be expensive. So guys if you are in and around Mumbai drop by experience Studio come listen to the IE200s for yourself and if you're from any other part of the country join us at a headphone connect event that's happening near you where you'll get to meet us and the entire team and the Sennheiser IE200 is definitely going to be there on the IEM bar for you to listen to.
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