Sennheiser IE 900 Guide for PC

Part of the IE 900 experience includes taking the time to enjoy the tactility of the earphones. The lightweight aluminum milled housing slips into the ear like a ring on your finger. After all, this is a marriage of sorts between you and Sennheiser, in the way that Sennheiser supplies signed paperwork and you share your finances. Getting the right fit is important because the majority of the IE 900 features hinge upon it. If the supplied ear tips do not fit you, I urge you to try a third party option. A poor fit negatively impacts isolation, and by extension audio quality.

In my ears with the size small foam ear tips, the IE 900 is comfortable, but it sits pretty deep in my ear canal, which creates a feeling of pressure. The silicone ear tips are less obtrusive and I can leave them in for longer without much fatigue, though they don’t isolate as well. Despite having a similar look to the Sennheiser IE 300, the IE 900 feels more comfortable for longer periods. With this style of earphone, I notice that when I bob my head to a song’s bassline, the sound noticeably alters because movement shakes the IE 900 out of place. Even though the fit is secure, it’s very sensitive to tiny changes.

Does the Sennheiser IE 900 work with Bluetooth?
The IE 900 can work with the Bluetooth Sennheiser IE BT Connector for portable playback, which we reviewed with the IE 100 PRO Wireless. While you can use the IE 900 to stream wireless audio, it sort of defeats the purpose of the product. For most folks, casual listening doesn’t require high-resolution audio, and the individual who purchases an audiophile product like the IE 900 looks for the features like the extended 5Hz to 48kHz frequency response, which Bluetooth can’t support.

What do you get with the Sennheiser IE 900?

The Sennheiser IE 900 open case with included detachable cables, different sized ear tips, and cleaning tool, all set on a wood surface.
Prestige is the first word that comes to mind, as I open the box for the IE 900. Sennheiser places a certificate of authenticity within each box that promises this set has undergone a quality check, and each pair of transducers has been hand-selected. You get a signature (in ink) and the handwritten serial number of your in-ear monitors on the certificate, as well as on the somewhat hefty carrying case. The case works well, but it’s too clunky to fit anywhere but your desk, backpack, or large purse.

Six sets of ear tips (three made of foam and three made of silicone) come in the box along with a cleaning tool with a microfiber cloth, an optional lapel clip, and three choices of hardy para-aramid cables round out the bundle. Generally, I use the standard 3.5mm connection for my lossless audio listening. Sennheiser also ships it with 2.5mm and 4.4mm cables. The MMCX cables satisfyingly snap into place. Subtle L and R indicators on the housings direct you which goes where. The cable has a gentle memory wire that holds it in place when bent and curved over the top of the ear.

Does the Sennheiser IE 900 have good isolation?
Yes, isolation is great with the Sennheiser IE 900. You don’t get any new fangled active noise cancellation (ANC), but that just means there’s one less point of failure to worry about.

Isolation costs you zero power (it’s nice to not charge headphones, right?), and great isolation results from solid engineering. You can effectively block out anyone on the bus trying to talk to you. You won’t even know if bus neighbors are chatting up a storm because the IE 900 successfully isolates you via the effective physical barrier that comes with a well-sealed ear.

Typically isolation does its best work with high-pitched sounds, and the Sennheiser IE 900 is no different. It does, however, sweep the spectrum with at least around a 10dB reduction of sounds across the board and up to around 45dB in the high mids and treble.