Sennheiser IE 4 vs BASN Bmaster

Short answer: the Sennheiser IE 4, though neither ranks well in its class. It ranks #425 of 450 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 2.3/5, at $89; the BASN Bmaster ranks #429, rated 2.0/5, and costs $91.99, which makes this an easy call rather than a real tradeoff. Both are rated below 3.0/5 among the 450 in-ear headphones; for better sound, the Intuaura Reference 2019 ranks #5 at $34.99.

The case for the Sennheiser IE 4: Sub-bass and bass both sit more than 6 dB above target and extend fully to 20 Hz, a good match for listeners who want big, rumbling bass and a V shaped sound. The catch: A huge 15.3 dB peak near 5.1 kHz and presence about 10 dB above target make vocals and snares sound shouty and fatiguing.

The case for the BASN Bmaster: The hybrid driver setup pairs two dynamic drivers with a balanced armature, and the wired connection means no battery or pairing to manage. The catch: Presence from 3 to 6 kHz runs about 8.8 dB under target, with a 9.5 dB dip near 4 kHz, so vocals and guitars lose bite and sound recessed.

Buy the Sennheiser IE 4. It is rated higher for sound quality than the BASN Bmaster and costs less, which makes it the one to get unless you need something the other one does better.

Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.

Specifications Side By Side

Related Headphone Comparisons

How Sennheiser IE 4 compares with other leading options:

• Sennheiser IE 200 vs Sennheiser IE 4
• Sennheiser IE 4 vs Sennheiser IE 600
• Sennheiser IE 4 vs Sennheiser IE 900
• Questyle NHB12 vs Sennheiser IE 4
• KZ ZAS vs Sennheiser IE 4

Prices on this page were last checked October 11, 2026 at 4:59 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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The Two Headphones In Full

Sennheiser IE 4: $89.00 B&H Photo Video eBay

Pros: Sub-bass and bass both sit more than 6 dB above target and extend fully to 20 Hz, a good match for listeners who want big, rumbling bass and a V shaped sound. The 16 ohm impedance and 106 dB/V sensitivity let it run fine from a phone. It is rated level with the CCA PLA13 at a similar price.

Cons: A huge 15.3 dB peak near 5.1 kHz and presence about 10 dB above target make vocals and snares sound shouty and fatiguing. The KZ ZAS is rated higher and costs less.

Full Sennheiser IE 4 review and specifications →

Released	2005 (21 years ago)
Back	Closed
Connection	Wired
Deviation From Target	3.59 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Dynamic
Drivers	1 x dynamic
Form Factor	In-ear
Frequency Response	40Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified)
Harman Preference Score	53 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Impedance	16 ohms
Sensitivity	106 dB SPL/V
Sub-bass Extension	Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+5.6 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-0.43 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)

EQ preset to match the Harman target

Set a preamp of -5.2 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	-3.3 dB	0.70
Peak	1,393 Hz	+6.5 dB	0.39
Peak	4,512 Hz	-13.3 dB	0.97
Peak	8,609 Hz	+6.4 dB	1.20
Peak	200 Hz	-2.3 dB	1.14
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-1.0 dB	0.70
Peak	2,324 Hz	+2.4 dB	3.14
Peak	3,227 Hz	-4.2 dB	4.39
Peak	64 Hz	+0.9 dB	2.17
Peak	4,107 Hz	+2.7 dB	6.00

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the Sennheiser IE 4 (oratory1990 measurement)
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Sennheiser IE 4 vs CCA PLA13
  • Sennheiser IE 4 vs Zero Audio Duoza ZH-DWX10
  • Sennheiser IE 4 vs KZ ZAS
  • Sennheiser IE 4 vs Questyle NHB12
  • Sennheiser IE 4 vs Sennheiser IE 900
  • Sennheiser IE 4 vs Sennheiser IE 600
  • Sennheiser IE 4 vs Sennheiser IE 200

BASN Bmaster: $91.99 Amazon eBay

Pros: The hybrid driver setup pairs two dynamic drivers with a balanced armature, and the wired connection means no battery or pairing to manage. In HypetheSonics’ measurement bass sits about 2.6 dB above the Harman target and sub-bass is close to target, so the tuning suits listeners who want a warm, bass-forward sound. It also rates higher than the 1MORE Quad Driver at a lower price.

Cons: Presence from 3 to 6 kHz runs about 8.8 dB under target, with a 9.5 dB dip near 4 kHz, so vocals and guitars lose bite and sound recessed. Treble and air are also down by roughly 3.7 dB and 8.1 dB, which leaves cymbals dull and the overall sound closed in. The preference score of 49 is well below what most listeners prefer.

Full BASN Bmaster review and specifications →

Back	Closed
Connection	Wired
Deviation From Target	3.69 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Hybrid (2 dynamic + 1 balanced armature)
Drivers	2 x dynamic + 1 x balanced armature
Form Factor	In-ear
Harman Preference Score	49 (measured by HypetheSonics, via AutoEQ)
Sub-bass Extension	Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.6 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-1.43 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)

EQ preset to match the Harman target

Set a preamp of -6.6 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	-2.6 dB	0.70
Peak	3,536 Hz	+6.0 dB	0.95
Peak	178 Hz	-4.1 dB	0.82
Peak	1,707 Hz	-5.4 dB	1.07
Peak	4,911 Hz	+1.8 dB	0.18
High shelf	10,000 Hz	+1.5 dB	0.70
Peak	7,135 Hz	-3.6 dB	5.21
Peak	9,859 Hz	+2.0 dB	2.95
Peak	5,469 Hz	+1.4 dB	4.91
Peak	62 Hz	+0.4 dB	2.03

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the BASN Bmaster (HypetheSonics measurement)
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • BASN Bmaster vs Zero Audio Duoza ZH-DWX10
  • BASN Bmaster vs CCA PLA13
  • BASN Bmaster vs 1MORE Quad Driver
  • BASN Bmaster vs HIFIMAN RE600S
  • BASN Bmaster vs 1MORE Triple Driver