Sennheiser IE 4 vs Sennheiser IE 900

Short answer: the Sennheiser IE 900 on measured sound quality, the Sennheiser IE 4 on price. The Sennheiser IE 900 ranks #92 of 148 in-ear headphones, rated 3.1/5, at $1,299.95. The Sennheiser IE 4 ranks #123, rated 2.3/5, at $89, $1,210.95 cheaper.

Why pick 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. Watch for: 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 Sennheiser IE 900 is the better-sounding option. Oratory1990 measured sub-bass and bass within about 1.2 dB of target, so the low end is tidy and controlled. Watch for: Presence from 3 to 6 kHz is about 6.7 dB below the Harman target, with an 8.8 dB dip near 3.6 kHz, which recesses vocals and removes some bite.

Buy the Sennheiser IE 4 when the price outweighs sound quality for you, and the Sennheiser IE 900 when sound quality outweighs the price instead.

Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.

Specifications Side By Side

Related Headphone Comparisons

How Sennheiser IE 900 compares with other leading options:

• Sennheiser IE 200 vs Sennheiser IE 900
• Sennheiser IE 600 vs Sennheiser IE 900
• Sennheiser IE 4 vs Sennheiser IE 600
• Sennheiser IE 200 vs Sennheiser IE 4
• Shure SE215 vs Jabra Elite Active 65t

Prices on this page were last checked October 10, 2026 at 5:37 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 Sennheiser IE 600
  • Sennheiser IE 4 vs Sennheiser IE 200

Sennheiser IE 900: $1,299.95 Amazon eBay

Pros: Oratory1990 measured sub-bass and bass within about 1.2 dB of target, so the low end is tidy and controlled. Sensitivity of 123 dB SPL/V and a 16 ohm impedance make it easy to drive from a phone, and the 7mm dynamic driver is rated to reach from 5 Hz to 48 kHz. Top-octave air sits about 3.6 dB above target for an open, detailed treble.

Cons: Presence from 3 to 6 kHz is about 6.7 dB below the Harman target, with an 8.8 dB dip near 3.6 kHz, which recesses vocals and removes some bite. A preference score of 63 is modest for such a premium product, and the HIFIMAN RE2000 has a higher rating at a lower price.

Full Sennheiser IE 900 review and specifications →

Released	2021 (5 years ago)
Back	Closed
Connection	Wired
Deviation From Target	2.82 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Dynamic
Drivers	1 x 7mm dynamic
Form Factor	In-ear
Frequency Response	5Hz - 48kHz (Manufacturer specified)
Harman Preference Score	63 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Impedance	16 ohms
Sensitivity	123 dB SPL/V
Sub-bass Extension	Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.7 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-0.92 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)

EQ preset to match the Harman target

Set a preamp of -6.3 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	-2.3 dB	0.70
Peak	4,081 Hz	+5.0 dB	2.86
Peak	204 Hz	-2.6 dB	1.13
Peak	1,472 Hz	-2.7 dB	2.33
Peak	2,956 Hz	+5.2 dB	2.42
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-4.4 dB	0.70
Peak	67 Hz	+0.6 dB	1.76
Peak	26 Hz	-0.9 dB	3.19
Peak	729 Hz	+0.4 dB	2.54
Peak	376 Hz	-0.4 dB	2.69

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the Sennheiser IE 900 (oratory1990 measurement)
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Sennheiser IE 900 vs Sennheiser IE 600
  • Sennheiser IE 900 vs Sennheiser IE 200