Sennheiser IE 600 vs Sennheiser IE 800

Short answer: the Sennheiser IE 600. It ranks #530 of 865 in-ear headphones by sound quality (rated 3.5/5) at $699.95 and is still sold new; the Sennheiser IE 800 ranks #827 (rated 1.6/5) and is discontinued, so it is only an option used.

The Sennheiser IE 600 is the better-sounding pick. Sub-bass extends to 20 Hz with a slight 1.7 dB lift, and bass, low mids and upper mids all sit within about 1.3 dB of target, so the core of most music sounds full and natural. Watch for: In oratory1990’s measurement a 7.6 dB dip near 5.9 kHz and a presence band 5.5 dB under target take bite out of vocals and guitars, while a 4.7 dB peak near 9.7 kHz can sound sharp.

The case for the Sennheiser IE 800: Bass is lifted about 2.8 dB with extension to 20 Hz, giving kick drums and bass lines extra weight. The catch: Discontinued, so it is mainly found used.

Buy the Sennheiser IE 600. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the Sennheiser IE 800 is discontinued, so it is only available used.

Want more options? Browse the full Headphones rankings.

Specifications Side By Side

Related Headphone Comparisons

How Sennheiser IE 600 compares with other leading options:

• Sennheiser IE 200 vs Sennheiser IE 600
• HIFIMAN RE2000 vs Sennheiser IE 600
• Sennheiser IE 600 vs Symphonium Audio Triton
• Sennheiser IE 600 vs JVC HA-FW1500
• Sennheiser IE 600 vs OpenAudio Mercury

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The Two Headphones In Full

Sennheiser IE 600: $699.95 B&H Photo Video $699.95 eBay

Same family: the Sennheiser IE 200 (lower-end model, ranked higher, rated 4.4/5) and the Sennheiser IE 900 (higher-end model, ranked lower, rated 3.1/5).

Pros: Sub-bass extends to 20 Hz with a slight 1.7 dB lift, and bass, low mids and upper mids all sit within about 1.3 dB of target, so the core of most music sounds full and natural. Air above 10 kHz is lifted about 5.6 dB, adding sparkle to cymbals and room sound. At 118 dB/V it is easy to drive from a phone, and it suits listeners who like a bassy or warm tilt.

Cons: In oratory1990’s measurement a 7.6 dB dip near 5.9 kHz and a presence band 5.5 dB under target take bite out of vocals and guitars, while a 4.7 dB peak near 9.7 kHz can sound sharp. The FiiO FD5 and iBasso IT04 both carry higher ratings for considerably less money.

Full Sennheiser IE 600 review and specifications →

Released	Mar 2022 (4 years ago)
Back	Closed
Built-in Microphone	No
Connection	Wired
Deviation From Target	2.46 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Dynamic
Drivers	1 x 7mm dynamic
Form Factor	In-ear
Frequency Response	4Hz - 46.5kHz (Manufacturer specified)
Harman Preference Score	67 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Impedance	18 ohms
Sensitivity	118 dB SPL/V
Sub-bass Extension	Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+2.3 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-0.80 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)
Weight	0 lbs (6 g) per earbud

EQ preset to match the Harman target

Set a preamp of -5.3 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	-2.7 dB	0.70
Peak	4,374 Hz	+5.0 dB	1.28
Peak	196 Hz	-1.9 dB	1.50
Peak	1,727 Hz	-2.8 dB	1.16
Peak	798 Hz	+1.5 dB	1.45
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-7.6 dB	0.70
Peak	72 Hz	+1.4 dB	1.93
Peak	5,857 Hz	+3.3 dB	5.80
Peak	143 Hz	-0.7 dB	3.18
Peak	4,796 Hz	-0.6 dB	4.12

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the Sennheiser IE 600 (oratory1990 measurement)
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Sennheiser IE 600 vs JVC HA-FW1500
  • Sennheiser IE 600 vs Symphonium Audio Triton
  • Sennheiser IE 600 vs OpenAudio Mercury
  • Sennheiser IE 600 vs HIFIMAN RE2000
  • Sennheiser IE 600 vs Sennheiser IE 900
  • Sennheiser IE 600 vs Sennheiser IE 4
  • Sennheiser IE 600 vs Sennheiser IE 300
  • Sennheiser IE 600 vs Sennheiser IE 200

Sennheiser IE 800 Discontinued eBay

Pros: Bass is lifted about 2.8 dB with extension to 20 Hz, giving kick drums and bass lines extra weight. Lower mids sit within about 0.6 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural. It uses 1 x 7mm dynamic with an easy 16 ohm load.

Cons: Discontinued, so it is mainly found used. Presence sits about 8.4 dB low with a 10.8 dB dip near 3.5 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite. A 6.7 dB peak near 10.8 kHz can make cymbals and sibilance sound sharp. A Harman score of 44 places it in the lower part of the in-ear rankings.

Full Sennheiser IE 800 review and specifications →

Released	2012 (14 years ago)
Connection	Wired
Deviation From Target	4.08 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Dynamic
Drivers	1 x 7mm dynamic
Form Factor	In-ear
Frequency Response	5Hz - 46.5kHz
Harman Preference Score	44 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Impedance	16 ohms
Sensitivity	125 dB/Vrms
Sub-bass Extension	Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.6 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-1.44 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)
Weight	0 lbs (8 g)

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	-3.4 dB	0.70
Peak	3,961 Hz	+6.0 dB	1.84
Peak	180 Hz	-4.8 dB	0.63
Peak	2,501 Hz	+5.0 dB	2.58
Peak	71 Hz	+1.4 dB	0.98
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-9.4 dB	0.70
Peak	1,259 Hz	-1.2 dB	2.44
Peak	6,365 Hz	+3.3 dB	5.68
Peak	10,000 Hz	-1.4 dB	5.79
Peak	1,995 Hz	+0.8 dB	3.83

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the Sennheiser IE 800 (oratory1990 measurement)
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Sennheiser IE 800 vs Sennheiser IE 300
  • Sennheiser IE 800 vs Sennheiser IE 4
  • Sennheiser IE 800 vs Sennheiser IE 900
  • Sennheiser IE 800 vs Sennheiser IE 200