64audio U12T also prepping for the tour any day now.
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Sennheiser IE200 - A Ultimate Chill Fix.
February 10
Pros:
- Tiny & Solid Build
- Sub Bass Extension that nicely transitions into bass.
- Presents a nice stage with great depth and height. With all prerequires being met. Tips/Power/Source
- Vocals are nicely replayed* With Correct Tips
- Macro Dynamic are great in bass boosted profile, with correct tips and power.
Cons:
- Needs a cable out of the box that wonât strangle you or vice versa. If you wear glasses the plastic ear hoors makes all kinds of noise and is super distracting.
- Needs a mod to block the âTuning hole and vent slotâ Not a super big deal a 3mm x 15mm piece of black tape and a few minutes of time to fix a major design flaw.
- Needs Power to sound good. Just off of a phone is very bad.
- Sennheiser Proprietary MMCX connectors. Though a very good connection with benefits not easy/cheap or abundantly easy to source out new cables especially if you only have one product that needs this connection.
- Micro dynamics suffers with vents blocked a bit compared to the first position with the vent hole somewhat exposed with the chanel.
- Upgraded Tip Dependent.
- Source Sensitive. Warmer sources to me sound to not bring out the highs or micro dynamics
- Power Pig to get the correct dynamics out of the IE200
Now letâs get into it: The Techy Stuff
The single dynamic driver is an 7mm Dynamic Driver. Bla Bla BlaâŚ
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: IE 200 | Sennheiser
Subjective Part of my Audio Review - Sennheiser IE200
Purchased by me from Amazon.ca $199.95 CAD
Hello Ladies & Gents: Thanks for reading my feedback.
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP and KiwiEars Cadenza. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied and depends on my mood. See track list below.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the IE200 after tip rolling. - I Found for me the DUNU S&S L tips for me were fantastic once you block the vent port with tape then all that was left was stage and comfort.
I always use Wide Bore Tips and the S&S tips are in there but because of their longer nature without taper you can get a deeper insertion works for the IE200 nicely.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Letâs Begin:
Honestly first impression were less than favorable. Kind of funny , I normally use in a portable set up first but because the IE200 only comes with a Single Ended - Non balanced option and my sources and cables were very limited. I started off on the desk with the AKM J2 and Topping A90D.
Thatâs when I used the Shanling UP5 single ended output from my phone and listened to a ESS dac and knew we were going in the right direction
It was only after I went to my listening chair and just used the iBasso DX160 did I do a double take. So I had a suspicion the IE200 was really source sensitive.
After some more burn in the next day I swapped out the AKM j2 with the iBasso as the source with the CS chip strait to the A90D and two things became immediately clear.
THE IE200 NEEDS POWER AND ITS FUSSY ON SOURCES.
The CS source added in just a tad of the weight for male vocals and proper instrument tone while providing the more resolving clean nature needed to make female vocals sound right. Thanks Melissa Ethridge.
My observations were the AKM in the J2 was just too warm and the ESS 9219 in the UP5 a tad too clean and bright. Much as I preference with this IEM the ever slight weight the CS dacs was the perfect middle ground. I canât speak for other reviewers but sometimes I wonder if they put in the time & effort to give whatever they are reviewing its due respect?
Since I didnât have a balance IEM cable with Special Sennheiser MMCX ends, I again reached out to my Hakugei Ali express seller and he made me my favorite cloth cable for $25.
If youâre interested leave a comment and I post the link.
So final set up listening was done with the iBasso DX160 to the A90D and out single ended. DUNU S&S tips and a few Oktoberfest beers.
#1 âBring Me Some Waterâ by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissaâs voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
Great I mean really nice depth and when I got the right tips and source her voice was perfect.
#2 âPaint It Blackâ by The Rolling Stones
(I use this track because I love hearing how well the IEM can give me a sense of stage and placement. At 28 Seconds you can hear Mic change his position and face towards the Mic on the left side with the overall stage outside of your head)
My notes have big Stage Height with a happy face and another note wicked 3D!
#4 & 5 âHouse Of Broken Loveâ & âRock Meâ Great White
(80âS Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and whatâs the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With âRock Meâ same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
Ok for the rest of the these test tracks I started comparing to my EJ07Mâs as I started to realize the cheaper ones I had and not even close in the same league as the IE200.
That being said my re-tuned sub boosted EjâS didnât and the IE200 were very close in texture and actually the IE200 had a tad more quality and texture.
#6 âChemical Mentalistâ The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
SLAMS FULLSTOP!
#7 âIts Timeâ by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because itâs a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEMâs get sibilant.)
Vocals sound great by all 3 singers no sibilance at all with the IE200
#8 âAll My Friends Are Hereâ Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as âA rock guitarist trying to control a wild beastâ
Great Snap, here I wish the Senny had more extension in the ultra-highs.
#9 âBlue Lineâ by Massive Attack
(16 seconds in someone taking a big hit of the Sticky Green Stuff - does it come through as a realistic effect? Also listing for how well the baritone vocals sound?) Such a soft vocal track here is hard to reproduce.
Wishing it has a bit more vocal energy on this track. A really great sense of depth with the way the vocals are presented
#10 âA Whiter Shade Of Paleâ Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annieâs voice this is so cool)
The IE200 did a great job on her voice , sounded natural well done
#11 âYesterdayâs Yesterdayâ Another song by Joe Satriani
(This is a cool track. Joe Eric & Jim whistling at the beginning with 1000 insect buzzing overlay is trippy. Then the three of them play a different guitar L C R Just a fun track to listen to how different IEMâs reproduce this song)
The IE200 made this a fun listen on a fun track.
#12 âShape Of My Heartâ Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
Here I felt the guitar plucks couls have been snappier and more resolving showing its weakness on the driver.
#13 âWishing You Would Stayâ by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Hollyâs voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
Both singers vocals were excellent with the correct tonality and weight. Sounded natural.
#14 âAvenue Aâ Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEMâS you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
On this track its cool when you notice something in a song you never noticed before. In this track I could hear 2 Different mics on Tom. One on the Guitar lower and Left and the other higher on his head level. I guess that goes back to the IE200 really neat way it presents its stage.
#15 âSummertimeâ Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ellaâs voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
Again what a beautifully done stage presentation. I was wishing for more resolution with this song on the clarity and vocals but a bit of a trade-off with less high frequency energy
#16 âEdenâ Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the stringâs tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low thatâs what I am listening for )
Piano has nice note weight and I actually prefer the IE200 over the EJâs on this one.
#17 âBlue Trainâ Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Ponchoâs drums )
So Musical how the Senny replayed this track beautiful and special. Wicked stage high and wide.
#18 â Wake Up â Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest â Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity â and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental )
Oliverâs voice is spot on nice & smooth, all female back up was very well done. This music and IEM you can listen to endlessly.
#19 â My Girl â Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix )
At 1:30 you can hear drums go from back right to center distinctively getting closer and then panning left ever closer with all that and a great width and 3D stage
#20" The Day That Never Comes" Metallica from S&M2
(Bonus track I throw in for the toe tapping impression;)
MY NOTES: - Kick Drums amazing this track the bass actually plays lower with more authority than the Ej"s like What! OH HELL YEAH! Play this one loud.
SUMMARY & FINAL THOUGHTS FOR: TruthEar Hola
The overall presentation of the IE200 was a fun sounding IEM. The bass is not lacking and not often I felt I was left with wanting more. A few tracks I wished the IE200 had two of the drivers per side but not often.
The Stage is the real most notable thing I liked on the IE200. Great width and fantastic depth and height. For me with these tips I really liked the way the Senny presented the stage in a really smooth way.
Overall the IE200 I found gives you a very natural organic presentation across the board when it comes to instruments as well as Vocals.
Now on the critical wish list. The IE200 is not the most resolving IEM and that also I think gives the Senny some of its special sauce. And the only thing I would change is giving it a bit more resolving power by boosting the ultra highs and giving the IE200 more treble extension.
I think the IE200 will develop a cult like the IE600 has done to audio enthusiasts the world over. IF AND BIG IF here people are willing to take the time to Tip Roll/Source Roll if possible and buy a cable hopefully balanced so you can pump juice into this thing.
If you put the effort in and know its quirks you going to end up with a super comfortable IEM you can listen to forever and have a big grin on your face.
The IE200 is simply inoffensive and is special in the way it serves you the music I think its worthy for your stable and worth the money.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
4 Likes
KBear Believe
9mm Beryllium Dynamic Driver
17 ohm resistance
98 dB sensitivity
20Hz-20kHz frequency response.
Pros:
â Good build
â Good fit
â Great sounding
Cons:
â Discontinued
Shout out to Kingnubian for loaning me the KBear Believe. I appreciate the opportunity to experience it. 
The Believe was released late 2020 so itâs been around a couple years now and there are already plenty of on line reviews, so Iâm just going to jot some quick thoughts.
I typically default to my AK SP2000T when listening to new ear gear because Iâm very familiar with this DAP and it gives continuity to a baseline starting point.
I found the Believe benefits from extra power applied, so I chose to do the lengthy listening sessions with AK Kann Max set to high gain, and found the KBear most enjoyable on this source.
4.4 Balanced pure copper cable, Moondrop spring tips.
Sub bass is lean, itâs there, but even on bass heavy rap and hip hop tracks it remains subdued, and doesnât extend low.
Mid bass carryâs the low end and does it well, it has good punch/impact. Decay is fairly fast, it encroaches on the mids enough to add warmth, but doesnât overwhelm.
Mids elevate nicely above the bass and present forward. They are clean, clear and detailed.
Vocals also present forward, clear and well defined. both male and female vocals sound quite natural and accurate but with a hint of bright timbre.
Highs are bright and crisp with decent air. Good macro detail and decent micro detail. Iâm somewhat treble sensitive in the 8-9kHZ region and I donât find the Believe harsh or sibilant, but on certain tracks the highs can edge toward the hot zone. (For me)
Head Stage is very good.
Believe has a low noise floor that provides a nice clear and open head stage.
Width is fully between the ears, a touch outside the head.
Height is good, airy highs lift it high, but lack of sub bass fails to pull the very low.
Depth is good, vocals and some instruments present forward providing nice front to rear dimension.
The KBear is a strong all rounder and a very enjoyable listen imo.
I doesnât want for much, other than a bit more sub bass presence.
My only regret with Believe is that I didnât take advantage of the opportunity to listen to it back when it was a current offering.
â Below is a bit about me, and the type of music used during my listening sessions. If you give a cats meow about that stuffâŚâŚ
** note: I try to be objective, but obviously I am biased somewhat by my personal preference for sound signature. I lean toward a more balanced sound with perhaps a slight mids forward bias, good bass, good mids, good treble.
I am somewhat treble sensitive in the 8-9K range.
I do NOT consider myself a professional/career reviewer as I have no formal training as a sound engineer or musician.
- i.e. the thoughts presented here are strictly personal opinion based on my hearing, your mileage may vary.
** My hearing taps out at around 12.5 kHz, I can hear 12.5 but itâs more a background sound. I think it is fair to note this.
âAirâ is typically a reference to treble that is present above 12.5 kHz, it is therefore beyond my hearing capability. When I reference âairâ in a sound evaluation Iâm referring to where I perceive the positioning of the upper treble ranges, ie. where they present themselves within the sound stage/head stage.
*** I have large ear canals, and typically the stock tips included with most IEM donât fit well for me. I have a selection of third party ear tips that fit well in most cases so I default to these. I will identify my tips of choice, but unfortunately, seldom can I comment on the stock offerings.
- Music:
varied selection of tracks from my playlists played from SD card. FLAC 44 through 192 and DSD 2.8 (64) through 22.4 (512)
My mainstay are Blues, Rock, Jazz, Country, Classical.
I also streamed Apple lossless for electronic, R&B, Death Metal, etc. to get a well rounded experience of how well this IEM handles a variety of genres.
2 Likes
1 Like
Celest (Kinera) RUYI
Mic Cable for IEM.
$30.00
Kinera provided this sample in exchange for my unbiased thoughts.
Mic cables are useful for on line gaming or answering calls while listening to music. I donât game, so I wonât be able to provide much insight on how well adapted the RUYI is to that purpose.
I can tell you the RUYI is fully compatible with my iPhone when connected with a lightning to 3.5mm adapter.
There are 4 buttons on the in line control.
â A toggle style for muting the mic. Located on one side
â A wide function button for answering calls, pause, and track skip. Located on the opposing side
â Separate smaller buttons on either end of the function button for volume up/down.
All function as they should on my phone.
The pure copper cable is long, close to 150 cm in length so it is suitable for connection to a laptop or desktop amp that is further away from the user than a phone typically might be.
It is supple, and has little or no memory. I donât find it particularly tangle prone.
My experience:
Since I donât game I just took a few phone calls to test the functionality and voice transmission quality.
Voice, music, and gaming audio quality will be determined more by the IEM than the cable itself.
Initiating and receiving calls was flawless and simple.
Incoming call quality was excellent.
And those I spoke to said the quality of my voice was better and clearer than when I call them straight through the phone.
The fit is good for me. The Y splitter for the mic adds a minimal amount of bulk to the connector. I donât notice any comfort difference while wearing, but it changed how the IEM sat in my ear just enough that short nozzle IEM were difficult to keep anchored. (Short nozzle IEM are a challenge for me at all times, so this will vary by individual)
There was one other thing I noted.
My voice isnât routed back to the earphones when speaking.
This is not a huge issue, but with IEMâs in both ears the natural volume of my speaking voice was muted.
I had to be aware of my speaking volume to ensure I wasnât speaking louder than usual. Something to be aware of if using in public.
Overall Iâm pleased with the quality and functionality of the RUYI and feel it is worthy of consideration if you are looking for an IEM mic cable for your needs.
3 Likes
Thatâs too bad if doesnât have a feedback loop to hear your voice that would have been nice.
Thanks Krusty for bringing this piece to us in your review! 
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Did a quick video to help with upgrading the ThuthEar SHIO
Big thing to remember is uninstall the driver if you already had it installed and reboot. Then install driver and restart thatâs what was causing all the grief for me. Cheers TDM
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See Ericâs M0 Review pretty funny!
Iâm not sure voice feedback is doable while staying on analog like that: afaik the mic signal has to be amplified to be listened to.
With a desktop pc, you can add that functionality (and control the volume of feedback) with voicemeeter.
On the qudelix 5k, you have the option too.
I guess many voicechat apps allow to hear what you say.
On apple products, I donât know though.
I am always amazed that the feedback options are always so hard to find: it is a basic need of voice chat/meeting as soon as you have a closed product (iem or headphone).
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My short follow up video post TinHiFi C3 arrival.
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A follow up to my follow up a St. Valentineâs Day Massacre 
Eric with the THIEAUDIO Ghost
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So Eric tell us what you really think!
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Ooohhh looks nice! Havenât tried that one
How did I miss this thread?? Hellooo fellow Canucks! 
How about this weather?? Going back to -10 tomorrow from 8 yesterday ughhh 
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I will shoot the video for the Fiio FH5s today and the written review is getting pollished.
I hate tuning switches! When doing a review.
Yanyin Canon up next and by then the Joyodio Shine will be here and my green TRI Star River .
Damn more tuning switches why FML
3 Likes
Yep me tooâŚpretty pointless tbh when everyone has the ability to EQ these days if thatâs their bagâŚ
Switches 
BASSHEAD vâs TREBLEHEAD 
3 Likes
100% on that one. Bad enough to tip roll, source roll them listen. My Playlist is 2:03:03 long x 3 for something that is wonky makes it a long night.
While writing down notes and drafting up a review I was beat.
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Some fine tunes there sirâŚ
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