Sennheiser IE 800

sound, usability, comfort, durability, size

portability, price

100% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

sound, comfort, portability, price, bass quality

reliability

94% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

comfort

100% of the reviews on Amazon.ca give this product a positive rating.

Superb audio performance through the frequency range, with rich lows and clear, vibrant mids and highs. Thoughtfully designed ear tips are easy to swap out, clean. Protective filters keep outside elements away from drivers.

Extremely expensive. Cable is not fully detachable—hardwired to ear pieces.

But in the $1,000-and-up range, you have quite a few options. First, there are custom-molded earphones, three of our favorites being the aforementioned UE 18 Pro, the JH Audio JH13 Pro, and the Logitech Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitors. If...

I’ve heard most of the world’s best in-ear headphones, and frankly, those custom-molded models fitted to my ear canal from the likes of JH Audio, Ultimate Ears, and Westone regularly trump the universal-fit models. So before I popped on the Sennheiser...

Exceptional bass depth, power and quality, Excellent treble detail

Treble can be tiring with some material, Non-removable cable, No remote, Cable causes quite significant microphonic noise

Open, detailed, dynamic and utterly faithful sound ; Unfazed by any genre of music ; Beautifully built

Eye-wateringly expensive ; Need a similarly accomplished source (of which there are few around)

None of which alter the facts, though. The Sennheiser IE 800s are superbly made, brilliantly accomplished in-ear headphones. If you can justify the cost, and if your source player can justify it too, we think you’d be hard-pressed to find better. At...

Impressive soundscape at sensible volumes, better bass response than any in-ear we've heard before, top-spec build, super-clear, crisp vocals

Treble unpleasantly cutting at higher volumes, can therefore be fatiguing, extremely pricey, finicky fit, bass will be too impactful for some, short cable, poor splitter placement

The Sennheiser IE 800 in-ear headphones are astounding, yet have their imperfections too. Top-end won't sound so top at higher volumes, but then music shouldn't be listened to at eardrum-tearing levels.

The IE 800′s price should tell you it can handle deep bass at top volumes without any distortion, and indeed, tracks with challenging sub-bass content, like the Knife’s “Silent Shout”, do not cause any distortion, even at top, unsafe listening levels.

Solid Build – No Plastic – Ceramic Construction ; V-Shaped cable for easy cable replacement ; Kevlar cable system – tough and light ; 5 different size silicon tips ; Powerful 7mm XWB drivers ; Powerful full bass response ; 3.5mm – L-Shaped – Gold...

Cable could be longer, by say another 10cm, especially if putting audio player in back pocket or side pocket ; Cable noise (audiophonics) is quite noticeable when walking and no audio playing ; L-shaped earpieces do require more frequent adjustment in...

• Price – however if you’re a lover of pure music you’ll understand why and Made in Germany.

Truly sensational sound ; Great build ; Very easy to live with

Expensive ; No inline controls ; Sound better at higher levels

Before we go any further, it is important to put a sense of perspective in place regarding the price of the IE800. The Sennheiser is twice the price of the puritanically equipped but still sublime Grado GR8. You could buy a 16gb iPad Air with the...