Sennheiser IE 200 review: Clean as a whistle

pocket-lint.com:

Audiophile quality for less — that's the simple proposition that Sennheiser is making with the IE 200, bringing a hitherto rare level of affordability to its high-end in-ear lineup.

With other IE models running up huge prices by comparison, it's an extremely intriguing offer, one we've been putting to the test over the last couple of weeks. Here's how these earbuds have held up.

4/5

It's hard to argue with this price tag — Sennheiser offers clean, balanced sound with only a few expected drawbacks, all at excellent value. Think of it as an audiophile gateway drug.

Sennheiser's reference earbuds all look pretty similar — it's in the details, and the materials, that the differences come in.

So, much like its far more expensive options, the IE 200 has an L-shape to its earbuds, each of which can be easily detached from its cabling to swap in cables you might want to buy yourself.

This is great for repairability since cables are a common point of failure, but the cost cutting is also evident in the cable Sennheiser provides.

It's nicely braided and we like the look and feel of it, which is tactile and tangle-resistant. However, it also brings with it a lot of cable noise — while listening to music, any shift will produce echoes and knocks.

We're also a little underwhelmed by the two plastic sleeves that keep the cable gathered and let you tie it together under your chin for more comfort — these don't look to us like they'll last all that long compared to sturdier options.

The earpieces themselves are made of black plastic, with a couple of small touches to let you know which is which (a subtle red ring of plastic, for example).

You get a very good selection of ear tips in the box, so getting a comfortable fit should be