Sennheiser IE 300 Review: Crazy Good In-Ears!

Exceptional treble, clear bass and a super comfortable fit. These wired earphones are definitely worth the money. The Sennheiser IE 300 are the brand’s first earphones in a number of years, made with a special version of the 7mm extra-wide band (XWB) transducer produced in Germany. 

I typically don’t review too many wired products, but coming from a pair of custom in-ear monitors, I can say that the comfort for these is really good. The shells are small and even for someone with smaller ear canals, these don’t stick out too much, if at all. If I wanted to wear these to sleep, I’m sure I’d wake up with no pain at all. And these look really good with the sparkly stardust design. It’s not that flashy in real life though, so people won’t really notice it that much if these are in your ears, as they should be.

There’s a small bass vent on the front next to the Sennheiser logo, and airflow is pretty well controlled. There’s not much impact on the isolation either, the passive seal on these are definitely good, and there are foam tips in the packaging too, which means if you really want to block out all external noise, you have foam tips ready and waiting for you.

The IE300 uses Fidelity+ MMCX connectors, which means that your existing MMCX cables might not be able to fit since the sockets are recessed. They rotate easily enough but aren’t loose to the point that they’ll swivel freely. The recessed sockets should equate to a more durable product, but it also results in fewer cable options. Talking about the cable, these are reinforced with para-aramid but I found them a little sticky. If you get the cable tangled up, it might get a bit tough to untangle them since the sleeving doesn’t really slide against itself. 

Some people have complained about microphonics or cable noise, but I haven’t actually experienced that, so your mileage definitely will vary. The memory wire on these is actually pretty stiff, but typically there’s no discomfort after the initial adjustment, which is pretty rare since I wear spectacles. All in all, these are just really comfortable earphones.

The cable terminates in a 3.5mm jack, which means you might be a bit restricted in what you can use as your source when you’re out and about. Most phones nowadays have gotten rid of the 3.5mm port, and thankfully, I’ve got this, the Astell & Kern Kann Alpha audio player, and the review for that will be out next week. Once it’s out, the card up here will show it. 

Sound quality will definitely blow most people away. It’s insane that these are single driver earphones because it’s so balanced and you get impactful, warm bass, natural mids and stunning treble that’s energetic and precise but never crossing the line into harshness or sibilance. 

The soundstage is airy, and layering and instrument separation is pretty decent. There’s definitely a warmth to the sound signature, and while I wouldn’t recommend this for analytical listening, this is definitely a fun option that works very well for casual listening. It’s easy to drive, so if your phone has a 3.5mm port, it works perfectly fine. I did test it out with a Sony Xperia 5 II, and it sounded great, but the Kann Alpha was what I used for most of the testing period. 

The IE300 are a very enticing pair of earphones, even if they’re a bit pricey at S$449. That being said though, if you’re looking for something to take with you on the go, these are very good. There’s a musicality to them that made me reach for them even when I had other earbuds and earphones to try out, and that’s the most important factor to me, the fact that I keep wanting to go back to them again and again. 

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Content by Cheryl Tan