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Home / Hot Stuff / Sennheiser IE 200 show there’s life left in wired earphones

Sennheiser IE 200 show there’s life left in wired earphones

Cables might be out of fashion elsewhere, but Sennheiser still flies the flag

Sennheiser IE 200 hot stuff

With smartphone makers having long since ditched the headphone port and true wireless in-ears available at knock-down prices, you’d be forgiven for thinking wired earphones had been consigned to the history books. Well worry not, as Sennheiser is still a fan of the old ways. The new Sennheiser IE 200 (£130, sennheiser.com) brings audiophile-grade sound at a price that won’t make you wince.

Music fans that care about quality will know sticking with a cable means not having to worry about lossy Bluetooth codecs and bitrates, or remembering to recharge any batteries. We here at Stuff also love wired earphones for their zero latency, which makes them perfect for a spot of handheld gaming on the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.

That’s exactly what you’re getting with the IE 200, which promises the sort of sound clarity and audiophile-friendly features you’d find in more expensive in-ear monitors – including swappable MMCX cables and styling shared with Sennheiser’s pricier models. They’re finished in black here, rather than the shiny silver seen on the IE 900 flagship, but should still give a similar comfortable fit.

Sennheiser IE 200 lifestyle close-up

The bundled ear tips come in both silicone and foam, in a selection of sizes, to suit all ears, and can be fitted in two positions. One gives a deeper bass response, while the other prioritises treble. The braided cable should also cut down on handling noise while you move about.

Inside, sound comes courtesy of 7mm extra-wide band transducer drivers, which Sennheiser says are tuned with a natural frequency response curve and have almost zero harmonic distortion. That means a more balanced sound, rather than the bass-heavy in-ears you’d normally find for this kind of cash.

Pre-orders open globally on the 17th of January, and go on sale on the 31st. Here in the UK you can expect to pay £130 for a pair.

Profile image of Tom Morgan-Freelander Tom Morgan-Freelander Deputy Editor

About

A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews.  When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.

Areas of expertise

Smartphones/tablets/computing, cameras, home cinema, automotive, virtual reality, gaming