Sennheiser IE 8 review

Most top-end headphones have stunning clarity and detail, but this can come at the cost of weak bass tones. Meanwhile, headphones with emphatic bass often lack precision at higher frequencies.

Sennheiser's IE 8s use moving coil rather than electrostatic drivers, so move more air, giving them more bass power. You can adjust the earphones for extra bass, but the lowest level was as much as we needed, even on our industrial dance and drum and bass test tracks.

The earphones also have a warmth that means brass instruments in particular sound less harsh than on many high-end sound isolating earphones. Remarkably, fine detail wasn't lost amid the rich low tones, whether we were listening to orchestral strings or a blistering guitar solo.

The foam ear tips aren't as effective at noise isolation as those provided by Shure and Etymotic, but are still good enough to block out external sound when music is playing. We also liked the supplied alternative flanged Lamella tips, while the standard earplug style set are great if you're exercising. A pair of optional ear hooks can help to hold them in place, but even without them the earphones stayed in place during intense activity.

The IE 8s have made us think again about bassy earphones. Some will still favour the treble emphasis of Shure earphones, but if you want warm bass without any loss of detail or emphasis on higher notes, the IE8s are perfect.

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