SENNHEISER In- Ear Audio Monitor, Clear, Wired (508941)

These are going to be my first dip into pro-ish level in ear monitors. When it came to other iem's that I have tried, I have only ever bought consumer level in-ears and some of the budget oriented monitors from KZ like the ES4 and ZSN Pro X. This is actually my first Sennheiser as well so I was rather excited due to the company's lineage and experience.Inside the box was nicely laid out and came with everything I needed. The only gripe I had was the little "bag" that was meant to hold the iems in. It's one of those "snap bags" but instead of having a magnetic clasp to keep them closed, its just two bits of stiff plastic that keep it closed by simply being rigid, and if you want to open the bag you push in the sides to snap it open. They really should have included a zippered bag of some kind because that would have been simpler.The comfort of the monitors is simply great. They're small and could fit into most ears and the stiff over ear hook can easily be bent into any shape to fit any ear. Some might not like the wire design but I think it works out just fine. One very important thing to note about the silicone and foam ear tips is the cylinder of foam on the inside. Please take care when switching out tips because this foam is CRUCIAL to keeping the sound profile right. Yes, even though you can swap out the tips for more comfortable ones, you will have a VASTLY different sound profile due to the lack of dampening foam. Also, be sure to double check the nozzle itself because it too has some foam inside. For the most part, just be careful when switching tip sizes and use the cleaning tool to orient the tubes of foam so they sit correctly inside the nozzle and ear tips. I know it sounds like a hassle, but once you are aware of it, there should be no issues.For the sound quality. I have to say that these things are well balanced with some boost in the trebles that add a bit of brightness to each song. Snare drums and cymbals sound a bit more forward, but this is where the small fault comes in. There will be some songs in which the "S" and "T" sounds from vocalists will be a bit harsh, but not unbearable. Think about how recording a voice sounds like without a pop filter and you will get the general idea of what I'm talking about. This doesn't mean the sound is totally bad, far from it. It's just a warning that some tracks with certain lyrics will not sound the best unless the mastering of said track is a bit warmer. I have tried many genre's with these monitors and I will say all of them are pleasing and detailed. Even the bass is well tuned and you can get a nice thump, nothing that is head rocking and muddy but good enough. I will say that these do fit within the pro range and have a rather flat curve, in spite of what you might see on some frequency response graphs. I will say that minus the occasional shrill tracks you might run into, these will fit most, if not all genres of music.In the end, these are indeed pro level in-ears that you can get for a mere $100 and they will not disappoint. If you want to hear familiar tracks in a different way, I would recommend these. But also be sure that you are listening to a good source because the clarity of these in-ears will reveal badly recorded or low quality sound files very easily. A definite must-have for music enjoyers.

Unbeatable in this price range. I'm used to using $500 headphones for playing my guitar through my Kemper amp but after several hours of playing, I get headaches and fatigued from wearing them. I was looking for earphones that would be sufficient enough and decided to give these a shot after reading many reviews. I'm blown away by the quality and clarity of the sound of these. They're truly amazing!

I initially purchased these headphones precisely to mix live audio and better understand the sound for live recording.The frequency response seems flat, which is suitable for audio mixing. This allows you to get the closest to authentic sound possible without any added coloration. The only issue with flat-response headphones is that they lack bass. This is true for any headphone that has a flat EQ.Although I was hoping that this pair of headphones would have a slightly better bass response, I also know that headphones with better frequency response typically cost more, so you get what you pay for.Overall, the medium silicone tip fits well in my ear and has just enough enclosure to allow me to at least hear some of the ambient sound so that it’s not completely closed off. This allows me to not only hear the ambient sound but also, when I wear a headset that I use for communications, hear others on the headset while listening to the mix with both in-ear in.However, if you want a better enclosure from ambient sounds, switch the silicone tip for the included foam tip to get better noise isolation.

Especially good for vocals . They have a clear crisp sound!! They are great!

Highly recommend these. Great sound quality and no lag.

I play keyboard in the band for a large church. No onstage monitors so I need a good set of ear monitors to handle the click tracks and hear all the other singers and musicians. I've struggled with the custom ear monitors. Even though they've been engineered to fit my ears, I've never liked them. I know the quality of Sennheiser from lots of studio work through the years and so I thought I'd give these a try. The are not sound isolating, but when fitted in your ear they provide excellent sound reproduction. For the price, you can't go wrong. Everyone has a different opinion of what they think sounds great, but I've worked several decades in studios and these do the job of much more expensive units. If anything should happen to these, I'm going right out and ordering another set.

Very nice! Perfect for the job!

I used these headphones almost daily, either at the gym or riding my bike. They're comfortable and sound great. Unfortunately the left headphone has died after less than 3 months of use, just like my previous Sennheiser in-ear headphones did. (I don't recall the model number of those, but they were the predecessor to the IE100... at least that set lasted me 2 years.) Evidently the old design flaw has not been corrected.I've been buying Sennheiser microphones and headphones for over 20 years and have never had an issue with their build quality. Up until now they've been well worth their considerable cost. But $100 headphones should not be built like a cheap disposable knockoff. I'm surprised Sennheiser has put their name on such a poorly designed product.