Sennheiser IE 200

These wired earbuds talk a good fronts-back game and-on most their words up with action

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Do you consider yourself an audiophile? Regardless of your answer Sennheiser would like to interest you in its range of higher-end ‘audiophile headphones’. These products – almost all wired – now include a range of in-ear and over-ear pairs at a range of prices, from as little as the £130 asked for these IE 200s.

The omens are good. More than one of the company’s IE earbud models has achieved acclaim – the IE800 from 2013, for example, were three-time What Hi-Fi? Award winners despite their then-£600 price tag. And, more recently, the IE 900 proved their sonic quality so completely that we couldn’t help but conclude that they justified their four-figure asking price.

While fewer headphones manufacturers are bothering with mid-range wired models as much as they might have done 10 years ago, there remains an excellent sonic benchmark for the Sennheiser IE 200 to strive for.

Quality over convenience

Anyone considering wired in-ears at this level is almost certainly after better sound quality than wireless alternatives at the same price point can offer them. Either that or they have forgotten to charge their previous wireless pair one time too many. Either way, convenience will not be high up their list of priorities.