Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Sennheiser teases new earbuds and a smaller Ambeo soundbar

By

During a virtual press event that was primarily intended to launch the company’s latest in-ear monitors (IEMs), Sennheiser executives also dropped two much-anticipated teasers: We’ll see the Momentum True Wireless 3 launch as its new flagship wireless earbuds, and there will also be a new and considerably smaller version of the Ambeo Dolby Atmos soundbar. No details on either product were provided, but Sennheiser indicated that the new Ambeo soundbar would be more accessible pricewise when compared to the $2,000 the company asks for its current beast of a bar.

IE 600

The bulk of the event was dedicated to discussing Sennheiser’s new entry into the audiophile market with the IE 600, a $700 set of IEMs that will be available this spring/summer. Made from 3D-printed amorphous zirconium, a metal with a glass-like atomic structure, they possess a very distinctive, beaten-metal look. But it’s not just about style. Sennheiser claims the exotic metal, which has been used by NASA on its Mars rovers, offers “triple the hardness and bend resistance of high-performance steel,” making it a very tough material. This provides both protection from damage, as well as precise housing for the IE 600’s internal components.

A man wears Sennheiser's IE 600 in-ear monitors.
Sennheiser

Those components consist of Sennheiser’s TrueResponse transducer, a single 7 mm driver, which the company says is responsible for the IE 600’s virtually distortion-free reproduction of music and extra-wide frequency range. Using these drivers, along with an acoustic back volume and dual resonator chambers housed in the IE 600’s nozzles, they have been tuned for a tonally neutral sound. This makes the IE 600 suitable for a wide range of music genres, as opposed to the company’s IE 900 flagship IEMs, which have been tuned with a greater emphasis on clear high frequencies, making them a better choice for classical music.

Recommended Videos

The IE 600 use gold-plated MMCX connectors, which are recessed in the housing for greater stability and guidance. You can use cables of 4.8 mm and smaller diameters, for a greater range of choices when plugging into audio sources. Inside the box, Sennheiser will include 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm para-aramid reinforced unbalanced and balanced cables. There will also be two different styles of earbud tips, Silicone and memory foam, both provided in three sizes. These should help most people get a comfy and secure fit, made easier thanks to the IEMs’ flexible, adjustable earhooks.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…
JBL shows off new true wireless earbuds and speakers at CES 2022
JBL Reflect Aero true wireless earbuds.

JBL usually shows up at CES with a bunch of new gadgets, and CES 2022 is no exception. On offer this year are three new true wireless earbud models, and seven new Bluetooth speakers, including a bicycle-friendly model and a unit that can do double duty as a car speaker and a portable speaker.
JBL Live Pro 2: $150, available in spring 2022

JBL's stem-based true wireless earbuds get better battery life and better protection from water when compared to the previous Live Pro+ model.

Read more
JLab’s new skin tone earbuds go beyond black and white
JLab Go Air Tones.

Sneaking in just ahead of CES 2022, JLab has debuted a new set of true wireless earbuds that come in a variety of skin tone-inspired colors. The $20 Go Air Tones are based on JLab's Go Air Pop true wireless earbuds, but they feature skin tones that have been specially selected by Orly Color Labs, a division of the Los Angeles-based nail care brand Orly. The new earbuds are up for pre-order on December 30 and will start shipping in mid-January 2022.

Each Go Air Tones matches one of seven specific Pantone colors selected by Orly, in warm, neutral, and cool undertones, reminiscent of the enhanced skin tone emoji that Apple introduced in 2015. Recognizing that seven skin tones may not be enough to match everyone's particular preference, JLab is also taking requests for additional colors via its website.

Read more
Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro earbuds go after Sony’s wireless hi-res crown
Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro.

Anker's Soundcore brand of personal audio devices just released the latest in its Liberty line of true wireless earbuds, and the company seems to be throwing everything it has at them. The $170 Liberty 3 Pro feature a 30% smaller shape than their predecessor, the Liberty 2 Pro, plus they come equipped with active noise cancellation (ANC) and hi-res Bluetooth codecs, things the original version of the older model lacked. The Liberty 3 Pro come in four colors -- black, white, gray, and purple. If you buy them between today and October 14, you can save $20 at Amazon and at other retailers.

We were blown away by how great the Liberty 2 Pro performed. We only noted a few drawbacks -- a bulky design, and some fiddly buttons. Soundcore was apparently taking careful note -- the Liberty 3 Pro are notably smaller (though they'll likely still stick out from your ears a bit), and the tiny physical buttons have been ditched in favor of touch controls. They also look decidedly more high-end, with a mirrorlike finish and chrome accents. Soundcore says they'll feel more comfortable thanks to the shape of the redesigned silicon earwings.

Read more