CES 2008: Sennheiser debuts Professional IE 6, IE 7 and IE 8 headphones
IE just makes me think of Internet Explorer, but thankfully Sennheiser haven’t been mad enough to make a set of headphones with a built-in browser. Not yet, anyway. Instead, the IE 6, IE 7 and IE 8 make up the company’s new ‘Professional’ series, copping aural technology from the professional ‘phones that bands wear on stage.
They’re ear-canal headphones, and here’s the science bit *flicks hair Anistonly*: they use dynamic transducers to cover the entire frequency range with one system, separating out different parts of your music perfectly, and eliminating distortion. All three have Kevlar-strenghened cables, and a choice of earbuds to ensure a snug fit.
More specs: the IE 6 is all about the bass, and has passive attenuation of up to 20 dB, and a frequency response of 10-18,000 Hz. They’re silver’n’black. Meanwhile, the black IE 7 offers a frequency response of 10-19,000 Hz, and attenuation of up to 20 dB, with more of a focus on top-end sound reproduction.
Lastly, the IE 8 (pictured) is aimed at true audiophiles, with a dial on each earphone to tweak the bass response. They offer frequency response from 10-20,000 Hz, and passive attenuation of up to 26 dB. The IE 6 and IE 7 headphones are due on sale in March, with the IE 8 following in April.
CES 2008 Special
Read all our coverage from the show in our CES 2008 category.