The arrival of Sennheiser’s new audiophile in-ear flagship, the IE 900, also marks the launch of the German audio company’s brand new X3R system. German-made and engineered, this deceptively small transducer system delivers the coherent, artifact-free “Sennheiser Sound” found in full-size headphones up to 8 times larger in size.
The One-Driver Principle
Instead of a multi-driver system that introduces phase incoherence and unwanted distortion, Sennheiser has improved the one-driver principle.
Refined for Accuracy
Developed with an audience of high-fidelity sound enthusiasts in mind, the IE 900 makes even the subtlest nuances of sound audible.
“The X3R system enables the listener to hear more details in their music which is what audiophile listening is all about. The three resonator chambers smoothen the frequency response at high frequencies in the area from 6 to 10 kilohertz, reducing the so-called masking effect. This means that you can better hear frequencies above 11 kilohertz – the details”, says acoustic engineer at Sennheiser, Andre Michaelis and continues, “the challenge here is to perfectly balance the three chambers to get the correct response. You need to tune chamber by chamber and then make sure they are perfectly balanced together to achieve the correct frequency response. This process requires advanced acoustic engineering”, Andre Michaelis adds.
Tuned Like a Sports Car
This complete harmony of systems is at work to unlock the details buried within every track. That each earpiece houses three resonator chambers, pinpoint and tame the resonance peaks that mask a recording’s unique textures.