There is a lot of talk about the difference between in-ear monitors and headphones and which one is better quality. When it comes to in-ear monitors (IEMs), you want to invest in a product you can rely on. Not only do monitors need to fit well and sound good, but they also need to be easy to control. Sennheiser is a brand that checks all of these boxes, especially with audio technology like the IE 200. This is an audiophile-grade IEM device that offers exceptional sound quality and a fairly wide soundstage. They also come with a feature called “dual tuning” which puts them among the gadgets that should be on every audiophile’s wish list.
Dual adjustment is exclusive to the Sennheiser IE 200 and refers to the positioning of the IEM’s ear tip. These in-ear headphones can be mounted in one of two orientations to increase or decrease bass. When the tip is mounted further from the body of the bud, you are using the “bass light” configuration; when mounted closer to the body, this is called “more bass”. If you’re a fan of genres like rock, rap, hip-hop, and EDM, you’ll probably want to choose the bass-boosted position.
Choosing the other position doesn’t completely cancel out the bass, but it definitely puts more emphasis on the treble frequencies. That said, there is a neat trick you can use with the IE 200, which is to cover the mounting nozzle with a piece of tape. This helps preserve bass consistency no matter what mounting position you choose.
Dual adjustment is exclusive to Sennheiser IE 200 in-ear monitors
Sennheiser offers several sets of silicone and memory foam tips with the IE 200. Take the time to find which ones fit your ears best, then see which of the two adjustment positions sounds best. It may take some trial and error, but it’s best to find the best sound for your listening preferences as early as possible. It’s also worth mentioning that the dual setting feature is exclusive to the IE 200; neither the IE 600 nor the flagship IE 900 support this feature.
For those who didn’t know, Sennheiser actually sold most of its consumer audio business to Sonova in March 2022. This means that aside from a few flagship products, any product made by Sennheiser – at least when it comes to headphones and earphones – is made by Sonova. Interestingly, a recent article in r/headphones suggests that Sonova may consider ditching Sennheiser by 2030/2031. Only time will tell.
It’s difficult to determine how much influence one company has over the other, but we hope Sennheiser can keep its dual adjustment technology for future releases. It’s definitely a feature worth improving and expanding on, and we’d love to see what Sennheiser comes up with next.
