Sennheiser ie 40 pro đánh giá năm 2024
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The IEM market is becoming as saturated as a sturgeon tank in a caviar farm [huh? —Ed.]. It’s teeming with generic models pitched at teenage commuters, audiophiles, touring musicians and everyone in between. Interestingly, Sennheiser has appealed directly to stage musicians with its IE 40 Pros. For those already jamming with ears, does this single dynamic driver design improve on the stalwart balanced armature heavyweights? SENN-DING THE RIGHT MESSAGEAt first impression, these in-ears tick all the boxes for a pair of stage monitors. Detachable cables? Tick. Flexible ear loop? Tick. The medium size tips fit me perfectly from the get-go, not even budging during a quick jog. I can’t say the same for my weightier Shure in-ears which would wiggle out over time. The time since I purchased them in 2010 has allowed Sennheiser to shave down the size of its in-ears considerably, and the cable is also far lighter. One caveat that must be tabled within these preliminary assessments comes as a product of Sennheiser’s laser-like focus on stage use: the omission of a stepped 3.5mm connector will inevitably force phone users to de-case should they want to plug in. These are, subjectively, a great pair of listening IEMs. I’m a Shure se315 owner and have listened and performed with a range of balanced-armature single and double driver IEMs. While these lack the forward mids of other multi-driver configurations, they don’t miss out on clarity. The low end is big and detailed, with those quite large 10mm dynamic drivers pushing much more air than any other IEMs I’ve heard, especially at this price. Headphones and in-ears can often be too ‘scooped’ for me, but these tread that fine line nicely. The bass response is big but never overbearing, and is necessary for vibe onstage. The instrument separation is nice, as is the sound stage; wider than my Shures, and often clearer in busier mixes. The dynamic driver approach makes the sound source seem physically further from my ear drum, which I find pleasant over the feeling of having sound injected into your ear drums. ZING, YOU GOT METhe sound has one blemish though: quite zingy highs. After listening to the IE 40 Pros on multiple occasions, separated by time and listening on monitors and my Shures, they still continue to surprise me when I pop them back in. Hi-hats and cymbals can be especially penetrating and there were times when performing high-impact synth patches I found the HF response uncomfortable. Unfortunately, despite the IE 40 Pro’s great fit, and deftness for staying wedged in, their isolation isn’t as robust as other generic IEMs. During my on-stage tests they didn’t do as much as I’d like to protect me from the full force of the bass cab and drums on the other side of stage. On later dates, I performed bass guitar with lots of drum and subwoofer leakage muddy-ing my IEM foldback mix. Upon reflection, the ear tips on the IE 40 Pros are comparatively shallow — which cuts down on weight and can improve comfort, but I wasn’t able to be insert them as far as I needed to get the isolation I desired on a loud stage. FIT FOR PURPOSEIf you’re a muso looking to upgrade your rig with IEMs, this pair are a great place to start, offering many advantages over offerings at similar (or even higher) price points. Everything else apart from the highs and iso-fit is best in class. They would also be a great choice for houses of worship, theatres or education facilities looking to invest in a complement of sets. The IE 40 Pros are priced well, comfortable, if upgrading to an ears system for foldback, especially if you’ve already tamed your stage sound. The Sennheiser IE 40 PRO are low-profile yet fairly stylish in-ear headphones. They have an ear-hook design and don’t have a typical in-ear style. They have a more professional look like most in-ear monitors. You can get these headphones with a transparent clear casing on a black color scheme. Weight 0.04 lbs Clamping Force 0 lbs The IE 40 PRO have a similar design to the Shure SE215, but they sit differently inside the ear. They enter your ear canal fairly deeply and they feel more like typical in-ears. If you dislike the fit of these kinds of headphones, you'll likely experience similar discomfort with the IE 40 PRO. On the upside, they come with 3 tip sizes and one foam tip option as well, which some people may find more comfortable. If you can achieve a good fit, they are very lightweight and you can barely feel the headphones sitting inside your ears. OS Compatibility No Controls Ease Of Use No Controls Feedback No Controls Call/Music Control No Volume Control No Microphone Control No Channel Mixing No Noise Cancelling Control No Talk-Through No Additional Controls No These headphones do not have an in-line remote with controls. Avg.Temp.Difference 0.8 °C Like most in-ears, these headphones don’t trap heat inside your ears and they stay fairly cool during long listening sessions. This makes them a decent option for sports as they won’t make you sweat more than usual. You shouldn’t notice a big difference in temperature when wearing them. L 2" W 2.1" H 0.8" Volume 3 in³ Transmitter Required No These headphones can easily fit in pockets or a bag, like most in-ears. They also come with a small pouch that doesn’t add too much bulk and can fit in most pockets. Type Pouch L N/A W N/A H N/A Volume N/A These headphones come with a small pouch that resembles that of the Jaybird X4 and Jaybird Tarah Pro. It slightly protects the headphones from scratches and minor water exposure, but won’t protect that well against physical damage from falls. The Sennheiser IE 40 PRO are well-built in-ears, but aren’t quite on par with the Shure SE215 or MOONDROP KATO. The buds are dense, but the material used doesn’t feel as durable. Also, even if their cable is detachable, it is fairly easy to accidentally disconnect it from the earbuds when not around your ears. This gives it a cheap feeling since the connection doesn’t feel secure and you might easily lose the earbuds. They still feel durable and sturdy, but they aren't the best-built option. The ear-hook design of the IE 40 PRO helps with their stability. They shouldn’t fall to the ground when using them for running. However, head movement might make the buds move inside your ear a bit. They should be fine for the occasional jog, but this wasn’t their intended use. Although the cable could easily disconnect from the earbuds, they are more secure (and won't detach as easily) when wrapped around your ears.
Sound Bass Amount -2.26 dB Treble Amount -1.73 dB Avg. Std. Deviation 0.27 dB The frequency response consistency is excellent. If the user is able to achieve a proper fit and an air-tight seal using the assortment of tips that come with the headphones, then they should be able to get consistent bass and treble delivery every time they use the headphones. Std. Err. 2.86 dB Low-Frequency Extension 45.55 Hz Low-Bass -4.91 dB Mid-Bass 0.07 dB High-Bass 2.93 dB The bass performance of these headphones is good. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 45Hz, which is decent. This and the 5dB dip in low-bass indicates that they might be lacking in sub-bass and thump and rumble common to bass-heavy genres like dubstep and EDM. There’s a tilt favoring higher bass frequencies, making the overall bass light on thump but slightly boomy. Std. Err. 1.63 dB Low-Mid 2.45 dB Mid-Mid -0.01 dB High-Mid -0.09 dB The mid-range of the IE 40 PRO is very good. The 3dB bump in low-mid is actually the continuation of the high-bass overemphasis. This tends to thicken the vocals and lead instruments and make the overall mix sound slightly cluttered. However, mid-mid and high-mid are much better balanced, meaning the upper harmonics of vocals/leads will be reproduced properly. Std. Err. 2.97 dB Low-Treble -3.52 dB Mid-Treble -0.15 dB High-Treble -1.34 dB The IE 40 PRO have a decent treble range. The response throughout the range is fairly flat and even until 10kHz. There’s a small dip in low-treble that will negatively affect the detail and brightness of vocals and leads. The high peak starting at 9kHz will also make sibilants (S and T sounds) overly sharp and piercing, especially on already bright tracks. However, not everyone will hear this as intensely. Peaks 1.02 dB Dips 1.21 dB Weighted Group Delay 0.17 Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 1.24 Weighted Frequency Mismatch 1.9 Weighted Phase Mismatch 1.44 The stereo imaging performance is great. The weighted group delay is at 0.17, which is very low. The GD graph also shows that the entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched, which is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (instruments, voice, footsteps) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit and yours might perform differently. PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) N/A PRTF Size (Avg.) N/A PRTF Distance N/A Openness Acoustic Space Excitation The soundstage is poor. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it. Also, because these headphones have a closed-back enclosure, their soundstage won't be perceived to be as open as that of open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless, or the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless. Head Modeling No Speaker Modeling No Room Ambience No Head Tracking No Virtual Surround No App WHD @ 90 0.135 WHD @ 100 0.046 Firmware No Firmware Power Passive Connection Wired Codec PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz EQ No EQ ANC No ANC Tip/Pad Silicone (small) Microphone No Microphone Isolation Overall Attenuation -16.82 dB Noise Cancelling No Bass -2.43 dB Mid -17.96 dB Treble -31.63 dB The isolation performance of the IE 40 PRO is decent. In the bass range, where the rumble of airplane and bus engines sits, they isolate by about 2dB, which is negligible. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they reduce outside noise by 18dB, which is good. In the treble range, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts, and fan noises like A/C systems, they achieve more than 32dB of isolation, which is also good. Overall Leakage @ 1ft 26.01 dB The leakage performance is excellent. Like most other closed-back in-ears, these headphones don't leak in the bass and mid-ranges. The significant portion of their leakage is in treble in a very narrow range. The overall level of the leakage is very quiet too. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 26dB SPL and peaks at around 44dB SPL, which is lower than the noise floor of most offices. Microphone Integrated No In-Line No Boom No Detachable Boom No Mic No Recorded Speech N/A LFE N/A FR Std. Dev. N/A HFE N/A Weighted THD N/A Gain N/A These headphones don't have a microphone. Speech + Pink Noise N/A Speech + Subway Noise N/A SpNR N/A These headphones don't have a microphone. Active Features Battery Type No Battery Continuous Battery Life N/A Additional Charges N/A Total Battery Life N/A Charge Time N/A Power-Saving Feature No Audio While Charging No Passive Playback Passive Headphone Charging Port None These headphones don’t have a battery. App Name No App iOS No Android No macOS No Windows No Equalizer No ANC Control No Mic Control No Room Effects No Playback Control No Button Mapping No Surround Support No There is no companion app for the IE 40 PRO. Connectivity Bluetooth Version No Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing No NFC Pairing No Line Of Sight Range N/A PC Latency (SBC) N/A PC Latency (aptX) N/A PC Latency (aptX HD) N/A PC Latency (aptX-LL) N/A iOS Latency N/A Android Latency N/A These headphones are not Bluetooth-compatible. Thanks to their wired connection, these headphones don’t have any latency issues and will be great for watching video and gaming. Non-BT Line Of Sight Range N/A Non-BT Latency N/A Analog Audio Yes USB Audio No Detachable Yes Length 4.3 ft Connection 1/8" TRS Analog/USB Audio Latency 0 ms The IE 40 PRO are wired headphones and don’t have an in-line microphone, meaning you will have audio support via their 1/8” TRS connector. |
