Want fancy new IEMs? The best 3 in-ear monitors, picked by an A/V expert

No one (and by ‘no one’, I guess I mean ‘me’) is denying the convenience of the best wireless earbuds. There’s no two ways about it: no cable to conceal equals comfort, which in turn equals satisfaction.

But once you get past the fact you’re operating with no strings attached, the case for wireless in-ear headphones starts to fall apart.

Battery life is an obvious place to start. Even those true wireless in-ears with heroic battery life will run flat eventually, and you can pretty much guarantee it will happen at the least convenient, most critical moment.

Drop-outs in the wireless connection are always irritating, too. And when it comes to sound quality, the overwhelming majority of wireless earbuds (as well as the smartphones that serve them) need digital audio files to be significantly compressed before they can deal with them – which is no help where audio enjoyment is concerned.

No, if you take portable listening seriously, then some wired in-ear headphones are what you need – in-ear monitors (IEM, for short), because ‘discretion’ is not to be underestimated.

Wired in-ear monitors never run out of juice. They don’t have a control app that makes you sign away your privacy before you can even use it. And wired IEMs ensure you’re getting the best your source device has to offer in terms of sound quality, every time.

Here are three of the very best wired in-ear monitors you can currently buy. Each one is basically untouchable at its respective price point, and each one will maximise your audio experience while keeping peripheral irritations to an absolute minimum.

T3's Top 3

Meze Audio v FiiO v Sennheiser: Pricing pricing

There is, I think it’s safe to say, something for everyone here. Each of these three IEMs represents the best of what’s available at their price – and the spread of prices means an upgrade path (should you desire one) is obvious.

Given that they’re yours for no more than £149 / $159 / AU$259, the Meze Audio Alba look like notable value right from the off. This sort of money buys some very decent wireless earbuds, of course, but there’s no wireless alternative that offers the sort of sonic fidelity the Alba can serve up. And quite honestly, the asking price is not reflected in the materials that Meze Audio has used or the build quality it has achieved – these look and feel a cut or two above the norm.

Up your spend to the £549 / $599 / AU$999 that FiiO is asking for the FH19, though, and it’s obvious where that extra money has gone even before you start to listen. The excitingly shaped earbuds arrive in an equally excitingly shaped case along with all those eartips, and a length of high-purity sterling silver braided cable with unbalanced 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm connections. A selection of audio filters, each with a fairly distinct sonic signature, are supplied in order for the end user to have some input into the sound they receive.

With the IE900, Sennheiser has gone in the opposite direction to FiiO. Oh, these in-ear monitors look the part thanks to their elegant aluminium construction, and they are supplied with three 1.2mm lengths of high-quality cable – so balanced 2.5mm and 4.4mm terminations, as well as an unbalanced 3.5mm alternative, are available. And naturally they’re specified to justify their £1299 / $1,699 / AU$2,399 asking price (though the length of time they’ve been on sale means that there are some quite attractive offers out there). But this is a sophisticatedly discreet and unobtrusive set of IEMs that are basically the opposite of ‘bling’.

Meze Audio v FiiO v Sennheiser: Unique Features?

Meze Audio

Nothing about the Meze Audio Alba says ‘entry-level’ – which is, I guess, quite special from the get-go.

The zinc alloy and anodised aluminium construction and iridescent finish is far from a budget option, and the 1.2m length of braided cable is another upmarket touch.

Meze Audio even includes a USB-C/3.5mm dongle in order to make sure the important digital-to-analogue conversion work is being done properly.

A pair of 10.8mm dynamic drivers with a claimed frequency response of 15Hz - 25kHz takes care of audio business.

FiiO

Never knowingly understated, FiiO has fitted each FH19 earbud with no fewer than eight drivers.

There's a pair of 13.7mm dynamic drivers operating in a push/pull arrangement down in the lower frequencies, while six Knowles balanced armatures deal with midrange and treble reproduction. Acoustic vents maximise sound energy, and a midrange notch filter is designed to minimise overlap between those multiple drivers.

In light of this, it’s hardly surprising the FH19 are a little larger than your average earbud, is it? Happily, their carefully ergonomic shape ensures decent levels of comfort.

Sennheiser

There’s really nothing showy about the Sennheiser IE900, certainly when you compare them to the FiiO FH19. Their one-piece aluminium housing is an engineering triumph – although you wouldn’t necessarily know to look at it.

The couple of 7mm ‘TrueResponse’ dynamic drivers are painstakingly manufactured and carefully paired, and when operating in conjunction with the ‘X3R’ triple-resonator chamber, the company suggests they’re good for a frequency response of 5Hz - 48kHz.

And just in case the compact dimensions, light weight, and choice of eartips only gets you so far where comfort is concerned, each of the three cables features flexible ear hooks to help the IE900 stay secure.

Meze Audio v FiiO v Sennheiser: Which has the best sound?

In absolute terms, the Sennheiser IE900 sound best. Is that a spoiler? They’re the most expensive, after all, so isn’t that kind of a given? Well, yes it is – but what’s nice about this ‘best sound’ question is that if you assess these wireless in-ear monitors on their own terms, each one represents the best sound you can expect at their given price.

The Meze Audio Alba, for instance, is an energetic and entertaining listen, capable of extracting an unlikely amount of detail at every stage of the frequency range. Their bass response is direct and positive, their midrange projection is nicely judged, and while they’re just as enthusiastic at the top of the frequency range, they never become edgy or hard. Unless the words ‘upfront’ and ‘lively’ put you off, there’s a stack of talent to enjoy here.

Spending a fair amount more on the FiiO FH19 is justifiable, though. The FH19 pay almost fanatical attention to detail and has the sort of dynamic headroom that makes the changes in volume or attack in any recording absolutely obvious. They don’t sound especially ‘in your head’, either – their presentation is (thanks in part to their semi-open arrangement) airy and spacious.

Meze Audio v FiiO v Sennheiser: Which is best overall?

Yes, the greatest fidelity, the most convincing soundstaging, the most effective transient response, and all the other specifics of audio performance that go to making for a truly satisfying listening experience, belong to the Sennheiser IE900.

Which just goes to prove it’s not the number of drivers you have but what you do with them that counts (along with having the budget to experience this sound quality in the first place).

Indeed, I’d go further to suggest that the IE 900 are the best wired in-ear monitors you can buy, full stop. They’re expensive, but they’re worth it.

But if you can’t or won’t justify the outlay (and who could blame you?), both of the other models in this line-up will bring you pleasure out of all proportion to the asking price. And I just can’t imagine a scenario in which the FiiO FH19 or Meze Audio Alba are anything other than a sound investment and excellent value for money.

Honourable Mention

The Shure Aonic 4 has pretty much everything that’s made Shure such a respected and credible brand. A hybrid driver arrangement with a dynamic driver augmented by a balanced armature, a ‘twist/lock’ fitting arrangement that guarantees a secure and comfortable fit, and a translucent finish that allows a little peek at what’s going on inside are all obvious plus-points. And sound that manages to be vibrant and analytical at the same time is never a bad thing – with a little more low-end rigour and the Aonic 4 could be genuine front-runners.