A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Zen Air
Company ProductName Specs




IE600
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

Chevron down
PerfectRec Logo
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·

Considering the Creative Labs Zen Air, they are a budget-friendly wireless option with good overall sound quality, decent comfort, and durability, suited for people who prioritize good built-in controls and don't mind fair performance in music and calls. They offer features like sweat resistance, active noise canceling, and an app with equalizer settings, making them versatile for everyday use, including exercise and air travel. However, they may not excel in gaming or TV watching due to their poor scores in those areas. On the other hand, Sennheiser IE600 earbuds are at a premium price and are best for high-fidelity listening, with best-in-class sound quality and an excellent soundstage. They are built to last, very comfortable, and come with a detachable cable, but lack wireless features and active noise canceling. Their performance for calls is rated poorly, and they don't have built-in controls or an app for customization. Aimed at audiophiles, they are not optimized for sports or exercise and don't come with a charging case or wireless charging, unlike the Zen Air. If cost is a major factor and you're looking for versatile wireless earbuds with modern features for everyday use, go for Creative Labs Zen Air. But if you're willing to invest more for superior sound quality for critical listening and don't need wireless convenience, then Sennheiser IE600 may be the better choice. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Zen Air
  • Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sennheiser IE600
  • Very good for music
  • Excellent for TV and video

Key differences

Chevron down

Music

6.8
Zen Air
IE600
8.3
The Sennheiser IE600 is very good for music, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is only fair.

Gaming

5.1
Zen Air
IE600
6.7
The Sennheiser IE600 is only fair for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.

Phone Calls

5.1
Zen Air
IE600
3.5
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sennheiser IE600 are both poor for phone calls, though the Creative Labs Zen Air is somewhat better.

TV and Video

5.6
Zen Air
IE600
9.3
The Sennheiser IE600 is excellent for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.

Battery

5.0 Hours
Zen Air
IE600
N/A
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser IE600 does not have a battery.

Cost

$30
Zen Air
IE600
$600
Product image
Product image

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the Sennheiser IE600 costs $600.
Image of Earbuds & Headphones
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Headphones
Find your new headphones

Key similarities

Chevron down

Podcasts and Audiobooks

5.4
Zen Air
IE600
5.4
The Sennheiser IE600 and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks.

Noise Reduction

7.0
Zen Air
IE600
7.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sennheiser IE600 are both good for noise reduction.

Build Quality

9.0
Zen Air
IE600
9.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sennheiser IE600 both have excellent build quality.

Give feedback

We’re constantly working to improve.

How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the Sennheiser IE600 compare to other earbuds and headphones

Chevron down

Spec Comparison

Chevron down
Creative Labs Zen AirSennheiser IE600
Creative Labs Zen AirSennheiser IE600

GENERAL

Price
$30
$600
Brand
Creative LabsSennheiser
Release Date
December 1, 2022June 1, 2022
Form Factor
EarbudsEarbuds
Connectivity
WirelessWired

SOUND

Music Score
6.9/108.3/10
Phone Calls Score
5.1/103.5/10
Gaming Score
5.1/106.8/10
TV and Video Score
5.7/109.3/10
Exercise Score
6.9/104.6/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
5 HoursN/A
Wireless charging
YesN/A
Charging time
2 HoursN/A
Bluetooth version
5N/A
Case Battery Life
12N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
7/107/10
Virtual Surround
YesNo
Android App
YesN/A
iOS App
YesN/A
Mic Quality
7/102.5/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/109/10
Comfort score
7/108.4/10
Size
MediumLarge
Weight (headset or single earbud)
5 Grams6 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedN/A

Shopping

Chevron down

Creative Labs Zen Air

See more

Dig into reviews and images

Headphone Check

Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."

Sennheiser IE600

See more

Dig into reviews and images

Soundguys

Jasper Lastoria | August 2023
"If you've got the bucks, the Sennheiser IE 600 is a nice, upscale set of in-ear monitors made of a lightweight metal with an unusual texture. It comes with a suite of extras, and performs well at virtually every task."

Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Zen Air or the Sennheiser IE600

About Creative Labs

Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.

About Sennheiser

A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.

Give feedback

We're constantly perfecting our model

Earbuds or Headphones guides you might be interested in

Chevron down

FAQs

Chevron down

FAQs about earbuds and headphones

Questions about PerfectRec >

Why trust us

Chevron down
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
94,700
Recommendations made
14,205
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

Featured in

Color LTT LogoGeekwire logo9to5 Mac logoPhone Arena LogoColor Daring Fireball logo