The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
The Moondrop Chu earbuds offer very good overall sound quality at a budget price, making them suitable for music, calls, and gaming, but they lack wireless capability and are not ideal for exercise or travel due to poor noise isolation and average portability. On the other hand, the Sennheiser IE600 provides best-in-class sound quality with excellent build quality, making them a premium choice especially for TV and video, though they come at a higher price and their microphone quality is not optimal for calls. Neither model supports wireless listening or active noise cancelling, and both are designed with durability in mind, including detachable cables and cable ear hooks. 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 Moondrop Chu
Very good for phone calls
Very good for gaming
Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sennheiser IE600
Very good for music
Excellent for TV and video
Key differences
Gaming
8.0/10
6.7/10
The Moondrop Chu is very good for gaming, while the Sennheiser IE600 is only fair.
Phone Calls
8.8/10
3.5/10
The Moondrop Chu is very good for phone calls, while the Sennheiser IE600 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.6/10
5.4/10
The Moondrop Chu is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sennheiser IE600 is poor.
TV and Video
7.5/10
9.3/10
The Sennheiser IE600 is excellent for TV and video, while the Moondrop Chu is good.
Noise Reduction
6.0/10
7.0/10
The Sennheiser IE600 is good for noise reduction, while the Moondrop Chu is only fair.
Cost
$22
$600
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Moondrop Chu has a price of $22 and the Sennheiser IE600 costs $600.
Build Quality
8.5/10
9.0/10
The Sennheiser IE600 has excellent build quality, while the Moondrop Chu has very good build quality.
"These budget buds put the pressure on those premium priced in-ear monitors to really justify the cost disparity. Offering excellent sound quality at any price, the Moondrop Chu is both a perfect entry into the audio enthusiast hobby, and an all around good pick for music fans."
"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 Moondrop Chu or the Sennheiser IE600
About Moondrop
Moondrop is a Chinese brand of smart audio equipment, portable audio players, earbuds and headphones started in 2015. During the last few years they have become one of the major players in what is lovingly referred to as the Chi-fi market, the bulk of Chinese companies that have managed to actually compete with the western manufacturers in both prices and superior quality. Products such as the Blessing II, Chu and Kato are among the most popular offerings of the brand, more popular among those users that wish for good quality audio that won't break the bank. Besides audio, the brand also works in what they call the ACGN field (Animation, Comics, Games and Short Novels).
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.
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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.
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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.