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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
If audio quality, especially for music, is a priority and you don't mind the high price, the Sennheiser IE600 would be a great choice as they offer best-in-class sound and excellent build quality. However, they lack a microphone and active noise cancelling, which might make them less ideal for calls and noisy environments like air travel. On the other hand, the Steelseries TUSQ, at a budget price, offers good sound quality with a very good microphone, making it suitable for gaming and calls, and comes with a detachable boom mic. It does not match the Sennheiser in sound fidelity, and lacks premium features like an app equalizer and active noise cancelling, but is more affordable. 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 Sennheiser IE600
- Very good for music
- Excellent for TV and video
Advantages of the Steelseries TUSQ
- Very good for gaming
- Good for air travel
Key differences
Music
8.3
7.6
The Sennheiser IE600 is very good for music, while the Steelseries TUSQ is good.
Gaming
6.7
8.5
The Steelseries TUSQ is very good for gaming, while the Sennheiser IE600 is only fair.
Phone Calls
3.5
5.2
The Steelseries TUSQ and Sennheiser IE600 are both poor for phone calls, though the Steelseries TUSQ is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
4.7
The Sennheiser IE600 and Steelseries TUSQ are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the Sennheiser IE600 is somewhat better.
TV and Video
9.3
7.3
The Sennheiser IE600 is excellent for TV and video, while the Steelseries TUSQ is good.
Noise Reduction
7.0
6.0
The Sennheiser IE600 is good for noise reduction, while the Steelseries TUSQ is only fair.
Cost
$600
$30
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Sennheiser IE600 has a price of $600 and the Steelseries TUSQ costs $30.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Sennheiser IE600 has excellent build quality, while the Steelseries TUSQ has very good build quality.
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How the Sennheiser IE600 and the Steelseries TUSQ compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Sennheiser IE600 | Steelseries TUSQ |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$600 | $30 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Sennheiser | Steelseries | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2022 | August 1, 2021 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired | Wired | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 8.3/10 | 7.7/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 3.5/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 6.8/10 | 8.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 9.3/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 4.6/10 | 4.2/10 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | 6/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | N/A | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 2.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Large | Large | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 6 Grams | 11 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | N/A | Boom | |
Shopping
Sennheiser IE600
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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."
Steelseries TUSQ
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Dig into reviews and images
Can Buy or Not
Aloysius Low | March 2021
"The SteelSeries Arctis Tusq is a great headset for those on a more modest budget. You can use it for gaming or music, and I daresay it's also great for Zoom meetings when you don't want to be wearing on-ear or over-ear headphones."
Get a great deal on the Sennheiser IE600 or the Steelseries TUSQ
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.
About Steelseries
Steelseries is a Danish gaming products manufacturer founded in 2001 and owned by GN Store Nord. Beside a large variety of gaming peripherals like mice, keyboards, and mousemats, Steelseries markets the Arctis line of gaming headsets which feature integrated boom microphones and RGB lighting. Steelseries has partnered with several game publishers and studios for limited editions of their products like a line of Cyberpunk 2077 themed headsets in 2020.
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Why trust us
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.
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