Sennheiser ConC 400 Review
The headphone specialist Sennheiser, now part of Sonoma (Phonak, Geers), has introduced the ConC 400: an in-ear headset sold through hearing care professionals, mainly for people with mild hearing loss.
People who are happy tend to accept their own weaknesses and handle them positively. However, physical limitations usually become more noticeable with age. One such problem that many experience later is partial hearing loss, something we often took for granted when younger.
This can make communication more difficult. Even people with normal hearing may have noticed this with relatives or friends. So, music lovers with normal hearing often wonder what lies ahead—and if that day comes, how they can still enjoy music above their hearing threshold.
So far, there is no perfect audiophile hearing aid from established high-end manufacturers. However, many large hearing aid companies now offer improved music modes in their top models, along with better speech intelligibility. This is important because hearing aids use certain helpful adjustments to enhance speech, which can be harmful to music playback.
Likely to gain expertise in music reproduction, Sonova—well-known through the Phonak and Geers brands—acquired Sennheiser’s consumer business in 2021. A new product that combines both areas is the Sennheiser ConC 400, an in-ear headset available from hearing care professionals for about 920 dollars.
Selling it through an audiologist makes sense, as it includes helpful advice on hearing and ear health. If you already suspect a gradual loss of hearing, you can also schedule a hearing test, and have them check for any earwax (cerumen) buildup.
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This visit lets you meet the hearing care professional. From our research, we know that when choosing a hearing aid—and especially during the weeks-long process of adjusting it—having a good relationship with a skilled audiologist is probably the most important factor for success.
To hear or not to hear: that’s the question
Until a hearing aid is truly necessary, these in-ear headphones can be very helpful in various situations. Various? Essentially, there are three main modes, accessed via an app for Android or iPhone called Sennheiser Conversation Clear. In our test, we used the Android version. In the “Sound Control” menu, the app offers Stream, Communication, and Relax modes.
Stream is the mode for audio playback, typically through Bluetooth from a smartphone. It can also work with a Phonak TV Connector for analog or optical digital sources. The analog TV stream remained delay-free, with perfect lip-sync. A slider in Stream mode let us blend in outside sounds to a certain degree.
All of our testers found the earpieces comfortable and secure, thanks partly to a small fin at the top of the outer ear. If you want to speak to someone while wearing the ConC 400, switch to Communication mode, where you can adjust the volume of the person you’re talking to within reasonable limits. Reasonable, because people with reduced hearing often turn the volume up so much that even soft speech is pushed above the threshold of hearing. That can cause loud sounds to be amplified too much, risking more damage to the hair cells in the cochlea, which convert sound into nerve impulses. As a safer alternative to extremely high volume, the ConC’s app has a very effective setting to improve speech intelligibility.
Relax mode helps you unwind by letting you choose how many outside sounds reach your ears. At the lowest level, the ConC 400 not only provides about 20 dB of active noise cancellation, it also generates almost no noticeable noise for testers with normal hearing.
The app makes it convenient to switch modes and fine-tune the headset, and it also shows the touch commands. Each earpiece recognizes only a short press, a long press, or a double press in the same spot, which helps avoid errors. The only small difficulty was the Bluetooth setup, but your hearing care professional can handle that. Since the earbuds only support the basic SBC codec, true audiophiles might not be satisfied, but it suits the ConC 400’s intended audience.
Hearing loss and compensation
There are many reasons for a decline in normal hearing, such as a damaged eardrum or an issue with the outer ear. However, problems in the inner ear—where the cochlea converts sound into nerve signals—are much more common. These signals travel through the auditory nerve to the brain, where the auditory pathways create our perception of sound.
Though hearing loss can vary greatly in frequency range and severity, older adults often experience reduced sensitivity at softer volumes and higher frequencies.
Reduced sensitivity: A comparison of the so-called Fletcher-Munson curves—showing what sound pressure levels different frequencies need to seem equally loud—reveals significant differences between people with normal hearing (black lines in the diagram) and those with the high-frequency hearing loss described (red). Notably, this high-frequency loss is much more severe at lower volumes and almost disappears at higher volumes. A fixed boost in the upper range that makes quiet high tones audible would sound sharp at higher volumes and could lead to further hearing damage from loud tones. The “secret” of a well-fitted hearing aid lies in precisely adjusting amplification based on level and frequency.
The curves in the diagram show the sound pressure levels required for equal loudness perception in normal-hearing individuals (black) and hearing-impaired individuals (red). Even normal-hearing people need significantly higher levels in the bass and treble than in the midrange.
Let’s talk
It goes without saying that the Sennheiser headset also supports phone calls. Speech quality on both ends is good—though not excellent.
In a noisy area with steady sounds (like traffic), it declines somewhat more, but it performs slightly better in very loud places like a busy bar than many other models.
Listening – unfortunately lossless
In our listening tests, none of our reviewers actually represented the ConC 400’s target group. Because of that, all efforts to boost details below our hearing threshold resulted in a bright, slightly thin, and over time a bit tiring sound, but it was full of detail. For people with hearing loss, this likely balances the darker sound they often hear and brings back nuances they thought were gone.
In use, the Sennheiser ConC 400 has three modes: Relax to block outside noise, Communication for clearer speech, and Stream for playing music.
The Sennheiser ConC 400 is not tiny, but all of our testers found it very comfortable in the ear.
Measurement Diagram
Frequency Response & Distortion: The bass drops early, the highest frequencies are limited, and there is a slight boost in the presence range.
Sennheiser ConC 400 Specs
Price: About 920 dollars
www.sennheiser-hearing.com/support
Weight: 58 g
Functions
- Type: In-Ear
- Sound Pressure Level (0.1 – 4 kHz, 1 mW/32 Ω): not applicable
- Impedance at 1 kHz: not applicable
- Design (Prinzip): closed
- System: dynamic
Verdict
Sennheiser and parent company Sonova have boldly integrated the core functions of a hearing aid into an in-ear headset. It’s not cheap, and to normal-hearing listeners it sounds unusual. However, for those with early-stage hearing loss, it offers a way to enjoy music without risking more damage from excessive volume, and it also makes conversations easier. If this appeals to you, a visit to a hearing care professional is worthwhile. Seeing them early can also help slow down further hearing loss. by Bernd Theiss
- Measurements (Messwerte): 9/10
- Practical Use (Praxis): 10/10
- Build Quality (Wertigkeit): 8/10
- Price/Performance (Preis/Leistung): very good (≈ 9/10)
Sennheiser ConC 400 earbuds | HearFIT
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