Driveability
The 7Hz Legato has a rated impedance of 26 ohms, with a sensitivity of 108dB/v@1KHz. In practice, the Legato is a power-forgiving IEM that is driven to listenable volumes with a myriad of sources, even lower-powered sources.
However, because of its substantive bass response, achieving an excellent damping factor helps to exert additional control over the Legato, eliminating unwanted distortion that could further occlude other parts of the frequency band. To achieve this, we recommend pairing the Legato with a source with a low-impedance output with a moderate power rating.
Comparison
Sennheiser IE200
Introduction
Sennheiser (now owned by Sonova Acoustics) is the German titan that made the portable audio industry what it is today. A mainstay in our diverse hobby, Sennheiser is widely celebrated for its HD series of headphones, designed for life-long longevity and class-leading sonic performance; products that have aged like fine wine, no thanks to Axel Grell’s virtuoso-like engineering.
Today, we’re comparing the Legato to the IE200, Sennheiser’s glamorous return to the world of budget IEMs. But, Sennheiser has chosen to stick to what it knows best: single-dynamic driver topologies with zero crossovers. This is the definitive comparison of two conflicting ideologies: more is more vs less is more.
Comparison
The IE200 strictly adheres to Sennheiser’s proprietary diffuse-field response curve: a culmination of years of fine-tuning. In short, there are more similarities than distinctions between the IE200’s sound signature and the industry’s trending Harman response target curve.
The IE200 blends a closer-to-neutral presentation with a VERY modest valley in the midrange, enunciating the low end with a thicker sub-bass shelf, further contrasted by a masterfully-refined treble that could be described as addictive and life-like. It is, however, nowhere near Legato’s unapologetically truncated midrange and exaggerated low and high registers.
The IE200 is a clean and timbrally impressive IEM with a drizzle of fun: a dash of liveliness that doesn’t detract from its technical performance and tonal balance. The Legato, on the other hand, compromises on the latter in favour of toe-tapping and ear-bursting excitement. But, it lacks finesse and refinement in the midrange, with vocal melodies being pushed back in the mix, mired by a pervasive veil of sub-bass rumble that bleeds into the entire image. Treble also takes on an artificial grain and perceptible brittleness.
But there is no denying Legato’s cinematic presence and concert-like ambience. I’ve never heard of an IEM with such a provocative flavour of tuning that does so without the typical caveats that come along with it. One such example is the Legato’s surprisingly wide-soundstage, which runs counter to our general perception of bass-boosted IEMs. Funnily enough, the Legatos have a deeper and more defined soundstage presentation compared to the IE200, which suffers from a taut and constricted spatial stage in spite of its exceptional separation.
Conclusive Remarks
Yes, Legato may seemingly appear to be a “one-trick pony”, but this is no “one-hit wonder”. 7Hz has doubled down on the bass-loving niche with positive results. The Legato’s earth-shaking bass response and concert-like dynamics make it the perfect companion for film scores and modern-pop music without wholly obviating technical performance.
Yes, a neutral IEM with the same driver topology would exhibit a more “tonally” correct signature, but that would defeat the purpose of this entire sonic endeavour. In the end, the Legato has proven to be a successful experiment: another product further cementing 7Hz’s gleaming reputation.
