We had a chance to try the new IEM earbuds from BrainWavz, the M100s. The high-end buds from BW will run you around $80, but are they worth it? Let's take a look.
Specifications:
Drivers : Dynamic, 8 mm
Rated Impedance : 32 Ω
Frequency Range : 12 Hz ~ 22 kHz
Sensitivity : 110 dB @ 1 mW
Plug : 3.5 mm, Gold-Plated
Cable : Braided 1.3 m OFC Copper
Remote & Mic: 3 Button, Apple & most Android phones compatible.
Packaging and accessories:Earphone Hard Case
6 sets of Silicone Ear Tips (S M L)
1 set of ComplyTM Foam Tips T-400
1 Shirt Clip
Velcro Cable Tie
Instruction Manual & Warranty Card (24 month warranty)
HOW DO THEY LOOK?:
BrainWavz spares no expense on the look and materials on the M100. Sleek metal housings, an angled jack-plug, in-line remote, and a ton of tip selections, its all here accessory wise for the M100s. A nice hard carrying case is included and will help keep these from tangling and a housing for all of the tips and the included shirt clip.
The cable is a threaded and tougher feeling cable that seems to help tangling and looks like it will prevent too much wear. It is a little stiff but that is what you are looking for as opposed to the rubber tangle fest that most other headphones don.
Much like other BrainWavz headphones, you will receive a set of Comply foam tips which I find a must with these. Brainwavz always packs lot of goodies in their earphones.
HOW DO THEY SOUND?:
Brainwavz M100 is designed to be worn cable down like most earbuds. They fit well thanks to small and lightweight housing. All of those included tips really make comfort a focus here. You have standard silicone ear tips (S,M,L), bi-flange and Comply Foam Tips T-400 to select from.
The Comply Foam Tips T-400 are the best fit and comfort while the bi-flange ear-tips for maximum seal. Isolation and passive noise canceling really make the music stand out from environmental noise. Because of the massive array of tips you can swap out, there is a great factor of comfort and wearing endurance with the M100s.
Sound wise, ehhh, well. They are bassy which we like in most situations, but in an ear bud with that kind of isolation pressure on your ears, its a little much. Doesn't hurt, just sounds murky and thick. The highs are drowned by mids and lows, which is odd for a set of buds.
The isolation they create is amazing, its almost a perfect seal and as good of passive noise canceling as you can find in an ear bud. But once all of that sound is blocked out, the M100s miss out on creating a warmth in sound. The treble could be adjusted with an amp, something this pair lends itself to being toyed with. But out of the box to the normal user, its missing.
What about the microphone? It is not bad, not the best but serviceable. You can make phone calls and they will be able to understanding you but there is a lot of background noise and tough to make calls on noisy streets. The inline remote, which houses the mic, works great on both Android and iOS devices. Volume control, play, pause and next / previous track all are working great on our devices.
Overall, you get a lot for your buck. There are tons of ear tips that will give you a great fit, which is most of the issue with ear buds. Hip hop music will do well with these but acoustic, music where the instrument is a big part of the sound, those songs will lack. its more of a bloated and colored midrange and unnatural sound. There is a lot of competition at this price point in that market and the issues we had with the M100s are consistent with this category of earbud. So its not like the M100s are lacking the others, they just didn't stand out.
GRADE:B
Specifications:
Drivers : Dynamic, 8 mm
Rated Impedance : 32 Ω
Frequency Range : 12 Hz ~ 22 kHz
Sensitivity : 110 dB @ 1 mW
Plug : 3.5 mm, Gold-Plated
Cable : Braided 1.3 m OFC Copper
Remote & Mic: 3 Button, Apple & most Android phones compatible.
Packaging and accessories:Earphone Hard Case
6 sets of Silicone Ear Tips (S M L)
1 set of ComplyTM Foam Tips T-400
1 Shirt Clip
Velcro Cable Tie
Instruction Manual & Warranty Card (24 month warranty)
HOW DO THEY LOOK?:
BrainWavz spares no expense on the look and materials on the M100. Sleek metal housings, an angled jack-plug, in-line remote, and a ton of tip selections, its all here accessory wise for the M100s. A nice hard carrying case is included and will help keep these from tangling and a housing for all of the tips and the included shirt clip.
The cable is a threaded and tougher feeling cable that seems to help tangling and looks like it will prevent too much wear. It is a little stiff but that is what you are looking for as opposed to the rubber tangle fest that most other headphones don.
Much like other BrainWavz headphones, you will receive a set of Comply foam tips which I find a must with these. Brainwavz always packs lot of goodies in their earphones.
HOW DO THEY SOUND?:
Brainwavz M100 is designed to be worn cable down like most earbuds. They fit well thanks to small and lightweight housing. All of those included tips really make comfort a focus here. You have standard silicone ear tips (S,M,L), bi-flange and Comply Foam Tips T-400 to select from.
Sound wise, ehhh, well. They are bassy which we like in most situations, but in an ear bud with that kind of isolation pressure on your ears, its a little much. Doesn't hurt, just sounds murky and thick. The highs are drowned by mids and lows, which is odd for a set of buds.
The isolation they create is amazing, its almost a perfect seal and as good of passive noise canceling as you can find in an ear bud. But once all of that sound is blocked out, the M100s miss out on creating a warmth in sound. The treble could be adjusted with an amp, something this pair lends itself to being toyed with. But out of the box to the normal user, its missing.
What about the microphone? It is not bad, not the best but serviceable. You can make phone calls and they will be able to understanding you but there is a lot of background noise and tough to make calls on noisy streets. The inline remote, which houses the mic, works great on both Android and iOS devices. Volume control, play, pause and next / previous track all are working great on our devices.
Overall, you get a lot for your buck. There are tons of ear tips that will give you a great fit, which is most of the issue with ear buds. Hip hop music will do well with these but acoustic, music where the instrument is a big part of the sound, those songs will lack. its more of a bloated and colored midrange and unnatural sound. There is a lot of competition at this price point in that market and the issues we had with the M100s are consistent with this category of earbud. So its not like the M100s are lacking the others, they just didn't stand out.
GRADE:B