Brainwavz M1 - value for money earphones

[Krow]

Brainwavz M1 review - excellent bang-for-buck earphones

I have spent the last few months drooling over audio gear, stalking several audiophiles on the internet. I also spent hours in the bathroom fantasising about writing product reviews. But it was only post my tryst with the Brainwavz M1 that I felt motivated and excited to write one.

INTRODUCTION

Hong Kong based MP4Nation's in-house brand Brainwavz, known for their excellent value for money IEMs (In-ear monitors) released the M1 last year, after the huge success of its elder brother, the M2. I did my research before ordering these earphones and I have never regretted my choice. I placed an order for three pieces on mp4nation.net when they had a pre-order offer running, thereby grabbing them at a super-duper-ultra-steal price of $28.50 (Rs. 1280) each.


The long wait paid off

My earphones arrived in January, two months after I had placed the order (I got them shipped via Registered Mail) but it was worth the wait. The moment I began unpacking, I knew that I would fall in love with them.

THE BOX


The cosy innards of the M1 residence

The earphone came well-packed with a sponge coating that houses the round, strong yet light case. Each pack came with three sets of silicone tips (small, medium, large), one pair of biflange tips and a shirt clip. It did not include the advertised foam tips or the ear glider.


Tips of all sizes with the shirt clip holding the biflanges

The tips provided with the pack are comfortable. I wear the earphones for long hours without any discomfort or strain on my ears, so much so that I often forget that I am wearing them. The biflange tips fit my ears very well. Even those who sampled my M1 have not had any fit issues.


The package looks professional and keeps the M1 safe as well

The overall package looks professional and at the same time is easy to ship. I shipped an M1 to a friend via SpeedPost (distance ~800km) in the standard EMS envelope and it reached him without damage to the packaging.

BUILD QUALITY


Ill-treated M1 cable (left) and loved M1 cable (right)

After using the M1 for a while, I figured that the textured cable, with a braided/meshed feel to it, remembers how you treat it. If you are careless with it, you’ll be left uncoiling nasty knots (unlike the Sennheiser LX-90 cable which straightens itself out magically no matter how you keep it). On the other hand, if you roll it up nicely, it rewards you by disentangling easily.


The sturdy connector with pink blips, errr... strips

Its L-shaped (45 degree) connector is very well-built. Despite inserting it into tight audio jacks in computers’ front panels, it has survived, unlike my ex-earphones – the Sennheiser LX-90 whose housing came off when I yanked it out of a tight 3.5mm jack.

However, I wish the M1 had an I-shaped (90-degree) connector. That would be better for those who put their music players in their pockets. But I am not complaining as it still is very good for listening to music on laptops/desktops where the bend in the connector suits the angle of the jack. The pink strips on the connector don't quite fit with the otherwise neat look of the earphones. Black might have been better.

The left and the right earpieces have separate cables which meet like a 'Y' at the halfway mark. The earphone, with its plastic and aluminium housing, feels tough but is very light. There is no strain relief joining the cable to the earphone, unlike the M2, but the build quality of the cable seems strong enough to withstand strain. I have accidentally yanked the M1 out of my ears quite a few times and even sat on it once (luckily, I was on my bed), without damaging it . But please don't use this as an excuse to hack your M1 to pieces.

SOUND

Time to attack the most important part of this review – the sound. The M1 is my first IEM, so take the description with a pinch of salt.

BASS

For my taste, the M1 gives sufficient bass – slightly laid back. I have tried listening to hip-hop tracks like In Da Club by 50 Cent, Pump It by Black Eyed Peas and Spun by Flipsyde to verify this. The bass sounds tight, almost like a punch on a leather bound book in a quiet room (no echo). It is not loud or boomy or woody, but controlled and always behind the vocals. Even though it does tend to lose its punch and become slightly thuddy in bass-heavy tracks, the bass does not sound unpleasant.

SOUNDSTAGE

The soundstage of the M1 is fairly wide. Many times, when I was sitting in a quiet room or walking down quiet streets, I turned and looked sideways to locate the source of a sound. It turned out to be a part of the song I was listening to. This is true for vocals as well as instruments.

SEPARATION

From Flipsyde/Linkin Park to Metallica/Megadeth to Beethoven/Pt. Jasraj (hip-hop to metal to classical), the M1 retains good instrument separation. With some concentration, it is not too difficult to hear a particular instrument lurking in the background.

Guitar sounds are reproduced well, without sacrificing details. Even the tabla sounds fantastic. Overall, mids sound clean and well-detailed. I tried some Opera tracks and liked how the highs sound.

Vocals sound recessed, so do the drums. The drums (and cymbals) lie right at the back. Yet I cannot say that any one sound overpowers the drums completely. Overall, M1 sounds is fairly balanced, with no single overpowering element .

ISOLATION


The comfortable biflange tips (far right) provide decent noise isolation

The noise isolation is just enough to ensure that one can listen to music in a crowded bus without increasing the volume to ridiculously high levels. The wind creates some disturbance when I walk outdoors, but it doesn't kill the music. Also, when I wear the M1 straight (cable downwards), there is a disturbance when the cable rubs against my clothes or body. This can be taken care of easily by wearing them over the ears or by using the shirt clip provided.

I listen to my music at 25 - 30% on my Dell Studio 15 and 30-50% on my iPod Classic and I am pretty happy with the performance on both.

CONCLUSION

If you are looking for a balanced sounding IEM under Rs. 2000, then the Brainwavz M1 is for you.At $39.50 (Rs. 1780) from mp4nation.net, these earphones are still an excellent deal. Value for money at its peak, they are one of the best choices in that price range. I suggest those living in India to buy it from an Indian seller (like Pristine Note, Shop audio, headphones, amplifier, DAC, hifi, mp3, audiophile products online store India for Rs. 1950 with shipping) to avoid the two-month long wait.

Pros:

Value for money
Excellent build quality
Well balanced sound with good separation

Cons:

PMP/DAP users may like an I-shaped connector
Have to pull it out by the cable – a strain relief would have helped


The light and strong clamshell case

Special thanks to TE Members, Faheem for recommending the M1 and BF1983 for selling me his iPod Classic at a price affordable to me. This review would not have been possible without both.

Extra special thanks to my friend who wished to remain anonymous for helping me with the photography and for going through the text of this review over and over until we managed to edit it well enough to make it flow. Without "Anonymous", this review would have been soulless.

[Land rover]

A very comprehensive review with awesome pictures.

Liked your description of its Sound.

Good for people like me who have never bought an earphone apart from those recommended by the cell-phone companies.

[meiji_singh]

Being the ~800 'friend' to whom this was shipped, I have tried these and use these quite frequently, with my desktop, iPod Touch, Samsung Galaxy S and the Nokia N86. It works flawlessly on all of these, and the sound quality is amazing.

[vickybat]

@ Krow

Excellent review buddy. Very helpful and shows that you truly are a pro in sound engineering. This review is better than many reviews in online sites. In short "clear and comprehensive".

Did you find any difference in the nano and classic using the brainwavz? I really like to know this. Can you throw some light on it buddy?

[Sam]

first of all, great review. really enjoyed reading. but 1 important point is that L shaped connectors are useful if you keep your pmp/mobile in your shirt pocket. cause i have used both I & L shaped & i prefer L shaped.

but i specially liked that it shipped with useful accessories & the box itself made it look premium.

[Krow]

Originally Posted by Land rover

A very comprehensive review with awesome pictures.

Liked your description of its Sound.

Good for people like me who have never bought an earphone apart from those recommended by the cell-phone companies.

Thanks a lot mate. The idea was to be able to get across to even those who do not know much about sound and earphones.

Originally Posted by meiji_singh

Being the ~800 'friend' to whom this was shipped, I have tried these and use these quite frequently, with my desktop, iPod Touch, Samsung Galaxy S and the Nokia N86. It works flawlessly on all of these, and the sound quality is amazing.

Thanks bro! I'm glad you like the gift.

Originally Posted by vickybat

@ Krow

Excellent review buddy. Very helpful and shows that you truly are a pro in sound engineering. This review is better than many reviews in online sites. In short "clear and comprehensive".

That is flattering. No, I am not a pro in sound engineering. I am just a noob who managed to review his first good pair of earphones. Thanks for reading and your appreciation. It is really encouraging.

Did you find any difference in the nano and classic using the brainwavz? I really like to know this. Can you throw some light on it buddy?

I'll listen some more and post the difference. But from what I remember, the sound in the Nano was fuller, while that on the classic was a little neutral. I prefer the sound of the Classic, but my friend prefers the Nano. It is very subjective, as I mentioned earlier.

Originally Posted by Sam

first of all, great review. really enjoyed reading. but 1 important point is that L shaped connectors are useful if you keep your pmp/mobile in your shirt pocket. cause i have used both I & L shaped & i prefer L shaped.

but i specially liked that it shipped with useful accessories & the box itself made it look premium.

Thanks a lot. Yes, it totally skipped my mind that the player could be kept in the shirt pocket as well. Thanks for pointing that out. I like 90-degree connectors personally. But this one is sturdy, so I don't mind the 45-degree one either.

[Sid_hooda]

Haha, 2 months delivery from MP4Nation ? Looks like i got lucky (got a pair of M2's for a friend in 12 days)

Good review though, and a good IEM too
PS- How's the imaging of these IEM's (i.e. Instrument placement when listening to music) ? If its good, then i might get it for a friend who needs an IEM for gaming/music

[Rockstar11]

nice review

[Faun]

Test these tracks:
Yasmin the Light - Explosion in The Sky
A Song For Starlit Beaches - Yndi Halda
New Born - Muse

[rhitwick]

First: A great review Pranay. Very detailed. Alas! I'm in office so could not view the photos.

Second: A very soulful review I would like to say

Third: It would be nice if you could compare it with market toppers like Creative, Soundmagic, Sennheiser with respect to sound only. Well, its your first IEM, still a research on sound quality for your personal experience would be nice for us to set a benchmark.

Fourth: Again, great review. Keep it up.

[Krow]

Originally Posted by Sid_hooda

How's the imaging of these IEM's (i.e. Instrument placement when listening to music) ? If its good, then i might get it for a friend who needs an IEM for gaming/music

Could you elaborate on what you want exactly? I did mention that no sound overpowers the other and that drums and cymbals lie right at the back, but are not overshadowed. Bass is recessed, vocals are mostly at the front. If there is anything specific you want to know, I'll tell you.

Originally Posted by Rockstar11

nice review

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Faun

Test these tracks:
Yasmin the Light - Explosion in The Sky
A Song For Starlit Beaches - Yndi Halda
New Born - Muse

I'll get back to you once I listen to these. It would help if you could provide links where I can listen to these unless you want me to test off youtube.

Originally Posted by rhitwick

First: A great review Pranay. Very detailed. Alas! I'm in office so could not view the photos.

Second: A very soulful review I would like to say

Third: It would be nice if you could compare it with market toppers like Creative, Soundmagic, Sennheiser with respect to sound only. Well, its your first IEM, still a research on sound quality for your personal experience would be nice for us to set a benchmark.

Fourth: Again, great review. Keep it up.

Thanks a lot for your compliment. Hmmm, I did think of posting about various competitors at the same price range. But then I thought that what people say they sound like might not be the same as my impressions.

Still, I'll see what I can do about this. Thanks again.

[Faun]

Must say you got it at a much better price
Brainwavz M1, M2, M3 and Pro Alpha - in stock

Can you breakdown the total price according to shipping charges, customs etc ?

[Krow]

Originally Posted by Faun

Must say you got it at a much better price
Brainwavz M1, M2, M3 and Pro Alpha - in stock

Can you breakdown the total price according to shipping charges, customs etc ?

It was a special pre-order offer. Each piece was available for $29.50. For each increase in quantity of order, you get a further discount of $1 - meaning I got each piece for $28.50. Shipping free via Registered Mail (took 2 months to arrive as things take time to get customs clearance from HK).

No customs charges. Lucky me.

If you order the M1 now, you can get it for $39.50. You may wait for the next pre-order discount so that you can get a $10 discount. But what you will pay if you buy it from an Indian seller will be just 200 bucks more than the MP4 Nation price, which is better than waiting 2 months.

The other option is to choose FedEx as the shipping option at MP4 Nation. That will set you back by a further $19 plus whatever ridiculous customs charges you may incur.

[Sid_hooda]

Originally Posted by Krow

Could you elaborate on what you want exactly? I did mention that no sound overpowers the other and that drums and cymbals lie right at the back, but are not overshadowed. Bass is recessed, vocals are mostly at the front. If there is anything specific you want to know, I'll tell you.

I mean, lets say you're listening to an orchestra, how well does the earphone place the various instruments and how much variation of their depth is perceived ?
Also, how well do these IEM's fir people with smaller ear canal's and did you wear them over-the-ear or straight down ?

[Krow]

Originally Posted by Sid_hooda

I mean, lets say you're listening to an orchestra, how well does the earphone place the various instruments and how much variation of their depth is perceived ?
Also, how well do these IEM's fir people with smaller ear canal's and did you wear them over-the-ear or straight down ?

Originally Posted by In the review

The wind creates some disturbance when I walk outdoors, but it doesn't kill the music. Also, when I wear the M1 straight (cable downwards), there is a disturbance when the cable rubs against my clothes or body. This can be taken care of easily by wearing them over the ears or by using the shirt clip provided.

I usually wear them straight down when indoors and over the ears when outside.

Yes, one of my friends here uses the small silicone tips as the biflanges don't fit. The small tips keep falling off my ears. I guess that means his ear canals are smaller. And yes, he is pretty comfortable with the M1.

The instruments are separated well, but they are not far off from each other. They do not overlap completely though. Variation of depth is noticeable, but not so much in most songs. It is great in some songs like Trumpets by Flipsyde or Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Does that answer your query?

[Sid_hooda]

Yes, thanks a lot man

[Krow]

You are welcome.

@ Faun, I'll post those impressions in a couple of days.

[xtremevicky]

Very Good review . Brilliant picture presentation.

As my next buy will be a high end Earphones , This makes the list but is a little expensive for my first Earphones .

[Krow]

Originally Posted by xtremevicky709

Very Good review . Brilliant picture presentation.

As my next buy will be a high end Earphones , This makes the list but is a little expensive for my first Earphones .

Thanks a lot.

These are my first IEMs and I do not regret spending as much as I did at all.

[EdoPack]

Nice review! I've got the old gen iPod nano of the same colour (although it's on its last legs) that's coupled with the Brainwavz M2's - I do like heavy bass, mind!

[Faun]

Originally Posted by Krow

You are welcome.

@ Faun, I'll post those impressions in a couple of days.

bamp

[doomgiver]

Brainwavz M1 IEM Earphones - Preorder [Brainwavz-M1] - $29.50 : MP4 Nation!, :: Low Priced MP4, MP3 Players and the latest scoop on the newest MP4 Player

look at that price!

[teejay_geekEd]

Great review man.
And nice pictures too.
I'm also planning to write a review on my M2.

[Krow]

Originally Posted by EdoPack

Nice review! I've got the old gen iPod nano of the same colour (although it's on its last legs) that's coupled with the Brainwavz M2's - I do like heavy bass, mind!

Thanks. I was going to buy the M2 initially, but its pre-order $10 discount slipped away and I settled for three M1s.

Originally Posted by Faun

bamp

Sorry Faun, had no time till now. Soon I will post.

Originally Posted by doomgiver

Brainwavz M1 IEM Earphones - Preorder [Brainwavz-M1] - $29.50 : MP4 Nation!, :: Low Priced MP4, MP3 Players and the latest scoop on the newest MP4 Player

look at that price!

I got it for a dollar less than that too.

Originally Posted by teejay_geekEd

Great review man.
And nice pictures too.
I'm also planning to write a review on my M2.

Thanks. And do write your review (and post it here).

[Rahim]

Sorry for bumping this thread. I have ordered M2 from Pristine Note at TE and sent the scanned copy of the payment but still not getting any confirmation or response I hope everything will be all right?

[Faun]

Originally Posted by Krow

Sorry Faun, had no time till now. Soon I will post.

Soon....

Originally Posted by Rahim

Sorry for bumping this thread. I have ordered M2 from Pristine Note at TE and sent the scanned copy of the payment but still not getting any confirmation or response I hope everything will be all right?

You made the deal in TE forum ? If yes then no probs.

[Rahim]

^I got a confirmation email this morning Response is slow tbh.

[Krow]

@Faun The problem is that I have no laptop/desktop now and the song is not on my iPod. Need to get it synced asap.

[Rahim]

I got it today

[XTerminator]

Since nobody has mentioned it,Id like to raise a doubt.

You used an ipod classic without it being rockboxed? that's practically phail as it has bs of a equaliser and theres a considerable sound difference when pair of good iems are used with an ipod and when used with a phone/pmp with adjustable equaliser settings.

ntl,iems look pretty badass