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.
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5644632036_a16eeedd9c.jpg
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
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5644068549_04a86ac0fe.jpg
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.
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5644073335_91a54fd544.jpg
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.
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5644633630_dea9dd9a4f.jpg
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
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5063/5644071209_f6b33ea60d.jpg
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.
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5644072389_6a4202383b.jpg
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
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5644640946_a8695b2c86.jpg
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
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5644122371_7722a60f81.jpg
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.
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.
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5644632036_a16eeedd9c.jpg
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
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5644068549_04a86ac0fe.jpg
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.
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5644073335_91a54fd544.jpg
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.
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5644633630_dea9dd9a4f.jpg
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
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5063/5644071209_f6b33ea60d.jpg
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.
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5644072389_6a4202383b.jpg
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
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5644640946_a8695b2c86.jpg
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
*farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5644122371_7722a60f81.jpg
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.
~> 
My tip: listen to both, sell off the one you don't like. You'll get a good price for both, just wash the tips you use.
. I am actually elated that I am finally getting headphones after such a long search. You review helped me nail my choice, although I had never factored in the M1.
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