Brainwavz M3 Review - Page 5

Quote:

Originally Posted by nucgaek 

Hmm

Just wondering if i should buy these from a fellow head-fier, or something else...

How do these at $65 compare to something like the M2 at $50ish, or something higher like Fischer Audio eterna/SB's for $75 or RE0/xcapes for $90?

Mostly interested in enjoying my music, and people seem to say that the M2 are significantly more enjoyable than the M3's?

M2's 100%!  Especially if you're looking just to enjoy your music, that should definitely be your choice. 

Honestly, I haven't made a review of the M3's because I don't think I'd be able to write it calmly.  I hate those things and it's the biggest waste of $75 ever!  I won't elaborate for this reason, otherwise swearing might need to be involved.  I can just say that the M2's are the best things that I've ever tried, especially for the ridiculous price.  Don't let that turn you off that they're cheaper.  I know for sure they beat anything in the $100 range of IEM's, I definitely prefer them over the Sennheiser HD 595 over the ear garbage (relatively speaking) ($250 range), and honestly prefer them even over my Audio-Technicha M50's ($115 minimum with a good deal). 

These M3s really surprised me.  REALLY.  I pre-ordered these things like a month ago and got them this morning and I'm stoked.  From all accounts they are lacking with regards to bass compared to the M2s.  While I don't have the M2s around any longer because I couldn't comfortably wear them over the ears for gym use, these M3s are awesome.  Maybe I'm just remembering them wrong, but the M3s just appear to be a bit brighter and clearer on the high end and a little cleaner (tho slightly less bass overall) than the M2s.  I like my bass from my headphones because I listen to about 90% hip hop so I need nice and clean if possible and these M3s very well could be my perfect headphones.  I've tried nearly everything in the last month in the <100 range with some decent bass reputation:  Fischer Eternas, NuForce 700s, Hippo VB, Brainwavz M2, Shure se215, Melec m11 as well as the current headphones I'm using, the Monster Turbines and the Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass.

I currently use the Monster Turbines for listening at home and some Phonak Audeo Perfect Bass for gym use...and I think thinks M3s surpass both of them as an overall package.  They sound fantastic as far as my untrained ears are concerned.  I liked the M2s (tho they were uncomfortable to me) but these just seem a little more well rounded.  They also appear to be a little more sensitive so I don't need as much volume out of my Zune HD to push them.  Pair them with the large hybrid sony tips and these things seal great, fit great and are super comfortable.  I'm just so excited about these right now and I've only been listening to them for a few hours now.  If these things just had a chin slider, they'd be absolutely perfect...but alas, there had to be one drawback.  :) 

Brainwavz M3 Review-

Alright, seeing all these positive reviews is honestly making me sick.  I must make my review for these headphones, as people must beware of certain things.  All the reviews so far are creating a false impression for someone trying to find the right pair of headphones for themselves.  I would like to emphasize that I have no bias against anything in particular here, even relative, and considering my love for the M2's and the great people I see that work for Brainwavz, I only look forward to their future products still.  I doubt the M2's were an accident and the M3's were intended to sound differently, or rather, not just as a simple upgrade for a higher price.  I can't exactly claim false advertising but rather, lack of information I should say, some reviews only having hinted at but never really exclaiming any of the following things as negative or especially mentioned really.

Now that that's out of the way, there technically isn't much of a point of getting into extreme detail just because the biggest flaw of the IEM's is that they sound artificial.  Trying them, I was very focused on EQ and eventually, using my Cowon J3, I got it just right.  It was very different than the M2's EQ and actually, relatively flat.  That still hadn't changed its signature sound (which at the time I didn't know what exactly was) nor did it change its flaws.  Artificial is the key word, because even though the EQ balanced the overall sound in what's more/less up front and overall just made the sound a bit clearer & more powerful, the mids still had a flat kind of sound (not relative to most headphones but definitely in comparison with the M2's), treble was harsh as hell, and no matter what I did, lows ALWAYS stayed the same - not enough.  

Lows, Mids, and Treble-

Lows, regardless of song - regardless of the technical impact that literally even measured off the charts, were forced into a gentle touch.  Were lows a tiny bit more extended than on the M2's?  Sure.  Was it audible at all times?  If you blocked everything else out and really strived to hear it, then sure.  Any beauty in any bass line was essentially gone.  How can it not be gone when it's all made to sound mono-dynamic at a mezzo-piano (mp) level at most.  

Mids were decent but I can't say anything positive because they're nothing worth the price - very average.  They weren't in any particular direction.  I guess vocals were clearer but not in all cases at all worth it as I'll emphasize in relation to the treble.  

Treble was terrible.  Clearer and louder does not make better.  All the "T" and "S" sounds in vocals were ripping through my ears.  That is an insanely low quality sound attribute which I should not even come close to getting a hint of on a pair of headphones considered this high caliber and of such price.  Simply horrible.  The sound in general was a bit dreadfully "trebly" actually.  I never knew that Freddie Mercury could make such painful noises and have such negative qualities to his voice.  This definitely contributes to an unnatural sound reproduction mentioned.

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The person that actually brought their general problem to my attention (what I can describe only as their sound signature) was my father one day when he took my player and the headphones and listened to some songs on Shuffle.  The reason I overlooked it was because at that point, I was still optimistic and actually a bit biased positively.  All the reviews were so great by people that seemed they knew exactly what they're talking about and by the same people who actually helped me before and accurately described the M2's; I had trust in the company and just couldn't imagine a more expensive similarly named model being so terrible (that's really a fitting word considering...) and I've invested enough of an amount to which I usually do a great deal of research for.  Regardless, I always give a product a long long chance to prove its potential.  I must say that the M3's lasted for one of the briefest periods (probably no longer than within a week).  

To sum up and put it simply, in the words of my father who said this returning it to me, unbeknownst to using a new pair of headphones, no paying too close attention to quality really, "It sounds like I'm listening to all these songs through some kind of filter."

If you're looking simply for clarity and clarity only, these might be for you (though people still say the RE0's are better at that).  As I've also mentioned, the sound IS in fact relatively flat or even balanced I should say, but it's not to a level good enough for accurate observation/mixing, so essentially it's pointless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Typhoon859 

Alright, seeing all these positive reviews is honestly making me sick.  I must make my review for these as people must beware.  All the reviews so far are creating a false impression for someone trying to find the right pair of headphones for themselves.

Wait a second...I'm supposed to like earphones that OTHER people love, not the ones that sound good for me?  I was under the impression that I was supposed to find out what headphones I liked and that sounded good for the music I personally listen to.  Dang.  I've been doing it all wrong.  Sheesh.  Thanks for telling me.  What's your favorite headphone...I'll have to get me a pair of them.  smh

Now I just have to figure out why it makes you sick that people are happy with a particular pair of headphones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbdynsty25 

Wait a second...I'm supposed to like earphones that OTHER people love, not the ones that sound good for me?  I was under the impression that I was supposed to find out what headphones I liked and that sounded good for the music I personally listen to.  Dang.  I've been doing it all wrong.  Sheesh.  Thanks for telling me.  What's your favorite headphone...I'll have to get me a pair of them.  smh

 

Now I just have to figure out why it makes you sick that people are happy with a particular pair of headphones.

 

What does this have to do with you?  The reason for what I said is because it's all been positive reviews and nobody described any of the evident flaws.  And if you like that kind of sound, that's great.  Have fun; enjoy it!  I personally don't.  

This irritated me, or whichever way of phrasing it, is because I was fooled this way and it's necessary for people to get both sides of the spectrum to make their opinion.  People that didn't like these haven't said anything, same as I haven't, and that's what made me sick.  It really applies more to me than it does to you.  Not sure why you took this so personally.

I took it personally because you posted something at the top of page 5 back in March.  I went on to post a positive response about the M3s three weeks later and THEN you went on your little rant.  How can I not take offense to that?

If you really feel strongly about an IEM, regardless of positive or negative, I do suggest you to start your own thread about it. That's the proper way to voice your own opinion in a forum (the 'Head Gear' review system is another way to go). I mean, the way you stated that (almost) everyone's opinion here are making you sick does sound a bit offensive. It is not the right way to promote discussion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbdynsty25 

I took it personally because you posted something at the top of page 5 back in March.  I went on to post a positive response about the M3s three weeks later and THEN you went on your little rant.  How can I not take offense to that?

Well, it wasn't in response to you.  It was just a a general, "ANOTHER person posting a review that says none of the things I mentioned".  So I guess you can say it was just the trigger.  I apologize for that impression.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClieOS 

If you really feel strongly about an IEM, regardless of positive or negative, I do suggest you to start your own thread about it. That's the proper way to voice your own opinion in a forum (the 'Head Gear' review system is another way to go). I mean, the way you stated that (almost) everyone's opinion here are making you sick does sound a bit offensive. It is not the right way to promote discussion.

Although that is a bit righteous, I agree with the last statement.  But put yourself in my position; hard not to voice it.  And considering my post before that one (what I said in it), I'd call that pretty conservative of a statement.  Once again, it wasn't directed at anybody.  

Also, I'm not 100% sure about here, but starting my own thread about when there's already a sort of official thread called "Brainwavz M3 Review" would lead to problems and just wouldn't seem like the right thing, although that of course would be anybody's preference.  And plus, I felt it was more proper to post it here regardless to serve it's purpose - mixed with the other reviews for some sort of balance for people reading up on it.  My post wasn't just some random hate spam and it wouldn't be fair to characterize it as such if that's what you're any bit implying.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 

you sure you dont have a broken set?  what you describe is nothing ive seen anyone else say they have found

Man, I knew somebody was going to say that!  You're the guy that actually helped me out before and to be honest, I was quite surprised with your review.  I partially blindly followed it out of trust.  I know this probably wasn't the case, but it made me feel as if you did this because you couldn't say anything negative about it or like they paid you to promote it.  

I'm 100% sure there's nothing wrong with it.  The reason I also mentioned that nobody else is posting what I have knowing that there are other people with the same experience is because I know those people.  And it's people that are much less finicky than I and have been satisfied with IEM's much worse in caliber.  Also, as I mentioned, my father heard it right away.

I had another longer review but something went wrong with the on page editor and lost all of it :( here is a condensed version of what i had written: I have the M3 and have had it for about a week and a half and i just adore these, the wait for the preorder was worth it. I upgraded from the m2 and i was just expecting the m3 to be a slight improvement but the sound on these just rocks, going back and forth between the m2 and the m3 i now find the bass on the m2 to be too heavy handed and the m3 to be the right fit. Typhoon859 i have Queens greatest hits vol.1,2,3 on my ipod and their sound just rocks out on the m3, i could listen to big bottom girls and under pressure remix over and over again, with the m2 the bass is a bit too intense at time with the m3 everything is in the right portions and I don't have the T and S screeching through. The packaging is ok, it did have a pair of comply tips but i think they are the cheapest version but they do fit well in my ear, i am still swapping between the over the ear and normal wearing, i haven't decided which would be better. Did anyone else find the shape of the m3 to be a bit starnge i mean i know the pictures show how it looks but its quite different from the normal earphone shape i am used to. If i were to point one short coming it would be the bass i think a little more would really have made these even more of a killer. Are there any other earphones in the same price range with similar sound but with a bit more bass?

Quote:

Originally Posted by franticmanic 

I had another longer review but something went wrong with the on page editor and lost all of it :( here is a condensed version of what i had written: I have the M3 and have had it for about a week and a half and i just adore these, the wait for the preorder was worth it. I upgraded from the m2 and i was just expecting the m3 to be a slight improvement but the sound on these just rocks, going back and forth between the m2 and the m3 i now find the bass on the m2 to be too heavy handed and the m3 to be the right fit. Typhoon859 i have Queens greatest hits vol.1,2,3 on my ipod and their sound just rocks out on the m3, i could listen to big bottom girls and under pressure remix over and over again, with the m2 the bass is a bit too intense at time with the m3 everything is in the right portions and I don't have the T and S screeching through. The packaging is ok, it did have a pair of comply tips but i think they are the cheapest version but they do fit well in my ear, i am still swapping between the over the ear and normal wearing, i haven't decided which would be better. Did anyone else find the shape of the m3 to be a bit starnge i mean i know the pictures show how it looks but its quite different from the normal earphone shape i am used to. If i were to point one short coming it would be the bass i think a little more would really have made these even more of a killer. Are there any other earphones in the same price range with similar sound but with a bit more bass?

Ow......  Ow.  I am in love with Queen's sound.  Not only their music but THEIR SOUND.  Very important.  Brian May (the guitarist) pointed out at some point how important that is and how it was certainly a focus of theirs.  Please man, the M3's destroy that sound.  Absolutely.  I've heard it on so many headphones, and I've seen it range from worse to good.  BUT, the sound was never altered.  I also have a great home theater system, set up and tweaked to perfection.  I recognized Queen's signature on everything because it's very powerful.  Worse headphones resulted of course in loss in detail and inaccurate tones, but the M3's completely altered it!  I didn't want to fully get into Queen because it's just one band but that for sure I can say, it completely destroys the sound intent of the creators.  These headphone's flaws are the most obvious in symphonic metal/hard rock songs.

I don't know - I just don't know.  I've disagreed in sound with people before but this is ridiculous.  I don't know what's going on.  Again, I doubt I have a defective pair.  There would be signs of that.  No frequency is completely screwed up.  It's just generally bad.  I use them now for my keyboard.  It works for that...

PS- What's your source?  I'm going to try them again using what you used.  I personally used the Cowon J3 and that device I've noticed exaggerates all the pros and the cons of any pair of headphones.  Some headphones like the M2's don't really have "flaws" and it's just a matter of taste.  The M3's have flaws to exaggerate and that's what happens with them.  Its exaggerated pros would be clarity and mid-range vocals without applied treble effects if I hadn't mentioned that before.  Also, try listening to "Nevermore" by Queen (please find the actual recording - not YouTube).  You'll see the 'T' and 'S' sounds I'm talking about which SHOULD NOT be that exaggerated regardless.  That only happens on these phones or really bad ones; it's not the song itself.  There are many examples.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark2410 

 

 but these nail her perfectly right in the middle. 

THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!

On Topic: I really love my M2s right now, so I'll get these once they break. 

This is my first post. Sorry if I ramble... It won't be the last time ;)

I have been lurking for 6 months soaking up everything up like a sponge. I want to express sincere gratitude to all who post because you have created a goldmine ( minefield? ;) ) of information. Every time I would be close to making a decision I would come upon a new product review that would captivate me. Prior to 6 months ago I had not purchased headphones in 12 years since my hd570s which I chose purely because of their velour pads.

Just ordered a a pair of M3s with the $20 off coupon from mp4nation.net:

Posted by Kartellen on the deals thread earlier today:

From MP4Nation:

$20 off Brainwavz M2 - Limit 5 uses: 35da51064f
$20 off Brainwavz M3 - Limit 5 uses: fcv31xzd4c

It was between these and the ECCI PR401s... What put me over the edge was the coupon and listening to my brother's Pro Alphas. Pretty decent IEMs (from my limited experience) especially with the Free Fiio E5 for $39.50 from www.mp4nationusa.com. I thought I would give the top Brainwavz a try. My ADDIEMS are good for a first IEM (for $30 off ebay) especially since I wasn't sure what sound signature I really wanted. They are great for acoustic and lighter genres but the Pro Alphas made me realize how much I missed the bass impact. I have been searching for an all-arounder IEM with balanced sound and decent bass. I am putting my money behind mark2410, dbdynsty25, and jokers reviews/impressions. I hope I hear the same. The bass quantity on the M3s won't make or break them for me because I know they will have more than the ADDIEMS. I was satisfied with the Pro Alphas bass quantity and I have a rumored bass monster-ish headphone on the way in the FA-011. I think Head-Fi has lead me to a self-diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. ;)  I hope the M3s along with the FA-011s will satisfy me for a little while at least.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Typhoon859 

Ow......  Ow.  I am in love with Queen's sound.  Not only their music but THEIR SOUND.  Very important.  Brian May (the guitarist) pointed out at some point how important that is and how it was certainly a focus of theirs.  Please man, the M3's destroy that sound.  Absolutely.  I've heard it on so many headphones, and I've seen it range from worse to good.  BUT, the sound was never altered.  I also have a great home theater system, set up and tweaked to perfection.  I recognized Queen's signature on everything because it's very powerful.  Worse headphones resulted of course in loss in detail and inaccurate tones, but the M3's completely altered it!  I didn't want to fully get into Queen because it's just one band but that for sure I can say, it completely destroys the sound intent of the creators.  These headphone's flaws are the most obvious in symphonic metal/hard rock songs.

 

I don't know - I just don't know.  I've disagreed in sound with people before but this is ridiculous.  I don't know what's going on.  Again, I doubt I have a defective pair.  There would be signs of that.  No frequency is completely screwed up.  It's just generally bad.  I use them now for my keyboard.  It works for that...

 

PS- What's your source?  I'm going to try them again using what you used.  I personally used the Cowon J3 and that device I've noticed exaggerates all the pros and the cons of any pair of headphones.  Some headphones like the M2's don't really have "flaws" and it's just a matter of taste.  The M3's have flaws to exaggerate and that's what happens with them.  Its exaggerated pros would be clarity and mid-range vocals without applied treble effects if I hadn't mentioned that before.  Also, try listening to "Nevermore" by Queen (please find the actual recording - not YouTube).  You'll see the 'T' and 'S' sounds I'm talking about which SHOULD NOT be that exaggerated regardless.  That only happens on these phones or really bad ones; it's not the song itself.  There are many examples.

I think i have a 5th gen ipod. It could just be that the m3 is not your taste. I recently purchased ER4S, i did not like the sound those at all but many people like them here. I sent them back for a refund one week ago, i am back to using my m3.

Quote:

Originally Posted by franticmanic 

 

I think i have a 5th gen ipod. It could just be that the m3 is not your taste. I recently purchased ER4S, i did not like the sound those at all but many people like them here. I sent them back for a refund one week ago, i am back to using my m3.

Well, yeah, it isn't.  I never argued anything else.  I just explained my reasoning for it.  If people like it that way, that's fine.  I can't imagine why personally, but that's not the point - it's irrelevant - doesn't matter...  One main thing otherwise I guess I was saying and am still sticking with is that I do feel that it does in fact change the sound from how it's actually supposed to be like, regardless of EQ or w/e.  Sound can be radically different from just lower quality in general, to like different tones, more/less treble, more/less bass, etc..., and that's all fine, but the M3's were just really off, I dunno...  So, that's why my response to them may have been a bit more radical than simply "Not for me - not my style". 

I think I might try them again with Comply T-400 tips.  That might change some things, I have a feeling for the better.  I will then report back.