New Brainwavz HM3 Portable Headphone - Another Value Leader?

OK I just recieved a reviewers pair of the new Brainwavz HM3 Headphones. I have been asked to not post pictures of these so I suspect there may be minor cosmetic changes from my set as compared to what will ultimately be released. But here are some picures posted by Brainwavz themselves.

Closed Cup

Transducer Drivers - Dynamic 38mm

Rated Impedence - 32ohm

Frequency Range 20hz-20KHz

Sensitivity - 95db at 1mW

Rated input power 1mW

Speaking of cosmetics, these are a nice looking pair of headphones. Notice I didn't say a georgeous set of headphones. But they are a "nice" looking pair that for some will be great while others will think they are ugly or just want something jazzier. For me I have no issues wearing these or being seen wearing them.

If the basics of this pair are carried forward I find these quite comfortable as they go over ear which is a boon for me as I wear glasses. The ear pads are typical faux leather and while thin are not so thin my ears are hitting the foam covering the drivers but this may be an issue for some. The foam covering the drivers is a bit thick and then there is the usual thin black cloth covering everything. The cable is soft and pliable and thick enough to feel substantials and thin enough to not feel bulky. The plug on my pair is straight just like the picture which is fine but I would have been happier if it was an L shape. The headband is a well built faux leather that is comfortable and utilitarian in design. The sliders for adjustig the headphone are not notched and very easily adjusted (almost to easy).

While these are a closed over the ear design they are not that isolating so may not be suitable for noisy situations but probably perfect at an office where you need to be able to hear a bit of the chatter around you.

I will write up a full review in this initial post but will give initial and ongoing impressions as I burn these in.

OK, upon plugging these in and having an initial listen from my iPhone I noticed I had to turn the volume up to around 50% versus my usual 1/4-1/3 volume. So these are not quite as efficient as the other portables I have owned or heard. My little desktop amp runs them fine though and the iPhone would be OK as well as I am not noticing a large difference in sound from iphone to desktop amp.

The next thing I noticed was that these initially have a shallow V shaped signature with very little mid-bass emphasis and slightly rolled off or less extended treble. The midrange is a bit recessed in comparison to the bass and treble but not by alot so they are actually more balanced than I would have thought. I like the sound of guitars as they are pretty growly but cymbals not as much as they don't have the shimmer I like. The detail is not bad but not as good as some of the other equipment I have on hand. The good news is there is nothing I truly dislike about the signature so hopefully these just get better with some burnin and use.

I am thinking these are going to be a good bargain for their price but will hold off on further judgement until I have burned these in for a day.

My pair looks pretty much exactly like the picture, so not sure why they don't want me to take pictures LOL.

Sound wise these have changed a bit from my initial listen after 7 hours of burnin. So I am leaving them over night and most of tomorrow as I will be busy until tomorrow night. I am liking what I hear so far.

I have 4 other portables on hand that I will be doing a comparison to. Out of those 4 they initially sounded very similar to the Denon DN HP700, but the midrange has become a bit more forward, balancing them out a bit more. In back to back A/B testing the cymbals sound clearer with the HP700 but this may just be the more forward treble versus the HP700 having better treble. I will wait another day or two before I worry about really doing serious A/B testing.

My initial post will ultimately have the review of the HM3 by themselves but either in this thread or a new thread I will be doing a shootout between all the portables I have on hand which include the Beyer Dynamic DT1350, Denon DN HP700, V-Moda Crossfade M80, and the Jay's V-Jay. I can tell you now it will be a real mixed bag as they all have their own distinct sound.

I am also wondering if they sound anything like the FA-004, but please DO NOT POST how those headphones sound in this thread until I am done my review, as I have deliberately stopped looking at the FA-004 reviews to try and not bias my thoughts on what I am hearing. Then when my review is done we can see if there are any common things between what I hear and others owning the FA-004 are hearing.

Ok at around 18 hours of burnin these have changed quite a bit. The midrange has come up to about the same level as the bass and treble making this fairly neutral. They are not a bright or sterile headphone but slightly warm. The detail has also picked up but is still lacking in comparison to the M80 and the DT1350 but not by as much as you would think. I like the signature because it straddles those two headphones, having less bass than the M80 but more than the DT 1350. I am still deciding on the treble as to where it's at in comparison to the M80 as I think it's a bit brighter but lacks in the detail a bit. It's definitely not as bright or detailed as the DT1350 though.

In general from a signature perspective I would say the 5 headphones are like this:

Brainwavz HM3 - neutral mostly, if it has any V shaped qualities they are extremely shallow.

Beyer Dynamic DT1350 - is an uphill slope curve with the bass at the bottom and the treble at the top. I like the detail of the treble and midrange but can't handle the lack of bass.

Denon DN HP700 - V shaped signature with the midrange being close to flat but the treble and bass spiked. The V is not overly pronounced but definitely there.

Jays V-Jays - Strong V shaped signature with pronounced bass and crisp almost brittle highs. I like this headphone but only in small doses as it quickly becomes fatiguing to me. This is the only open headphone I have in the roundup but suprising does not have the best sound stage.

V-Moda Crossfade M80 - This one is a gentle downhill slope that is almost flat between the bass and the midrange then downward in the treble.

The HM3 has better detail the V-Jay and a better sound stage and about the same detail and sound stage as the HP700. The M80 has a slightly larger sound stage and slightly better detail than the HP700 and the HM3. The DT1350 has the most detail of all the headphones but it's sound stage is about the same as the HP700 and HM3.

Tonally speaking I think the HM3 offers the best balance.

I will let these cook another 24-30 hours then I will get busy on the review followed by a 5 way shootout comparison between all the portables.

I am aware that Brainwavz uses many components that are also used by Fischer but I also believe that many of their similarities are just that, similarities. Yes they share some of the same OEM manufacturers but in the end Brainwavz is tweaking those components to sound how they think they should versus just copying Fischer verbatim, or at least that appears to be the case when I look at threads on IEM's like the B2 which apparently sound different than the DBA2.

In any case I don't have the FA-004 and am not reviewing them so will focus on the headphone I have on hand and describe only what I am hearing and seeing with that headphone.

Having said that I have to say I have been listening to music for the past hour with these and really like what I am hearing (and feeling, DANG these are comfortable). I am still not sure how to describe the signature as they have become a bit more V shaped again with just the right amount of POP in the treble to make things like cymbals stand out the way I like. I also like the weight of the bass as it is deep and extended but without to much mid-bass. The sound stage on these is actually better than I initially thought too working well from classic rock to classical music.

OK took these outside today when I took my dog for a walk and had another listen in the basement afterward with some new observations. These do not handle wind outside very well, amplifying the wind noise plus they have some issues with movement noise causing the headphones to creak a fair amount. So these are not going to be great choices for active use or windy environments. I also feel they are not going to achieve the same level of detail that the M80 has nor the DT1350 (which has even more detail than the M80) but there is a real crap shoot between them and the HP700 and the V-Jays ion terms of detail.

I think these have stabilized in their signature enough that I am ready to write up the review which will happen over the next day or two. I can say this now though, they are an excellent value headphone, no matter what, but they are not slaying the $2-300 portables in that they are not as good as those headphones technically nor are they as good construction wise. But if someone is looking for a nice entry level headphone to start their journey, or are looking for a specific sonic signature these may be just the ticket and they will blow away most of the cheapy headphones found in brick and mortar stores.

I have been using these at work today and listening to classical exclusively and have to say they do classical music VERY WELL!!  My only real complaints with these are cymbals and only in comparison to higher end IEM's and headphones and mechanical noises (creaks and groans when moving) which are not uncommon with other headphones but still annoying.  Otherwise these are an extremely enjoyable headphone that will likely find a permanent spot at work for me.

I have actually changed the thread title to reflect my feelings about this headphone as I do believe it is an excellent value due to it's sound quality and reasonably good construction.

Actually the issue I have with cymbals is more due to having gear that is more detailed versus sibilance. I am used to my VSonic GR07 which is really good at producing cymbals in my opinion so I am used to hearing more variation and decay than the HM3 is able to produce. But I have to be honest and say aside from my Denon D7000 none of my other gear is able to produce that level of detail either. So it may be more about the fact the HM3 is more pronounced in that area as compared to say my V-Moda Crossfade M80 so I notice it more than I normally would. But it only starts to bother me with songs that have alot of cymbals especially if they are heavier than usual (hard rock is a bit worse than jazz for example).

Anyway I actually have to write my real review, so keep checking back as I will have more information than what I have given so far which is more just impressions at this point.