I was offered to review these for Brainwavz and I agreed. I am not affiliated with the company, and have no bias towards or against them. This review will be my unbiased opinion on these.
 
Packaging & accessories:
 
They come packaged in a mostly clear plastic box. Inside is their newer style semi-rigid carrying case with the earphones themselves, some tips, a shirt clip. I'm not really one to care for packaging, it gets thrown out after you open everything up anyway. The supplied accessory kit is pretty standard for what you'd find included with pretty much every IEM. The case is nice, and I always like to have a shirt clip so we're good there. The supplied tips I was not a fan of. A lot of people like the Comply tips which is understandable, but I've never liked foam tips, and I think these sound better with tips with a smaller bore like a Sony "Hybrid" tip. 
 
Comfort, fit, & isolation:
 
The comfort, fit, and isolation are all very good once you get the right tips on and get the right fit. They are somewhat of a small design which means they should fit well and be comfortable for most people. In terms of isolation I'd rate them as above average. With a proper seal the isolation is very good. These seem to be a sealed design which with a good fit usually leads to good isolation. So they will be good if isolation is what you're after. I actually wore them in my full face motorcycle helmet for about an hour once and they blocked all wind noise, and almost all of the engine noise on my DRZ400SM with a full FMF exhaust. I don't usually ride with earplugs or earphones, but I wanted to try it once for a little bit and I was surprised how much noise they blocked out.  
 
Build quality & durability:
 
I'd rate the build quality, durability, and overall construction to be very good, especially at the price. I feel like my GR01 and RE-Zero are more fragile than these and they both cost a lot more. These have a decently thick quality cable with good strain relief everywhere. They definitely appear very well made for an IEM that retails for under $30. 
 
Soundstage & imaging:
 
Soundstage, imaging, and instrument separation are all average or better for the price. Soundstage size has never been a huge concern of mine when it comes to IEM's, but I'd say these portray a fairly good sized stage for an in ear. When I'm after a huge sound I grab my Q701. Imaging seems good, things seem placed where they should be. Instrument separation seems above average for the price. The balanced signature I'm sure is the reason behind that. No one instrument ever seems to overpower the rest with these, unless the recording itself is to blame. 
 
And finally onto the tonality:
 
I listened to them out of the box with the stock tips, then tip rolled right away, listened for a couple hours for a quick initial impression, then they went on my old iPod nano for 2 and a half days for some quick burn in. Since then I've been listening to them along with my other 4 daily headphones and IEM's.
 
**** These were broken in and used for 60+ hours before the following was written. ****
 
Overall I'd say these are pretty close to neutral, as nothing seems exaggerated or missing. I'd say they have a very slight "V-shape", but very slight. Add a little bit of warmth and they would have pretty much the perfect balance for me. The claim that Brainwavz makes of them sounding like a typical balanced armature is mostly true and I can appreciate the sound they were after. A well tuned BA or multi BA earphone will still be a bit quicker and have better detail, but in terms of marketing it's not a lie. It does sound close to neutral like the goal of most balanced armatures. 
 
These actually fall pretty close to what my personal prefered sound signature is. My daily headphones are the Q701($200), HM5($130), GR01($200), and RE-Zero($100). These sound close enough in terms of overall balance that there is no real shock going from the Jive to any of those. Are the Jive as good as any of these? Nope, but all 4 cost much more, all being $100-$200. The Jive comes surprisingly close in terms of overall balance. For under $30 these really do sound great and will get you the same basic fairly neutral and fairly detailed sound. They would be a very good place to start on a budget if you want to journey into a neutral and detailed sound for the first time. I haven't heard anything else in the price range of the Jive, but going from the more expensive stuff I'm used to these, it's actually very surprising. The Brainwavz S5 and S0, were not exactly my cup of tea in terms of their sound signature, but these were a real present surprise. When I was asked to review these I agreed, but honestly didn't expect much for being under $30. Anyway....
 
The bass is clean and smooth. It is well extended and pretty quick. It's never muddy or overpowering. They are not bass heavy nor bass light. They do what the music tells it to do for the most part. 
 
The mid-range is fairly smooth. There is a slight U or V shape to it. The bass to lower mid-range could use a little bump around the 200-500hz area to give some warmth and fullness. Sometimes on some albums or songs the lower mid-range seems a bit cold, dry, and distant. This is actually my biggest complaint, but it's really not bat at all. Just a nit pick. Other than that the mid-range sounds good to me. Female vocals sound a bit better than male vocals though because of this. 
 
The top end is pretty impressive post burn in. It's fairly clean and extended, and very detailed for such a budget earphone. It's not the flattest treble I've ever heard, but it's not bad. Before 60+ hours of use/burn in the top end was definitely a bit peaky and gets in the way, but it has definitely cleared up a whole lot. This is probably the biggest change I've seen on a headphone pre and post burn in. I've experienced the effects of burn in on my Q701, but it took longer and it was much more of a slow gradual change. These changed pretty dramatically after 2 and a half days straight of an old iPod on shuffle at a slightly higher volume that normal. Smaller bore tips also help, but I switched tips within my first half hour of initial testing and there was still some peakiness that break in had cured. Let them break in for at least 2 full days before fully judging them.
 
Other random notes:
 
All listening was done on an HTC One M9 smartphone (with no external amp) using either the Neutron app (with flac, alac or high bit rate mp3) or Spotify on the extreme quality settings. These get plenty loud for me at 40-53% volume on this device depending on the music, my mood, and my surroundings. Sensitivity also seemed to be a bit better after some break in as well. I remember early on listening at a bit higher of a volume. 
 
A big thanks to Brainwavz for letting me review these, I'm very impressed. I plan to keep using these from time to time even though the review is done. 

 
 

I was given this little headphone hanger to review by Brainwavz. 
 
What can I say, it's a headphone hanger that clamps to a shelf (or any surface that has a lip for it to clamp on to) that you can hang headphones off of. I'll keep this simple and throw a few pictures in.
 
The packaging it comes in is simple but effective and displays the item well enough. To me packaging isn't important, it gets thrown out and is never seen again once the item is taken out of it.
 
In terms of appearance and use, it's simple, a bit industrial looking(not too flashy), extremely self explanatory in terms of how to set it up and use. It's black with silver hardware. It can be used on a horizontal shelf, or it can be twisted to be used vertical as well. 
 
In terms of build quality and construction I can't imagine anyone breaking it. I don't see how the design could be improved on or made better. It does it's job and would probably survive in a warzone. It's entirely metal with the exception of a thin rubber pad under the top clamping surface to prevent scratching the surface it is clamped to. The platform that the headphone rests on is plenty big even for the headband of my AKG Q701. 
 
It's an inexpensive hanger/stand and if I wanted a second one I would not hesitate to order one especially for the low price of only $15. 
 
On to some pics of it in action:
 

 

 

 

 

I was asked by Brainwavz to review their new S0 model in ear headphones. This review will be similar to my review of the Brainwavz S5 since to me these sound very similar. I will start off by saying that my prefered sound signature is more inline with the AKG Q701, Brainwavz HM5, and Vsonic GR01, that is to say I prefer a neutral sound. As a reviewer I find it important to note that. I will try to review these the best that I can considering that these do not sound as neutral as I typically like. I will be as objective as I can be.
 
Anyway... on to the review.
 
As for build quality they are above average and seem to be very well built and should take some abuse. The wire seems strong, but not quite as annoying bulky as the S5. The strain reliefs at each end are well built, as is the Y split. The Y section isn't as monstrous and overdone as the S5, but is still strong and should be plenty durable.  
 
The packaging and accessories are well done. There are a bunch of tips included, but I still prefer the S0 with some of the Meelec brand tips with the super wide bore. They just sound better and cleaner with some wide bore tips. Also included is a shirt clip and a nice semi rigid case. 
 
As for the sound, they are a bit more balanced that the S5, but are still a bit warm and bassy. The mid-range is a tad bit recessed, and the top end is smooth and decently extended. They offer a fun, non tiring, and smooth sound signature. While the S5 has a bass boost all the way through to the very bottom, I find the S0 to just have a bit of a mid-bass hump. Bass is still tight and punchy, just with a good bit of heft. A 5db cut centered at 100hz makes them sound a lot more neutral and less congested. Again this is just my personal preference, I like less bass than the average person. The mid-range is clean, but just a tad distant or recessed, just a tad. The top end is smooth and non tiring, and decently extended. Never have I heard any harshness or sibilance with these. The S5 seemed to have a bit of a peak in the treble somewhere that made them seem extra "exciting" to listen to, and these don't seem to have that. These definitely sound more natural up top. These are also very efficient and easy to drive. My Samsung Galaxy S4 drives them plenty well in the 27-40% region on the volume control, so they will work well with any decent device out there. With the slight "V" shape signature they actually sound very good at lower volume levels too. Thats what the whole "loudness" contour thing is about. Soundstage depth and width are good, average, or slightly above for the price. Detail is very good for an earphone of this sound signature. I always find detail and neutrality to go hand and hand, these aren't quite neutral so they won't have exceptional detail, but it is very good for what they are.
 
For $50 you can't go wrong, and I can't say I've heard anything do better for the price. I've heard headphones that cost twice as much sound much worse. I could listen to them all day with the 5db cut in the mid bass, they aren't bad at all after this very small amount of EQ. I think I said this about the S5 as well, but for the mainstream listener I think these will do great. If you are seeking a fun, laid back sound, these are it, if you are looking for absolute neutrality and clarity seek elsewhere. Just don't mistake "balanced" for "neutral" and you should be very happy with them. 
 
Thank you to Brainwavz for the review pair. Keep up the good work. 

I need to start by thanking Brainwavz for the HM5 to review. They had sent me their S5 IEM a couple months back to review, and afterwards had asked me if I was interested in reviewing any other headphones of theirs, and I asked for the HM5. I had always wanted to try one, but had never gotten around to it. I am now wishing that I had gotten one when they first came out. I like it a whole lot. 
 
Packaging - accessories:
 
The packaging is sufficient and includes two different length cables, an extra set of pads, and a semi-rigid carrying case. My only complaint here is the case. In order to use the case, you have to unhook the cables from the headphone and set the headband to the smallest position. I have another case that I had bought years ago that I use with them when I leave the house, so no big deal really. I just don't like the fact that the cables have to be undone to fit the headphone in the supplied case. 
 
Comfort - fit - isolation:
 
I find the comfort and fit of these to be great. Others have mentioned a tight clamp, but I have a small head. For example my full face motorcycle helmet is a size small, so I do have a small head. So I find the fit of these to be just fine. The pads are nice and soft and deep and seal very well to my head. The headband has good padding where it touches my head as well. No issues with comfort at all after hours and hours of use. They could get a bit hot I'd imagine, but It's fall here, now so I've not had the chance to use them in any temps over 70 yet. Isolation is above average as well. They seal to my head perfectly and block out a good amount of background noise. Not like IEM's, but very good for a full size headphone. I've experienced better isolation, but have also experienced worse. 
 
Build  quality - durability:
 
Seems average or better than average to me. I don't see them failing on me. I have never broken a headphone, and I don't see these being that changing. The construction seems to be all plastic, but they don't feel weak or flimsy or fragile.
 
Soundstage - imaging:
 
 
I'd call them better than average for a sealed headphone when it comes to soundstage depth and width. They do not sound congested like closed back headphones often do. My other full size headphone is an AKG Q701 that I use with the speaker taps of an Emotiva A-100 Mini-X, if that helps to put it in perspective. I'm not saying they are as open sounding as a Q701, but going back and forth the difference isn't disappointing considering the HM5 is closed and isolates very well. Imaging and instrument separation is very good as well for something in this price bracket. 
 
Onto the tonality:
 
Very close to neutral, but still natural and fun. Nothing seems exaggerated or missing.
 
The bass is clean and smooth. It is well extended and pretty quick. They are not bass heavy or bass light. It does what the music tells it to do. I have seen people pull the cups apart and do various mods to supposedly "clean up" the bass. I think the bass is fine as it is, and I do not plan to pull th cups apart and mod them.  
 
The mids are right there, not recessed or overly in your face either. Everything in the mid-range gets represented like it should.
 
Top end is also smooth and present. It can be sparkly and splashy when the music calls for it, but I have yet to hear any sibilance or harshness. 
 
Detail is very good across the whole range. I listen to rock, metal, jazz, and a little bit of electronic music and it does them all very well just like a neutral headphone should. 
 
Other details: 
 
They are very sensitive and easy to drive to good levels. They do not require a dedicated headphone amp. All of my listening to these was and is done on a Verizon wireless Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone using the Neutron music player app. I have all the good audiophile settings enabled on the Neutron app, but I am not using any EQ on them at all. They sound just the way I like with no EQ. I do not actually even own a headphone amp that I can try them on to compare. For my Q701 I use the speaker taps on an Emotiva Mini-X A-100. To use the HM5 on this amp would require me to make a custom cable/ modify one of the two supplied cables, or make some kind of adaptor. I see no reason to bother at all. These do just fine with the volume at the halfway mark on my S4. The S4 puts out clean power, and has a low output impedance, so it makes a very decent music player. This review would have been done earlier, but I was having some issues with the phone randomly rebooting after a software update which made it hard to listen to and test the headphones when the phone kept rebooting randomly, but quite often. That has been straightened out, so I was finally able to get some good listening done. 
 
I am very very impressed with these. Are they the best sealed headphone out there? I'm sure they are not, but I'm also not sure they can be beat for the price if this is the type of sound signature that you prefer. I do wish I had gotten an HM5 when they first came out. They make a nice sealed headphone that I can use out of the house with a smartphone to go along with my Q701. They sound close enough to the Q701 that I am perfectly happy with them.
 
Music tested with: 
 
Lots of different rock, metal, and jazz, and a little bit of electronic music. I have never really put together a list of prefered test tracks, I just listen to what I like and enjoy it. 
 
Another big thanks to Brainwavz for the headphone to review. I like these quite a bit and will continue to enjoy them. 

I was contacted by Brainwavz to review their new S5 in ear monitor. The set I received was a full retail package, but was provided to me by the manufacturer free of charge for review purposes. I received the package a few days later, listened to it for an hour or two that night, then let it burn in for just over 200 hours with a few quick listens within those 200 hours. After 200 hours of burn in I've listened to them a bit and feel I'm ready to give them a review.
 
I will start this review by saying that my sound preference is leaning towards a neutral and detailed sound. I use to like lots of bass as a kid, and as a teenager, then in my mid 20's starting slowly favoring a more neutral sound at an overall lower listening level. Right now my preferred headphones are a bass modded AKG Q701 with just a touch of extra sub-bass, and the Vsonic GR01 in ear monitor. I also just this year started playing around with nearfield speakers. I have my nearfield speaker rig tuned (with a limitless software PEQ) to be extremely flat (+/-3db from 180hz - 16khz), with the exception of a bit of added bass for low volume listening. The bass (under 200hz) has a gradual rise into the sub-bass region. So my preference again is towards neutral and detailed. 
 
Build Quality & comfort: I find these to be very well built and seem very durable. The strain reliefs are definitely above average for something in this price range. They would definitely be more durable than my Vsonic GR01. I am always pretty easy on my gear and don't remember the last time I've broken a pair of headphones or IEM's, but it's nice to know they are built tough. I also find them to be very comfortable. The over the ear fitment is nice, it's my first IEM that is meant to be worn this way and I really like it. I've worn them for about 2-3 hours straight on more than one occasion and I felt no discomfort during or after using them. 
 
The sound: For me, and most of us on Head-Fi, the sound is the most important part of the equation. My only source is a Verizon Wireless Samsung Galaxy S4 using the Neutron music player app with OGG Vorbis for the audio codec. Overall I think they sound very good. For my preferences they have just a touch too much bass, this is really their only real downfall for me. I like them a lot better with some EQ. Taking out anywhere from 3-5dB centered at 80hz with a width of 2 octaves makes them sound a lot closer to neutral. Some people say the mids have a bit of a "V" or "U" shape to them. This may be true, but only to a very slight extent. If I add 3dB centered at 2k with a 1.5 octave width it does make them sound a bit better, but this is not absolutely needed in my case. There may be a slight V or U shape to them, but it's not excessive at all in my opinion. The high end to me seems fairly smooth and decently extended. I never sensed any sibilance or harshness with them at the volume levels I listen to them at. This brings me to mention that anymore I really don't listen to music all that loudly. To me neutral and detailed headphones or speakers don't need to be played loudly and usually sound better at low to moderate volume levels. When I listen to my nearfield speakers I know that I listen anywhere from 65dB to 85dB, maybe 90dB at the extreme highest peaks when I'm really in the mood to crank it. Usually I'm listening more towards 65-75dB on average and I don't feel like I'm missing anything. When I listen to headphones I listen at levels that seem to be about the same. I've read a person or two say that with the S5's they found themselves listening at a high volume, I don't feel that way with them. If anything, the extra bass and very slight V shape would be like a loudness contour making low level listening more enjoyable. 
 
I will say that these are the most efficient/sensitive headphones or IEM's I've plugged into my Samsung GS4. I listen to them anywhere from 33% to 60% depending on the material I'm listening to. With my GR01 I always have them a notch or two higher to get to a level that seems about the same. The isolation they provide against outside noises I'd call average to slightly above average depending on the tips being used. Compared to other $100 or sub $100 in ear monitors I think they are very good in all aspects including build, comfort, and sound. I like them better than the Sennheiser Momentum on-ears that I was also trying out around the same time which ended up going back. They are better than the Audio Technica CKM-500 that we were all raving about a year or two ago. They are better than the Brookstone dual dynamic driver IEM's that some were raving about a year or two ago as well. I like my Vsonic GR01 better than the S5, but they are double the price and use balanced armature drivers. After a little EQ they aren't far off the GR01 in some ways. Unfortunately I don't have any other more current in ear monitors to compare these to.
 
My musical preference range from jazz like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, to progressive metal like Opeth and Symphony X, to electronic music like Massive Attack and Lindsey Stirling. With no EQ being applied, these would work best for the electronic music. With a little EQ they make a good all around earphone that works well with all genres. 
 
I think for the mainstream listener these would be a huge success and a big hit, but I personally like a more neutral sound and these just sound a bit too fat on the bottom end to me. For most people who probably like more bass than me I think these would be a great choice. Excellent built, great comfort, and easy to drive. Overall, I'd highly recommend them if you think they'd fit your personal tastes.