Reviews by NymPHONOmaniac

I got this little amp for very cheap and wasn't having any big attempt.
First time I try it it was with my Grado 325 and Ibasso Dx90 and to be honnest it sound quite good, the little push was just enough to give them more air and warmth. Anyway, I fastly discover the limits of this little amp because it make distortion time to time depending of the type of music you play. Because of the clumsy bass boost things can got ugly. When the music suit it's irreversible bassy style, the AP001 can make shine some headphones I guess, but not in a trustworthy way. As they weren't able to drive my Fostex Tr-40 rp (distortion) and Sennheiser HD-480 (100ohm), i'm really not sure it will drive 150 ohm headphones as it clame.
 
I already have a Fiio E7 that still do well and other amps sources so the need wasn't really there too. The Fiio E7 do not have the distortion problem and drive headphones of higher impendance too. COmparing both, it is clear the the Fiio E7 is way better and clearer, it's like comparaing Hifi to Lowfi, yes, I dare to say the Brainwavz AP001 sound like a cheap no-name amp because it is NOT properly fonctional an can make your gear sound WORSE than without the amping. Finally, with further test, the distortion problem occur too with the Grado Sr325, it is not just the bass that make it distort but the high too, both bottom of the frequencies range is know to be hard to drive fully and this is why we need portable amp for portable player, the 120% more power that give the AP001 is an amateurish one and it caricature the overall sound perception with clumsy OP amp.
 
Still, the ultra light portability make the Brainwavz Ap001 interesting in some way and as I said, it-can-sound-good.
The construction is plastic and metal, quite solid but don't step on it. The battery life is supposed to be up to 12h wich is alot.
 
In conclusion, I think this Brainwavz AP001 Amp have potential and can be improved but for now it is easily beated in sound quality and trustability by others amp brands.
 
I do not suggest you to buy it, grab the Fiio E6 instead.

The Vsonic GR06 is the little brother of the legendary Vsonic GR07 that are highly praised here on Headfi, but is it tall enough to compete with earphones of his price range nowadays?
 
My answer will be, huuuuuuuum...pretty much yeah.
 
The GR06 have so much exciting aspect that make them stand out from the over crownded earphones market that it still impose themself as a solid leader in the sub-60$ category.
 
Firstly they have a very small driver but a very BIG sound. The earphones are very little too and I can sleep on my ears with them and don't notice they are there. The cable is of excellent quality and, as it is intended to be wear over the ears, microphonics sound are quasi inexistent. The tip of earphones are movable so you can fit them more easily in the ears.
When it come to sound  what surprise the most is the joyfull energy that come out of this little beast, the sound is playfull and round, bass is big and punchy, mids are foward and enveloping, high are smooth but present. The sound signature is well suited for all kind of music but shine more with pop, IDM and beat driven music wich benifit from the exciting bass performance. Soundstage is above average too, but can feel stock in your head because this earphones became a part of your body, seriously, they literally fusionate with your head!

The Brainwaz R3 are my second pair of dual dymamic earphones and when I bought them I have very high expectations. This gigantic earphones doesn't deceive me and i'm glad to have them in my ever growing IEM collection.
 
First thing to know with this earphones is that the sealing is EXTREMELY important to taste their full capabilities, in all the tips that are included the memory foam was the only one to work perfectly with the sealing, other one was falling or making the sound distant and without bass impact.
 
Once you seal them properly your are gratified with a very addictive sound that can be described as wide, detailed, energic and gently V shaped. The bass is punchy and well extended but not over emphased, the mids are neutral and warm and the treble is smooth but present. The more impressive particularity about the R3 is the immense soundstage and above average instruments separation, it make the sound flow around your head instead of feeling stock inside of it. This can be very enjoyable for feeling the complexity of musical composition as well as imaging stereo sound.
Right now i'm listening 96-24bit Vulnicura by Bjork and it sound fantastic with the Brainwavz R3, the complexe instrumentation never interfer with the voice of bjork and texture are rendered fluidly, sub bass is present and mid bass is enough punchy to create a very energic whole, I can easily pick any details of the track and none of them feel congested or distorted, this album is a real treat with the R3!
 
For sure, some basshead will not find enough bass in this earphones, still, as an ancient owner of the Shure se430, I can say that the R3 are among the best dual earphones in their price range, compared with the Shure se430, they sound a little more warm and less analytical but I find them more fun sounding and less congested when it come to soundstage.
 
The construction is top notch and look like a tank, they are as big and subtle as a thank too tough, but for their size they are very confortable with the right tips (foam!).
The cable are big too and can be complicate to wear properly around the ear. As with most Brainwavz product, their alot of useful accesories that came with it too.
 
All in all, I'm really impress by the Brainwavz R3 and their good performance with all type of music I listen with them.

I own 3 pairs of different Brainwavz earphones, the R3, S1 and S0.
The R3 are my favorite and while I try as much as I can to like the Brainwavz S1 I just can't convince myself to use them much, they really do not complement well my portable player (Ibasso Dx90) and even if they sound better with my Ipod touch, I will never suggest them as an all-arounder for anybody.
 
The Brainwavz S1 doesn't sound cheap tough, they are VERY detailed, but their sound signature is really a Love or Hate affair I think and your gear will surely have a big weight in your appreciation of this well crafted in-ear. I listen to them right now and make some strange grimace as it pierce my ears so it's not a good sign. The frequencies are over tweaked in this earphones and it interfere with the music for the better (rarely) and the worse (frequently). The harshness of the sound can cause distortion in sub bass as well as in some vocals mids, if you listening to Hi res music it will be less apparent than Mp3 but still: it will happen.
In few words, the bass is there, punchy but somewhat clumsy, the mids are fowards but congested, and the high are artificially pumped up. Soundstage feel akward and too bright, but the energic sound can be good with well recorded jazz or chamber classical, with complex tracks the Brainwavz S1 show his limit fastly.
 
In the positive side, the construction is sturdy and it include lot of extra accesoiries.
The price is very low too and if I take that in relativity it will be hard to don't conclude it's a good buy.
 
If you are into Bright and analytical sound, you might really like this earphones as everybody have different ears, this sound signature is just not my type and I can't lie about it.

Well, I read alot of enthusiast reviews about Pistons 2.0 before going for a purchase, and to be honnest, I was of the sceptikal kind.
I was wrong.
This earphphones are something specials and this time everybody is going crazy about them for a good reason.
First time I plug them in my Ibasso Dx90 player I was blown away by their energic rendering and elegant bassy sound, I was listening to the electronic artist Ametsub and this very detailed IDM music sound fabulous. In fact, the Pistons are very well suited for electronic and beat driven music, the punchy bass is well rounded and high and treble make details sparkle. Mids frequencies are less recessed than lot of other V shaped earphones, it is surely due to the distortion free rendering of all frequencies range (sub bass included).
I have listen to jazz, classical, electro, folk and rock with this earphones and nothing sound bad, for some type of music I will prefer the vocal-mids to be more foward but I think the same thing about some earphones that cost more than 100$ while this miraculous Pistons only cost me 15 boxes!
 
The construction is solid, earphones are made of brushed metal and chord made of a type of kevlar. Must note that because of my coat that have velcro pocket the chord got worn badly as it stick on it, it's just esthetical tough.
 
After more than One year of use, this trusty Pistons 2.0 still are my in-ear of choice.
I have now made a simple mod to them and use the Shure foam tips wich make the sound shine even more.
 
In all honnesty, this earphones are a must for any music lover or earphones enthusiast, they are one of the best purchase I made in a budget audiophile perspective.