Brainwavz BLU-100 Bluetooth IEMs

First of all I'd like to thank Brainwavz and Audrey for giving me a chance to check out the Brainwavz BLU-100 Bluetooth IEM.
 
Introduction:
The Brainwavz BLU-100 is Brainwavz first attempt at a Bluetooth IEM. It’s also the first Bluetooth IEM (or headphone as well for that matter) that I try myself. Being so I was not quite sure what to expect so I was really excited to try them out.
 
Built and accessories:
The accessory pack is good as always with Brainwavz and includes four pairs of tips (one pair of Comply foam tips and three pairs of silicon tips), one pair of silicon wings to help make them stay in place in your ears as well as a charging cable and a zippered case to store them in.
 
Built quality is top notch although the housing is pretty large and weight is over 8 gram which is pretty heavy for an IEM. The relatively heavy housing and wide short nozzle made it a challenge for me to get a good fit initially (I’ve got small ear canals) but eventually I was able to get a good seal and a fit that made them stay put in my ears. Isolation is about average for an IEM.
 
In spite of being a Bluetooth IEM the BLU-100’s got a cable connecting the housings to each other. This is also where the remote and mic unit is located. The cable is about 60 cm long and I wouldn’t have complained if it had been 10 cm shorter.
 
Battery time is stated to be 4 hours and I find that to be correct. The right housing hosts a micro USB port for charging.  
 
I’ve really enjoyed the features that the BLU-100 offers. Not having to worry about the cable getting stuck or bringing my phone with me every time I get up from my desk has been great. It’s also been very nice to be able to listen to music while cooking at home.  
 
The remote control also works fully with my Xperia Z3 phone (something that’s not often the case) and the mic seem to be of very good quality. To start with I had trouble telling if the headset was on or off but then I realized that it actually tells you if you put them in your ears before turning them on, very nice.
 
My general impression is that the BLU-100 feels robust and well thought out and is a really convenient alternative when you’re moving around be so at the office, at home or while working out.
 
The Specs:
 
Type: Dynamic, 8mm
Impedance: 30ohms Closed Dynamic
Sensitivity: 110dB at 1mW
Frequency range: 20 ~ 20000Hz
Bluetooth version: 4.0 (CSRBC8645) with aptX
Operation max distance: 30ft (10m)
Battery: 60mAh - 4hrs playtime, 100hrs standby, 2hrs for full charge (Micro USB charging)
CVC echo and noise cancellation
Supports voice prompt for MMI: Power on - Paring - Connecting - Battery low - Power off
Supports HFP, HSP and A2DP
Supports pairing with two devices at the same time
3 button remote, works with Apple iOS products, Android & Windows phones & PC
1 year warranty
 

 

 

 

 

 
Sound:
I've let them play for over 50 hours and I've used them while working out, at the office and at home and I've not found any weaknesses to the way they're constructed. I've been using them exclusively with my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact phone.
 
Demo list:
Mark Knopfler – Sailing to Philadelphia
Røyksopp (Feat.Susanne Sundfør) – Save Me
Ane Brun – These Days
Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana
Alice in Chains – Them Bones
The Peter Malick Group – Immigrant
Eva Cassidy – Songbird
Thomas Dybdahl – A Lovestory
Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why
Celldweller – Unshakeable
Jack Johnson – Better Together
Seinabo Sey – Younger (Kygo remix)
Dire Straits- So Far Away
Passenger – Let Her Go
Morrissey – Earth Is the Loneliest Planet
 
As I mentioned initially these are my first pair of Bluetooth IEM’s and being so I didn’t know what to expect from it regarding the sound quality.
 
My first impression was that they perform better than I feared and that they'd probably be better for use outside.
 
The overall sound signature of the BLU-100 is pretty balanced except for a mid-bass hump.
 
To start from the lows the sub bass is present but far from overwhelming. Moving up to the lower mids they’re the most noticeable part of the presentation making the mid-bass pretty dominating. Still the higher mids doesn’t feel recessed and the treble is well present. Overall clarity is good and detail retrieval as well as soundstage is also decent. I would really have liked for the mid-bass to be more toned downed and for the sub bass to have some more impact but the BLU-100 still offers an enjoyable listening experience.
 
To be honest the BLU-100 is not an IEM I’d use for critical listening in my home but for use out and about with top 40 kind of music they’re still a solid performer.
 
Summary:
As a total package the BLU-100 is a solid offering. The combination of a decent sound quality and very good usability on this first attempt on a Bluetooth IEM from Brainwavz makes me really looking forward to what they future Bluetooth offerings will be like. Meanwhile I’ll enjoy the BLU-100!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YDVY34Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&keywords=bluetooth+earphones
 
First off, I want to thank Brainwavz and Audrey for this BLU-100 unit.
 
Packaging and Accessories
 

 
I received the BLU-100 before its release and it came in the Brainwavz iem case without the final retail packaging, so I can’t comment on it. As far as the Brainwavz case goes, I’ve mentioned multiple times that it’s my favorite iem case. It’s quite tough and specious and can easily fit a pair of iems and a small DAP like a Sansa.
 

 
Inside the case was the BLU-100 itself, a USB cable for charging, and a small gray bag with the included silicone tips, as well as a pair of ear fins. The single flange silicone tips come in 3 sizes. As usual with Brainwavz a pair of comply foam tips packaged separately was included in the other pocket of the case to complete the package.
 
Build Quality, Design and Fit
 

 
The Brainwavz BLU-100 has metal housing and feels quite solid without being too heavy. The cable is flat and as I’ve mentioned many times before, I personally am not a huge fan of the current flat cable trend. The cable seems sturdy enough but is prone to kinks and memory.The strain reliefs look substantial enough. 
 


 
 
 
 
 
Design-wise the BLU-100 is fairly standard for this type of bluetooth iems but maybe Brainwavz could have gone for a bit longer and angled nozzles. Otherwise, the straight-barrel housings are a bit chunky but don’t protrude too much out of the ears. There is a plastic flap covering the charging port on the right earpiece, which seems sturdy but only time will tell how it will hold up, especially given the slightly short battery life, which is around 4 hours. There are also 3 control buttons and a mic found on the cable below the right earpiece, which do their job but maybe could have been a bit more rounded and less sharp around the edges.
 
The fit is good with the provided tips but I settled with other tips though – a split between spinfit and meelec m6’s single flanges. The isolation is surprisingly good.
The BLU-100 is meant to be worn straight down but I found myself preferring them in an over-the-ear configuration. Microphonics aren’t bad but a different choice of cable could have improved that. There is no driver flex.
 
Sound
 

 
This time around it would have been hard to manage 50-100 hours of burn-in, so the BLU-100 probably has arout 15-20 hours of standard use at the time of writing this review.
Initially I was going to post my review with impressions based only on the performance of the BLU-100 with my Galaxy A3 but later got a Galaxy S5 from a friend to test the performance with an apt-X enabled device and base my review on it.
 
The bass is quite present. It has decent speed but lacks some depth. The mid-bass is boosted a tad too much and while the impact is pretty big it’s on the soft side. The low end does blend well with the overall smooth presentation of the BLU-100 though.
 
The mids are slightly laid back. The overall tonality is on the warm side. Clarity is decent and there was definitely an improvement moving to a device supporting apt-X. In comparison the BLU-100 sounded somewhat busy and compressed with my A3, which made it muddier. Male vocals have good presence but the enhanced mid-bass adds air to them making them full but lacking some focus. Female vocals, on the other hand, are more relaxed and a bit grainy due to some dryness in the lower treble. Overall the mids are not overly warm and V-shaped and have a nice tone and musicality.
 
The BLU-100 lacks some energy in the lower treble but is not prone to pointing out sibilance and fairly smooth. It is a bit dry though. It’s low on sparkle but has good upper treble presence and there is a good amount of shimmer. The treble is another area where for me the apt-X definitely contributed positively.
 
BLU-100 is relatively spacious with above average width but is lacking a bit in the depth department. The separation is pretty good but the layering is lacking and the BLU-100 can sound busy at times even with apt-X.
 
Summary
 
Brainwavz BLU-100 turned out to be quite a competent performer, especially given its budget pricing. I personally have no complaints about the battery life as with bluetooth iems longer battery life requires larger housings or extra pods on the cable. For what it is – an affordable bluetooth iem and a first attempt for such a product by Brainwavz, the BLU-100 is getting the job done surprisingly well.

---

 Intro:-
 All of us have heard about Brainwavz as one of the brand which believes in bang for buck products. Last time they ventured into an entry level amplifier, this time around they have introduced their first Bluetooth device, BLU-100. I don’t know how but it is priced at $45 and was going for $35 thanks to their introductory offer.
 Now let me tell you that it’s not the first time I am using a Bluetooth device, but my last one was a headphone, and I gave it to my father as he commute a lot (and mostly because it was not as good as I wanted it to be).
 This time around I was excited, cuz after reviewing this much of Brainwavz product I was sure that they won’t introduce a product which lacks SQ, at least it will compete with similarly priced earphones.
 And about me, I like balance, a good balance with some stage and spark will keep me seated. Not much bothered about bass till its tight and precise. It is nice when mids are not left in the valley.
 
 Let me thank @Salsera and Brainwavz for giving me this opportunity to review BLU-100.
 
 
 
   

---

Accessories and miscellaneous:-
 Just like every earphone from Brainwavz, BLU-100 too comes with that usual red black box. There are 4 pairs of tips. 3 are color matching neon green core silicon tips and a pair of comply S-400 tip. I am using the large silicon tip. There is a pair of wings too, like CKX-9 but its smaller and wider here. You get a cable wrap to keep the cable organized while not using. You get a micro USB cable too to charge the device. The port is behind a flap on the back of the right earpiece.
 Build is good, even if it’s made of plastic, it looks strong, I have no problem with the size, stays in nicely, one of my friend who tried it complained about the weight but it’s just fine for me. Wear it behind the neck and forget it. If you are worried about microphonics and stress relievers, just chill, we are dealing with a Bluetooth device here and there is a big portion after the cable to hold the earphone so you don’t have to put your finger on the stress relievers while putting it in and pulling out, still stress relievers are there to save the joints from accidental damages. And the flat cable looks solid to me.
 You can wear it any way you want, over ear, cable down, no problem.
 Isolation is just above average, not as bad as Titan-1 and not as good as SHE-9850, but similar to S0. Comfort is good, but S0 is a bit more comfortable thanks to its smaller for factor.
 While on the bike, I noticed some wind noise, it’s not bad but it’s there.
 I like the way it instructs, powered on, pairing and power off, it is acceptable.
 I think I should tell you about how to get started with, should i?
 
 
 
 

---

 Getting started with:-
 I used it my J3 which has BT abilities along with Redmi 1S and Zenfone 2. Pairing it with any of these devices was easy.
 Just press the middle button for 2-3 seconds and a small LED starts blinking, means its ready, if you have it in your ear, it speaks out “power on”, it’s a nice feature, leave it on for a few more seconds and it start searching for nearest Bluetooth devices to pair with, and the feedback is “pairing”, cool right? And when you select it from your device it says “connecting”, sweet!!
Me likey!!
 When connected two extra icons can be seen on the notification bar, one of for BT connectivity and other is for Headset functionality.
 Then you can play your music, Controls are easy too, start your music app, press the middle button once and you are good to go. Press it again to pause.
 Interestingly a double tap to the middle button will dial the last No. you called. As usually remotes operate, you have to press the middle button once to receive and end calls.
 A long press of the volume up and down button results with change of tracks, obviously pressing it once will turn the volume up or down from BLu-100, not of your source.
 
 As I mostly say, no problems!! But not here, I have some problem with range. It reads 10 meters but its close to 4-5 meters, And once you start moving, this get bad. Frames starts to drop and once you are beyond 4 meters away, it gets worse. If a wall is in between you and your source, just forget it, it’s a no go irrespective of the distance. And sometimes bones too can interrupt streaming.
 So my advice is to keep your deice in your pocket, don’t leave it here and there while using BLU-100.
   I experienced some lag too, mostly when I play some game, its like 500ms to 1s late. Its not a bad thing but annoying as the demon screams after its already dead and my car crashes after its already crashed!! Nothing else, it’s me being slightly hard at it.
 It is time for SQ assessment.
 
 

---

 Sound quality:-
  Where is my VSD5!! And S0? yeah, got it, but comparisons after SQ.
 Its fairly balance to me, it feels like that because of its more forward and eager mids. I like it, its bassy never the less, and spark is there too. Its signature is warm and dark but not as dark as S0, sounds lush and cohesive too.
So here we go with Bass:-
 Bass has enough impact and oomph to satisfy, goes deep enough, moves enough air too, sub bass is good too, has nice extension for a BT device, but there is a mid bass hump which ruins things a bit, drags itself into the mids and hampers the decay too resulting in a slightly muddy and laid back presentation. Otherwise things are good with the lows. Quality is good, precise and to the point where for a minute I thought I can compare it to Titan-1 but Titan-1 has more precision speed superior quality, and has a smaller mid bass hump too, but can be compared for resolution, BLU-100 is not vivid but has similar resolution.
 It has nice quantity and impact, mid bass quantity is just okay for me, slightly more would have put me off.
 Mids:-
 This is the part of the spectrum that has impressed me the most, its forward enough to make me forget those loop holes in the mids, soothing when listening to male vocals and sharp with Female vocals, feels awesome when listening to Tove Lo habits and Mr. Probz Waves, nicely done. Has given enough emphasis to vocals, instruments on the other hand are slightly Messed up. As I said it lacks some instrument clarity and are not vivid enough to do so. Micro detailing is a thing one should forget about while using these. Some guitar work, some triangle work, some cymbals too are turned down.
 The best thing is its forwardness with vocals. Other things are not so good.  And when you get onto trance and high BPS songs full of instruments and vocals, BLU-100 just falls apart, its unable to handle this much of information. So no critical listening can be done with this, and good for casual listening without bothering about cables and microphonics.
 Pop and hip hop tracks sound nice, vocal tracks are best suited with lesser instruments.
Highs:-
 The nicer the lesser you talk about it. Its not like its totally missing but it lacks extension, there is some upper mid spark which extends up to lower highs, but that’s it, over that its muted, lacks enough energy to be clear, but till that slump its got more than enough energy, more than S0 to be precise. And its not bad, it just lacks much needed extension. Cymbals are okay, guitars are good, but when you get into some fast paced music with some serious instrument work, it falls flat, everything gets messed up, giving up much details, so play some slow jams, with lesser instruments, trance and house is just okay as the just use synthesizers in the track and it is just fine. If the track has some more things playing in the background, it will not sound nice.
 So stick to pop, and hip-hop, not rock, if rock don’t expect details.

---

 

---

VS S0:-
 S0 has deeper bass, more sub bass, decay is better and has lesser bleed to mids, very slight to be precise, mid bass hump is not as prominent, Mids are laid back and vocals are not as appealing as BLU-100, thankfully it can keep up with fast paced songs and does better with rock trance and house music too. But then it lacks some upper mid energy of the BLU-100 which puts me off. Has better top end extension but its kind of not enough as it lacks spark. Border line dark will be the best word for S0 where Blu-100 is slightly brighter and warmer.
 I think it’s a tie, or say not comparable head to head, I can compare any earphone with any other but its different case here.

---

 Conclusion:-
Better than my first BT headphone which was muddy and boomy with so much bass bolt that its mids were shadowed, sadly I never went for another BT device, I know that they will lack something when compared to wired ones or I will have to shell out some pretty penny which I am not willing to.
 But BLU-100 is more balanced, far better, mid bass is just at the border, vocals are good and mids are manageable, you get to run around without worrying about the wire getting caught up with something. It is a good companion for gym work outs or morning walks, you get to pick calls effortlessly and call clarity is superb too. Better then my 1s and similar to Zenfone 2.
 All I would like to have is some more extension with the highs and lesser mid bass with better reception. I hope the next BT earphone from Brainwavz will be like this. With a higher price tag obviously.
 But for $45, asking for awesome clarity and details from a BT earphone is a bit too much.
 I wont call it fantastic, I wont call it bad, its good, and can give nightmares to similarly priced BT devices.
 
 Here is the link to this BT earphone device.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YDVY34Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&keywords=bluetooth+earphones
 
 I stop here, that is it from me. Thanks for reading.

---

 

---

 

---

 

---

 
 Cheers!! good day to you all.
 
 

Gallery:
 
http://imgur.com/a/bMe6a
 
Introduction:
 
Being on mailing lists is dangerous.  That daily MassDrop email, notifications from EarPhoneSolutions, etc… always making me spend my money.  Well, a recent email from MP4Nation introducing the Brianwavz blu-100 bluetooth IEMs peaked my interest.  The pre-order discount, plus the use of some store points meant they would cost me $31.00 shipped (MSPR $44.50).  At that price I figured what the hell, and placed the order.  
 
Accessories:
 
When the blu-100 arrived, I was pleased to see the box was nice and compact.  I hate excess packaging, it’s such a waste.  Opening the box reviewed the usual warranty card and a zippered semi-hardshell case.  Packed inside the case are the blu-100 IEM, a USB charging cable, one pair of comply foam tips (medium), three hybrid silicon tips (medium set pre-installed), and rubber ear locks.  The accessories included are exactly what you need / want, and nothing more.  The case is nice too, as I have been tossing this in my bag all week (I bike to work) and no issues yet.
 
Specifications - copied from MP4Nation.net product description
 
Specifications:
        Transducers/Drivers: Dynamic, 8mm
        Rated Impedance: 30ohms Closed Dynamic
        Sensitivity: 110dB at 1mW
        Frequency range: 20 ~ 20000Hz
        Bluetooth 4.0 (CSRBC8645) with aptX
        Operation max distance: 30ft (10m)
        Battery: 60mAh - 4hrs playtime, 100hrs standby, 2hrs for       full charge (Micro USB charging)
        CVC echo and noise cancellation
        Supports voice prompt for MMI: Power on - Paring - Connecting - Battery low - Power off
        Supports HFP, HSP and A2DP
        Supports pairing with two devices at the same time
        3 button remote, works with Apple iOS products, Android & Windows phones & PC
        1 year warranty
 
Fit:
 
The blu-100 is certainly on the large side, but given that it is wireless, that is to be expected.  It feels a bit heavier than other IEMs as well.  That said, I have had zero issues with the fit.  The blu-100, using the medium hybrid silicon tips fits snuggly in my ears and stays put, even when at the gym.  If the silicon tips don’t keep them in your ears, the included comply foam S-400 tips should do the trick.  Additionally, the rubber ear locks will help keep them secure.  It’s nice to see that Brainwavz has provided options to ensure the fit is good for the majority of people.  The only con to fit is that the cable did stick to my neck a few times when wearing a shirt that had a rather large neck opening.  When I turned my head I felt a tug on the IEM, but it didn’t come out.
 
Function:
 
The blu-100 can be paired with two devices, and that works great because I have it paired with my Apple MacBook Air, and with my LG G3 smartphone.  When turning on the blu-100 (OK the more I type the product name, the more I feel like it should be an e-cig) with a three second press of the middle button, a voice notifies you that the power is on.  That same voice will let you know when the device is connected, and when it powers off.  If the device becomes disconnected, an audible beep repeats ever few seconds until you re-connect or power off the blu-100.  
 
The three button remote is your standard affair with volume up and down, and play/pause in the center.  The play/pause button doubles as the answer/end call button.  A full review of the manual will outline the other functions, including how to fast forward, rewind, skip tracks, and use voice commands for your phone or computer.  
 
In my daily use, the blu-100 has worked great with iTunes, in which all outlined controls function as advertised.  When using Rdio on my phone, functions work as well.  However, the volume buttons on the blu-100 seem to control an internal volume, and I am able to adjust the volume on my phone separately.  To make this easy, I have been seeing the volume on my phone to just below max volume, and using the volume up/down on the remote of the blu-100.  When using Pandora on my Android device however, results have been poor at best.  The volume up/down work just as with Rdio (or any other audio on my smartphone and computer), but the play/pause feature and skip track option do not function.  This is not a deal breaker, but is worth noting.  
 
Listening time is spot on at about 4 hours, just as promised.  It feels odd charging headphones daily this past week.  Fortunately, these do charge somewhat quickly, in around 1.5 hours from drained to full.  Charging time will vary based on the wall charger or computer you are using.  One of the only major cons is that I wish the 60mah battery were larger, to allow for longer listening time.  Eight hours would be nice, to get me through a full day of use.
 
This probably goes without saying, but to just to confirm, the blu-100 does not have a passive mode.  If the battery is dead, you don’t have sound.
 
Sound:
 
Having a decent collection of IEMs ranging from the Westone UM3X and UE Triple.Fi 10, to the SE215 and Audeo PFE 012, all the way down to $20 Panasonic and Apple Ear Pods, I have ALWAYS preferred wired earphones.  I have owned a couple pair of bluetooth on-ear headphones previously, and they lasted all of a week or three before they were sold off.  The artifacting and compression that comes along with bluetooth use is just something I can’t get passed.  Fortunately, the blu-100 alleviates this issue with the implementation of the apt-x codec.  The audio quality, in regards to bluetooth compression is more than acceptable. 
 
The one issue that does plague just about any bluetooth device is present here as well, however.  I am speaking of the background hiss.  For $44.50 I didn’t expect a complete silent device, and I got what I expected.  That said, the hiss is usually only audio been no other sound is playing.  As soon the music starts I stop noticing it.  It has peeked through a few times when listening to pod casts or if a song has a spot of silence or a very quite part.  For the most part it isn’t an issue.
 
When it comes to sound signature, the blu-100 is on the darker side, and it certainly has a v-shaped sound.  The bass is full bodied, and hits nice and low.  It is certainly boosted.  To be honest, most of the time I don’t want this.  However, I purchased the blu-100 with an intent to use them at the gym, and in this situation, I want bass, and lots of it.  It helps me get into the music and forget about the pain of working out (don’t tear your shoulder at the batting cages ok kids).  The bass is full, but is boomy and not the most well defined.  
 
When it comes to the midrange, you’ll find it is a bit recessed.  Vocals are still very present, and lively.   This makes the blu-100 feel a bit darker, but the sound is still pleasing and musical.
 
The treble on these is slightly boosted, but oddly enough, rolls off in the upper range.  It is never sibilant or harsh, and lacks a bit of sparkle.  But what is there is clean and helps to bring the music to life.  In short, the treble is polite.  
 
Overall, the blu-100 is very warm, and reminds me a lot of the Shure SE215.  That said, the blu-100 is lacking in the detail and resolution provided by the SE215, but not by much.  The blu-100 is not without it’s shortcomings, but for its intended use, I have been very happy with them.  At the gym, these have been exactly what I want / need.  They fit well, get out of the way thanks to the behind the neck cord, and sound good enough.  These are not an audiophile’s dream, but for portable use and gym use they certainly get the job done, and quite well.  I would even suggest that these would be great for the non-audiophile in your life.  
 
 
TL;DR - the blu100 is a good but not great wireless IEM for gym use, at $44.50 it is worth a buy.
 
 
*note, I have not taken or received any calls with these.  I talk on the phone ALL DAMN DAY at work, so I tend not to use the phone outside of work.  Other’s who have reviewed the blu-100 say the call quality is fine.