With that said and done, let’s begin!
Sound Quality
To be honest, I was quite confused at first as to what the Hybrid pads were supposed to do. From the name alone, one can assume the Hybrid pads are designed to provide a sort of “best of both worlds” between pleather and velour earpads, but since I don’t actually own any velour pads, I can’t make any direct comparisons and can only speak from what I can remember.
From my observations and listening sessions, I found the Hybrid pads to seem to combine the comfort of velour pads without sacrificing the more closed-in seal and sound of pleather pads. Sound-wise the hybrids didn’t sound much (if any) different compared to its pleather counterpart, and as such, my comments on their sound are about identical to the pleather earpads.
That being said, although they present a whole new level of
comfort to most headphones on the market, I’m not entirely sure if they make any major improvements to the
sound. On the
AKG K240 Studio, which already has a large soundstage with stock pads, the Brainwavz earpads’ depth increases the space between your ears and the headphone drivers, pushing back the soundstage. This space also gives the lower midrange more resonance, giving the impression of more warmth. The bass also seems to be rather diminished with the Brainwavz pads, and in turn, the treble frequencies have more emphasis. On the
Takstar Pro 80, the changes are a slightly different story (no noticeable increase in warmth, but major emphasis on treble), but in the end the effect is about the same.
With these impressions, I still can’t really say the Brainwavz earpads provide much of an improvement in your headphones’ sound. Some people (myself included) might like it, others might not, but then again, I don’t think one can (rather, should) expect that from a pair of
earpads.
Value
The pleather (and velour) earpads retail for $22.50, while the Hybrid (and Angled) earpads both retail for $26.50. All can be bought from
Brainwavz’ webpage and storefront. For that price, the Brainwavz earpads are an absolute
steal.
== Conclusion ==
With top-of-the-line materials and an accommodating design, the Brainwavz earpads take your headphones’ comfort to the next level. However, if you care a lot about keeping your headphones' sound intact, be forewarned that the earpads can and do have an impact on that, and you might not exactly like the changes. But if you can brush it off for phenomenal comfort, then that's no problem at all.
Category
| Score
| Comment
|
Packaging
| 8/10 | It’s a high-quality plastic zipper case. Should you really look for more than this?
|
Design, Build
| 9/10 | Brainwavz’ use of high-quality materials really shows in the pads’ look and feel.
|
Fit, Comfort, Isolation
| 10/10 | I have to say this again – these earpads are phenomenal.
|
Sound Quality
| 7/10 | You can only either like or dislike the way the Brainwavz earpads colour your headphones’ sound.
|
Value
| 8/10 |
|
Total
| 8.4/10 | Under $30 for a pair? It’s an absolute steal.
|
Suggestions for Improvement
None that I can think of.
Shout-Outs, Gallery
Again, I would like to thank
Pandora at Brainwavz for providing the earpads you see in this review. You could say I took a little too long to review these earpads, but I guess you could also say I was distracted by their awe-inspiring comfort.
2015 has been an epic year, and with the advent of this new one, I hope to be able to improve my writing and churn out more reviews for you guys! This has been thatBeatsguy of DB Headphones; thanks for reading!
About the Company
“
At Brainwavz we have a simple mission, to produce innovative, high quality audio products with a dedicated focus on high-end sound at a realistic price. Our strength, success and product range is built on our unique relationship with our customers and users, a relationship that has produced a simple and obvious result. We give real-users real sound quality. 2014 will see Brainwavz pushing forward with an expanded product line, continuing with unique and innovative products, from earphones to headphones to audio accessories.”
Company website:
www.brainwavzaudio.com
[size=12.0pt]Changelog[/size]