TL;DR: Though its price tag is a bit hard to justify, the Brainwavz Krudul Duo is a versatile earphone storage solution that you will want if you need one.
Before I begin I would like to thank Pandora at Brainwavz for providing a review sample of the Brainwavz Krudul Duo. I am not directly affiliated with Brainwavz or any of its staff beyond my role as a reviewer, nor was I paid in any form to write this review. All opinions and photos in the review are explicitly my own unless otherwise specified. Finally, please take the following opinions expressed in the review with a grain of salt. Thanks!
On DB Headphones, we've talked about some accessories a few times. One time I talked about some earpads; another time I talked about a headphone hanger. This time we're going to take a look at something similar to the latter. Meet the Brainwavz Krudul Duo.
Now, from the first picture you're probably wondering "What unusual doohickey has Brainwavz brought to your desk now?" The Brainwavz Krudul Duo is an earphone hanger – much like a headphone hanger, but for earphones. It's not that different from the headphone hangers that Brainwavz also sells, such as the Hengja which I previously reviewed, so I'm sure this review will be no different. Let's get to it.
First things first: what's with the 'Duo' in the name?
As you can see from the pictures above, yes, the Brainwavz Krudul Duo is actually a pair of earphone hangers, so that pretty much makes this a two-for-one deal. The Krudul Duo contains two variants, which are aptly named the Krudul Monitor (designed to be hooked up to a computer monitor) and the Krudul Vertical (for most other vertical surfaces).
Unusual nomenclature aside, the Brainwavz Krudul Duo, like the Hengja, is built very solidly, almost to the point where it goes overboard. Unlike. The Hengja, however, the hangers are each fashioned from what seems to be a single piece of aluminium, which contributes heavily to its durability. However, there is still the issue of the build being a bit too durable – although I see the point of it outlasting your earphone collection, I don't see why a similar design in plastic would not be an equally effective and cheaper option. (And then there is the option of binder clips, but I won't go into that today.)
You said this was an "earphone hanger"; how does it work?
The Krudul Duo's business end is its solid aluminium arm and its C-shaped hook – basically, the bits that let the earphone hanger hang the actual earphones. What you're supposed to do is you take the earpieces and the connector together and hang them so that they rest on the hook of the Krudul, as demonstrated by the above picture. The cable is then allowed to simply dangle haphazardly. Design-wise it's not too bad, and I do like how the hook accommodates a lot of earphone sizes as far as my testing goes. However, the rather small width of the opening is a bit worrying when we deal with top of the line earphones such as CIEMs and whatnot – their housings are often quite large and their cables quite thick, so hanging them on the Krudul Duo may be a bit of a problem. Of course, I don't have any top of the line stuff, so I can't say that for certain, but there is still the possibility of such a problem happening.
The other end of the Krudul Duo consists of the adhesive, which Brainwavz describes is a 3M VHB double-sided tape. I can safely say the adhesive works quite well and maintains its grip. Of course, only time will tell if this grip will loosen over time, but so far it does the job. My only concern is the fact that the Krudul Duo is adhesive-based and as such cannot be moved or readjusted after it has been placed like the Hengja. For most this would not be a problem, but for me it is a concern since I don't have any other place to stick the Krudul Vertical to – which will explain why you will not see any pictures of the Krudul Vertical in action (I just don't really have any place for it at this time). However, since the general design of both are the same, I assume the current photos will suffice.
Now let us ask the most important fifteen-dollar question:
"Is the Brainwavz Krudul Duo actually worth getting?"
As much as I'd like to, I cannot give a short answer. Whether or not the Krudul Duo is right for you will depend if you need a way to store your earphones on the open where they will be readily available at a moment's notice. The hook allows you to store the earphones in a variety of ways, and its adhesive-based nature allows you to hang your earphones at an elevation so they can hang safely and tidily away from your desk. The Krudul Duo also comes in two variants, so you can have two different ways to store your earphones, or you can store two different earphones at the same time. If you're like me and you want a way to keep your earphones tidy but on-hand, then the Krudul Duo is for you.
