Brainwavz M100 IEM Noise Isolating Earphones with Remote & Microphone Headset For iPhone iPad, iPod & Android Devices

Link to my review and measurement index thread where one can also find a full review overview, more information about myself as well as my general-ish audio and review manifesto: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/956208/

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I only give full stars. My ranking/scoring system does not necessarily follow the norm and is about as follows:

5 stars: The product is very good and received the "highly recommended" award from me.

4 stars: The product is very good and received the "recommended" award from me.

3 stars: The product is good/very good, but not outstanding/special enough to get any of my two awards. ["Thumbs Up"]

2 stars: The product is only about average or even somewhat below that and somewhat flawed/flawed in some areas. [neither "Thumbs Up" nor "Thumbs Down"]

1 star: The product is bad/severely flawed to outright bad. ["Thumbs Down"]

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Brainwavz M100


Source:

Review sample.


Miscellaneous:

Decent amount of accessories.

Shells made of metal. Build quality seems high.
I really like the design.

The cable is rather decent but not all that supple.

One dynamic driver per side.




Sound:

Included black silicone ear tips.

Tonality:

Bassy, warm and especially very dark.

Downward sloping line from the lows to the highs with a difference of more than 20 dB (which is a loudness difference of no less than more than four times). Therefore everything sounds veiled and like behind a thick curtain or blanket.
Clearly, there is a distinct lack of brightness and the sound just ends up as muffled, muddy and dull.

Around 11 dB of bass boost compared to diffuse-field neutrality peaking towards the sub-bass but ultimately actually somewhat closer to 100 Hz.
Gradually loses level towards the mids (900 Hz starting point) but has got a noticeable bleed into the midrange. Already quite full between 200 and 300 Hz.
Very full fundamental range.

The mids sound very warm, thick and also dark because the level continues to decrease above 1 kHz, which results in a dull and muffled presentation.

The treble is just very dark and lacks any bit of clarity.
It re-gains a bit of presence around 5 kHz but clearly far too little and is still clearly in the background here as well, with the rest above quite missing wherefore cymbals sound much too muffled.

Frequency Response:


ER-4S-Compensation


ProPhile 8-Compensation

Resolution:

Nothing special and outperformed by several other similarly priced in-ears.

Soft and slow sounding on fast and busy tracks. Not overly spongy but definitely neither tight nor precise, and furthermore with some softening towards the sub-bass.

Actual midrange and treble details are not too bad but still just “average”, and clearly held back by the overly dark and muffled tuning.

Would be okay in the 30$ to 50$ range but definitely not around 100$.

Soundstage:

Neither the widest nor the narrowest. Quite average.
Almost circular.

Imaging could be more precise as there is at most only very little air/empty space around and between instruments, and the general presentation is rather foggy, especially with busier tracks.


Conclusion:

Very dark, veiled, dull, foggy, muddy, slow, soft and muffled sound.

First off, thanks to Pandora of Brainwavz for sending these out to me for a review. These were sent to me last year and I finally got around to finishing the review now. I’ve written some of this review over a year ago. I have no excuses really, so I’m very sorry about that!

Intro:
I love music.

My Biases:
I tend to lean towards bright headphones. I generally don’t like emphasis around the 4-5 kHz area. My playlist consists mostly of J-pop, female vocalists, electronic, and hip-hop. Think of what you will. Female vocals are my thing. My make-it or break-it’s are vocals and treble. Too harsh or dull = nope.

Onto the review!


Information on Specs, microphone & remote, and included accessories were copied and pasted from Brainwavz Audio’s website.

Features:

• Tuned for clear sound with well-defined bass.
• Special crafted drivers, with high purity copper and feather light diaphragm.
• Made with aircraft grade metal.
• 3 Button microphone & remote, compatible with iPhone & Android.

Specifications:

• Drivers : Dynamic, 8 mm
• Rated Impedance : 32 Ω
• Frequency Range : 12 Hz ~ 22 kHz
• Sensitivity : 110 dB @ 1 mW
• Plug : 3.5 mm, Gold-Plated
• Cable : Braided 1.3 m OFC Copper
• Remote & Mic: 3 Button, Apple & most Android phones compatible

Multi-Function 3 Button Microphone & Remote:

• Supports Apple iOS & Android Products
• Phone Call Control
• Audio Player Control
• Volume Control
• Supports TRRS Connector

Included Accessories:

• Earphone Hard case
• 6 sets of Silicone Ear Tips (S M L)
• 1 set of Comply Foam Tips T-400
• 1 Shirt Clip
• Velcro Cable Tie
• Instruction Manual & Warranty Card (24 month warranty)

Compatibility for 3.5 mm Jack:
iPods, iPhones, iPads, MP3 Players, Computer & Laptops & Other Audio Devices




First Impressions

• Very bassy
• Slightly reminiscent of the HD650 in signature
• Mild bass bleed
• Good for lower volumes
• Lack of immediate detail
• Slightly recessed mids
• Sounds like the music is being played in a cavern
• Driver flexing

Bulid/Design:
Brainwavz claims that these were “delicately crafted from aircraft grade metal”. They definitely look and feel very durable. I’m thinking that it’s hard-plastic though the housings don’t feel cheap. I definitely dig the matte black finish.



The strain relief from the housing feels flexible and durable.
The 3.5mm connection is a 45 degree angle jack. Very thick and supple strain relief.



The cable seems to be twisted. To me, it looks like the cables within were twisted and then the sleeves were heat shrunk onto the cables. Of course, this is just what it looks like to me; it feels very high quality though. It feels very durable and microphonics are low. Doesn’t seem to tangle which is a huge plus. The Y-split is chunky but light. Very good!




The 3-button remote is very effective. Clicky and somewhat easy to find the buttons with the 2 bumps over the middle button. One click plays and pauses the music, two clicks changes to next track, and three clicks to previous track.



All in all, I really like the stealth matte black design throughout the IEM. The supple strain reliefs from the housings and the connection are great!


Isolation/Fit:

I used the sony tips on these. They fit very well although maybe a bit of fiddling around to get the nozzle right. Once in, they’re very comfortable - not heavy on the ears.

I’d say the isolation is great. Once the volume is moderate (say about 30 on my LG V20), it isolates pretty much everything.



Sound:

Bass: A bit bloated and boomy while reaching a bit too much into the midrange. Not very articulate nor tight like a blob of bass. However, it does seem to extend deep into the sub-bass with a good amount of emphasis. Overall though, the bass is a bit too much and inarticulate.

Mids: Seems to be shadowed and congested with the bass bloat. Not very detailed either. There does seem to be a bump around 4 kHz which I don’t really appreciate. I guess the word I’m looking for is plasticky? It makes vocals sound unnatural. Overall, unengaging and a bit boring.

Treble: Not very articulate and seems to be heavily smoothed and/or rolled off. On the bright side, no harshness; on the not-so-bright side, no sense of space nor detail. Cymbals lack definition and realism. Air? Forget about it.

Soundstage/Imaging: Erm, not wide nor precise at all. Hard to pinpoint any instruments at all as it’s all like a blur. If I had to put it nicely, it would be “intimate”. If I were to put it critically, I’d say it’s like a blob of sound in your head and even that sounds like a compliment.


Conclusion:

Well, I wanted to like these. Great sturdy construction in its housings and cable, but overall it falls flat on sound. It’s lifeless, boring, and just not a joy to listen to. At its current price of $89.50 on Amazon, I just cannot recommend it.



Sources: LG V20

Some songs that I used:

• MrFijiWiji - Yours Truly (Jikes Remix)
• Kaede Takagaki (Saori Hayami) - Koi Kaze (Love Wind/Love Storm)
• Mai Fuchigami (Karen Hojo) - -Hakka- Hakka (Peppermint)
• Maaya Sakamoto - Dive ft. Gontiti
• Nao Hiiragi - Requiem
• Tech N9ne - Fortune Force Field
• Joe Hisaishi - The Tatara Women Work Song
• Priscilla Ahn - Fine on the Outside
• Yosi Horikawa - Bubbles

I´m a 38 year old father of 2 children who has a wife that is totally against anything that isn´t music out of the car stereo. I have been forced to sell my HIFI from Cerwin Vega, B&W and KEF speakers and move to portable audio and headphones to save my marriage. 

I was given the chance to review the Brainwavz M100 and this review is based on my subjective listening experience and is not influenced by anything but the gear I have at my disposal and the music I´m listing too.

In this review, and all reviews I do, I use the same tracklist and listen for specific things in the tracks. I listen to different genres and try to keep a good mix of different types of music and sounds. All tracks are FLAC. The tracklist is as following;
 
⦁    Sun Kil Moon – Third and Seneca
⦁    In Flames – Ropes
⦁    Fleet Foxes – White winter hymnial
⦁    The Middle East – Blood
⦁    Niki and the Dove – Love to the test
⦁    Queen – Innuendo
⦁    A tribe called quest – Get a hold
⦁    Yanni – Adagio in C minor
⦁    Elvis Costello – Alison
⦁    Dave Matthews Band – Grey street
⦁    Etherwood – Cast away
⦁    Rage against the Machine - Vietnow 

Specifications
 
⦁    Price: $89.50
⦁    Drivers: dynamic, 8 mm
⦁    Impedance: 32 Ohms
⦁    Frequency Range: 12 Hz – 22 kHz
⦁    Remote & Microphone: 3 buttons 
 
The box
 
What you do get on the inside is a lot of extra accessories and they are also very good for the price. You get; 
3 x Pairs of Sony hybrid lookalike tips (S, M, L)
3 x Pairs of Brainwavz own tips (S, M, L)
1 x Comply foam tips (these alone are like $13US in Sweden for the pair…)
1 x Shirtclip
1 x Velcro cable strap
1 x Branded Brainwavz earphone case
 

 
 
 
 
Build and Design
 
The Brainwavz M100 are made out of black metal and are branded with “BRAINWAVZ” on the side like the S5. I´ll get back to this later in the review. They look a bit basic as they are all black. They look very ordinary and nothing like the small and delicate B100 and B150. They do feel very solid and that is also how I would describe their looks.

Taking a look at the cable, it´s black and braided with a very nice Y-split and remote. The braided OFC cable has some memory and tangles a bit at first but after some use it smoothens out. Above the y-split the M100 comes with a cinch to stabilize the cable cable.
 

 
 

The remote on the cable works perfectly both for Android and iOS. The cable also has excellent strain reliefs at all the danger areas so all in all I find the design ok. They are made to be worn cable down but I find that they work over-ear too. The cable is not removable which otherwise seems to be a trend and I personally like.
 
Comfort and Isolation
 
I like iems and earbuds. I have about 30 in my possession at the moment and they range from small microdriver units to big bulky universals that cover your whole concha and will hurt your tragus badly. I haven´t tried customs and I´m not sure I ever will…

My main issue with iems are usually that I can´t get a good seal. I have BIG ears and well above average sized ear channels. Tip rolling is not something I do on occasion with new iems, I do it everytime and sometimes for hours to get that perfect seal and sound. 
 

 
 
 

Braniwavz iems have always surprised me with excellent comfort and seal using standard included tips. The M100 however, does not come to my liking. They are cumbersome to fit and I had a hard time to get them to seal equally well on both ears. They also gave me discomfort after about 30 minutes of use and that´s a first for Brainwavz iems for me and I have tried their Jive, S5, B100 and B150 and absolutely loved them due to their excellent comfort. 
 
Audio quality
 
I´ll be using a FiiO X7 with AM3 module as source and I´ll also hook up a VE Runabout 2.0 amp too. I also have an Oppo HA-2 dac/amp which I will pair with my Oneplus3 smartphone.

After reviewing the B100 and B150 earlier, I´m trying to keep my hopes down to a normal level, as I absolutely loved both of them. Straight out of the box the M100 show they are something completely different. I have always loved the tuning that Brainwavz have managed to provide. That is, until now. 

I´d say the M100 is either hit or miss for people. Unfortunately they are a miss for me. Everything sounds veiled and foggy. Very much like you try to walk through mud up to your knees.
 
Anyways. I don´t think it´s fair to conclude anything out of the box so I had the M100 play music out my MacBook pro for about 50 hours. No special music just a random playlist and no “pink noise burn in”.
 
Mids
 
The M100 has a very colored sound and the detail and clarity in the mids are mud and paint. Compared to the B100 and the B150 I feel the M100 are sauna warm. Vocals sound unnatural and unrealistic.
 
Bass

Bass is too much at all ends for me. They could, like the Brainwavz S5, be considered as “fun” sounding, but the coloration just puts frosting on every aspect of the sound. I would not choose the M100 for critical listening. I´m not saying it´s bad or so it´s just not my cup of tea. 
 
Treble

I´m very sensitive to sibilance, I´ll just add that right away. The M100´s gave me no issues or problem whatsoever. They are instead dark sounding and warm, too warm for me. You get the feeling like someone is suffocating the music with a pillow.
 
Soundstage

I´m a sucker for huge soundstage and airy atmosphere in music. The M100 are hard to  I´d say it´s above average (like 5/10).
 
Conclusion

Hit or miss, I have a hard time imagining anything else about the M100. They are not working for me in and that is OK to be honest. I like and prefer a certain type of music, a certain type of  sound with certain levels of detail and curve. The M100 are not my cup of tea. Easy as that. They are not for the critical listener but might work extremely well for a “Beats by Dr Dre fanatic”. I´d easily but my hard earned money on the Brainwavz S5, B100 or the B150 instead. Cable is excellent though...