Many thanks to Brainwavz for the review sample of Brainwavz Omega!
Brainwavz Omega is budget IEM from Brainwavz, similarly priced to Brainwavz Jive. Unfortunately I don't have Brainwavz Jive to be compared with, but I will compare it with other IEMs in the similar price category.
Product webpage:
http://www.brainwavzaudio.com/products/omega-iem-noise-isolating-earphones-with-microphone-remote
Quite often people ask my recommendation for budget IEM. And I'm glad I've seen sound quality improvement in the last few years on budget IEMs, and the number of options seems to be growing. Many budget IEMs I have and have tried, often have similar flaws, which is lacking in clarity that makes vocal sounds dull and muffled, and sometime they sound overly bassy and fatiguing. I'm glad to say that Brainwavz Omega doesn't have those flaws. Omega has pretty good overall clarity, with clear sounding vocal. It also has decent bass, good level with good sub-bass extension, and not the overblown fatiguing type of bass. Is Omega a giant killer? It is not, but it certainly offers a lot for the money. In summary, Brainwavz Omega is among the best budget IEMs around the $15 bracket, and now it is in the list of my recommended budget IEMs.
Pros:
Fun tonality and good clarity.
Small earphone housing for easy fit and better comfort.
Cons:
Poor microphone quality.
Suggestions for Improvements:
Microphone quality.
Brainwavz Omega features 6 mm single micro dynamic driver, equipped with microphone and remote for communication. I'm a fan of dynamic micro driver that usually categories as dynamic driver with size 6 mm or less. Currently I have around 15 micro driver IEMs in my collection. Micro driver allows small simple housing that fits easily into most people ear canal. Not only for fitting purpose, from what I've observed so far, small and minimum housing like the Omega housing has minimal IEM housing resonant, less sound reflection inside the housing, for less distortion from the IEM housing, resulting better clarity and perceive level of detail. Some better design like JVC micro driver IEMs placed the driver right at the front part of the nozzle, avoiding possible sound reflections in the nozzle cavity. The disadvantage of placing the micro driver at the front part of the nozzle is the size of the nozzle become larger than the common 4.5 - 5.5 mm nozzle size, and sometime causing fitting issue for smaller ear canal. Brainwavz Omega placed the micro driver inside the housing behind the nozzle for better universal fitting and compatibility with generic eartips. The nozzle size is 4.5 mm. So far I don't hear any obvious housing or nozzle distortion. The small housing and short nozzle seems to be well designed to keep housing distortion at minimum. The small and simple cylinder housing allows both straight down and over the ears wearing style.
I like the slightly thick 2.5 mm cable. It feels durable and doesn't coil. The 3.5 mm TRRS jack is angled, probably around 60 degrees, feels sturdy and durable as well. Overall build quality is good, and I have nothing to complain. The only improvement I would like to see is only on the quality of the microphone that lacks clarity and sounds a little muffled, but still usable. The remote works well on my Android phone, Samsung Galaxy S4. Volume, play, stop, skip track all function well. I didn't test it with iPhone, but it should be compatible with iPhone as well. The middle play / stop button works for skipping track, press twice for next track, and press thrice to go to previous track.
Sound Quality
Having heard quite a number of IEMs in this price range, in my opinion Brainwavz Omega has pretty good tonality without any annoying coloration and emphasize or de-emphasized on any frequency region. It has fun, mild V shape tonality, with slightly more emphasize on the bass region than the treble region. So it is a little bassy with the stock silicone eartips, but not too much. Bass is decent with satisfying level, not anemic and not overly bassy. A bit loose, but IMHO still pretty good for the price. Although Omega tonality is rather bassy, but bass level is not yet basshead level of bass. When it is preferable to reduce the bass level, use the provided Comply S-400 foam eartips. The foam eartips also smoothen the treble a little bit. Omega has good low sub-bass extension and reaches very low. 20 Hz tone can be heard clearly at normal listening level, and it pass 'Earfonia Risset Drum 20-60Hz' test track without any obvious distortion. Don't expect a very fast, tight, and well textured bass quality like from higher quality IEMs many times of the Omega's price, but for an IEM at this price category, Omega's bass is certainly pretty good. Midrange and treble has good clarity, good enough for me to enjoy classical recordings that usually sound dull on many budget IEMs. For those who are used to warm sounding IEMs, Omega might probably sounds a little bright. But for some who are used with more analytical sounding IEMs, Omega is certainly not bright at all. It has some mild treble emphasize to help to boost the perceived clarity. Treble could sound a bit grainy sometime, but not sibilant. Detail and dynamic are surprisingly pretty good as well, music sounds quite lively.
In summary, sound quality is good, and it is a pretty good all-rounder IEM. Value wise, Omega is very good. Good tonality with decent level of clarity and perceived detail for such an affordable price tag. Some comparisons below might help to get a better picture of the Omega's sound signature.
I’ve been experimenting on IEM frequency response measurement lately, and I found it to be very complicated. I don't have standard measurement equipment. I use USB measurement microphone, MiniDSP UMIK-1 and a DIY acoustic coupler that I made from heat shrink tubing. I use Room EQ Wizard (REW) program to do the measurement. So far I observed the following:
- The length and volume of the acoustic coupler affects the upper treble response. Longer acoustic coupler will create unnecessary treble peaks above 10 kHz.
- Room temperature affects the bass response. Similar measurement done in 25 degree Celsius and 31 degree Celsius room temperature consistently showing around 6 dB differences in bass response. Bass response is higher in lower room temperature.
- Level of loudness during measurement affects the smoothness of the overall frequency response. Generally measurement done in louder volume showing smoother frequency response.
- The equipment that I use doesn't seem to be accurate for the upper treble region, therefore only useful for up to around 9 kHz. Measurement from 9 kHz onward can be ignored.
From what I've observed so far, I suggest to always read IEM frequency response measurement result in the context of the measurement environment, as they are mostly useful only as comparison to other IEMs that are measured in the same measurement environment. So please take note that all the frequency response measurement shown here is not a standard measurement, therefore cannot be used for comparison with other measurement. This measurement is only to show comparison of estimated frequency response of the IEMs that were measured in the same environment using the same equipment.
MiniDSP UMIK-1 & Dayton Audio UMM-6 measurement microphones with the DIY acoustic coupler:
Unfortunately my Dayton UMM-6 spoilt when I tried to fix mic capsule isolation, so now I only have the UMIK-1 for measurement.
As of now, DUNU DN-2000 is my baseline or reference for flat tonality. DN-2000 tonality is pretty close to what I perceived as flat tonality, only lacking slightly on the level of upper treble region. For the measurement, I usually take at least 3 measurements per channel, then average the 3 measurement. I applied Psychoacoustic Smoothing for the reason that the measurement is only useful for rough estimation of the frequency response. Loudness reference is 100 dB at 500 Hz. 100 dB seems louder than normal listening volume, but it is due to the length of the canal of the acoustic couple that I use is much shorter than average length of human ear canal, therefore the IEM is placed much closer to the microphone, resulting higher reading of loudness. All measurement was done at 25 degree Celsius room temperature. As I mentioned earlier, bass response will be lower when room temperature is higher.
Frequency response of Brainwavz Omega Left (blue) and Right (red) drivers:
Average frequency response of Brainwavz Omega (purple) in comparison to DUNU DN-2000 (yellow):
Comparisons
For this comparison sometime I used larger bore eartips, and sometime the stock silicone eartips. I don’t hear any significant differences between them, so both are recommended. I used Superlux HA3D headphone amplifier that has 3 outputs, to be able to compare 3 IEMs at the same time, for quicker and more accurate impressions.
Xiaomi Piston IF Commemorative Edition (similar to Piston 2.0)
Piston IF Commemorative Edition, which is said to have similar sound and design with the well-known Piston 2.0, sounds a tad more refined with a more linear tonality. Both have mildly V shape tonality. Though not the same, Brainwavz Omega has some similarity to Piston IF sound signature. Omega has slightly thicker lower mids and slightly stronger and boomier bass. Vocal sounds slightly fuller and smoother on Omega, but clearer and more detailed on Piston. Treble level is pretty close, with the Piston sounds just a tad brighter but smoother. I think Xiaomi Piston is marginally better than the Omega with slightly better detail and clarity. But the Omega would be a good choice to those who prefer fuller midrange and slightly more bass.
Frequency response comparison between Brainwavz Omega (purple) and Xiaomi Piston IF Edition (green):
Design wise, I prefer the smaller cylinder housing of Omega that generally fits easier in the ear canal. The smaller housing allows deeper insertion to the ear canal. The Piston cable has short Y split part that is too short for over the ears wearing style. While the Omega has proper length of cable from the split point up to the drivers, that is suitable for both straight down and over the ears wearing style. Besides that, the Piston's stock eartips simply don't work for me. The stock eartips are too soft and slippery; I couldn't get proper fit and good sound isolation using the Piston's stock eartips. I have to use other eartips for the Piston to get better fitting. While the Omega's stock eartips are good and comfortable, and it also comes with Comply foam eartips. Another concern when getting the Xiaomi Piston 2 is the fake model of Xiaomi Piston 2 is like everywhere on the online market. I bought one of the fake Piston 2 that looks quite similar, and the sound quality is simply terrible. So I only buy Xiaomi product direct from their website in Singapore.
Xiaomi Hybrid
Xiaomi Hybrid to me is a bit disappointing. IMHO both Xiaomi Piston IF Edition and Brainwavz Omega sound better than the new Xiaomi Hybrid. Xiaomi Hybrid main flaw is the muffled midrange. Vocal sounds muffled and not natural. There is something wrong on Xiaomi Hybrid tonality at around midrange area. Coherency between the dynamic driver and the BA driver is also rather poor, both drivers don't blend nicely. The treble from the BA driver is actually pretty good, but unfortunately doesn't blend well with the lower frequency. There is some moderate emphasize around the bass and lower midrange, and then an obvious dip around the upper mid to treble area that makes vocal sounds muffled, and then continue with a pretty good treble quality. The dip around the upper mid, to me, is unforgivable. Therefore tonality wise, I prefer Brainwavz Omega than the Xiaomi Hybrid.
Remax RM-565i
Remax RM-565i has lots of similarity with Brainwavz Omega. Overall housing design looks quite similar but not exactly the same. Remax RM-565i housing is a little longer than the Omega's housing. Remax RM-565i seems to use micro dynamic driver as well, and they both have 16 ohms nominal impedance. Sound wise they share a lot of similarities, but not exactly the same. Omega sounds a tad clearer than the Remax RM-565i, just a tad. Beside the level of clarity both have quite a similar sound tonality. Both are also more or less in the $15 price category. Remax RM-565i has flat cable, while the Omega has regular round cable. The quite obvious different is the quality of the microphone, which sounds much better on the Remax RM-565i. Remax RM-565i microphone sounds clearer, while the Omega's microphone sounds a little muffled. But Remax RM-565i remote doesn't have the volume buttons, only the play / stop button. As for the sound quality of the earphone, I slightly prefer the Omega for the slightly better dynamic and clarity. But the differences are pretty small. They are quite similar but not the same. Value wise both offer excellent value and highly recommended in my book.
Frequency response comparison between Brainwavz Omega (purple) and Remax RM-565i (teal):
Remax RM-610D
Remax RM-610D sounds slightly warmer than Omega, and slightly lacks the sub bass and upper treble extension. Omega has wider frequency response than RM-610D. The Omega also has better dynamic, perceived clarity and detail. I still consider RM-610D a good sounding budget IEM, and probably a better choice for some people who prefer simple straight down wearing style and shallow insertion into the ear canal, but to me the Omega sounds better and livelier. RM-610D has flat cable with remote that has volume buttons, and designed only for straight down wearing style, so expect some microphonics. RM-610D microphone quality is pretty close to Omega microphone, a little muffled and not as clear as RM-565i microphone, but perfectly usable for communication.
Brainwavz S0
I happen to have Brainwavz S0, S3, and S5 as well, but I'm not going to compare all of them as they are in different price category. I will only compare the Omega to S0, for Brainwavz users to have better idea of the Omega sound signature. The Omega being a lot cheaper than S0, surprisingly comes pretty close to S0 in sound quality comparison. S0 sounds smoother and slightly warmer, while Omega sounds a little more V shape in comparison to S0. Omega has slightly stronger bass and more sparkly treble. S0 sounds nicer on vocal with smoother and fuller midrange, while Omega sounds livelier on instrumental and orchestral work, thanks to the mildly V shape tonality.
Rock Zircon
Rock Zircon is one my favourite budget IEM, and sound quality wise it is quite comparable to Brainwavz Omega. Rock Zircon has fun and lively sound signature. Zircon tonality is slightly more V shape than Omega, slightly stronger bass and slightly more pronounced treble. Omega tonality might be perceived as more linear than Zircon, and overall sounds a little more refined. Zircon is a very good budget IEM with excellent build quality. The Zirconium crystal housing of Zircon is definitely looks and feels better than the modest Omega metal housing. But if I have to choose the sound quality between the two, I still marginally prefer the Omega for being a little more linear in tonality.
KZ ATE
From my collection KZ IEMs, KZ ATE and ED9 are among my favourite budget IEMs. KZ ATE sounds a little smoother, with some emphasize on upper midrange. Vocal sounds more forward on ATE. Omega has stronger bass and better low bass extension than ATE, and slightly wider perceived frequency range. ATE sounds nice, but the mild emphasize on the upper midrange makes it sounds a little colored. ATE midrange and treble sound smoother, and sound nicer on vocal. While Omega sounds livelier on instrumental and electronic music. But ATE housing shape and design might not fit everyone. The Omega small housing is much easier to wear. Both are excellent budget IEMs.
KZ ED9
For this comparison I use the gold nozzle / sound filter on ED9. KZ ED9 so far has been my favorite KZ IEM and I like it better than ATE, ED10, Micro Ring, & ZS1. In comparison to Omega, ED9 sounds smoother and slightly more spacious in stereo imaging. Tonality wise ED9 sounds quite linear, probably slightly more linear than Omega. The smooth and linear tonality of ED9 is really nice on vocal. Vocal sounds nicer on ED9 than Omega. Bass level is about the same, slightly stronger on the Omega. When it comes to pounding bass, Omega bass sounds a little faster and tighter with better punch. ED9 bass is a little slower and less tight. Midrange and treble sound smoother and nicer on ED9. Overall ED9 sounds nicer on most vocal and jazz tracks, and the smooth presentation of ED9 sounds more enjoyable. While Omega wins on the more energetic tracks with punchier and stronger bass. Both really offer a lot for the money.
Frequency response comparison between Brainwavz Omega (purple) and KZ ED9 (orange):
From the entire budget IEMs in comparison, my favourites are the Brainwavz Omega, Remax RM-565i, Xiaomi Piston IF Edition, and KZ ED9. They are some of the best budget IEMs I've ever tried. Once again thanks to Brainwavz for offering such a good quality budget IEM!
Specifications:
Drivers: Dynamic, 6 mm
Rated Impedance: 16 Ω
Frequency Range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Sensitivity: 98 dB at 1 mW
Rated Input Power: 3 mW
Cable: 1.2 m Y-Cord, Copper
Plug: 3.5 mm, Gold plated
Included Accessories:
3 sets of Silicone Ear Tips (S M L)
1 set of Comply™ Foam Tips S-400
1 Shirt Clip
Velcro Cable Tie
Instruction Manual & Warranty Card (24 month warranty)
Equipment Used In This Review:
Earphones / IEMs:
Brainwavz S0
DUNU DN-2000
KZ ATE
KZ ED9
Remax RM-565i
Remax RM-610D
Rock Zircon
Xiaomi Piston IF Commemorative Edition
Xiaomi Hybrid
DACs, DAPs & Headphone Amplifiers:
Centrance DACport Slim
Fiio X3ii
ifi micro iDSD
Superlux HA3D
Other Equipment:
MiniDSP UMIK-1 measurement microphone
Software:
Room EQ Wizard (REW)
Some recordings used in this review:
Read your review with great interest. For some time I've been looking for a way of doing measurements on iems. Some time ago I concluded that an official lab set-up (eg. G.R.A.S. or B&K.) is, and may well remain, beyond reach financially. Your modified Umik setup looks excellent. I know it cannot replace a full scientific setup but the measurements would definitely be useful. (and even a perfect 711 coupler has a typical deviation up to 4db ,even below 9khz, according to B&K)
Hope you will consider answering the following:
-How did you decide on the shape and size of the blue cone, held in place by the shrinkwrap?
-What is the blue cone made of?
-Did you choose the material for its accoustic properties or for other reasons?
-Is it likely your Dayton mic died from the heat applied to the shrinkwrap?
-For calibration I consider using Ety ER4's wich come with an unit-specific graphs. Any thoughts on that?
Best regards, Riva