slowpogo
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2007
- Posts
- 755
- Likes
- 11
I just spent a few days with the B&W C5, and Brainwavz B2 in ear headphones. I want to give my impressions and see where others might agree or disagree, because I'm still searching for "keepers."
B&W C5 - I was really curious about these because I owned a pair of B&W 602 loudspeakers for years, and they were fantastic for "entry-level" audiophile equipment. As for the C5's, first of all, the ear loop thing just wasn't going to work for me, regardless of the sound. My left ear was fine with it, my right ear was not. It just got really uncomfortable after 10 minutes, no matter which tips I used. I tried some Comply T-400s, a half dozen pairs from an MEElectronics variety pack, and the ones included by B&W.
The tips I liked most were the smallest tips included by B&W. This gave them the most balanced sound, but things were still QUITE bass heavy for me. Even a lone strummed acoustic guitar ("Better Be Home Soon," Crowded House), which sounded nice and balanced with my AKG K701's, had exaggerated boomy/bassy resonance on the C5's. I had to use the "bass reducer" EQ setting on my iPhone, and STILL, it was a bit much for me. This was very surprising considering so many reviews I read thought the C5's were balanced, or only "slightly" warm or bass-boosted. Other than the bass, they were quite nice, especially with classical music such as a Ravel disc (Dutoit/Montreal Symphony). Very natural detail, great separation, fairly spacious sound for IEM's. But I was generally a bit disappointed and uninvolved with the sound: I never found myself having fun. Out of curiosity, I did leave a "burn-in" playlist running with them for about 15 hours, but it made no difference. And the ear comfort problem was a deal-breaker. I reluctantly boxed them up and sent them back.
Brainwavz B2 - these are the only IEM's I've read about so far that people have consistently called "balanced," "flat" or even "bass-lite." It seems virtually every IEM utilizes an intentional bass bump of some kind, to appease a consumer market duped by Beats by Dre. If there are others besides the Brainwavz B2 that expressly do NOT do this, please let me know.
While I agree they are well-balanced and, to me, have just the right amount of bass, I was immediately disappointed with their sound. The treble range was dry and scratchy to my ears, though nicely detailed. I felt they sounded like "dual-armature", because I could hear somehow that the bass and treble were disparate. They did not seem to blend into each other; the crossover effect was pronounced. Again, I tried all included tips, and several of the MEElectronic tips. I came back to them 3-4 times over a few days, but my opinion did not change much. I sent them back.
If the C5's only had the balanced EQ of the B2's, and ditched the ear loops...that would be a damn nice set of IEM's.
...
Anyway, I have since ordered the NAD HP20's, and RBH EP1's. People seem to find them relatively balanced and without undue bass emphasis. I hope they fare better with me than the above models. If anyone has other suggestions to try (which are versatile, balanced, reference-like but still fun, under $200) please let me know.
B&W C5 - I was really curious about these because I owned a pair of B&W 602 loudspeakers for years, and they were fantastic for "entry-level" audiophile equipment. As for the C5's, first of all, the ear loop thing just wasn't going to work for me, regardless of the sound. My left ear was fine with it, my right ear was not. It just got really uncomfortable after 10 minutes, no matter which tips I used. I tried some Comply T-400s, a half dozen pairs from an MEElectronics variety pack, and the ones included by B&W.
The tips I liked most were the smallest tips included by B&W. This gave them the most balanced sound, but things were still QUITE bass heavy for me. Even a lone strummed acoustic guitar ("Better Be Home Soon," Crowded House), which sounded nice and balanced with my AKG K701's, had exaggerated boomy/bassy resonance on the C5's. I had to use the "bass reducer" EQ setting on my iPhone, and STILL, it was a bit much for me. This was very surprising considering so many reviews I read thought the C5's were balanced, or only "slightly" warm or bass-boosted. Other than the bass, they were quite nice, especially with classical music such as a Ravel disc (Dutoit/Montreal Symphony). Very natural detail, great separation, fairly spacious sound for IEM's. But I was generally a bit disappointed and uninvolved with the sound: I never found myself having fun. Out of curiosity, I did leave a "burn-in" playlist running with them for about 15 hours, but it made no difference. And the ear comfort problem was a deal-breaker. I reluctantly boxed them up and sent them back.
Brainwavz B2 - these are the only IEM's I've read about so far that people have consistently called "balanced," "flat" or even "bass-lite." It seems virtually every IEM utilizes an intentional bass bump of some kind, to appease a consumer market duped by Beats by Dre. If there are others besides the Brainwavz B2 that expressly do NOT do this, please let me know.
While I agree they are well-balanced and, to me, have just the right amount of bass, I was immediately disappointed with their sound. The treble range was dry and scratchy to my ears, though nicely detailed. I felt they sounded like "dual-armature", because I could hear somehow that the bass and treble were disparate. They did not seem to blend into each other; the crossover effect was pronounced. Again, I tried all included tips, and several of the MEElectronic tips. I came back to them 3-4 times over a few days, but my opinion did not change much. I sent them back.
If the C5's only had the balanced EQ of the B2's, and ditched the ear loops...that would be a damn nice set of IEM's.
...
Anyway, I have since ordered the NAD HP20's, and RBH EP1's. People seem to find them relatively balanced and without undue bass emphasis. I hope they fare better with me than the above models. If anyone has other suggestions to try (which are versatile, balanced, reference-like but still fun, under $200) please let me know.
