Looking forward to the production versions of the B300 & B400. The people at the Brainwavz booth were awesome, really engaged with the listeners, and seemed to genuinely want honest input on the models, unlike some booths, where they appeared only to want glowing praise (they shall remain unnamed).
First, preferences play a large part in auditioning iems. My preferences are derived from an earlier life as a jazz trombonist. I would say that my preferences are for a) detail, b) tonal accuracy, c) a forward presentation and d) bass extension (as opposed to bass emphasis). Some headphones / iems were painfully bright on the high end for my tastes. Not sure if that was due to their tuning or if it evidences a preference for a rolled-off high end (I wouldn't have thought that before CanJam, based on my speaker preferences).
Second, impressions are also a function of environment. Both the space in which I listen, and, perhaps more importantly, the state of mind I am in at the time of listening. My preferred time for iem listening is at night, prior to going to bed. This is for two reasons: first, the background noise in my environment is significantly reduced; second, I am not distracted by the day's demands. I thought that CanJam was as good a compromise at accessibility versus noise level as could be expected. When I visited Brainwavz, the ambient noise was not high, but still could be heard through the iems without music playing. I, needless to say, was in a great mood as I got to indulge in my hobby and listen to a whole lot of great stuff.
The music I listened to was a mixture of redbook and mp3. I played music through the Tidal app on my iPhone, except those songs I know are not available on Tidal. I had intended to get back to the booth on Sunday with my AKJr and Mojo, but just ran out of time. Specificallly, here's what I listened to:
Marian Hill - Down - Tidal
FKA Twigs - Two Weeks - Tidal
Annie Lennox - I Put a Spell on You - Tidal
Banks - Before I Ever Met You - Tidal
Cassandra Wilson - Lay Lady Lay - Tidal
Paul Simon - Oh, Marion - Tidal
Phil Upchurch - Jack of Speed - Apple Lossless
Raya Yarbrough - You're So Bad for Me - AAC 256 kbps
My listening impressions will be brief, as I did not take notes and I am aware that my aural memory is affected by the numerous other iems I listened to over the weekend and perhaps even the prior impressions in this thread.
I started with the B300's as I am intending to replace or add a pair of iems above my HBA2's. I enjoyed the tuning of the B300. Voices sounded natural. There was a sense of space around the vocals. The soundstage was well defined. They did not seem to extend fully down into the subterranean bass that some of the above songs demand, but they seemed to certainly provide ample signal down to probably 20Hz ( I didn't run test tones as I was listening for enjoyment mostly). But, they didn't blow me away. Now, as a price to performance analysis, I would certainly take a second look if they indeed come in at at $250 price point.
Please read all of this next part!!!
I moved on to the B400. They were horrible. Nothing there. Flat, lifeless. I put them down after about 30 seconds. The woman working the booth (and I'm sorry I forgot her name) looked at me askance and asked, "What do you think?"
Trying to be diplomatic, I replied, "They're not for me."
She probed further, "How so?"
So I told her, "They were lifeless, shallow, and I was very disappointed, especially after liking the B300."
She said something to the effect of, "That doesn't seem right. We haven't been getting that feedback at all. I know you were using the same tips as you used on the B300, but it sounds like a fit issue. Let's find some foam tips and try it again, if you want." She then either dug into her purse or asked someone (I forget which) for a pair of Comply tips while apologizing that some mishap had kept them from having foam tips available for all.
WOW. What a difference a tip makes (I know, we all know this).
It's interesting to me that stepping up to the B400 left me with the impression of it providing both "more" and "less." More, as in more detail, more tonal accuracy, more enjoyment, and yes, more bass extension. Less, as in less overlap. The notes sit suspended in space, connected yet apart from each other, which I attribute to the crossovers of the armatures.
FKA Twigs'
Two Weeks starts with a complex bass / midbass soundscape that can get muddied on some iems. Not here. The chanting voices were distinct. You could hear the individual drumstrokes on the bass? drum roll. And, when the lead singer (FKA Twigs) joins the mix, her voice sits mesmerizingly above the soundscape, while not being apart from it.
On Marian Hill's
Down, about a minute in they bring in a heavy bass beat, coupled with what sounds to me like a synthesized cymbal beat. The B400 handled the bass with aplomb, providing the full heft of the hit, while not overpowering the overall presentation. On the other end, the cymbal can sound harsh, artificial, and painful on overly bright (to me) iems. The B400 gave them a sizzle, while not causing my ears to bleed and brain to hurt. I use "sizzle" in a complementary way. The cymbal is a syncopated beat with an delightfully playful emphasis on the third (maybe 4th) strike of the cymbal. So, not only does an iem have to get the frequency response right, it has to convey the subtle difference in strike. The B400 did so.
On Phil Upchurch's
Jack of Speed, there is just a lot going on: driving bass line; the guitar that sits on top of it and almost seems contrapuntal; the gourd shake that pans across the soundstage; percussion rim strikes and more. The B400 presented each piece with clarity and precision. But more importantly, it presented it musically, engaging me in the performance.
For me, the B400 were spot on. I will be very interested in comparing them to other iems when they reach production status. Off the top of my head, my short list at this time would be Westone W60, Campfire Audio Jupiter, and Noble Savanna.
If any head-fiers have other suggestions, I am always open to listening
Thank you, Brainwavz!
.
. I may not have gotten much time with the B400 but for now I'm mighty impressed with the prowess of the B300 - which seems extremely competitive for it's price range.
