Brainwavz Audio B400 4-Way Quad Driver 3D Printed IEM
Nov 6, 2018 at 10:35 PM Post #1,353 of 1,463
Mine have never done that. Perhaps some earwax has fallen into the tube? Is anything obstructing that tube?

Nothing is obstructing the tube. I got them a day or two ago and they right out of the box started giving that smell when I put music through them. Also, another question for other B400 owners: Does the left earpiece stop giving sound sometimes when you touch the wire and stuff?
 
Nov 6, 2018 at 10:44 PM Post #1,354 of 1,463
Nothing is obstructing the tube. I got them a day or two ago and they right out of the box started giving that smell when I put music through them. Also, another question for other B400 owners: Does the left earpiece stop giving sound sometimes when you touch the wire and stuff?

Mine cut out like that. It ended up being a faulty mmcx connector. Brainwavz replaced the cable and I haven't had any problems since March. If you have another cable or swap left and right, you can check the connector. The smell may go away on its own if it is just some residue from the manufacturing process.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 12:59 PM Post #1,355 of 1,463
Mine cut out like that. It ended up being a faulty mmcx connector. Brainwavz replaced the cable and I haven't had any problems since March. If you have another cable or swap left and right, you can check the connector. The smell may go away on its own if it is just some residue from the manufacturing process.

Ok, so it's just the cable? I did get another cable in the package but it's sad that the original is doing this. Also, what do you mean, I can swap the left and right connectors and it will tell me if it's the cable that's causing the problem if my right earpiece stops giving sound too after that? About the smell, it doesn't seem to be as strong anymore (but is still there), so I hope it will go away eventually.

What are your personal reviews of the B400s? Am I the only one who was kind of underwhelmed? I mean, I was expecting to be amazed, but wasn't as much. Anyway, do the open nozzles become a problem later on with dust being able to go inside of it; does a lot of it accumulate inside over time?
 
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Nov 7, 2018 at 1:19 PM Post #1,356 of 1,463
Ok, so it's just the cable? I did get another cable in the package but it's sad that the original is doing this. Also, what do you mean, I can swap the left and right connectors and it will tell me if it's the cable that's causing the problem if my right earpiece stops giving sound too after that? About the smell, it doesn't seem to be as strong anymore (but is still there), so I hope it will go away eventually.

What are your personal reviews of the B400s? Am I the only one who was kind of underwhelmed? I mean, I was expecting to be amazed, but wasn't as much. Anyway, do the open nozzles become a problem later on with dust being able to go inside of it; does a lot of it accumulate inside over time?

Take the left cable and attach it to the right earpiece. They should snap in rather than being a soft click or feeling mushy (as mine did). Then see if the sound cuts out when you touch it, turn the cable, etc. If it doesn't, then the problem is with the cable and not the earpiece. If you still experience the sound cut-out, it is likely the MMCX on the earpiece. My faulty cable was the Candy Cane balanced cable and there have been a few reports of that cable having inconsistent build quality.

The smell is... an odd problem. I honestly don't know what to make of that. It may just be some contaminant that got on something in the manufacturing process. I would suggest burning the earphones in for several hours and see if that helps burn off the smell. A long burn-in is a good idea anyway because it will reveal any faulty manufacturing in a much shorter time frame than just listening to them normally. You definitely want to make sure these earphones are good before the warranty runs out. The open nozzles may become a problem, but I haven't heard much about that. There are a number of other earphones either without screens or from which people remove the screens, but I haven't heard any problems with debris in the nozzle. I suppose it could become a problem, but I'm sure it's also possible to carefully clean the nozzle out.

I love the B400, even though it is not a sound signature I usually enjoy. I think it has some outstanding technical ability for the price range and, a few small QC concerns aside, it has become a personal favorite for $200 or less. On the other hand, the TFZ King Pro is also excellent in objective terms, built more sturdily, is handsomer, is cheaper, and IMO has a truly wonderful tuning, perfect for my taste. Despite that, I like the two about equally.

If you are underwhelmed by them, I sort of understand. The tuning is pretty darn warm and not for everyone. Depending on what you match them with, they can become even warmer. I also found them surprisingly difficult to get a good fit. Until I did so, I wasn't too impressed either. It took just the right tips to bring me around. Give them some time. They may require a bit of mental adjustment to fully enjoy.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 9:41 PM Post #1,357 of 1,463
Take the left cable and attach it to the right earpiece. They should snap in rather than being a soft click or feeling mushy (as mine did). Then see if the sound cuts out when you touch it, turn the cable, etc. If it doesn't, then the problem is with the cable and not the earpiece. If you still experience the sound cut-out, it is likely the MMCX on the earpiece. My faulty cable was the Candy Cane balanced cable and there have been a few reports of that cable having inconsistent build quality.

The smell is... an odd problem. I honestly don't know what to make of that. It may just be some contaminant that got on something in the manufacturing process. I would suggest burning the earphones in for several hours and see if that helps burn off the smell. A long burn-in is a good idea anyway because it will reveal any faulty manufacturing in a much shorter time frame than just listening to them normally. You definitely want to make sure these earphones are good before the warranty runs out. The open nozzles may become a problem, but I haven't heard much about that. There are a number of other earphones either without screens or from which people remove the screens, but I haven't heard any problems with debris in the nozzle. I suppose it could become a problem, but I'm sure it's also possible to carefully clean the nozzle out.

I love the B400, even though it is not a sound signature I usually enjoy. I think it has some outstanding technical ability for the price range and, a few small QC concerns aside, it has become a personal favorite for $200 or less. On the other hand, the TFZ King Pro is also excellent in objective terms, built more sturdily, is handsomer, is cheaper, and IMO has a truly wonderful tuning, perfect for my taste. Despite that, I like the two about equally.

If you are underwhelmed by them, I sort of understand. The tuning is pretty darn warm and not for everyone. Depending on what you match them with, they can become even warmer. I also found them surprisingly difficult to get a good fit. Until I did so, I wasn't too impressed either. It took just the right tips to bring me around. Give them some time. They may require a bit of mental adjustment to fully enjoy.

Thanks, you helped me out a lot. I agree, I think I'll start really liking them once I've settled into it. :) I might save up for even more expensive headphones next.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 9:54 PM Post #1,358 of 1,463
Thanks, you helped me out a lot. I agree, I think I'll start really liking them once I've settled into it. :) I might save up for even more expensive headphones next.

I really like the B400 a lot, a little warm neutral which is still within my taste, but im plagued by QC issues :frowning2:

That aside, more expensive does not equal to better sounding headphones. The law of diminishing returns hits harder the more expensive you go. I paid 50 sgd for the tinaudio T2 which is quite neutral for a dual dynamic driver, and maybe get 70% of the performance of the B400, but buying a $1000 iem/headphone doesnt mean you get 5 times the performance of the B400. Just like how the B400 is not 4 times the performance of the T2.

I am a practical person, can you consistently hear the difference between mp3 320kbps, aac 256kbps and FLAC? i can only tell maybe 60% of the time, and thats when i purposely sit down to do critical listening, otherwise i might as well not care for the differences on a day to day basis. You can test your hearing here: http://abx.digitalfeed.net

Sure, i can hear the difference in timbre, quality, decay etc in the $1000 iem and $200 B400, but the difference is too small for me to justify the price jump. Everyone has their own limits, so take your time to sit down and quietly compare.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 10:18 PM Post #1,359 of 1,463
I really like the B400 a lot, a little warm neutral which is still within my taste, but im plagued by QC issues :frowning2:

That aside, more expensive does not equal to better sounding headphones. The law of diminishing returns hits harder the more expensive you go. I paid 50 sgd for the tinaudio T2 which is quite neutral for a dual dynamic driver, and maybe get 70% of the performance of the B400, but buying a $1000 iem/headphone doesnt mean you get 5 times the performance of the B400. Just like how the B400 is not 4 times the performance of the T2.

I am a practical person, can you consistently hear the difference between mp3 320kbps, aac 256kbps and FLAC? i can only tell maybe 60% of the time, and thats when i purposely sit down to do critical listening, otherwise i might as well not care for the differences on a day to day basis. You can test your hearing here: http://abx.digitalfeed.net

Sure, i can hear the difference in timbre, quality, decay etc in the $1000 iem and $200 B400, but the difference is too small for me to justify the price jump. Everyone has their own limits, so take your time to sit down and quietly compare.

I think you are trying to quantify things that cannot be parsed in terms of multiples and percentages. "5 times better" is sort of nonsensical to me; I cannot understand what it is supposed to mean. What I do know is this: When I listen to my B400s, I thoroughly enjoy my music. When I listen to my 846's, I am enraptured by my music, my mood is altered, the world around me fades away and I forget everything but the music itself. It is complete immersion, highly evocative, and music becomes, once more, a truly aesthetic experience rather than merely some sound to accompany my day. How could I possibly describe that qualitative difference in experience in terms of percentage better? Whether than is worth the premium in price, I suppose, is up to the individual. But, I will say that the only 'phones I've regretted buying have been the cheap ones whose shortcomings or faults prevent me from actually engaging with my music.

Anyway, Biachplz, I'm not trying to be critical of you with this. Everyone thinks about these things differently. It's just something I've seen before and have had some time to mull over. I also agree completely that "Everyone has their own limits," and that one should never assume that more expensive is better. Or that that magical feeling some 'phones give some people is related to price, technical prowess, or something else easily identified.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 10:36 PM Post #1,360 of 1,463
I think you are trying to quantify things that cannot be parsed in terms of multiples and percentages. "5 times better" is sort of nonsensical to me; I cannot understand what it is supposed to mean. What I do know is this: When I listen to my B400s, I thoroughly enjoy my music. When I listen to my 846's, I am enraptured by my music, my mood is altered, the world around me fades away and I forget everything but the music itself. It is complete immersion, highly evocative, and music becomes, once more, a truly aesthetic experience rather than merely some sound to accompany my day. How could I possibly describe that qualitative difference in experience in terms of percentage better? Whether than is worth the premium in price, I suppose, is up to the individual. But, I will say that the only 'phones I've regretted buying have been the cheap ones whose shortcomings or faults prevent me from actually engaging with my music.

Anyway, Biachplz, I'm not trying to be critical of you with this. Everyone thinks about these things differently. It's just something I've seen before and have had some time to mull over. I also agree completely that "Everyone has their own limits," and that one should never assume that more expensive is better. Or that that magical feeling some 'phones give some people is related to price, technical prowess, or something else easily identified.

Exactly, i dont quantify it like that, just trying to explain the problem most people have with more expensive equipment. He seems dangerously close to going down the rabbbit hole of disappointment given that he is looking to more expensive stuff because he feels underwhelemed with the performance of the B400. Expectations have to be managed and time has to be given. He may not be able to appreciate the timbre, staging, quality of the music an iem can bring for now, and thus should spend more time before investing in more expensive equipment. The T2 is most certainly an outlier for its price to performance, as is the B400. I enjoy both very much. I need to get myself a proper DAP as well haha, upgrade in source to shanling M0 or similar. I ordered the *banned* 846 just to show my friend that more drivers does not mean it sounds better, 5 drivers per side vs 1 or 2 drivers doesnt make up for the qualitative stuff.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 10:47 PM Post #1,361 of 1,463
Exactly, i dont quantify it like that, just trying to explain the problem most people have with more expensive equipment. He seems dangerously close to going down the rabbbit hole of disappointment given that he is looking to more expensive stuff because he feels underwhelemed with the performance of the B400. Expectations have to be managed and time has to be given. He may not be able to appreciate the timbre, staging, quality of the music an iem can bring for now, and thus should spend more time before investing in more expensive equipment. The T2 is most certainly an outlier for its price to performance, as is the B400. I enjoy both very much. I need to get myself a proper DAP as well haha, upgrade in source to shanling M0 or similar. I ordered the *banned* 846 just to show my friend that more drivers does not mean it sounds better, 5 drivers per side vs 1 or 2 drivers doesnt make up for the qualitative stuff.

Okay, cool. And, I agree that throwing money at this issue is not the best way. Plenty of stuff cheaper than the B400 that could provide more enjoyment if it's the sound signature that is disappointing him. Only way to know if that is the case is to spend some time listening to them. If he decides that he likes the sound sig, but wants more technical ability, that's the time to start looking towards more expensive gear.

I've got the T2 as well and I love it! Got it for $25 and still listen to it all the time. You definitely don't need to spend a lot to get good audio.
 
Nov 8, 2018 at 1:54 PM Post #1,362 of 1,463
Nice debate guys, :). Well, it won't be anytime soon though. It'll probably take me like a year to save up $500-1000 for my next jump in headphones. As far as I've seen, those types of headphones are advertised to be something amazing (like the Campfire Andromedas), so I really want to check 'em out. But this time, I'll definitely try to demo them before I buy, since I think I'll probably be travelling to the USA sometime next year. Might even try a different 100-200$ headphone like the Campfire Comet or iBasso IT01 before I buy more expensive ones actually. It's not about percentages or how much better it sounds. You know, I just wasn't as impressed going to B400s from 50$ headphones as I was going to 50$ headphones from ones near like 10$. Something is missing with the B400s, but it's still alright though, yeah.
 
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Nov 10, 2018 at 10:40 AM Post #1,363 of 1,463
I received my B400 pair yesterday. For the people asking for a comparison with the TF10s, they are completely different sound signatures.

The B400s don't have that mid bass rumble found in the TF10s. Neither they do share the powerful and sparkling treble of the TF10s.

As a result of the less enhanced bass and treble, I perceive the soundstage less larger than the TF10s.

Instead what the B400 offer is the powerful and articulated mid range that TF10s were never known for. Beware that the bass is not as impactful as the TF10s. So if you ever felt that the TF10s lacked any bass, the B400 is not the right IEM for you.

Also in terms of spaciousness and layering the B400 does a better job than the TF10s, because of the small vent holes I suppose, which in the case of the TF10s are non existant.

I think the B400s sounds close to the DUNU DN1000s with improvements in neutrality and frecuency response. Clearer mids albeit less impactful bass (which the DUNU does better due to the dynamic driver) and better spaciousness and soundstage due to the vents present in the BA400.

My impressions come from using FLAC files, coming from my FiiO X3 Mk.II.
 
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Nov 10, 2018 at 1:52 PM Post #1,364 of 1,463
I received B400 today. I have also ordered Shure RMCE-USB cable. I connected B400 with shure usb c cable. I belive it has cirrus logic dac though not sure

Initial impressions are quiet positive. I find mids to be very detailed. Bass is pretty good but not dominating. Likewise Highs is also smooth but not dominating. Mids are detailed leaning towards lush than natural/organic (if u can understand what i mean).

I am facing some problems with shure usb c cable but mostly related to android settings

Overall quiet good
 
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