Brainwavz B400: Why not metal?

[TympanicLiam]

Ive been a fan of Brainwavz since I bought a pair of B100s about a year ago, and have since bought a pair for my boyfriend as well. Thinking of upgrading soon and taking notice of the new B400s, but i'm wondering about a couple of things. Like, why are they 3d printed as opposed to the die cast metal used in the preliminary designs? Also, has anyone done any comparisons between these and other mid to hifi multi BA iems perhaps, say triple fi? or ue900s? westone w40? Any thoughts how these would perform with a wide variety of music ranging from classical to rap? Thanks so much for any input anyone may have!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

...but i'm wondering about a couple of things. Like, why are they 3d printed as opposed to the die cast metal used in the preliminary designs?

Most likely manufacturing costs. Metal is an expensive material, while 3D printing is more precise so you also get less rejects that reduce efficiency of the line.

 

[razzer001]

Ive been a fan of Brainwavz since I bought a pair of B100s about a year ago, and have since bought a pair for my boyfriend as well. Thinking of upgrading soon and taking notice of the new B400s, but i'm wondering about a couple of things. Like, why are they 3d printed as opposed to the die cast metal used in the preliminary designs? Also, has anyone done any comparisons between these and other mid to hifi multi BA iems perhaps, say triple fi? or ue900s? westone w40? Any thoughts how these would perform with a wide variety of music ranging from classical to rap? Thanks so much for any input anyone may have!

We did want to go with metal but it was not feasible with the ergonomic design we had, not without making changes that would reduce the comfort but still having to pay for very very expensive CNC parts or metal injection molds. In the end the housing material was far less important to us compared to the ergonomic design. 3D printing became the more ideal way to make our housing and it worked out very well.

 

[TympanicLiam]

We did want to go with metal but it was not feasible with the ergonomic design we had, not without making changes that would reduce the comfort but still having to pay for very very expensive CNC parts or metal injection molds. In the end the housing material was far less important to us compared to the ergonomic design. 3D printing became the more ideal way to make our housing and it worked out very well.

Alright, fair enough! As a consumer i'm all for prioritizing ergonomics and sound quality while still getting a product out for a reasonable price (as Brainwavz has done yet again). I had just been wondering because I hadn't seen any acknowledgement of the change in other threads.