[Shawn71]

It's definitey hitting in a crowded niche, no question. But from my experience with them, I can say it has at least a fighting chance here. The build quality alone is a hit with the S5's, they took my abuse with ease(I'm known for abusing my review units, it's the only fair way to test them out). Only time will tell, of course, but I like it's chances   

d2k, Nice write-up btw.

Would you pls confirm whether its the same 3.5mm ,45deg connector as in S1? Coz the tech spec mp4nation says it 45 deg angled but the brainwavz site (link below) says just "3.5mm gold plated" and one of the pictures reveals the same, "straight plug".....pls chk the natioite s-flo dap picture.

http://www.yourbrainwavz.com/s5.html

 

[dragon2knight]

d2k, Nice write-up btw.

Would you pls confirm whether its the same 3.5mm ,45deg connector as in S1? Coz the tech spec mp4nation says it 45 deg angled but the brainwavz site (link below) says just "3.5mm gold plated" and one of the pictures reveals the same, "straight plug".....pls chk the natioite s-flo dap picture.

http://www.yourbrainwavz.com/s5.html

Thanks 

 
The S5's have a straight 3.5mm gold plated plug....and I like that. The 45 degree plugs never fit well coming out of a pocket as they were always bending the cord oddly and putting undue pressure on the jacks. I never saw such a plug lasting very long because of that.

 

[B9Scrambler]

Yeah....I like the straight plugs too. Never saw the appeal for the ones angled at 90 degrees...45 isn't bad, but....straight ftw.

 

[Shawn71]

Thanks 

The S5's have a straight 3.5mm gold plated plug....and I like that. The 45 degree plugs never fit well coming out of a pocket as they were always bending the cord oddly and putting undue pressure on the jacks. I never saw such a plug lasting very long because of that.

K,cool.......so the tech spec must be updated wherever necessary,then.

yeah the straight plug is better.

 

[dweaver]

I my reviewer pair Arrived today and as promised here are some initial impressions.

Love the look and feel of this IEM as well as the packaging and presentation. It comes very well thought out and professionally presented. The selection of tips and the included case is very thorough and well done, something that Brainwavz does as good as anyone. I also really like the retail packaging which is usually something I don't pay a lot of attention to.

The build quality seems extremely well done, certainly above average. The cable seems slightly thinner than the last couple of Brainwavz IEM's I have reviewed. It is verging on too sturdy but is well managed by the chin slider which helps remove bounce and the little bit of noise I initially had while taking the dog for a walk.

OK so what is my initial sound impressions? Let me explain it slightly differently than usual. When I receive a new headphone upon initial listen I have 3 general reactions.

1. I hope these improve with burn in...
2. I really like these, I hope they improve with burn in...
3. I love these, I hope they don't change with burn in...

The S5 falls squarely in the 2nd category which is immensely promising especially for a dynamic based IEM which generally does change with use.

These have a very balanced sound out of the box that is not boring neutral but very engaging. The bass is solid but not over cooked, the midrange is detailed and balanced, and the treble is ever so slightly sharp but not quite sibilant. The sound stage is not large but seems accurate in regards to placement and instruments sound articulate and separated.

I am hoping the image separation improves and the treble settles down down just a bit with burn in helping to open up the sound. If the bass blossoms just a smidge as well then these will achieve a sound that I will love.

As it stands at the moment, this is one of the most promising dynamic based IEM's I have tried recently. I am going to use these for the afternoon (yup I enjoy them enough out of the box I want to just use them!) then will start these burning in for the next couple of days starting tonight.

 

[dragon2knight]

Thanks for the initial impressions 

 I felt the same way, didn't really wan't to put them down. Burn in does help these out, hopefully in the way you want it to....it did for me 

 Enjoy!

 

[ZapX629]

I've been a fan of Brainwavz since I got my M4 a few years back. D2K and ClieOS were helpful in recommending them. After mine started to fail I looked into some other brands, but I did buy the S1 on sale this past winter. The big bass isn't my kind of signature, but it's still a nice, rugged IEM. The S5 looks pretty promising, even if I can't afford it right now with my recent purchases. Brainwavz is a brand I always keep an eye on.

 

[dweaver]

I had a quick listen this morning and I am not hearing serious changes in sound but there is not a lot changes needed either. I am going to let these cook until Monday night then start my review.

In response to ZapX629 the S5 has nice full bass but is definitely not a bass heavy IEM. I suspect a full fledged bass head will find these to bass light. I like a bit heavier bass than neutral and these fit that sound very well.

The S5 is a better sounding IEM than the VSD3S I picked up recently as well as Rockjaw Genus (the Genus has 2 and will possibly have 3 filters to alter its signature though so offer more variety for the buck). I also have a pair of Polk Nu Era that is right around the same price that the S5 bests (Nu Era does have apple controls though and is smaller). When I have time I will compare it to my Monster I victory sports IEM as well. But it is definitely in the right price range sonically speaking in my opinion.

 

[dragon2knight]

I had a quick listen this morning and I am not hearing serious changes in sound but there is not a lot changes needed either. I am going to let these cook until Monday night then start my review.

In response to ZapX629 the S5 has nice full bass but is definitely not a bass heavy IEM. I suspect a full fledged bass head will find these to bass light. I like a bit heavier bass than neutral and these fit that sound very well.

The S5 is a better sounding IEM than the VSD3S I picked up recently as well as Rockjaw Genus (the Genus has 2 and will possibly have 3 filters to alter its signature though so offer more variety for the buck). I also have a pair of Polk Nu Era that is right around the same price that the S5 bests (Nu Era does have apple controls though and is smaller). When I have time I will compare it to my Monster I victory sports IEM as well. But it is definitely in the right price range sonically speaking in my opinion.

I agree with you almost 100%. All but the bass part. I found it to be full and rich...but the full signature did not edge that way out of the box. Only after EQing it towards the bass end did I find the bass truly powerful. Not bass head territory, but definitely very rich and detailed. That's what I really like about the S5's, their ability to be shaped so easily to whatever signature you like. It will always have a detailed sound regardless, but it is a very shape-able sound, and that's great to have in a $99.00 IEM. I really want a set of the Rockjaw's, they sound like a great idea as well. Lot's of good choices in this price class, always a good thing for us audiophiles on a budget 

 

 

[Shawn71]

I've been a fan of Brainwavz since I got my M4 a few years back. D2K and ClieOS were helpful in recommending them. After mine started to fail I looked into some other brands, but I did buy the S1 on sale this past winter. The big bass isn't my kind of signature, but it's still a nice, rugged IEM. The S5 looks pretty promising, even if I can't afford it right now with my recent purchases. Brainwavz is a brand I always keep an eye on.

Yes brainwavz is one of bang for the buck IEMs. Especially I do like the excellent build quality of S1,no microphonics,rugged build, SS.........but one thing it let me down was in the high's department.still I feel harsh,uncontrollable and eventually damaging overall sound.I sometimes use the airplane adapter that came with my TF10 to tame it and had to EQ and no use of HP amps. Other than this,it is an wonderful IEM for its price.

If S5 differs from S1, M5's sound,and more into detail, its sure my cup of tea.

And yeah brainwavz are one of my brands under my radar about their developments and releases.And their excellent CS(mp4nation) is also worth mentioning here.

 

[dweaver]

The S5 seems very well behaved in the treble department so far.

 

[Shawn71]

Ok,thats really nice. TY!

 

[dragon2knight]

I agree with Shawn71 on the fact that Brainwavz (mp4nation) is a great store to deal with. The reason I even thought about doing any reviews for them was the fact that I've seen their great customer service first hand and I've been using the Brainwavz series since the very first one that came out several years ago. Great folks to do business with for sure 

 

 

[H20Fidelity]

I haven't read any of the thread yet.

I received a sample of Brainwavs S5 today, I'm glad to see this thread and review already exists because...... 

I like what I'm hearing. Stay tuned for more impressions. 





 

 

[dragon2knight]

^^ Nice to hear more folks are getting them in! Look forward to your impressions