mochill
Headphoneus Supremus
The wire is very long for me but besides that they sound splendid 
New: Brainwavz R3
mochill
Headphoneus Supremus
I just learned to live with it and the isolation is perfect
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2011
- Posts
- 13,315
- Likes
- 24,354
Haven't heard from him for weeks. Not too worried about it. If it was me - I'd replace the whole cable. That's just my preference though. Current one is too large, bulky, microphonic. Kinks like crazy too.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2011
- Posts
- 13,315
- Likes
- 24,354
Don't worry - takes a lot for me to take offence
Remember - my cables are another 2-3 cm longer than yours. Now imagine getting a good fit, then every time you turn your head while looking down, the cable hits your collar or shoulder, and dislodges the IEM. And it happens all the time. Maybe you can see now why I really dislike the cable design - and why for me, I can';t see how they intentionally built it like this. It is a flaw - there is no glossing it over.
Perhaps your tolerance of the R3 is more directly related to the fact that you haven't tried a lot of other gear - and so you are more tolerant of faults?
And as far as value goes - RRP on the R3 is $129. Comparatively the HSA BA100 (single BA) is sub $100 and I'd take it any day of the week over the R3.
Like I said though - I'm glad you're enjoying them. They actually sound pretty good. Pity.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2011
- Posts
- 13,315
- Likes
- 24,354
Don't worry - takes a lot for me to take offence
Remember - my cables are another 2-3 cm longer than yours. Now imagine getting a good fit, then every time you turn your head while looking down, the cable hits your collar or shoulder, and dislodges the IEM. And it happens all the time. Maybe you can see now why I really dislike the cable design - and why for me, I can';t see how they intentionally built it like this. It is a flaw - there is no glossing it over.
Perhaps your tolerance of the R3 is more directly related to the fact that you haven't tried a lot of other gear - and so you are more tolerant of faults?
And as far as value goes - RRP on the R3 is $129. Comparatively the HSA BA100 (single BA) is sub $100 and I'd take it any day of the week over the R3.
Like I said though - I'm glad you're enjoying them. They actually sound pretty good. Pity.
Who said I haven't tried a lot of other gear? FYI, I've had a long path of IEMs to get here, but I won't bore anyone with lists.
Anyway, I don't understand what you mean by saying your cables are longer than mine - how does that work?
Ask Brainwavz
Mine are 16cm. Photos were in my review. Length of memory wire from strain relief at IEM to end of strain relief at end of memory wire is 16cm. Yours appear to be shorter. IMO though - even yours are too long. Doesn't matter though - as long as they suit you, you're good to go.
Sorry about the guess about other gear you've tried. My bad. You have nothing in your profile and you joined yesterday. An assumption I probably shouldn't have made. BTW - lists aren't boring IMO - they're actually quite good so that people wanting to know what you have / had can then relate that to any comments you make, or reviews you post. Otherwise, we're guessing. Up to you - but I wish more people would actually fill in their profile. To me it is helpful.
Anyway - pointless debating. You like them. I liked the sound - unfortunately I like little else about them. They are a review sample for me - so no loss. I hope eventually Raz does talk Brainwavz into releasing an update, and that I get a chance to compare a corrected model.
Until then I am perfectly happy with my DN-1000 (so much so, that they even replaced my SE535).
TekeRugburn
aka. ThePhoenix84, ThePhoenix84md, SUZAKUreturns
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2010
- Posts
- 2,523
- Likes
- 116
Don't worry - takes a lot for me to take offence
Remember - my cables are another 2-3 cm longer than yours. Now imagine getting a good fit, then every time you turn your head while looking down, the cable hits your collar or shoulder, and dislodges the IEM. And it happens all the time. Maybe you can see now why I really dislike the cable design - and why for me, I can';t see how they intentionally built it like this. It is a flaw - there is no glossing it over.
Perhaps your tolerance of the R3 is more directly related to the fact that you haven't tried a lot of other gear - and so you are more tolerant of faults?
And as far as value goes - RRP on the R3 is $129. Comparatively the HSA BA100 (single BA) is sub $100 and I'd take it any day of the week over the R3.
Like I said though - I'm glad you're enjoying them. They actually sound pretty good. Pity.
I think you could have come up with a better example of a sub 100 iem than the BA100. I was excited about it when I first heard about it, got to try it out and was thoroughly unimpressed.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2011
- Posts
- 13,315
- Likes
- 24,354
Sigh - look again. I stated clearly how I measured it.
From the top of the IEM to the bottom of the strain relief (because that whole section is rigid) = 16cm. Tape moved while I was photographing. Move the tape 1cm along = almost exactly 16cm.
(click for larger image)
It doesn't matter anyway. Look at the ear mold on practically any other IEM that has them - 8-9cm is standard. Either way you look at it - these are different by design.
Different preferences TR. Next to the R3, I'd take the BA100 any day. YMMV
Received the R3 to review, thanks to member “shotgunshane” and his great R3 review tour. I’ve had it about 7-8 days now, and have put about 20-25 hours on them.
Before I get to my thoughts on the sound, I will say that my main IEM for serious listening is the Etymotic ER-4P (with some EQ on the bottom end), and the Philips SHE-3580 for fun and sleep listening. My original plan was to compare the R3 with the ER-4P, but comparing a Dual Dynamic driver phone with a Single BA phone began to seem unproductive. But telling you that lets you know my preferred sound – clean, crisp, detailed, energetic. (Interestingly the SHE-3580 does well in many of those areas, just with a bigger bottom end than the ER-4P).
Regarding fit of the R3, I haven’t had a big problem with it, even with the admittedly long and fairly stiff memory wire coating. I have stayed away from over-the-ear (OTE) IEMs because of the on/off hassle, but these haven’t put me off being OTE-only. Messing with the ample supply of ear tips, I quickly found the size that fits me well, and once I get them inserted, wrapped over the ear, etc., I get a very secure fit and an even listening experience, and not nearly as placement sensitive as many BA driver phones.
OK, so for the sound of the R3, I find them very warm, which to me starts with having a sufficient and not-quite-boomy, but definitely thick bottom end. The bass emphasis to me is not in the sub-bass (below 150hz) region, but more in the mid-bass (200-500hz) region, thus the feeling of bass thickness, but not necessarily the visceral bone-felt sub-bass of some other phones. This surprised me for a dual dynamic phone – I was expecting some serious sub-bass and serious bass impact, but didn’t really find it dominated by either.
[Note: all my music source is 320 kbps mp3 files (OK, some is 256) – my ears/mind just don’t hear any perceptible difference between that and uncompressed WAV files.]
To me, the strong point for the R3 is the clear mids. Acoustic instruments like banjo, guitar, piano, orchestra, etc, sound very organic and true-to-life. In some full orchestral pieces, I felt there was a bit too much mid-bass emphasis and thickness for my tastes. But voices and instruments in the mid-regions were all clear and clean.
The highs …. I haven’t quite made up my mind about the R3 highs yet. There are some songs where the treble sounded just right, especially with very organic highs like close-mic’d [real] cymbals, tambourine, and the wispery breath of vocals – sufficient, but not quite enough overall energy for my tastes – too “polite.”
However, on music that is more electronic-based (Glitch Mob, GRiZ, EDM, etc), or if I push the EQ up some in the highs to create some energy up there), the highs tend to lose smoothness, start sounding brittle and somewhat forced. I still remember the incredible smoothness of the original HifiMan RE0, but unfortunately on too many songs the R3 sound too grainy in the highs.
Lastly, the one thing that everyone enjoys about the R3 is wide soundstage and channel separation. On busy pieces with many instruments, it is nice to hear some space, but I found on small ensemble pieces (Civil Wars, etc), the extra width and space took away from the intimacy, placing the vocals a bit too far back for my tastes. But big sounding reverb-y stuff (Dream Theatre, My Morning Jacket, Moody Blues, etc) was nice and spacey. Muse’s “The 2nd Law” was a super-aural experience, and seemed it was mixed for phones just like the R3. There was an immediacy to the guitars and bass mix that was really amazing.
So my overall impression of the R3 is Smooth and Warm Thickness. Enjoyable for a while for me, but not quite my cup of tea, sonically. Hope my thoughts are helpful to someone considering them.
Again, thanks to Shotgunshane for making these available to several of us on Head-fi.
Before I get to my thoughts on the sound, I will say that my main IEM for serious listening is the Etymotic ER-4P (with some EQ on the bottom end), and the Philips SHE-3580 for fun and sleep listening. My original plan was to compare the R3 with the ER-4P, but comparing a Dual Dynamic driver phone with a Single BA phone began to seem unproductive. But telling you that lets you know my preferred sound – clean, crisp, detailed, energetic. (Interestingly the SHE-3580 does well in many of those areas, just with a bigger bottom end than the ER-4P).
Regarding fit of the R3, I haven’t had a big problem with it, even with the admittedly long and fairly stiff memory wire coating. I have stayed away from over-the-ear (OTE) IEMs because of the on/off hassle, but these haven’t put me off being OTE-only. Messing with the ample supply of ear tips, I quickly found the size that fits me well, and once I get them inserted, wrapped over the ear, etc., I get a very secure fit and an even listening experience, and not nearly as placement sensitive as many BA driver phones.
OK, so for the sound of the R3, I find them very warm, which to me starts with having a sufficient and not-quite-boomy, but definitely thick bottom end. The bass emphasis to me is not in the sub-bass (below 150hz) region, but more in the mid-bass (200-500hz) region, thus the feeling of bass thickness, but not necessarily the visceral bone-felt sub-bass of some other phones. This surprised me for a dual dynamic phone – I was expecting some serious sub-bass and serious bass impact, but didn’t really find it dominated by either.
[Note: all my music source is 320 kbps mp3 files (OK, some is 256) – my ears/mind just don’t hear any perceptible difference between that and uncompressed WAV files.]
To me, the strong point for the R3 is the clear mids. Acoustic instruments like banjo, guitar, piano, orchestra, etc, sound very organic and true-to-life. In some full orchestral pieces, I felt there was a bit too much mid-bass emphasis and thickness for my tastes. But voices and instruments in the mid-regions were all clear and clean.
The highs …. I haven’t quite made up my mind about the R3 highs yet. There are some songs where the treble sounded just right, especially with very organic highs like close-mic’d [real] cymbals, tambourine, and the wispery breath of vocals – sufficient, but not quite enough overall energy for my tastes – too “polite.”
However, on music that is more electronic-based (Glitch Mob, GRiZ, EDM, etc), or if I push the EQ up some in the highs to create some energy up there), the highs tend to lose smoothness, start sounding brittle and somewhat forced. I still remember the incredible smoothness of the original HifiMan RE0, but unfortunately on too many songs the R3 sound too grainy in the highs.
Lastly, the one thing that everyone enjoys about the R3 is wide soundstage and channel separation. On busy pieces with many instruments, it is nice to hear some space, but I found on small ensemble pieces (Civil Wars, etc), the extra width and space took away from the intimacy, placing the vocals a bit too far back for my tastes. But big sounding reverb-y stuff (Dream Theatre, My Morning Jacket, Moody Blues, etc) was nice and spacey. Muse’s “The 2nd Law” was a super-aural experience, and seemed it was mixed for phones just like the R3. There was an immediacy to the guitars and bass mix that was really amazing.
So my overall impression of the R3 is Smooth and Warm Thickness. Enjoyable for a while for me, but not quite my cup of tea, sonically. Hope my thoughts are helpful to someone considering them.
Again, thanks to Shotgunshane for making these available to several of us on Head-fi.
Received the R3 to review, thanks to member “shotgunshane” and his great R3 review tour. I’ve had it about 7-8 days now, and have put about 20-25 hours on them.
Before I get to my thoughts on the sound, I will say that my main IEM for serious listening is the Etymotic ER-4P (with some EQ on the bottom end), and the Philips SHE-3580 for fun and sleep listening. My original plan was to compare the R3 with the ER-4P, but comparing a Dual Dynamic driver phone with a Single BA phone began to seem unproductive. But telling you that lets you know my preferred sound – clean, crisp, detailed, energetic. (Interestingly the SHE-3580 does well in many of those areas, just with a bigger bottom end than the ER-4P).
Regarding fit of the R3, I haven’t had a big problem with it, even with the admittedly long and fairly stiff memory wire coating. I have stayed away from over-the-ear (OTE) IEMs because of the on/off hassle, but these haven’t put me off being OTE-only. Messing with the ample supply of ear tips, I quickly found the size that fits me well, and once I get them inserted, wrapped over the ear, etc., I get a very secure fit and an even listening experience, and not nearly as placement sensitive as many BA driver phones.
OK, so for the sound of the R3, I find them very warm, which to me starts with having a sufficient and not-quite-boomy, but definitely thick bottom end. The bass emphasis to me is not in the sub-bass (below 150hz) region, but more in the mid-bass (200-500hz) region, thus the feeling of bass thickness, but not necessarily the visceral bone-felt sub-bass of some other phones. This surprised me for a dual dynamic phone – I was expecting some serious sub-bass and serious bass impact, but didn’t really find it dominated by either.
[Note: all my music source is 320 kbps mp3 files (OK, some is 256) – my ears/mind just don’t hear any perceptible difference between that and uncompressed WAV files.]
To me, the strong point for the R3 is the clear mids. Acoustic instruments like banjo, guitar, piano, orchestra, etc, sound very organic and true-to-life. In some full orchestral pieces, I felt there was a bit too much mid-bass emphasis and thickness for my tastes. But voices and instruments in the mid-regions were all clear and clean.
The highs …. I haven’t quite made up my mind about the R3 highs yet. There are some songs where the treble sounded just right, especially with very organic highs like close-mic’d [real] cymbals, tambourine, and the wispery breath of vocals – sufficient, but not quite enough overall energy for my tastes – too “polite.”
However, on music that is more electronic-based (Glitch Mob, GRiZ, EDM, etc), or if I push the EQ up some in the highs to create some energy up there), the highs tend to lose smoothness, start sounding brittle and somewhat forced. I still remember the incredible smoothness of the original HifiMan RE0, but unfortunately on too many songs the R3 sound too grainy in the highs.
Lastly, the one thing that everyone enjoys about the R3 is wide soundstage and channel separation. On busy pieces with many instruments, it is nice to hear some space, but I found on small ensemble pieces (Civil Wars, etc), the extra width and space took away from the intimacy, placing the vocals a bit too far back for my tastes. But big sounding reverb-y stuff (Dream Theatre, My Morning Jacket, Moody Blues, etc) was nice and spacey. Muse’s “The 2nd Law” was a super-aural experience, and seemed it was mixed for phones just like the R3. There was an immediacy to the guitars and bass mix that was really amazing.
So my overall impression of the R3 is Smooth and Warm Thickness. Enjoyable for a while for me, but not quite my cup of tea, sonically. Hope my thoughts are helpful to someone considering them.
Again, thanks to Shotgunshane for making these available to several of us on Head-fi.
Before I get to my thoughts on the sound, I will say that my main IEM for serious listening is the Etymotic ER-4P (with some EQ on the bottom end), and the Philips SHE-3580 for fun and sleep listening. My original plan was to compare the R3 with the ER-4P, but comparing a Dual Dynamic driver phone with a Single BA phone began to seem unproductive. But telling you that lets you know my preferred sound – clean, crisp, detailed, energetic. (Interestingly the SHE-3580 does well in many of those areas, just with a bigger bottom end than the ER-4P).
Regarding fit of the R3, I haven’t had a big problem with it, even with the admittedly long and fairly stiff memory wire coating. I have stayed away from over-the-ear (OTE) IEMs because of the on/off hassle, but these haven’t put me off being OTE-only. Messing with the ample supply of ear tips, I quickly found the size that fits me well, and once I get them inserted, wrapped over the ear, etc., I get a very secure fit and an even listening experience, and not nearly as placement sensitive as many BA driver phones.
OK, so for the sound of the R3, I find them very warm, which to me starts with having a sufficient and not-quite-boomy, but definitely thick bottom end. The bass emphasis to me is not in the sub-bass (below 150hz) region, but more in the mid-bass (200-500hz) region, thus the feeling of bass thickness, but not necessarily the visceral bone-felt sub-bass of some other phones. This surprised me for a dual dynamic phone – I was expecting some serious sub-bass and serious bass impact, but didn’t really find it dominated by either.
[Note: all my music source is 320 kbps mp3 files (OK, some is 256) – my ears/mind just don’t hear any perceptible difference between that and uncompressed WAV files.]
To me, the strong point for the R3 is the clear mids. Acoustic instruments like banjo, guitar, piano, orchestra, etc, sound very organic and true-to-life. In some full orchestral pieces, I felt there was a bit too much mid-bass emphasis and thickness for my tastes. But voices and instruments in the mid-regions were all clear and clean.
The highs …. I haven’t quite made up my mind about the R3 highs yet. There are some songs where the treble sounded just right, especially with very organic highs like close-mic’d [real] cymbals, tambourine, and the wispery breath of vocals – sufficient, but not quite enough overall energy for my tastes – too “polite.”
However, on music that is more electronic-based (Glitch Mob, GRiZ, EDM, etc), or if I push the EQ up some in the highs to create some energy up there), the highs tend to lose smoothness, start sounding brittle and somewhat forced. I still remember the incredible smoothness of the original HifiMan RE0, but unfortunately on too many songs the R3 sound too grainy in the highs.
Lastly, the one thing that everyone enjoys about the R3 is wide soundstage and channel separation. On busy pieces with many instruments, it is nice to hear some space, but I found on small ensemble pieces (Civil Wars, etc), the extra width and space took away from the intimacy, placing the vocals a bit too far back for my tastes. But big sounding reverb-y stuff (Dream Theatre, My Morning Jacket, Moody Blues, etc) was nice and spacey. Muse’s “The 2nd Law” was a super-aural experience, and seemed it was mixed for phones just like the R3. There was an immediacy to the guitars and bass mix that was really amazing.
So my overall impression of the R3 is Smooth and Warm Thickness. Enjoyable for a while for me, but not quite my cup of tea, sonically. Hope my thoughts are helpful to someone considering them.
Again, thanks to Shotgunshane for making these available to several of us on Head-fi.
Jung Woo Cho
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2012
- Posts
- 169
- Likes
- 11
Just got these. Do they need burn in? If so how long? And is the change drastic?
quartertone
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2013
- Posts
- 1,055
- Likes
- 70
Alright, here are my new and improved R3s, courtesy of my tech neighbour/pal
:
And in position:
No more annoyance whatsoever, he did a good job. He also commented on how well-made the cable was.
:
And in position:
No more annoyance whatsoever, he did a good job. He also commented on how well-made the cable was.
Shameless advertising, sorry guys. Anyone interested?
http://www.head-fi.org/t/706901/brainwavz-r3-bnib-price-drop
http://www.head-fi.org/t/706901/brainwavz-r3-bnib-price-drop
im thinking of doing a review . it will be small .
Lurker0
Headphoneus Supremus
I've got mine (V2, w/o memory cable) along with iBasso DX90, and I was quite impressed how R3 might performance, if they fit, but I failed to manage them to fit! Then I ordered custom inserts for them, and, for past 3 months already, I'm quite happy with the result! With custom inserts they sound much better than with any standard inserts I tried.
Users who are viewing this thread
