[manveru]

Quote:

The Brainwavz HM5 is now on sale on MP4Nation ($109.5), does anybody knows if they still supply the case / bag?

 
Pressure from Jaycar? Haha.
 
Hm, I don't see why they wouldn't still include the case. It's basically the packaging.

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

Quote:

 
Pressure from Jaycar? Haha.
 
Hm, I don't see why they wouldn't still include the case. It's basically the packaging.

Probably. Once Head-Fi got wind of the Incipio Fortes being a cheaper rebrand of the HM3s, they also dropped the HM3 price by $20.

 

[kingpage]

I'm very sure that the black bag/case has been included since the beginning.

 

[LosNir]

Actually I'd be happy to get the Jaycar, but they don't ship outside the U.S.

 

[aleki]

Quote:

Actually I'd be happy to get the Jarcar, but they don't ship outside the U.S.

They ship worldwide, although problem is you'd be stuck paying ~$80 USD + shipping (any other country not in this splash page defaults to AUD).

 

[LosNir]

Actually, I tried to add the phones to the cart and although it says "$79" on product page, it is $50 on the cart. I can choose the standard "USA" delivery for $20, but because it says "USA" I didn't think they ship internationally. The cart total including insurance is $72.5... should I order? :rolleyes:

What's the difference between these and the HM5? Accessory and etc.
Thanks.

 

[aleki]

Quote:

Actually, I tried to add the phones to the cart and although it says "$79" on product page, it is $50 on the cart. I can choose the standard "USA" delivery for $20, but because it says "USA" I didn't think they ship internationally. The cart total including insurance is $72.5... should I order?

What's the difference between these and the HM5? Accessory and etc.
Thanks.

From what I can tell, the HM5's come with an additional 3ft(?) cable and a one year warranty(vs jaycar's 3mnth warranty). Also, judging by the build quality, it wouldnt surprize me if the HM5 materials needed to pass higher QC standards than the Jaycars(not saying the build quality is bad at all, but looking at the HM5 pics floating around, it looks like a little extra care was taken when building them).
If anything was to happen to my headphones, I'm not sure Jaycar would willingly provide the same level of service that MP4Nations is known for..
In conclusion, both appear to be solid headphones; however personally, I wouldnt hesitate to pay the extra ~$30 for the HM5's. I just think the piece of mind is worth it (well that, and I have a feeling Jaycar would be contacting you about the shipping destination; potentially requiring more postage)..
Now please excuse me while I turn up the music; these headphones sound silly good 

 

[LosNir]

Thanks aleki. I turned to Jaycar again and that price is now $79 + $25 shipping, like you said, which drives the cost to $104.
So I pulled the trigger for the HM5 on sale, it's $5.5 more, but I get the MP4NATION service, better cables, supposedly better earpads (by pictures / reviews) and a very nice Brainwavz logo on the earcup, instead of an ugly "DIGITECH"

 

[soundquest]

Quote:

From what I can tell, the HM5's come with an additional 3ft(?) cable and a one year warranty(vs jaycar's 3mnth warranty). Also, judging by the build quality, it wouldnt surprize me if the HM5 materials needed to pass higher QC standards than the Jaycars(not saying the build quality is bad at all, but looking at the HM5 pics floating around, it looks like a little extra care was taken when building them).
If anything was to happen to my headphones, I'm not sure Jaycar would willingly provide the same level of service that MP4Nations is known for..
In conclusion, both appear to be solid headphones; however personally, I wouldnt hesitate to pay the extra ~$30 for the HM5's. I just think the piece of mind is worth it (well that, and I have a feeling Jaycar would be contacting you about the shipping destination; potentially requiring more postage)..
Now please excuse me while I turn up the music; these headphones sound silly good 

Hi,
I am buying something this week. Aleki, could you please describe the possible differences in build quality between the HM5 and the Jaycar?
Thank you.

 

[SteveSatch]

Quote:

Hi,
I am buying something this week. Aleki, could you please describe the possible differences in build quality between the HM5 and the Jaycar?
Thank you.

None, but I think the cord might be slightly thinner with the Digitech.

 

[aleki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveSatch /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Quote:

Originally Posted by soundquest /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hi,
I am buying something this week. Aleki, could you please describe the possible differences in build quality between the HM5 and the Jaycar?
Thank you.

None, but I think the cord might be slightly thinner with the Digitech.

Well, I suppose we would need to confirm this with owner impressions amongst the rebrands; but I'm just going off a hunch that part of the reason the Jaycar cans are substantially cheaper than the Brainwavz or FA variants may be due to a lower cost to manufacture(warranty commitment is likely another built-in cost). This could mean that they have less stringent quality standards that the other brands have set in place. Maybe the headset I own didnt quite make the cut, and Jaycar simply buys all the B-rate products. Or maybe I'm just being picky and they all receive the same treatment!
 
Anyway, a few things that stand out on my set:
-Brushed aluminum laminant always seems to raise by the two cresent edges(may need to apply glue to keep them from popping up)
-Right headband doesnt have the same curvature as the left(right is more straight), so when the headphone is fully extended and hanging from a stand, it hangs somewhat lopsided. This however doesnt seem to affect the way it sits on your head.
-With the screws out, the left cup backing stays on securely, where the right backing will fall out from gravity alone.
-Pleather pads have somewhat inconsistent firmness. Also on one of the two pairs, it looks like the foam was crushed and contorted; this could simply have been from packaging, but you can re-align them with a little effort.
 
You can tell I'm grasping at straws here, since none of these defects appear to degrade the sound in any way. Overall, for the price I paid, I have no problem overlooking the branding, and finished quality as long as they sound the same(they were $83 cheaper than the Brainwavz at the time of purchase). To me, $70 is still a great buy for these headphones, just as I would consider the HM5's a great deal at $99-110.

 

[SteveSatch]

Yeah it could just be you got a Digitech that's on the edge on quality control standards.  Or, most Digitech could be on the edge of those standards.  I have the HM5 and the Digitech and they seem the same other than the cord being slightly thinner with the Digitech.

 

[IronSnake]

Or you could just use the money saved from the Digitech and buy the shorter cable from Brainwavz. Now you've got a backup cable for in case if you ever need it.

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

The headphones themselves come from the same OEM, though. The accessories should be the only thing that would potentially have any differences. 

 

[CashNotCredit]

I took the plunge on the Jaycars today. Honestly, I'm looking at getting a V-Moda cable for them. For one, it's angled. For two, I can get it in purple. 

 (kidding)