[nmatheis]

Sounds good so far dragon2knight. If burn in tightens up the bass further and relaxes the upper end, allowing the mids to come forward a bit, it sounds like the most balanced S-series model yet. Nice!

 

[dragon2knight]

Sounds good so far @dragon2knight. If burn in tightens up the bass further and relaxes the upper end, allowing the mids to come forward a bit, it sounds like the most balanced S-series model yet. Nice!

That's my hope as well, on the burn in cycle now, letting it go 48 hours this time as my S1's needed at least that much to settle down.

 

[shockdoc]

Can't wait to compare to Jive and S5!

 

[jant71]

Got mine in today as well...

 

 

 

 
My first impression was about the same and I changed to the hybrid looking tips. This made them straighten up for me right away as far as taming the bass and treble some. Either way they seem to be like a more balanced /tamer S5. Using a bigger housing like the S5, but not as big, to give a bigger acoustic space and be bigger sounding than the S0 and S1. Quite nice so far!

 

[dragon2knight]

  Got mine in today as well...

 

 

 

 
My first impression was about the same and I changed to the hybrid looking tips. This made them straighten up for me right away as far as taming the bass and treble some. Either way they seem to be like a more balanced /tamer S5. Using a bigger housing like the S5, but not as big, to give a bigger acoustic space and be bigger sounding than the S0 and S1. Quite nice so far!

So, what do you think? Chrome or Anodized 

 
Just kidding, good assessment of the sound quality, the tips do, as usual, make a big difference. I switched to the Comply's just before burn in and it did tame it quite a bit...to be honest I liked it with the stock tips a bit more. They are true hybrids(silicone with a harder plastic insert), so that's a plus. Not to mention how many are included! I love Brainwavz' inclusion of so many tips, it's a great thing to do 

 

[jasonb]

Got mine in as well. After a quick 30 seconds with the stock tips they are bassier than I typically like. I'll play with tips for a bit and then let them break in for a couple days.

It seems to me that every earphone or headphone Brainwavz makes is overly bassy except the jive and hm5. Why make so many IEM'S that sound practically the same? You guys should really make something with a sound more similar to the Jive, but just better. Make an RE-400 killer.

Anyways, back to the S3. Idk if it happened when I was playing with tips or what, but on mine, the left side fabric filter is messed up. It came off and is down inside the barrel attached to one side of the inside of it. Idk if it's my imagination or what but it seems like the sound is pulling to that side.

So that's an issue..

 

[shockdoc]

A brief listen after about 8 hours of burn in...oh yeah, these are gonna be yummy! Not sure why some think they're bass heavy (or that the S5's were too bassy). REAL music has bass! Lots of it. Go to some concerts and live performances. The bass is palpable...and not just with bass heavy genres like dubstep, etc.. Embrace your inner bassophile. 

 

[dragon2knight]

  A brief listen after about 8 hours of burn in...oh yeah, these are gonna be yummy! Not sure why some think they're bass heavy (or that the S5's were too bassy). REAL music has bass! Lots of it. Go to some concerts and live performances. The bass is palpable...and not just with bass heavy genres like dubstep, etc.. Embrace your inner bassophile. 

Funny, I don't at all think it's too bassy, just the right amount for a dynamic actually. And I have a sneaking suspicion that that bass sig is gonna calm down a bit and sound even better after full burn in. As long as it isn't killing the rest of the signature, and it isn't, not at all, I'm good. I think many more will concur here after they get them in and give the S3's a chance to mature. 
 
And @jasonb, if all of the Brainwavz lineup sounded the same, what would be the point? If all IEM's sounded exactly neutral, that would make a ton of real audiophiles go off the deep end. There's a reason it's done like this, when you do as many reviews as some of the best on here, you'll either get it or you'll remain clueless, sorry I can't help you there.... As for the screen....well, if you're careful when you switch your tips out, that won't happen....hasn't happened to me yet on over 200 sets of IEM's....

 

[jasonb]

  Funny, I don't at all think it's too bassy, just the right amount for a dynamic actually. And I have a sneaking suspicion that that bass sig is gonna calm down a bit and sound even better after full burn in. As long as it isn't killing the rest of the signature, and it isn't, not at all, I'm good. I think many more will concur here after they get them in and give the S3's a chance to mature. 
 
And @jasonb, if all of the Brainwavz lineup sounded the same, what would be the point? If all IEM's sounded exactly neutral, that would make a ton of real audiophiles go off the deep end. There's a reason it's done like this, when you do as many reviews as some of the best on here, you'll either get it or you'll remain clueless, sorry I can't help you there.... As for the screen....well, if you're careful when you switch your tips out, that won't happen....hasn't happened to me yet on over 200 sets of IEM's....

Not trying to start a fight, but what I'm saying is that I find them to all sound too similar. And I've never had a filter come off like this, and again, I'm not sure if I did it or if it arrived to me like that. 
 
I've found the S5, S0, and now the S3 to all be too bassy. The S0 seems less peaky in the treble which is an improvement, but the bass is still to much to be called accurate, and to me it is definitely bleeding into the mids making them sound too warm and congested. To me the Brainwavz lineup seems to be a bit big and all too similar. The rate they are putting out new iem's is a bit crazy to me. 
 
I'll review them like I always do without being objective, but if you compare them to something neutral like the GR01, or RE-Zero they are bass heavy and warmer for sure. When my favorite headphone is the AKG Q701, pretty much everything is going to be too bass heavy for my personal liking. 

 

[dragon2knight]

  Not trying to start a fight, but what I'm saying is that I find them to all sound too similar. And I've never had a filter come off like this, and again, I'm not sure if I did it or if it arrived to me like that. 
 
I've found the S5, S0, and now the S3 to all be too bassy. The S0 seems less peaky in the treble which is an improvement, but the bass is still to much to be called accurate, and to me it is definitely bleeding into the mids making them sound too warm and congested. To me the Brainwavz lineup seems to be a bit big and all too similar. The rate they are putting out new iem's is a bit crazy to me. 
 
I'll review them like I always do without being objective, but if you compare them to something neutral like the GR01, or RE-Zero they are bass heavy and warmer for sure. When my favorite headphone is the AKG Q701, pretty much everything is going to be too bass heavy for my personal liking. 

Well, to be honest, almost all dynamics at this price point are tuned pretty much alike, it's the way a dynamic is supposed to sound actually. Good soundstage, punchy bass, decent mids, strong highs---it's a formula that works great. What Brainwavz does is to make different price levels, with more or less add ons and differing quality depending on the price, and that fleshes out their lineup. They've been doing this since the get go...I know, I've been there from day one 

 Do they spoil you for options? Yep. They do it better than most actually. I, for one, would rather have a wide choice for my dollar than a smaller one, it's all a matter of preference. I'm sorry actually that I sounded like I was blasting you, but you did call the screen a potential issue, and that was wrong. Just sayin' 

 

[nmatheis]

I actually just had the filter screen in my S5 come off while changing tips. It'd be awesome if Brainwavz included a few extra filters just in case. I know HiFiMan used to include extra filters. Not sure anymore, though.

 

[jasonb]

  Well, to be honest, almost all dynamics at this price point are tuned pretty much alike, it's the way a dynamic is supposed to sound actually. Good soundstage, punchy bass, decent mids, strong highs---it's a formula that works great. What Brainwavz does is to make different price levels, with more or less add ons and differing quality depending on the price, and that fleshes out their lineup. They've been doing this since the get go...I know, I've been there from day one 

 Do they spoil you for options? Yep. They do it better than most actually. I, for one, would rather have a wide choice for my dollar than a smaller one, it's all a matter of preference. I'm sorry actually that I sounded like I was blasting you, but you did call the screen a potential issue, and that was wrong. Just sayin' 

 
Not all dynamic IEM'S sound the same though. There are bright ones, bass heavy ones, v shaped ones, neutral ones. As a customer, with brainwavz having soooo many options, I'm just not sure how a customer would even start to decide which one to go with. Offering more than half a dozen IEM'S that are all so close in price just seems like it would be overwhelming. 
 
Edit: I just counted 17 different IEM'S listed on their website. That's gotta be overwhelming for the average customer. 
 
I didn't mean that my filter issue is a widespread issue or a design flaw or anything, just an issue with my pair. And again, I'm saying it could have been my fault. I really dont know. I have swaped plenty of tips on plenty of IEM'S and my finger nails are short and cleanly cut, so I don't see how I did it, but I could have, I don't know.  

 

[dragon2knight]

I actually just had the filter screen in my S5 come off while changing tips. It'd be awesome if Brainwavz included a few extra filters just in case. I know HiFiMan used to include extra filters. Not sure anymore, though.

Well then, could be an issue after all, my bad, just haven't seen it on mine, and I used every single tip in the box,lol. Here's to hoping they can be put back on easily...Krazy Glue is your friend here 

 

[nmatheis]

I wouldn't say the S-series all sound the same. You've got S0 with a downward slant from bass to treble, v-shaped S1, and u-shaped S5. They all share house sound characteristics but are different enough to warrant product differentiation IMHO.

 

[jasonb]

I wouldn't say the S-series all sound the same. You've got S0 with a downward slant from bass to treble, v-shaped S1, and u-shaped S5. They all share house sound characteristics but are different enough to warrant product differentiation IMHO.

 
Then they have the M series, and the alpha, beta, delta, Jive. I'd rather see a company have maybe 3 - 6 IEM'S total. Are all 18, now including the S3,  different enough to tell all of them apart? 
 
I'd rather see a company have less options and make it more clear for the customer. Have a bass heavy option,  a v shaped option, a neutral option, maybe an option that is focused on smooth liquid mids with good bass and a calm treble, but having more than a dozen options is a bit much.