Brainwavz B400 Review
Brainwavz B400 Review
Smooth Sound for a Good Value
Introduction:
The company Brainwavz is a well-known Asian Hi-Fi Audio Company, which offers affordable audio products such as Headphones, In-Ear Monitors, Accessories, etc. The Brainwavz B400 that I will now review for you is the flagship model of the B Series Universal In-Ear Monitors with Balanced Armature Drivers.
Disclaimer:
The Brainwavz B400 was provided to me by the Brainwavz as a review sample. I am not affiliated with Brainwavz beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.
Price & Warranty:
The actual price of the Brainwavz B400 is 159.60 USD (price drop from 199.50 USD) and has a 24 Month Warranty.
Purchase Link: Brainwavz B400
Package and Accessories:
The Brainwavz B400 comes in rectangular box which is wrapped with a white card board which sports the product branding and some model descriptions. The box itself is in grey and has a soft coated surface that has a nice appearance.
Inside the Box are the following items:
- 1 x pair Brainwavz B400 In-Er Monitor
- 1 x MMCX 3.5mm cable with In-Line Microphone and Remote.
- 1 x MMCX 3.5mm Cable
- 1 x Earphone Hard case
- 6 x Sets of Silicone Ear Tips (S, M, L)
- 1 x Set of Comply™ Foam Tips T-100
- 1 x Shirt Clip
- 1 x Velcro Cable Tie
- 1 x Instruction Manual & Warranty Card (24 month warranty)
Design, Fit and Build Quality:
The Brainwavz B400 uses a 4 Driver system, with each driver focused on its own specific range of the sound spectrum.
The main shells of the Brainwavz B400 are printed using state-of-the-art liquid Resin 3D printers, enabling a shape not possible by normal manufacturing methods for an ergonomic as possible design.
The B400 is available in 6 different colors which are Stay Frosty (semi transparent), ruby (Red), aqua (Turquoise), black, cosmic black and Green Rage (green)
My review unit came in the very popular Stay Frosty color and looks like a tasty menthol candy. The overall build quality looks pretty good and the 24 Month of Warranty is a nice addition.
The sound nozzle on the monitor shell is a bit short and has a small lip, which is compatible with the most silicone and foam tips I have tested in my own tips collection.
On the front of each monitor shell is the Brainwavz branding.
On the sides of each monitor are Left and Right marking.
The inner surface sports a small vent.
On the top of the monitor is the MMCX (Micro Miniature Coaxial) female connector. The fit between the cable and the connector on the monitor is pretty tight.
The B400 is very lightweight and comfortable to wear, which makes it to an ideal IEM for long listening periods. The isolation is above average and sufficient for environments such as metro, bus or train.
Cables:
The Brainwavz B400 comes with two cables that have MMCX (Micro Miniature Coaxial) male connectors, while one of these cables has a microphone that has a metal housing and 3 buttons.
Both cables have a black TPU coating with a soft surface.
The MMCX connectors on both cables have L & R makings and are coming with flexible tube ear guides.
The cable with microphone sports a metal Y splitter that has the Brainwavz branding and chin slider made of the same material.
The Y splitter and chin slider of the cable without microphone are made of plastic.
The cable with microphone has a strait profiled headphone jack with metal housing and 3.5mm gold plated pug.
The cable without microphone has a slightly angled headphone jack with plastic housing and gold plated 3.5mm plug.
Specifications:
- Drivers : Quad Balanced Armature
- Impedance : 30Ω
- Freq. Range : 10 Hz – 40 kHz
- Sensitivity : 115dB
- Cable : Detachable
- Connector : MMCX
- Plug : 3.5 mm, Gold plated
Drivability:
The Brainwavz B400 has an impedance of 30 ohm. The impedance is not very high and you can drive it via Smartphone’s, Tablets, etc. but you will feel that this IEM’s need some extra power. Therefore I would advice to use at least a Digital Audio Player or a small portable amplifier to get the best out of those IEM.
Equipment’s used for this review:
- IEM : Brainwavz B400, Campfire Audio Comet, Periodic Audio Ti
- DAP/DAC : Cayin N5II, Chord Mojo, xDuuo XD10 Poke,
Albums & tracks used for this review:
- Jehan Barbur – Yollar (Spotify)
- Minor Empire – Bulbulum Altin Kafeste (Spotify)
- London Grammar – Interlud (Live) (Flac 24bit/44kHz)
- Laura Pergolizzi – Lost On You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
- Opeth – Damnation (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
- Metallica – Sad bu True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Steve Srauss – Mr. Bones (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
- Dire Straits – Money for Nothing (DSD 64)
- Gothart – Jovano, Jovanke (Spotify)
- Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – The River (DSF)
- GoGo Penguin – Fanfares (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Future Heroes – Another World (Tidal Hi-fi)
- Lorde – Team (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Tom Player – Resonace Theory “Album” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Deeperise feat. Jabbar – Move On (Spotify)
- Casey Abrams – Robot Lover (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Tidal Hi-Fi)
The Sound:
Before I am starting with the sound analysis I would like to point that I have burn-in the Brainwavz B400 for about 100 hours before I have written this review.
Tonality:
The Brainwavz B400 has a warm and pretty soft tonality that is ideal for those who like a fatigue free and relaxing presentation.
Bass:
The bass of the Brainwavz B400 shows some pretty good rumble and punch, which is giving a nice body to the sound. The B400 is showing a pretty good subbass performance with good depth and moderate extension. It is also quite successful in terms of speed and control in this frequency region.
The bass of the B400 is able to produce a nice amount punch and is showing a pretty good depth and above average extension.
The mid-bass of the Brainwavz B400 sounds full bodied, slightly thick and relative soft, which makes it pretty successful with instruments such like the contrabass or with bass guitars that need some extra fullness in this area. It gives the overall presentation a nice sense of body without to bleed in to the midrange, even in some bass heavy tracks such lich EDM or Trance music.
Midrange:
The Brainwavz B400 features a warmish, smooth presentation midrange tonality. The midrange has an average transparency and is showing a sweet, lush and silky texture.
Both male and female vocals are fairly transparent, while instruments are slightly behind the vocals. Male vocals are natural and showing good depth that comes form the lower midrange, while the B400 presents female vocal in a pretty emotional, smooth and sibilance free way.
Instrument such as pianos, violins or guitars are sounding smooth and pleasant with moderate extension, while the overall tonality is slightly warmer than neutral. The Brainwavz B400 has and above average performance in terms of clarity, extension and separation of instruments.
The upper midrange of the Brainwavz B400 is quite controlled, has good presence and is fatigue free. I couldn’t notice any remarkable sibilance and harshness, while I have had listen to instruments such like pianos or flutes and soprano female vocals. If you are looking for an IEM with good control and smooth presentation, the B400 will be a nice option in this price range.
Treble:
The treble range of the Brainwavz B400 sounds smooth, slightly bright, fatigue free and has a pretty good extension for this price range. Since the treble is not boosted, most tracks that I have listened with the B400 didn’t sound harsh or ear-piercing.
The overall presentation is fairly transparent and not too distant, while the resolution of this area is above average. The treble tonality of instruments such as violins or cymbals is slightly warm and thick.
The lower treble region of the Brainwavz B400 is more pronounced than the upper treble range, which explains the higher detail rendering of this area. The roll-off in the in the upper treble region is the main reason why the B400 is missing a bit of sparkle and air for my taste.
Soundstage:
The soundstage performance of the Brainwavz B400 is generally above average. The stage shows more width than depth and there is sufficient space between the instruments. The separation of and positioning of instruments and the vocals/back vocals is fairly precise.
Comparisons:
Brainwavz B400 versus Campfire Audio Comet:
The Brainwavz B400 is a multi BA (Balanced Armature) driver IEM with 4 drivers, which I will compare with the Campfire Audio Comet with 1 full-range BA diver.
The Brainwavz B400 sounds fuller and warmer than the Comet. The B400 has more slightly more sub-bass rumble that goes to a slightly lower register than those of the Comet. The B400 has also the upper hand for extension and control in the bass department, while the speed is nearly identical. The mid-bass of the B400 is more prominent and gives additional punch when it called for.
The midrange of the Brainwavz B400 is warmer and darker than the Comet, which sounds airier and more spacious in this area. I am enjoying both IEM’s while listening to vocals, but I must say that I like the B400 more with male voices, while the Comet is the better choice for female vocal with is slightly brighter top end.
The B400 has the upper hand for the separation of instruments and detail retrieval in the midrange region.
When it comes to the treble performance. The Comet sounds brighter, extends better and has additional micro detail in this frequency region, which was a surprise for me due the single BA driver.
The Comet sounds also more alive compared to the B400, due the brighter top end, which shares also a nice rendering of air. The Brainwavz B400’s treble area sound a bit rolled off but has slightly better control, while playing instruments like Piano, Violin, etc., which are sounding also pretty controlled on the Comet too.
The soundstage performance of both IEM’s is pretty good compared to the price. The Campfire Audio Comet has a wider stage, while the Brainwavz B400 performs better for soundstage depth. The Brainwavz B400 is a bit more accurate regarding to the placement of instrument.
Brainwavz B400 versus Periodic Audio Ti
The Brainwavz B400 shows slightly less warmth and a brighter presentation compared to those of the Periodic Audio Ti. The Periodic Audio Ti is a quite warmer and darker/veiled sounding In-Ear Monitor than the Brainwavz B400.
The Periodic Audio Ti is superior to the Brainwavz B400 in terms of subbass depth, emphasis and punch, while the midbass quantity of both IEM’s is nearly identical. The main difference is that the midbass of the Ti shows greater hits than those of the B400.
The Brainwavz B400 has the upper hand in terms of bass control, tightness and speed.
When it comes to the midrange presentation, Brainwavz B400 has a more forward presentation compared to Periodic Audio, which sounds more recessed in this area. The Periodic Audio Ti is more suitable for male vocals than the Brainwavz B400 that performs better with female vocals due to the more pronounced upper midrange presentation.
The Brainwavz B400 sounds more transparent than the Periodic Audio Ti and is more detail in this area. The B400 shows also more space and air between instruments, while both of those IEM’s sharing a soft upper midrange presentation. The upper midrange of the Brainwavz B400 shows more emphasis and slightly better extension than those of the Periodic Audio Ti.
The treble range of both In-Ear Monitors is slightly recessed, while the treble of the Brainwavz B400 is a bit more pronounced and shows slightly better extension than those of the Periodic Audio Ti. The B400 has a bit more clarity and definition in this area.
The Soundstage presentation of the Brainwavz B400 is slightly more expansive and airy than those of the Periodic Audio Ti, while the Ti is superior in terms of soundstage depth.
Conclusion:
The Brainwavz B400 is an In-Ear Monitor with a comfortable fit, rich accessory package, which offers a 24 month of warranty and above average sound performance that shows a smooth but pretty detailed presentation. All this aspects makes the B400 to one of the best Universal IEM options in this price category, especially after the last price discount.
Pros and Cons:
- + Smooth and fatigue free presentation
- + Good detail retrieval
- + Price to performance ratio
- + Rich accessory package (ear tips and cables)
- + 24 Month Warranty
- – Nozzle is a bit short
- – Missing a bit of sparkle