I have already written a lot about the wonderful headphones of the Brainwavz company in general, and the S1 models in particular. Brainwavz S1 was very pleased with my smooth sound and good detail, combined with an affordable price and high-quality materials. Brainwavz engineers relaxed briefly and in less than a year they released a “better” version with the S5 index. Brainwavz S5 are more expensive (about $ 100), so what does the manufacturer offer for this money?
From the point of view of lovers of personal sound - we live in a wonderful time. Chinese factories debugged the technical process, bringing it to close to ideal, which allows for very cheap headphones with good sound. If three years ago it was necessary to give about $ 200 somewhere for a good sound, now headphones of this level cost about $ 60, and the downward trend continues. Eminent manufacturers are promoted at the expense of PR, releasing various top solutions, companies simply take their combination of good price, sound and quality. Brainwavz S5 is one of such models.
Specifications
- Emitters: dynamic, 10 mm
- Impedance given: 16Ω
- Frequency range: 18 Hz - 24 kHz
- Sensitivity: 110 dB @ 1 mW
- Distortion: ≤ 0.3% @ 110 dB
- Channel unbalance: ≤ 1 dB @ 1 kHz
- Rated power: 20mW
- Maximum power: 40 mW
- Cable: 1.3 m, balanced, flat, copper
- Plug: 3.5 mm, TRS, gold plated, 45 °
- Package size: 160 mm x 135 mm x 38 mm
- Weight: 10 g
Package and Delivery
The standard box for the Brainwavz products with a flap valve, which allows you to see the headphones themselves, is decorated in black and red colors. Headphones are located inside in a plastic container.
In addition to the Brainwavz S5, you get a very good set of accessories.
- 6 pairs of silicone tips in three sizes
- double lip attachments
- three lobes
- Comply T-400 medium size foam nozzles
- adapter for 6.3 mm connectors
- hard carrying case
- instruction and warranty card
In general, on this point, the headphones can be set solid 5 with a plus, even without taking into account the price, and even if it is taken into account - even more.
Design and wearing comfort
Headphones are designed for "ear" landing, in which the wire passes over the ear and behind it. I think this is a positive factor, since such a wearing option, firstly, greatly reduces the microphone effect, and secondly, it makes it easier to put the headphones at the desired depth, providing good sound and insulation.
The headphone case is made of black metal and has a rather complex shape: the developers clearly thought out the fit, and they succeeded. Despite the noticeable size and weight slightly above average, the headphones sit very well in the ear and practically do not protrude. If you pick up nozzles - wearing is very comfortable, even for a long time; sound insulation - above average.
The cable in S5, as in S1, is used flat, it comes out of the headphones at an angle. The wire is soft, does not tangle and does not harden in the cold. The places where the cable is connected to the headphones and the splitter are made very securely, which inspires faith in the S5's durability. The plug, unlike the S1, is more compact, which makes everyday use easier. For ear-wear, the microphone effect is mild.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening:
- CEntrance HiFi M8 as a DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- HiFiMan 901 and Fiio X5 as portable players
- VSonic Gr01 and HiFiMan Re600 as headphones for comparison
- High-resolution recordings in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones warmed up for 48 hours.
In S5 Brainwavz used a new layout scheme: the speakers are located as close as possible to the sound guides, and almost the entire volume of the case behind them occupies free space. A small hole on the inside of the case complements the acoustic circuit. This performance in combination with very high quality emitters bore fruit. Sound S5 different excellent detail and resolution.
In general, the sound of headphones can be described as smooth, with no noticeable accents, although the sound can be varied with different nozzles. Brainwavz S5 genre versatile and do not have pronounced preferences in musical styles.
At first, I did not have enough bass, it seemed that it was not enough. After about 12 hours of warm-up, the situation improved. Also helped the correct selection of nozzles. The gray caps put on the S5 out of the box, in my opinion, do not reveal the potential of the headphones. Much better with this two-petal and foam nozzles. With the three-petal - S5 sound too neutral, and the bass lacks impact. Of course, this is just my opinion, and you will have to experiment with the nozzles to find the option that you like. After the selection of nozzles LF reveal with the best hand. They are very good in resolution, have a pleasant texturing, and, not least, do not cover the rest of the range. In rare cases, they do not have enough speed, but given the price - this is not a critical drawback.
The mids are very straightforward, without embellishments and accents. Due to this, most of the instruments and voices sound lively and naturally, the energy of the musicians and emotions are transmitted with pleasant directness, there is no bundling of instruments, they are well divided, which gives a wide imaginary scene.
HF is very pleasant and non-stressing. Sibilantes are absent almost completely. At the very end of the range there is a recession, I think it was done on purpose to avoid the sharpness of the sound. As a result, it gives a very unstressed and melodic pitch.
Compatibility
Headphones are well compatible with most sources and play without problems with modern tablets and smartphones. I tested them with iPhone 4, iPod Video 5.5G, Sandisk Sansa Clip + and Rio Karma - with all these sources, the Brainwavz S5 did their best.
Due to the high resolution and almost uncolored feed, the headphones are quite sensitive to the quality of the recording and the source, so they have good growth potential if you decide to upgrade the player.
findings
Very successful move by Brainwavz. Headphones turned out to be interesting in appearance and materials, and high-quality sound and reasonable price complement this look. We can safely say that Brainwavz managed to create a very interesting model.
The article is based on materials .
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