Brainwavz Omega Review
Thanks to Brainwavz for the sample.
First
Impressions: Ah another plastic box, hmm is this a cost thing? The
Omega for sure is right at the cheapest end of the market. The thing is
just US$15 and that’s delivered globally. So cheap cheap cheap
cheap. Inside the pack I’m a little surprised to see a pair of
Comply’s given the cost I can only assume Brainwavz have got some
cracking deal with them. I also notice, sadly, there is no little
case. I can’t complain given how cheap they are and I’d rather see them
skip a case than include one, making people pay for a thing they may
not use. (Normally I would say everyone should use a case but at this
price I accept many users wont.) The buds are rather nice, metal.
Though I’m really not taken with the “Red & Blue” colouring. The
red isn’t very red and the blue isn’t very blue. Its marron bits and a
midnight/navy blue cable. It’s not that it’s ugly just a little
misleading, especially that “red” it’s just not a colour I would ever
refer to as “red.”
So
in the ears and the first thing to note is the bass. Oh it’s big,
seriously big. Not exactly a shocker given its price but it’s so very
much more than my ears have been exposed to recently. Oh my it’s
shifting a fair old chunk of air. I can feel it squishing my face and
sinuses. Hmm it and I may not be the best of friends. Anyway to the
burn machine with you.
Source: FiiO E7/E9 combo, Hisoundaudio Studio V 3rd Anv., HiFiMAN HM-650, 1G Ipod Shuffle, Nexus 5, Lumia 735 and a Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear.
Lows:
Abundant. I know I used them with the included pair of Comply’s (which
it was nice to see included at this price given the damn things are
like US$5 a pair. I assume Brainwavz get a pretty decent volume
discount though. Anyway, bass, yep it’s big. It varies from a bit over
big to you’re beginning to get on my nerves big. It’s also not the
most linear as we go. There are certain notes where the bass will leap
out and rip your head off if you’re not careful. The audio snob in me
tuts but actually…… on the whole its rather fun. I mean it’s an
earphone that costs US$15 delivered, I’m not expecting some linear Ety
like masterpiece. It’s a big bottomed girl who likes to party and so
she got a little tipsy and maybe over does the bottom shaking a bit.
While you can make them do things a little more mellow, the bass does
have rich warmth to it. Sure it does have a bit of a rise and then
falls off, softening as it goes but again, that price tag. You know the
bass can’t be perfect but it really does have a good old try.
Quantitatively,
there is a notable mid/bass boundary elevation and it rises up as it
goes down. To a big, big heap of the stuff. Then in the further
reaches its starts to flab a little bit all over the place. If you try
and star them towards less soft sources your benefit. It does want to
turn into a bit of a warm melted puddle if you feed them so.
BTW,
firing up The Beautiful South’s “Your Father And I” holy crap!!!!!!
The bass roars out you. Its bass line and their bass peak co-inside and
I can’t tell if “weeee, this is fun” or oh my god my poor fragile
little ears. Beastly.
Mids:
Warmly rich, nicely so. The mid/bass region tends to dominate slightly
and vocals have a rather flavoured tone. Lots of warmth and richness,
smooth, kinda melty chocolaty. If you’re after air and spaciousness
then sorry. They don’t sound bad but they haven’t the tonality to do
airy or cool and likewise the detail. They do give some level of vocal
nuance but they are rather flavoured, richly flavoured and I’m sure more
chocolatey type comparisons are going to creep in. Still you get the
idea, its thick, heavy and slow moving but you don’t mind. As they say,
it’s not a bug it’s a feature.
Quantitatively
this means that while the bass isn’t really that far behind where most
if the bass lays but its warm characteristics make it not the most
obvious. It’s not terribly forthright and thus the bass can somewhat
overshadow vocals. I don’t think that’s a problem for its likely users
but for me…… I’d have liked more mids. Maybe a little bit cooler
tonally for vocals too, give them some space to breathe.
Highs:
Staying with that warmly rich, smooth tonality from elsewhere and it
sensibly continues. Yey for smooth treble. Detail levels are pretty
nice in absolute terms but you won’t be using these in any analytical
sense. They are reasonably detailed for the money, nicely so but it’s
not thrown at you with any aggression. I’m absolutely good with that.
It also means that if you pair it with say, not the best source’s in the
world and maybe not the best recorded music, nor the best mastered and
then playing at a mediocre bitrate, you’ll still be fine. The edges,
bighty jaggy edges are all very mellowed and smoothed. It does what it
can to cut through the bass and remain audible but the Omega’s not too
big on the treble.
Soundstage:
There isn’t all that much in terms of distance, creamy warm stuff tends
be more drawn in and intimate. As is this. In terms of scale and
power, there is a lot of scope for power. Waaaaaaaay lots of power if
you throw power at them. That big old bass will given the chance shake a
filling loose.
Fit: Good. In they went and that was me done. They were pretty much at home worn up or down too, nothing fancy or unexpected.
Comfort:
Great, no bother. Worn down the cable tugs at your ears which is why I
always wear up. Though with prolonged use the bass movement got a
little ear tiring.
Aesthetics:
I do not know. So they come in black, white, or “red and blue” so I
instantly thought, oh right bud red, left bud blue, right? Err no.
They are “red” bits of plastic on the buds, “red” jack and “red” Y
splitter. I say “red” because it’s really not, its marron. Not that
marron is a bad colour it’s just when I see it it’s not a colour I’d
ever describe to anyone as red. Then the “blue” well that’s the cable.
Now it is a blue but it’s a very subdued, dark navy blue. It’s not
that I don’t like it or anything but when I read blue this is not
anything close to the colour I pictured in my head. I do actually like
the curiosity of the colour contrasts but seriously, look at a pic
before you select them. If you read “red and blue” it’s not what you’d
think.
Microphonics:
It’s the same old story really. If you chose to wear them up you get
some, if you wear up you don’t. In fairness it’s pretty slight worn
down and the chin slider can cure that.
Amped/Unamped:
Well yeah there was a difference, with a big am was better but its not
needed. Odds are these will never see any kind of amp even a little
FiiO and they have been made with that in mind. Just maybe source wis
you want to aim for something clean and cold. Even then there wasn’t a
wild variation in play from the phones laying about here.
Phone
Use: Well with the Lumia 735 it all worked, even the volume controls
worked which while unexpected was nice. On the moto G, sadly no. Why I
have no idea, play/pause/skip worked but no volume. However over on the
P8 they worked and as a little bonus the P8 managed to push the treble
rather more upfront. While I liked the acoustic balance more it did a
little show up that IEM’s at this price aren’t going to have the most
refined treble in the world. So it gave with one hand and took with the
other but hey such is life. As for the Iphone, well I presume it works
fine, I didn’t test it. That’s because the jack wouldn’t fit into the
hole in the case I use has for the hp out.
Isolation:
It’s okay for a dynamic. Having the Comply’s did help a little to get a
fuller seal so they were really rather usable for most uses. You know
the story, fine for on a bus, out and about but not probably really what
you want for a flight or Tube commute. In a pinch its better than
nothing, it’s no BA. As ever yes it’s enough to block out typical
traffic sounds so you need to remember how your eyes work and use them,
or get a donor card.
Cable:
Colour aside, because I’m still not sure about the blue, in so much as I
didn’t even notice at first it wasn’t black. It’s fine. While for the
money I’m absolutely fine with it, the jay and Y-splitter both feel
very solid if not super fancy. It doesn’t feel like a Christmas cracker
prize but you know next to the Piston 3 and the AM-12 it’s just not as
nice as they are.
Accessories:
You get a mixed bag, I am all in favour of the Comply’s because cost
aside (grumble grumble grumble) they are very nice to see at this
price. Sure silicon’s are fine but on the whole, foamy tips are hard to
go back from. A little case might have been nice but you know adding a
case is going to add a 33% price jump so better that it should be up to
the consumer. However, I hope places suggest a case alongside as a
bundle because things in cases live longer lives, it’s that simple. You
do however get a little Velcro cable tidy thing which you could sort of
use but will anyone? Oh and a shirt clip because, err, does anyone use
them?
Value:
Super-duper stupid good. Granted I can’t say these are leaps and bound
“better” than the Piston 3 or AM-12 but that you can get something, for
US$15 (about £10) not only bought but posted to you, anywhere on earth
pretty much is crazy. How do they even post it for that? Even if it
was just an empty box how can you send it halfway round the planet for
that much yet the postage company has somehow made a profit and
presumably Brainwavz are making something on it too??? Not only that
but they are listenable, I could and have sat listening to them for
hours reasonably happily. I have much better stuff nearby but these are
actually not bad. I can use them and not want to kill myself which is
frankly rather mad given their cost. While I’d be hesitant for these to
ever be my first choice to anyone they are in value terms outstanding.
Conclusion:
You get the idea, it’s becoming all too common, awesome things coming
out of China for stupid cheap. Brainwavz have consistently put out
product after product that represents superb value for money. The Omega
bares its lineage on its sleeve. Is it the most wow earth shattering
moistest bestest sound EVAR!!!!!!!! No, of course it’s not. What it is a
brand that has steadily kicked and hammed the value ratio in the
consumers favour. The sound quality for the tiny, tiny cost you get
something that is not just usable but that crazy audio people could use
it and be okay with it. Don’t underestimate how huge that is, that you
can get something for the price of youthful bottle of wine, something
that sounds reasonable enough even audio snobs can cope with it. That is
huge!!!!
The
Omega, while not perfect makes practically all the sensible moves audio
wise and really never falls down anywhere. So it maybe doesn’t excel,
unless you’re a bit of a basshead, anywhere either but it takes a
capable stab at it. The bass can be a bit over powering for me, it’s a
bit of a hump and it moves to much air at times…… yeah its target
demographics are just gonna hate that I’m sure. I really can’t find
anything to fault them with beyond tiny weird things like, that red is
not red, its marron. Which is a weird colour option anyway, weird I
think I like it but weird nevertheless.
So
should you buy one, hmmm well I am fortunate enough to live in a
country that is so rich that state benefits qualify a recipient to be in
the top ten percent of the world in income levels. In the “West” +
Japan + Anzacland et al we are rich and we forget just how amazingly
rich and well off we are. We can say US$15 is nothing but remember that
(2008 figures so a bit old) that 80% of the world population live on
less than US$10 per day. In a society where we on average earn maybe 20
times that the relative wealth levels mean to some a US$15 earphone is
like a rich worlder buying maybe a US$300 earphone. It’s a purchase that
you would put some though into. The Omega is I think aimed at those
people and I find it highly commendable that people are working to bring
reasonable, decent audio quality to the other 5 and a half billion
people on the planet.
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