shotgunshane’s IEM (custom and universal) recommendations, favorites and classics

Adding the Brainwavz B400 to the list. I've had it a while but have been involved in a move that has pretty much consumed me over the last few months. Read below for the review. Do note this was a free sample from Brainwavz. I've reviewed many of their models, on the other site, most of which have been just ok or maybe not so ok. The B400 is revelation compared to the majority of their past models and quite deserving of praise its received.

Brainwavz B400

The B400 is a 3D printed, quad armature offering from Brainwavz for a low, low price of $189.50. It’s pretty unusual to find a quad armature in-ear so cheap outside of the random crap-shoot that is the Alibaba grab bag. My version came with the upgraded ‘frosty’ single ended cable and ‘candy cane’ 2.5mm balanced cable, both of which cost extra ($30 each). Since all my sources are purposefully single ended, the candy cane cable wasn’t used for my testing. The frosty 3.5mm single ended cable is quite flexible and pleasing to use with virtually no memory and very minimal microphonics.

Speaking of frosty, my set came in the standard frosty clear shells. Cloudy might be a better descriptor. They have a DIY look to me. The are very light in weight and if not for the memory wire of the cable, would come as close to disappearing as far as feeling goes. Maybe a Linum MMCX cable would do the trick? The B400 uses a pretty narrow nozzle, similar to what Westone and Shure use, albeit with a chubby ridge around it that makes fitting the great Shure olive foams both tedious and dangerous (the ridged core of the olives makes me feel I might snap a nozzle). I chose to use the wider bore Ortofon tips for both the comfort and wider opening for best treble response (this requires cutting the stem out of another set of silicone narrow bore tips and sliding the Ortofons over the cutouts).

All sound impressions are using sources with less than 1 ohm output impedance

The overall signature of the B400 is a little on the warm and sweet side. However it doesn’t really have elevated bass but rather eschews boosted bass for a shelved down treble. The end result is a slightly lower midrange-centric signature. Brainwavz rates the impedance 30 ohms but added source impedance seems to boost treble response. Adding a 33 ohm resistor made for a much livelier presentation but it isn’t really necessary, as the stock signature is quite good as is. While the shelved down top end affects treble resolution, imaging and particularly layering are quite good and bass texture is pretty enjoyable as well. Head stage is deeper than it is wide, which is unusual especially in cheaper armature offerings. All in all the B400 is a very solid product and arguably the best Brainwavz product to date, at least from those I’ve heard. You’d be hard pressed to find better value in this price bracket.

vs Audio-Technica LS200i ($250 MSRP; dual armature)
The LS200 sounds more neutral and linear overall, if a good bit thinner than the B400. The B400 has both more bass impact and rumble in direct comparison. The LS200 midrange sounds clearer and more transparent next to the warmer and richer Brainwavz. Treble presence really isn’t that much greater with the LS200 but its relative lack of warmth and thinner note, along with more upper midrange presence, makes for more noticeable leading edge attack and treble detailing. The LS200 is noticeable flatter in depth next to the B400, if a perhaps a bit wider in staging. Overall the B400 sounds more powerful, more dynamic and just plain bigger in presentation.

vs Massdrop x Noble X ($250 Drop Price; dual armature)
The Noble X sounds overall warmer, bassier and more distant when compared to the B400. Even though the B400 has less overall bass, it sounds more powerful and more precise than the softer, more diffuse X. The B400 sounds much more upfront and closer to the listener, whereas the X sounds a good bit more distant, say maybe first couple of rows versus 20 or more back. While being more upfront, the B400 has more obvious depth and better layering against the flatter sounding X. Treble presence is pretty similar between the two but lower bass and warmth levels of the B400 let top end detailing shine through more easily. Basically the B400 betters the X at it’s own game and is a better fitting housing to boot.

vs Massdrop Plus ($299 Drop Price; triple armature)
The Massdrop Plus matches the power and dynamics of the B400 but does it with a more linear and neutral frequency response that sounds clearer, more transparent and more resolving. The Plus sounds a good bit wider and has better proportions in width, depth and height. However the B400 does sound deeper and competitively comparable in imaging and layering. The Plus has greater bite, crunch and air with rock music, displaying more realistic timbre overall. While the Plus matches my preferences very closely, if anyone finds it a little too thin or little bright, the B400 might fix all that ails their perception.

When I first received the B400, I was on the fence if it would make the list or not. It seemed to be easy to enjoy and committed little in the way of sins of commission. However, living with it over many weeks and comparing it with some of the best in the market at comparable pricing shows the B400 is definitely deserving of making the list.

 

I believe all shells are 3D printed and I just noticed they may have done away with the other colors options besides the two variations of black, both of which raise the price $30.

 

You’d need to decide if the signature and resulting tonality are right for you first. Any gains in technicalities will be moot if you don’t like the changes in signature and tonality. The B400 will have less treble presence and sound warmer/smoother overall. Orion’s treble will give it a more lively sound. You have to decide if this is a direction you want to go.

Gains will be in imaging and layering across the board. You’ll find resolution gains in the midrange and bass texturing but less resolution and clarity up top. Overall the B400 should sound bigger and more dynamic but with a softer leading edge to notes. Note this is not a direct comparison, as I don’t have an Orion on hand.

 

Maybe it’s the sealed nature of armature designs that causes your fatigue? Most dynamics are vented, so you’ll get some relief from that affect.

Unfortunately most dynamics tend to be tuned bassier and warmer in general for some reason. That being said here a some I’d suggest trying:

Vsonic GR07 variants. Even the bass edition doesn’t stray too far from neutral. The GR07’s biggest issue is the lower treble can be a little hot for some. Otherwise it’s nicely extended. Staging is a little flat compared to others. The newer X version is supposedly the most neutral of the variants. I haven’t heard this one yet but is high on my list of want to try’s.

Sony MDR-EX1000 or 7550. The 7550 comes off a little warmer and smoother and lacks lower the treble spike if the EX1000. However the EX1000 still has some of the best bass I’ve heard. They fit perpendicular to the ear, so they stick out but are quite comfortable regardless.

A used set of Aurisonics Rockets might be the most neutral out there. Deepest of sub bass rolls off a little early but it has really good tonality. These are discontinued and hard to find. Also they are micro drivers and may not be vented (I can’t recall at the moment).

 

I remember the Lyra 2 sounding too warm and woolly to me. If you can demo the Sony’s, maybe you can say what direction you’d want to go from there.

 

Speaking of the Aurisonics Rockets, are they making a comeback under the Fender name?


More info:

https://gear.antiheromagazine.com/f...bringing-legendary-fender-sound-music-lovers/

requires translation:
https://www.cool3c.com/article/132757

 

I think the price is slated for $139.99. So not too worried at that price. I'm more worried about the ginormous microphone unit in the render.

 

I haven't heard the NEW Primacy. Assuming it is similar to the old Primacy, treble was pretty smooth. It's weakness was a slight plasticky treble timbre. It could be the 5k peak (and subsequent dip) causes the timbre issue but isn't big enough to be an issue with harshness. The bass was very good (extension and texture), if a hair warm. The housings are super comfortable.