General Information
Brainwavz delivers the BLU-200 which is a 10-meter range Bluetooth IEM with an in-line mic. Also included are ear hooks for a secure fit while on the move.
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Brainwavz BLU-200
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Latest reviews
Intro
TL;DR: It's a solid Bluetooth IEM that does the job, but its hyperactive, in-your-face sound signature leaves me reaching for its more laid-back predecessor.
Before I begin, I would like to sincerely thank Pandora at Brainwavz for providing a review sample of the Brainwavz BLU-200 in exchange for my honest opinion. I am neither affiliated with Brainwavz or any of its staff, nor was I paid to write this review. All opinions and photos shown in this review are my own unless otherwise specified. Finally, please take the opinions expressed here with a grain of salt. Thanks!
I’ve always disliked Bluetooth IEMs. It’s a dislike that is almost pathological in nature and has stuck with me long before I even entered the audiophile world. The main reason why I would avoid Bluetooth IEMs in general was the fact that having them around would mean having to deal with another battery to keep track of during the day, and unless they're actually capable of lasting the whole day, one would still have to revert to a wired backup pair if the wireless ones die out. And, well, they die out not even halfway through the day – which, for a guy whose music is pumped into the ears a third of the day every day, sucks. That, and they didn’t really sound that good. At least, not until recently.
Earphones like the Brainwavz BLU-100 changed my perspective and general opinion of Bluetooth earphones, and now that I have Brainwavz’ new follow-up to that entry, it's time to cut the cord once more to hear this new installment to Brainwavz’ collection.
== Aesthetics ==
Packaging, Accessories
The Brainwavz BLU-200 arrives in a minuscule box containing the hard case that contains the whole assembly – the earphones, two sets of silicone eartips, a pair of Comply foam eartips, a pair of sport hooks, a charging cable, and Brainwavz’ standard 2-year manufacturer’s warranty. The package is about identical to that found in the BLU-100, so not much else is worth pointing out. Moving on.
Brainwavz took some feedback from the reviews of the BLU-100 concerning the fit and altered the design of its successor in response. Their housings are sleeker and more streamlined, with a more smoothly tapered shape as it enters the ear. How this improves the fit we will cover in the next section. The rest of the design remains unchanged, and carries most of the good and bad we have seen from its predecessor.
Design, Build, Microphonics
Brainwavz took some feedback from the reviews of the BLU-100 concerning the fit and altered the design of its successor in response. Their housings are sleeker and more streamlined, with a more smoothly tapered shape as it enters the ear. How this improves the fit we will cover in the next section. The rest of the design remains unchanged, and carries most of the good and bad we have seen from its predecessor.
Build quality is also pretty good and remains unchanged from the BLU-100. Unless will be taking lots of hard impacts, they should otherwise hold up very well. As for the cable noise, The BLU-200 now includes a slider to adjust how much of the cable dangles and flies around behind your neck. There wasn’t any slider in the BLU-100 I reviewed last year, and that became a bit of a nuisance at times, so having this now is a welcome addition.
However, I noted some slight driver flex when using them, which may cause slight discomfort. Using the included Comply foam eartips does, however, resolve the issue.
Fit, Comfort, Isolation
The more tapered housings of the BLU-200 does help to give you a secure fit, although much like its predecessor getting the right fit is mostly tip-dependent. The included eartips, however, are notably better than the previous versions and make a more secure seal in the ears despite the rather hefty housings. If it doesn’t help, however, Brainwavz did include some earfins which should help keep them in the ear. Comfort-wise I can’t say if there has been any improvement from its predecessor, but they still feel comfortable in the ears nonetheless.
Specs
| Headphone Type | Closed-back Bluetooth in-ear monitor |
| Driver Type | 6 mm dynamic |
| Operating Range | Up to 30 feet (10 meters) |
| Battery Life | 60 mAh battery for: ·[size=7pt] [/size]4 hours talk/music playback time ·[size=7pt] [/size]180 hours standby time ·[size=7pt] [/size]~2 hours charging time |
| Bluetooth Features | Bluetooth 4.0 with AptX support Supports A2DP, HSP, HFP Bluetooth profiles Can connect to 2 devices simultaneously CVC Echo & Noise Cancellation Voice/LED prompts |
| Accessories | 3x sets grey silicone single-flange eartips (S/M/L) 1x set Comply S-400 foam eartips Micro USB charging cable Hard carry case User manual 1 year manufacturer’s warranty |
Does this spec sheet look familiar? Well, it should – I copied most of it over from the BLU-100 spec sheet. And by looking at its predecessor, Brainwavz seems to have done the same in terms of internal BT tech. Then again, as they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Connectivity
Pairing the BLU-200 is about as easy as it gets – or as easy as your phone makes it. In real-world use, I’ve experienced very few hiccups while out and about, which leads me to believe the BT tech in the BLU-200 is….well, just as good as the last one. It does have this new feature when you can pair the device with two sources at the same time. Personally I fail to see what situations this feature can be used for, but right now, I find it as little more than a gimmick.
Also, you cannot pair it to two sources and have the BLU-200 play two different songs from the two sources, which is a bummer. Then again, who said gimmicks needed to be useful?
== Sound ==
Equipment, Burn-in
The BLU-200 was reviewed using a 5th-generation iPod Touch and an iPad Air 2, and the EQ Software used is TuneShell. As always, my test tracks are available here, although I will link specific songs in the assessment for a more direct point of reference.
The BLU-200 was listened to for about 50 hours prior to making the final assessments in this review. No changes have been noted.
Bass:
Sound Quality
Bass:
To start off, let's first listen in on the lower frequencies. The bass of the BLU-200 seems most likely geared to make a big first impression. It's big, chunky, and noticeable – good for catching the listener's attention, but not much else. It has good punch and maintains its composure during heavy bass lines. However, its unimpressive sub-bass extension does not help it much to impress the more bass-inclined listeners (Haywyre – Dichotomy; Daft Punk – Doin' It Right). It also struggles with articulation, making speedy drum passages sound muddy and wanting in detail (Megadeth – Holy Wars...The Punishment Due).
Midrange:
The midrange of the BLU-200 definitely comes across as sounding noticeably "shouty," in that it sounds accentuated in the upper midrange. This leads to the upper octaves sounding rather obnoxious and in-your-face (Anna Yvette, Laura Brehm – Summer Never Ends). Male vocals do not seem to have this problem, most likely due to the lower vocal range, but the level of midrange accentuation varies on a song-to-song basis (compare The Weeknd – A Lonely Night with above song). Unusually, they sound much more pleasing with guitars and other acoustic instruments (Sungha Jung – Coming Home; Francisco Cerda – 'Round Gunpoint), with a more natural presentation with little of the aforementioned "shouty" tonality. From a more technical standpoint, the BLU-200 struggles with conveying nuances in the music, especially in tracks where emotional expression comprises much of the appeal (Yiruma – Kiss the Rain). This doesn't do the BLU-200 much help, especially when its tonality seems more fitting for acoustic tracks.
Treble:
The treble of the BLU-200 resembles its bass quality in many ways, most prominently that it does not do much to impress the listener. Its detail and prominence is decent at best, and lacks extension in the higher frequency ranges. Overall it does the job, but one should not expect too much from it.
Soundstage/Presentation:
While listening to the BLU-200 before writing this review, its soundstage has been something of an oddity to me. I found my pair to somehow have a skewed soundstage, with sounds coming more from the left side that from the right. From testing with a tone generator, it did not turn out to be a channel imbalance, but this may be something else entirely. I even thought it to be simply my ears, but from testing other earphones, my hearing balance was fine. Nonetheless, I found nothing very noteworthy in the soundstage. Size is mediocre at best – far from spacious, but not too congested.
Genre Proficiency:
From what I found, the BLU-200 sounds quite good with music that does not use too much of the upper midrange, where the BLU-200's emphasis turns tunes to torture. For this reason, I found them to sound better with acoustic rather than electronic tracks – unusual, considering its predecessor was less picky with genre choice.
Summary:
I'll be honest – I did not expect the BLU-200 to sound so...off-putting. Its sharp upper midrange claws at my eardrums with a large chunk of my music library, while its skewed soundstage keeps me uneasy and on my figurative toes. I find it difficult to not take them off partway through a song.
Games:
Other Media
Games:
Lately I have been playing a lot of rhythm games, particularly on my iPad. These rhythm games involve tapping things on a screen in time to the music, so in order to play well, one needs minimal audio latency to play. Wired headphones and earphones do the job easily, but Bluetooth earphones definitely have a hard time keeping up. The lag between seeing the notes to be played in the game and hearing the music, even if that lag is a tenth of a second, is far too great to be able to play a music game without having some trouble. In fact, one can liken playing rhythm games with Bluetooth earphones to playing darts after fifteen twirls – in other words, it's a nuisance. Of course, that doesn’t mean this is the case with all games – other games seem to sound quite fine with the BLU-200, although while gaming with Bluetooth earphones, one will need to be more mindful of their battery meters – both of the earphones and of their source devices.
Movies:
For movies, a low audio latency also is required of wireless earphones for the audio and video to remain in sync. After all, nobody likes to watch a movie where your senses receive the events in the movie one after the other in a jumbled mess. For this purpose, the BLU-200 does its job well. The audio lag is still slightly noticeable, but unlike rhythm games, they do not retract too much from the overall experience. Sonically they still aren't completely impressive, but they're definitely good enough.
EQ Response
When I have an issue with an earphone, oftentimes they can be fixed with a bit of tweaking with an EQ. But for this special case, I will make an exception. Yes, the BLU-200 responds to EQ – fairly well, in fact. The only problem with this particular case is that the BLU-200's problem – more specifically, its skewed soundstage – cannot simply be fixed with an EQ alone. For this I cannot give a definite score.
Value
The BLU-200 retails for a price of $55 as of thiswriting, which is $5 dollars more expensive than the BLU-100 before it. At this price you will be receiving a pretty solid Bluetooth IEM with all the features you need, along with one of Brainwavz' trademark accessory sets. Technically it's just about as good as its predecessor.
Comparison
Versus Sport-Fi X7 (~$100):
The MEE X7, like the BLU-200, a Bluetooth IEM. However, their similarities end there; the X7 is in a league of its own with its higher price, better fit, better build, and better sound. From looking at the big picture, they simply knock the BLU-200 out of the park. However, the BLU-200 does manage to hold its own against the X7, pointing out their clearer midrange, laid-back bass, and most of all, much better Bluetooth circuitry which results in very little connectivity problems, if any.
Versus Brainwavz BLU-100 ($50):
Now, let us look at the father-and-son matchup – the BLU-200 up against its predecessor. Instead of starting out long-winded as I normally do, I'll just cut to the chase – I like the BLU-100 better. Yes, I like the old one better than the new one. The BLU-100 just does what it needs to without overdoing anything. The BLU-200, as an example, has an upper midrange that does more to annoy than to amaze. The BLU-100, in contrast, does neither, but it does not end up badly. It just performs, and that's makes the BLU-100 that much more appealing than its successor – it doesn't try too hard to impress.
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Brainwavz has been making some really well-priced earphones recently. As a new edition to their lineup, the BLU-200 is no exception. Aimed squarely at active folk, the BLU-200 brings a decent sounding pair of Bluetooth earphones to the table, with a durable aluminum body, all for $54. However, is it a worthwhile addition to the active audiophile’s collection? I think so.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]You can find the BLU-200 for sale here on Brainwavz’s official website.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the review. I would like to thank Pandora at Brainwavz for providing me with this unit.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more bright upper range.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Source: The BLU-200 was paired to a Nexus 6P. All music was served as FLAC, ALAC, or as 320Kbps Mp3 via aptX.[/color]
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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Initial Impressions: These impressions were taken before I’d seen any FR response graphs or measurements.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The BLU-200 is V-shaped. Definitely. However, for the BLU-200’s intended uses, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Music is very energetic when played through the BLU-200, with engaging treble and a rumbling bass. I don’t notice any particular looseness, but at the same time don’t sense an specific shaping.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Treble: Songs used: White Flag, Midnight City, Outlands[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]There is definitely some roll-off in the upper treble. In White Flag, this manifested itself by making the artificial vocal echos very quite, and almost inaudible. However, there is still good articulation and some decent retrieval for the mid and lower-treble.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In Midnight City, it is apparent that treble is not a main focus of the BLU-200. It’s not bright, and tends to sit further back in the mix.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Outlands did perform quite well for a pair of Bluetooth earphones. The violins were layered fairly well, and barely bled together, if at all. Furthermore, there is a certain amount of air, allowing the song to take on a slightly symphonic feel. It’s not quite as good as some similarly priced wired earphones, but does come close.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Mids: Songs used: The Drift, Jars, I Am The Highway[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The lower-mids of The Drift seem to be less emphasized than the mid-bass, but are never drowned out by them. The mids seem to be recessed, but are still articulate. However, they aren’t too engaging, and take a more relaxed feel to them.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The story continues into Jars. The guitars which normally have a harder and more electric edge to them come across as slightly soft on the BLU-200. The lower-mids are still separated from the bass and mids, letting the bass guitar come through and resolve fairly well. The vocals are also slightly recessed behind the guitars, hinting at a more emphasized lower-mids frequency response.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]At least the BLU-200 is consistent. I Am The Highway’s vocals were also slightly pushed backwards into the song, and had a certain softness to them. The guitars were present, and had some good detail, but were missing the edge I usually look for. That being said, I don’t see it as all doom and gloom. The BLU-200 isn’t designed for audiophile grade critical listening. It’s designed to give an immersive listening experience to people on the go, and in I Am The Highway, it does so.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Bass: Songs used: Lights, Kyoto, 99 Problems (Hugo Cover), Leave Me[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Mid-bass and sub-bass response is good. However, I find that despite the bass having the appropriate quantity, it is rather unshapen and formless. This doesn’t cause the bass to be boomy, but does make kick-drums and other acoustics lack definition.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In 99 Problems I found bass placement to be fairly good. It didn’t overpower the song, as it easily could have, and remained at the right level of rumbliness. However, it did lack definition, taking on a rather undefined and soft shape.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Leave Me was a good listening experience, as I do not think it ever demands too much shaping, instead asking for lots of sub-bass. However, I did notice the “rattling sound” Taska Black mixes into their bass drops did come across as fuzzy — something that did bother me a bit. The basshead in me wishes that there was more sub-bass.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Clarity: Songs used: Throne, Map of The Problimatique, I’m Not Alright[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Throne performed better than I had expected. The vocal harmonies during the chorus remained well defined. In fact, the only point of distortion was the high-hats during the chorus — something many other more expensive IEMs can’t say for themselves.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Map of The Problimatique performed well, and had no distortion. The mids were resolved well, as was the bass. However, as I mentioned earlier, the BLU-200 has some upper-treble roll-off. Therefore, some background details that would have normally been present were very quite or inaudible.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]I’m Not Alright performed very well, with no distortion and minimal loss of detail. Even during the chorus, the violins remained separate from the guitars, and weren’t drowned out. In fact, the BLU-200’s performance in this song is among the best I’ve tested in terms of clarity and transparency.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Male Vocals: Song used: Hotel California, Ashes of Eden, Sunday Bloody Sunday[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Male vocals are satisfactory. As I mentioned earlier, they tend to be moved slightly backwards into the song. They do sound full and bodied, and have no noticeable coloring. The BLU-200 is able to resolve the high-pitches vocals from Sunday Bloody Sunday just as well as the deep and more sonorous vocals from Ashes of Eden.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Female Vocals: Songs used: Stupid Girl, Need Your Heart, CrushCrushCrush[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In some instances, the Kai’s vocals in Need Your Heart came across as slightly too thin, and bordered on sibilant. Thankfully, the rest of the time I had no issues and enjoyed the song without hearing any notable flaws.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]CrushCrushCrush and Stupid Girl both performed decently, and had very little coloring. I noticed that the vocals were a tad dark, and had the same softness I had encountered in earlier test songs.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound Stage[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The sound stage is 3D, but takes the form of a small box. It’s an intimate listening experience, benefiting of an IEM intended to be used in the gym. There is a moderate amount of width, some depth, and a moderate amount of height, though some songs do not make use of the space available.[/color]
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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Construction Quality[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The construction quality of the BLU-200 is very high, and does not appear to be compromised on. The driver-housings are made from aluminum, and are attached to the cable via a thick plastic brace. The cable itself is a tangle-resistant flat cable, that appears to be durable. The inline controls are also made from soft-touch plastic, and have a very solid feeling to them. The buttons depress with a satisfying click.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Charging and Connectivity[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Brainwavz quotes the BLU-200 to have enough battery life for four hours of continual playback, and up to 100 hours of standby time. I’ve been able to confirm the playback quote, and have gotten up to 4 hours and 10 minutes in one session, and never having gotten less than 3 hours and 52 minutes.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Brainwavz also states the BLU-200 can charge fully in under 2 hours. This estimate is a little conservative — after draining the BLU-200 completely, it took me roughly 105 minutes to charge over the included micro USB cable.[/color]
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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The BLU-200 makes uses of the Bluetooth 4.0 aptX standard, allowing it to stream up to CD quality audio from your preferred source. As with most Bluetooth devices, the BLU-200 has a range of 30 feet (10 meters) unobstructed. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a full 30 feet out of the BLU-200 in my house, with the audio cutting out at about 24 feet. Your mileage may vary.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Comfort[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The BLU-200 is reasonably comfortable, especially when using the included Comply eartips. I had expected the large metallic driver housings to be heavy enough to pull the BLU-200 out of my ears when running, but to my surprise, they held fast. However, even with the ear-hooks, I was unable to keep the BLU-200 secure during my BMX sessions; I never really did expect it to be able to hold in the first place, considering my friends’ Jaybird Freedoms and X2s don’t stay in that well either.[/color]
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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Controls[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Brainwavz equipped the BLU-200 with a fairly competent set of inline controls. Compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows, the BLU-200 has full rich-control functionality including volume control, fast forward, rewind, and voice control launch.[/color]
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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]While not filled to the brim with them, the BLU-200 does have a fair selection of accessories. Brainwavz stocked it with one set of Comply eartips, 2 extra sets of silicone eartips, rubber earhooks, a micro-USB charging cable, a hard carrying case, and a 24 month warranty card (not pictured).[/color]
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[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The BLU-200 is a solid choice for anyone looking for a pair of workout earphones with solid sound quality, and not wanting to break the bank. For $54 the BLU-200 is a great deal.[/color]
== Conclusion ==
The Brainwavz BLU-200 is a bit of an oddity in my opinion. Its an IEM that tries its best to sound good, but in doing so, it trips over itself and ends up sounding worse than it should. The harsh upper midrange, though painful to listen to, is negligible. At least, in the face of its unusually skewed soundstage.
But does that mean it's a bad IEM? No. In fact it's factually quite decent – it still manages to retain some of the characteristics of its predecessor and still sound good in some cases. However, it does not manage to inherit the do-everything quality that I liked so much from the BLU-100. It is because of that that I would be more likely to recommend the old IEM than the new.
| Category | Score |
| Packaging, Accessories | 8.5/10 |
| Design, Build, Microphonics | 7/10 |
| Fit, Comfort, Isolation | 7/10 |
| Connectivity | 9/10 |
| Bass | 7/10 |
| Midrange | 6/10 |
| Treble | 7/10 |
| Presentation | 5/10 |
| EQ Response | 7/10 |
| Value | 7.5/10 |
| Total | 7.1/10 |
Suggestions for Improvement
I’d probably suggest keeping the BLU-100 around for sale, but since they’ve already done that, there’s none I can suggest improving beyond what I’ve already mentioned in the review.
suman134
Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Sounds good, Has good details, Sound stage is really nice.
Cons: Lacks top end extension, Decay is below average, Isnt sweat resistant.
INTRO:-
Brainwavz is not a new name to us by any means, it’s one of those brands which is open to experimentations, and are known for their bang for buck products. They have plenty of accessories under their belt, have some headphones and need to say many types of earphones too.
What i have here is their 2nd iteration of BT earphones named BLU-200 and it was lunched just a few months after their success with BLU-100 which was an awesome sounding BT earphone, back then it was a topic of wonderment, how can a BT earphone be priced as low as this? But they did it, now we have the BLU-200 with improved build and sound quality, lunched earlier this year, priced $54.50 which goes as low as $45 when on sale.
Its equipped with BT 4.0 aptX technology, aluminium body, three button remote/mic unit, and a 60mah battery which is capable of delivering 4 hours of usage and 100hrs of stand by and can be charged fully in less than 2 hrs.
I liked the BT-100, Let’s see how this turns out.
Before that let me thank Pandora and Brainwavz for this review unit.
ACCESSORIES ERGONOMICS AND MISCELLANEOUS:-
Just like any other brainwavz earphone this too is equipped with enough accessories. Here is the list of accessories in the package.
Build quality too is really good, there is some stress reliving, but its not of much help. Just put the earphone cable behind your back and it’s good to go. No microphonics to talk about but you can use the wings for better fitment.
Isolation is average, nothing exceptional here.
Remote And Mic:-
This one has a 3 button MIC unit which works like any other 3 button MIC out there in the market. Middle button works for call/end and play pause. Other buttons work for volume controls.
MIC quality is really nice for this price.
Operation:-
Now getting stared is really easy. All you have to do is to press the middle button for a second and it speaks out “power on”, then it searches for devices and speaks out “searching for device” and the small led blinks rapidly, then turn your phone’s BT on, select BLU-200 from pairing menu and you are ready to go. When paired the led light blinks with a slight pause.
When you are done just press the middle button for a few sec and it says power off, simple and easy.
Coming to battery life BLU-200 will last you less than 4 hours and it takes slightly more than 1hr to charge it with my 2A charger.
SOUND QUALITY:-
Before I start, I have burnt these for more than 30hrs and is using stock medium size tips for this review.
Now this is not a huge step up from the BLU-100, it’s more like a slightly improved version with slight changes to it. Its presentation is more forward and fuller with a brighter sound signature when compared to BLU-100.
Its still is on the bassier side of the balance, in general it’s bassy.
BASS:-
It slightly improved when compared to 100, has better texture and slightly better resolving details.
Its bass is elevated for sure, but not out of control. It doesn’t mask anything like BLU-100.
Bass has good impact and goes deep, moves good amount of air too, sub bass is really good with more than enough extension and this time around mid bass hump is nicely rounded to be in line with rest of the spectrum. Mid bass is slightly bleeding, slightly, not much and really better than 100, the decay has improved and is better than 100 still its not a comparable with other in-ear earphones. Quality is good, precise and to the point where I thought It is comparable with to AD 2 or something like Brainwavz S0. But somewhere it is better than S0 and AD 2 and can be compared for resolution with S5, 200 has really nice clarity and details too, not as good as wired earphones like S5 or AD2 but better than S0.
All in all it has a good quality bass with nice details and resolution, lacks with speed and decay which is sacrifice-able given that its a BT earphone.
It’s an improvement for sure and I’m loving it.
MIDS:-
Mid range is good, really good, not drowned at all in fact more forward than the 100. It’s really nice and i think its comparable with something like a RE-400, nope, I am not saying its better but it has the openness and space like the RE-400. 200 don’t pick up notes like the RE-400 for sure, neither does it has the clarity to compare but it keeps the presentation similar.
Let it be male of female vocal, everything sounds really soft and nice, yes it lacks depth but that is what make it useable for longer hours. Instruments are good but tend to sound slightly off and lacking resolution, clarity and transparency which is understandable, at the end of the day it’s a BT device.
Its sound stage is on the bigger side for an earphone. It has average depth but has nice width and height.
HIGHS:-
Now as I said earlier it doesn’t have much extension up to just like its predecessor BLU 100, it does have some shimmer and slight amount of spark and that’s it. It doesn’t have good resolution nor has clarity or transparency.
Cymbals are okay, guitars are good, but when you get into some fast paced music with some serious instrument work, it its better than BLU-100 still falls kind of flat. It lacks speed for house and bite for rock music.
Highs are nothing you should write home about, but its gets the work done.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADD NEXT:-
1. It will be nice of Brainwavz can add some more battery life, 3-4hrs operating time is okay but not good.
2. They should add water and dust resistance with their next.
3. slightly better build quality.
CONCLUSION:-
BLU-200 is an awesome gym companion even if you don’t sweat like hell, use comply for better traction. Its on the bigger side but not bothering by any means, weight is under control too. Running outdoor with this is a bad idea though.
For those who are looking for an earphone with good sound quality without breaking their bank, wants to get rid of those bothering cable while at work or are tired of holding the phone close to their ears.
One should not expect awesome details or anything that excites an audiophile. It’s better than average and is fun and keeps one seated.
If you are looking for a wireless BT earphone for around $50 with good SQ and awesome customer support do have a look at BLU-200. It won’t disappoint you.
I hope you liked my Review. Thanks for reading.
Have a nice day, enjoy.
Brainwavz is not a new name to us by any means, it’s one of those brands which is open to experimentations, and are known for their bang for buck products. They have plenty of accessories under their belt, have some headphones and need to say many types of earphones too.
What i have here is their 2nd iteration of BT earphones named BLU-200 and it was lunched just a few months after their success with BLU-100 which was an awesome sounding BT earphone, back then it was a topic of wonderment, how can a BT earphone be priced as low as this? But they did it, now we have the BLU-200 with improved build and sound quality, lunched earlier this year, priced $54.50 which goes as low as $45 when on sale.
Its equipped with BT 4.0 aptX technology, aluminium body, three button remote/mic unit, and a 60mah battery which is capable of delivering 4 hours of usage and 100hrs of stand by and can be charged fully in less than 2 hrs.
I liked the BT-100, Let’s see how this turns out.
Before that let me thank Pandora and Brainwavz for this review unit.
ACCESSORIES ERGONOMICS AND MISCELLANEOUS:-
Just like any other brainwavz earphone this too is equipped with enough accessories. Here is the list of accessories in the package.
- Earphone Hardcase
- 3 sets of Silicone Ear Tips (S M L)
- 1 set of Comply™ Foam Tips S-400
- 1 pair of Ear Hooks
- 1 Micro USB Charging Cable
- Velcro Cable Tie
- Instruction Manual
- Warranty Card
Build quality too is really good, there is some stress reliving, but its not of much help. Just put the earphone cable behind your back and it’s good to go. No microphonics to talk about but you can use the wings for better fitment.
Isolation is average, nothing exceptional here.
Remote And Mic:-
This one has a 3 button MIC unit which works like any other 3 button MIC out there in the market. Middle button works for call/end and play pause. Other buttons work for volume controls.
MIC quality is really nice for this price.
Operation:-
Now getting stared is really easy. All you have to do is to press the middle button for a second and it speaks out “power on”, then it searches for devices and speaks out “searching for device” and the small led blinks rapidly, then turn your phone’s BT on, select BLU-200 from pairing menu and you are ready to go. When paired the led light blinks with a slight pause.
When you are done just press the middle button for a few sec and it says power off, simple and easy.
Coming to battery life BLU-200 will last you less than 4 hours and it takes slightly more than 1hr to charge it with my 2A charger.
SOUND QUALITY:-
Before I start, I have burnt these for more than 30hrs and is using stock medium size tips for this review.
Now this is not a huge step up from the BLU-100, it’s more like a slightly improved version with slight changes to it. Its presentation is more forward and fuller with a brighter sound signature when compared to BLU-100.
Its still is on the bassier side of the balance, in general it’s bassy.
BASS:-
It slightly improved when compared to 100, has better texture and slightly better resolving details.
Its bass is elevated for sure, but not out of control. It doesn’t mask anything like BLU-100.
Bass has good impact and goes deep, moves good amount of air too, sub bass is really good with more than enough extension and this time around mid bass hump is nicely rounded to be in line with rest of the spectrum. Mid bass is slightly bleeding, slightly, not much and really better than 100, the decay has improved and is better than 100 still its not a comparable with other in-ear earphones. Quality is good, precise and to the point where I thought It is comparable with to AD 2 or something like Brainwavz S0. But somewhere it is better than S0 and AD 2 and can be compared for resolution with S5, 200 has really nice clarity and details too, not as good as wired earphones like S5 or AD2 but better than S0.
All in all it has a good quality bass with nice details and resolution, lacks with speed and decay which is sacrifice-able given that its a BT earphone.
It’s an improvement for sure and I’m loving it.
MIDS:-
Mid range is good, really good, not drowned at all in fact more forward than the 100. It’s really nice and i think its comparable with something like a RE-400, nope, I am not saying its better but it has the openness and space like the RE-400. 200 don’t pick up notes like the RE-400 for sure, neither does it has the clarity to compare but it keeps the presentation similar.
Let it be male of female vocal, everything sounds really soft and nice, yes it lacks depth but that is what make it useable for longer hours. Instruments are good but tend to sound slightly off and lacking resolution, clarity and transparency which is understandable, at the end of the day it’s a BT device.
Its sound stage is on the bigger side for an earphone. It has average depth but has nice width and height.
HIGHS:-
Now as I said earlier it doesn’t have much extension up to just like its predecessor BLU 100, it does have some shimmer and slight amount of spark and that’s it. It doesn’t have good resolution nor has clarity or transparency.
Cymbals are okay, guitars are good, but when you get into some fast paced music with some serious instrument work, it its better than BLU-100 still falls kind of flat. It lacks speed for house and bite for rock music.
Highs are nothing you should write home about, but its gets the work done.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADD NEXT:-
1. It will be nice of Brainwavz can add some more battery life, 3-4hrs operating time is okay but not good.
2. They should add water and dust resistance with their next.
3. slightly better build quality.
CONCLUSION:-
BLU-200 is an awesome gym companion even if you don’t sweat like hell, use comply for better traction. Its on the bigger side but not bothering by any means, weight is under control too. Running outdoor with this is a bad idea though.
For those who are looking for an earphone with good sound quality without breaking their bank, wants to get rid of those bothering cable while at work or are tired of holding the phone close to their ears.
One should not expect awesome details or anything that excites an audiophile. It’s better than average and is fun and keeps one seated.
If you are looking for a wireless BT earphone for around $50 with good SQ and awesome customer support do have a look at BLU-200. It won’t disappoint you.
I hope you liked my Review. Thanks for reading.
Have a nice day, enjoy.
Cinder
Formerly known as Res-Reviews
Pros: Energetic sound signature, solid construction, good charge time, decent resolution and articulation
Cons: Mediocre playback time
-Introduction-
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Brainwavz has been making some really well-priced earphones recently. As a new edition to their lineup, the BLU-200 is no exception. Aimed squarely at active folk, the BLU-200 brings a decent sounding pair of Bluetooth earphones to the table, with a durable aluminum body, all for $54. However, is it a worthwhile addition to the active audiophile’s collection? I think so.[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]You can find the BLU-200 for sale here on Brainwavz’s official website.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Disclaimer: This review is based upon a sample unit provided to me by a manufacturer in exchange for my honest opinion and un-edited words. I do not profit in any way from the writing of the review. I would like to thank Pandora at Brainwavz for providing me with this unit.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Preference and Bias: Before reading a review, it is worth mentioning that there is no way for a reviewer to objectively pass judgment on the enjoy-ability of a product: such a thing is inherently subjective. Therefore, I find it necessary for you to read and understand what I take a natural liking to and how that might affect my rating of a product.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]My ideal sound signature would be an extended sub-bass with a leveled, but textured, bass. The mids should be slightly less pronounced than the treble, but still ahead of the bass. I prefer a more bright upper range.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Source: The BLU-200 was paired to a Nexus 6P. All music was served as FLAC, ALAC, or as 320Kbps Mp3 via aptX.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Tech Specs[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]- Transducers/Drivers: Dynamic, 9.2 mm
- Rated Impedance: 16 Ω Closed Dynamic
- Sensitivity: 96 dB at 1 mW
- Frequency range: 20 ~ 20000 Hz
- Bluetooth 4.0 (CSRBC8645) with aptX
- Operation max distance: 30 ft (10 m)
- Battery: 60 mAh — 4 hrs playtime, 100 hrs standby, 2 hrs for full charge (Micro USB charging)
- CVC echo and noise cancellation
- Supports voice prompt for MMI: Power on / Paring / Connecting / Battery low / Power off
- Supports HFP, HSP and A2DP
- Supports pairing with two devices at the same time
- 3 button remote, works with Apple iOS products, Android & Windows phones & PC
The above tech specs were taken directly from the Brainwavz official website.
[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]-Sound Signature-[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Initial Impressions: These impressions were taken before I’d seen any FR response graphs or measurements.[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The BLU-200 is V-shaped. Definitely. However, for the BLU-200’s intended uses, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Music is very energetic when played through the BLU-200, with engaging treble and a rumbling bass. I don’t notice any particular looseness, but at the same time don’t sense an specific shaping.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Treble: Songs used: White Flag, Midnight City, Outlands[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]There is definitely some roll-off in the upper treble. In White Flag, this manifested itself by making the artificial vocal echos very quite, and almost inaudible. However, there is still good articulation and some decent retrieval for the mid and lower-treble.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In Midnight City, it is apparent that treble is not a main focus of the BLU-200. It’s not bright, and tends to sit further back in the mix.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Outlands did perform quite well for a pair of Bluetooth earphones. The violins were layered fairly well, and barely bled together, if at all. Furthermore, there is a certain amount of air, allowing the song to take on a slightly symphonic feel. It’s not quite as good as some similarly priced wired earphones, but does come close.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Mids: Songs used: The Drift, Jars, I Am The Highway[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The lower-mids of The Drift seem to be less emphasized than the mid-bass, but are never drowned out by them. The mids seem to be recessed, but are still articulate. However, they aren’t too engaging, and take a more relaxed feel to them.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The story continues into Jars. The guitars which normally have a harder and more electric edge to them come across as slightly soft on the BLU-200. The lower-mids are still separated from the bass and mids, letting the bass guitar come through and resolve fairly well. The vocals are also slightly recessed behind the guitars, hinting at a more emphasized lower-mids frequency response.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]At least the BLU-200 is consistent. I Am The Highway’s vocals were also slightly pushed backwards into the song, and had a certain softness to them. The guitars were present, and had some good detail, but were missing the edge I usually look for. That being said, I don’t see it as all doom and gloom. The BLU-200 isn’t designed for audiophile grade critical listening. It’s designed to give an immersive listening experience to people on the go, and in I Am The Highway, it does so.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Bass: Songs used: Lights, Kyoto, 99 Problems (Hugo Cover), Leave Me[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Mid-bass and sub-bass response is good. However, I find that despite the bass having the appropriate quantity, it is rather unshapen and formless. This doesn’t cause the bass to be boomy, but does make kick-drums and other acoustics lack definition.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In 99 Problems I found bass placement to be fairly good. It didn’t overpower the song, as it easily could have, and remained at the right level of rumbliness. However, it did lack definition, taking on a rather undefined and soft shape.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Leave Me was a good listening experience, as I do not think it ever demands too much shaping, instead asking for lots of sub-bass. However, I did notice the “rattling sound” Taska Black mixes into their bass drops did come across as fuzzy — something that did bother me a bit. The basshead in me wishes that there was more sub-bass.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Clarity: Songs used: Throne, Map of The Problimatique, I’m Not Alright[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Throne performed better than I had expected. The vocal harmonies during the chorus remained well defined. In fact, the only point of distortion was the high-hats during the chorus — something many other more expensive IEMs can’t say for themselves.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Map of The Problimatique performed well, and had no distortion. The mids were resolved well, as was the bass. However, as I mentioned earlier, the BLU-200 has some upper-treble roll-off. Therefore, some background details that would have normally been present were very quite or inaudible.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]I’m Not Alright performed very well, with no distortion and minimal loss of detail. Even during the chorus, the violins remained separate from the guitars, and weren’t drowned out. In fact, the BLU-200’s performance in this song is among the best I’ve tested in terms of clarity and transparency.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Male Vocals: Song used: Hotel California, Ashes of Eden, Sunday Bloody Sunday[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Male vocals are satisfactory. As I mentioned earlier, they tend to be moved slightly backwards into the song. They do sound full and bodied, and have no noticeable coloring. The BLU-200 is able to resolve the high-pitches vocals from Sunday Bloody Sunday just as well as the deep and more sonorous vocals from Ashes of Eden.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Female Vocals: Songs used: Stupid Girl, Need Your Heart, CrushCrushCrush[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]In some instances, the Kai’s vocals in Need Your Heart came across as slightly too thin, and bordered on sibilant. Thankfully, the rest of the time I had no issues and enjoyed the song without hearing any notable flaws.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]CrushCrushCrush and Stupid Girl both performed decently, and had very little coloring. I noticed that the vocals were a tad dark, and had the same softness I had encountered in earlier test songs.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Sound Stage[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The sound stage is 3D, but takes the form of a small box. It’s an intimate listening experience, benefiting of an IEM intended to be used in the gym. There is a moderate amount of width, some depth, and a moderate amount of height, though some songs do not make use of the space available.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Packaging / Unboxing[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]There’s not much to see here, as the BLU-200 came in very basic packaging. I’m glad the Brainwavz decided to skimp on the luxurious boxes some other IEMs come in, and allocate those funds to actual construction of the IEM.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Inside the box you will find the BLU-200 and its accessories nestled inside its case, along with an information handout.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]-Build-[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Construction Quality[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The construction quality of the BLU-200 is very high, and does not appear to be compromised on. The driver-housings are made from aluminum, and are attached to the cable via a thick plastic brace. The cable itself is a tangle-resistant flat cable, that appears to be durable. The inline controls are also made from soft-touch plastic, and have a very solid feeling to them. The buttons depress with a satisfying click.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Charging and Connectivity[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Brainwavz quotes the BLU-200 to have enough battery life for four hours of continual playback, and up to 100 hours of standby time. I’ve been able to confirm the playback quote, and have gotten up to 4 hours and 10 minutes in one session, and never having gotten less than 3 hours and 52 minutes.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Brainwavz also states the BLU-200 can charge fully in under 2 hours. This estimate is a little conservative — after draining the BLU-200 completely, it took me roughly 105 minutes to charge over the included micro USB cable.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The BLU-200 makes uses of the Bluetooth 4.0 aptX standard, allowing it to stream up to CD quality audio from your preferred source. As with most Bluetooth devices, the BLU-200 has a range of 30 feet (10 meters) unobstructed. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a full 30 feet out of the BLU-200 in my house, with the audio cutting out at about 24 feet. Your mileage may vary.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Comfort[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The BLU-200 is reasonably comfortable, especially when using the included Comply eartips. I had expected the large metallic driver housings to be heavy enough to pull the BLU-200 out of my ears when running, but to my surprise, they held fast. However, even with the ear-hooks, I was unable to keep the BLU-200 secure during my BMX sessions; I never really did expect it to be able to hold in the first place, considering my friends’ Jaybird Freedoms and X2s don’t stay in that well either.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Controls[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]Brainwavz equipped the BLU-200 with a fairly competent set of inline controls. Compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows, the BLU-200 has full rich-control functionality including volume control, fast forward, rewind, and voice control launch.[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]-Accessories-[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]While not filled to the brim with them, the BLU-200 does have a fair selection of accessories. Brainwavz stocked it with one set of Comply eartips, 2 extra sets of silicone eartips, rubber earhooks, a micro-USB charging cable, a hard carrying case, and a 24 month warranty card (not pictured).[/color][color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]-Summary-[/color]
[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8)]The BLU-200 is a solid choice for anyone looking for a pair of workout earphones with solid sound quality, and not wanting to break the bank. For $54 the BLU-200 is a great deal.[/color]