Disclaimer: I would like to sincerely thank Salsera and Brainwavz for providing the sample R3 version 2.0 (R3v2) for this review.
For most of my audio listening “career”, I was never a big fan of in-ear-monitors (IEMs) or earphone/earbuds, tending to prefer more traditionally designed portable and full sized headphones. The major issues I had were trying to find the right positioning, fit, and seal to obtain the optimal sound quality. I could never seem to find the right position for the housings to stay in so the tips could stay sealed so the music could sound good so I resigned myself to sticking to headphones.
Then a while back I received a set of Brainwavz R3 earphones as a gift when I ordered an iBasso DX50. Their design was a bit unconventional but I found them to be an enjoyable introduction to the newer styles and design philosophies of modern IEMs. I managed to get them to fit in my ears without them wanting to fall out. They came with more ear tips (of multiple designs and materials) than I had ever seen including some that actually fit! Finally, along with the fit and seal came a sound was head and shoulders above what I experience before...approaching the level of quality headphones. It was enough to open my eyes to the potential sound quality of in-ear phones being made today.
The one thing the original R3s had that the other IEMs (I saw) didn’t have was memory wire. It was mentioned on the forums but I had never seen it, not knowing what it was or what it could do for me. When I got the original R3s, I noticed the driver housings were attached to a long stiff but formable wire that I could bend over and around my ears. It kept its shape and allowed me to “lock” the driver housings into my ears, maintaining a good solid seal and allowing me to hear the music at its best. The only downside was there was about six inches of it that stuck out, inflexible, below the ears like the guy from Episode I of a certain famous movie franchise that I dare not mention (for copyright’s sake) lest I start a war amongst the stars.
It was annoyingly long; if I brushed the wire, it could unseat the housings from my ears. It was also pretty microphonic. Most of the reviews of the R3 at the time seemed to agree the length of the memory wire was too long and just needed to be shortened (or removed) to significantly improve the product. I was in the "shorten it" category.
A few weeks ago, Salsera contacted me on Head-Fi and asked me if I would be willing to evaluate version 2 of the R3s. Since I had (unfortunately I’ve passed them on) once owned the originals I was happy to see what (if any) improvements were made in the new version.
Here we have the box looking (if I remember correctly) pretty much the same as the original:
It comes with the (standard?) little carrying case and accessories including a 1/4" adapter and a selection of ear tips to include Comply Foam tips.
Here we see the most obvious difference between the original and version 2…version two has a much shorter, black wire connecting the housings with the gray rubberized cable.
The black wire is extremely soft and flexible and does absolutely nothing to help hold the large metal housings in my ears which constitutes my major complaint...more on that later.
The one thing the black wire does do is significantly reduce microphonics which is definitely a good thing.
The gray cable is the same rubberized cable as the earlier version which is stiff and hard to straighten out. If these were sport IEMs (which they aren't for two very important reasons), the gray cable would be perfect. As it is, the cable is heavy duty and should tolerate a good deal of daily use and abuse (be warned...the black wire near the housings does not appear to be as rugged so handle with care).
The large metal housings are heavy and hold two tuned dynamic drivers (or transducers as Brainwavz labels them). Each driver has a tuned port for airflow behind the driver and should not be blocked when worn or it will adversely affect the sound. The housings also have channels cut into them for routing the wire leads to the lower set of drivers. It is not a good idea to get water or sweat into the ports and channels which means these aren't ideal IEMs for working out.
Lower Ports Wire Channel
Wire Channel and Upper Port
Okay, my major issue with the "improved" version is Brainwavz completely did away with the memory wire and didn't provide a good means of keeping the housings in place in my ears. The biggest benefit of the memory wire is it helped keep the housings in position in my ear openings. I have to insert them at an angle and twist them to the vertical to get a seal. The memory wire would let me "lock" the housings in place, but the black wire is too flimsy and provides no support so the housings tend to want to move around and unseat themselves. I almost have to cinch the chin adjustment to the point of strangulation to get the housings to stay still. If Brainwavz would just add a short length of memory wire back along with the black wire (to reduce microphonics) OR a pair of over-the-ear brackets to clip the wire to, then the R3s would have all its problems solved (okay, the gray cable too for people that think it's an issue...).
I've focused on the construction differences because the sound of the R3s is as good as I remembered. Th R3s were the first IEMs I tried that sounded close to headphone quality (helped no doubt by the tips and seal with my ears). Please note that all my opinions on sound are completely subjective and your mileage may vary. My choices of music include pieces that I am extremely familiar with:
- Red Wine from "Fresh Aire IV" (Mannheim Steamroller)
- A Recurring Dream within a Dream from "A Valid Path" (Alan Parsons)
- Blue World from "The Present" (The Moody Blues)
- Take Me On and On from "Secret Messages" (ELO)
My source was a FiiO X5 and my PC using Foobar2000 and a Soundblaster Z-Series audio card. The IEMs I had for comparison were the Brainwavz S5 (single-driver dynamic IEM), Dunu DN-1000 (3-driver hybrid IEM), and RockJaw Alfa Genus (single-driver dynamic IEM).
Soundstage: The soundstage is a bit narrow compared to the DN-1000 hybrid IEM but pretty much on par with the other dynamics. The port behind the driver is for air movement but I'm not sure it has the same effect as an open-backed headphone...at least I didn't experiment with plugging the ports.
Bass: The bass is better than the two single driver dynamics and almost as good as the hybrid. That comes from having a dedicated bass driver (transducer). I found that it didn't reach the sub-bass harmonics that the DN-1000 reached, but that could be due to a number of issues such as poor seal (oh memory wire, where art thou?), poor choice of ear tip (on my part), or not enough burn-in time.
Mids: I love the mids. I had to find just the right position for the mids to appear but when they did they were smooth and silky. They are only trumped by the hybrid IEMs. The Single Driver IEMs tend to suffer in the mids while trying to cover all the other frequencies.
Treble: Smooth and not fatiguing. The beauty of having the two transducers was one driver taking the lower frequency load off and letting the other excel in medium to high frequencies and it does. I find the treble does not roll off like the single driver IEMs.
Balance: As in balanced sound...this has been very difficult because of the housing fit and positioning issues. But when I find that balance, the R3s shine for me. Two drivers is an excellent way to achieve a balanced sound. The hybrid DN-1000s use three drivers (of two different types). I feel the R3's sound is balanced and enjoyable.
So I am still impressed with their sound, but frankly the new R3s are let down by their "improvements". The original R3 memory wire was too long and got in the way but it served to keep the housings sealed and positioned right where I needed them to be. Brainwavz would do well to re-introduce it (just not so long) or provide over-the-ear brackets that would hold the black wire (and thus the housings) in place.
Then the R3 can be appreciated for what it is...a really good sounding IEM.
For most of my audio listening “career”, I was never a big fan of in-ear-monitors (IEMs) or earphone/earbuds, tending to prefer more traditionally designed portable and full sized headphones. The major issues I had were trying to find the right positioning, fit, and seal to obtain the optimal sound quality. I could never seem to find the right position for the housings to stay in so the tips could stay sealed so the music could sound good so I resigned myself to sticking to headphones.
Then a while back I received a set of Brainwavz R3 earphones as a gift when I ordered an iBasso DX50. Their design was a bit unconventional but I found them to be an enjoyable introduction to the newer styles and design philosophies of modern IEMs. I managed to get them to fit in my ears without them wanting to fall out. They came with more ear tips (of multiple designs and materials) than I had ever seen including some that actually fit! Finally, along with the fit and seal came a sound was head and shoulders above what I experience before...approaching the level of quality headphones. It was enough to open my eyes to the potential sound quality of in-ear phones being made today.
The one thing the original R3s had that the other IEMs (I saw) didn’t have was memory wire. It was mentioned on the forums but I had never seen it, not knowing what it was or what it could do for me. When I got the original R3s, I noticed the driver housings were attached to a long stiff but formable wire that I could bend over and around my ears. It kept its shape and allowed me to “lock” the driver housings into my ears, maintaining a good solid seal and allowing me to hear the music at its best. The only downside was there was about six inches of it that stuck out, inflexible, below the ears like the guy from Episode I of a certain famous movie franchise that I dare not mention (for copyright’s sake) lest I start a war amongst the stars.
A few weeks ago, Salsera contacted me on Head-Fi and asked me if I would be willing to evaluate version 2 of the R3s. Since I had (unfortunately I’ve passed them on) once owned the originals I was happy to see what (if any) improvements were made in the new version.
Here we have the box looking (if I remember correctly) pretty much the same as the original:
It comes with the (standard?) little carrying case and accessories including a 1/4" adapter and a selection of ear tips to include Comply Foam tips.
Here we see the most obvious difference between the original and version 2…version two has a much shorter, black wire connecting the housings with the gray rubberized cable.
The black wire is extremely soft and flexible and does absolutely nothing to help hold the large metal housings in my ears which constitutes my major complaint...more on that later.
The one thing the black wire does do is significantly reduce microphonics which is definitely a good thing.
The large metal housings are heavy and hold two tuned dynamic drivers (or transducers as Brainwavz labels them). Each driver has a tuned port for airflow behind the driver and should not be blocked when worn or it will adversely affect the sound. The housings also have channels cut into them for routing the wire leads to the lower set of drivers. It is not a good idea to get water or sweat into the ports and channels which means these aren't ideal IEMs for working out.
Lower Ports Wire Channel
Wire Channel and Upper Port
Okay, my major issue with the "improved" version is Brainwavz completely did away with the memory wire and didn't provide a good means of keeping the housings in place in my ears. The biggest benefit of the memory wire is it helped keep the housings in position in my ear openings. I have to insert them at an angle and twist them to the vertical to get a seal. The memory wire would let me "lock" the housings in place, but the black wire is too flimsy and provides no support so the housings tend to want to move around and unseat themselves. I almost have to cinch the chin adjustment to the point of strangulation to get the housings to stay still. If Brainwavz would just add a short length of memory wire back along with the black wire (to reduce microphonics) OR a pair of over-the-ear brackets to clip the wire to, then the R3s would have all its problems solved (okay, the gray cable too for people that think it's an issue...).
I've focused on the construction differences because the sound of the R3s is as good as I remembered. Th R3s were the first IEMs I tried that sounded close to headphone quality (helped no doubt by the tips and seal with my ears). Please note that all my opinions on sound are completely subjective and your mileage may vary. My choices of music include pieces that I am extremely familiar with:
- Red Wine from "Fresh Aire IV" (Mannheim Steamroller)
- A Recurring Dream within a Dream from "A Valid Path" (Alan Parsons)
- Blue World from "The Present" (The Moody Blues)
- Take Me On and On from "Secret Messages" (ELO)
My source was a FiiO X5 and my PC using Foobar2000 and a Soundblaster Z-Series audio card. The IEMs I had for comparison were the Brainwavz S5 (single-driver dynamic IEM), Dunu DN-1000 (3-driver hybrid IEM), and RockJaw Alfa Genus (single-driver dynamic IEM).
Soundstage: The soundstage is a bit narrow compared to the DN-1000 hybrid IEM but pretty much on par with the other dynamics. The port behind the driver is for air movement but I'm not sure it has the same effect as an open-backed headphone...at least I didn't experiment with plugging the ports.
Bass: The bass is better than the two single driver dynamics and almost as good as the hybrid. That comes from having a dedicated bass driver (transducer). I found that it didn't reach the sub-bass harmonics that the DN-1000 reached, but that could be due to a number of issues such as poor seal (oh memory wire, where art thou?), poor choice of ear tip (on my part), or not enough burn-in time.
Mids: I love the mids. I had to find just the right position for the mids to appear but when they did they were smooth and silky. They are only trumped by the hybrid IEMs. The Single Driver IEMs tend to suffer in the mids while trying to cover all the other frequencies.
Treble: Smooth and not fatiguing. The beauty of having the two transducers was one driver taking the lower frequency load off and letting the other excel in medium to high frequencies and it does. I find the treble does not roll off like the single driver IEMs.
Balance: As in balanced sound...this has been very difficult because of the housing fit and positioning issues. But when I find that balance, the R3s shine for me. Two drivers is an excellent way to achieve a balanced sound. The hybrid DN-1000s use three drivers (of two different types). I feel the R3's sound is balanced and enjoyable.
So I am still impressed with their sound, but frankly the new R3s are let down by their "improvements". The original R3 memory wire was too long and got in the way but it served to keep the housings sealed and positioned right where I needed them to be. Brainwavz would do well to re-introduce it (just not so long) or provide over-the-ear brackets that would hold the black wire (and thus the housings) in place.
Then the R3 can be appreciated for what it is...a really good sounding IEM.
I also agree that there will be a point where the drivers will eventually stop "evolving". For the HF-2, it was around the 150-175 hour mark (to my ears, at least).