Intro




TL;DR: The KZ ATE sings loud and proud for such a cheap IEM. Despite that, they're one of the most aggressive sounding IEMs I've come across, for better or for worse.

Chinese manufacturer KZ is to headphones what Oppo or Huawei means to cellphones – cheap, of a decent quality, and Chinese. KZ was one of the first who came into the audiophile market riding the wave of distributor-sellers bridging the gap between Eastern manufacturers and Western consumers. They have seen become a staple recommendation for audiophiles with not much cash to burn, offering sound quality of much higher value than what their price tags would suggest.

This week we will be taking a look at one of the older, but still highly recommended KZ models – the ATE. My experience with the KZ ED9 was not a very good first impression (it had channel imbalance issues straight out of the box), so now, let's find out if maybe I simply got off on the wrong foot.

(Disclaimer: the product in review was received free of charge from George at Gearbest.com in exchange for my honest opinion. Please take the following with a grain of salt and always try before you buy.)


Intro



TL;DR: The Macaw T60 is not a particularly amazing IEM. That is, until you factor in the low, low price of $20, at which point it becomes one of the best bargain Bluetooth IEMs on the market.

In many markets, there is no denying the significant presence of Chinese brands that compose the bulk of its products – and the audio industry is no exception. However, what I feel is unique about the audio industry is the rather broad acceptance of these brands in consumer and critic circles. Brands like HiFiMAN and FiiO have maintained a solid following as full-blown manufacturers, while sellers such as Penon Audio and Gearbest built the bridges between the small-time Chinese manufacturers and the rest of the world.

That's why over the next month and a half, I will be releasing four back-to-back reviews of Chinese-brand IEMs, starting with the Macaw T60, a Bluetooth IEM. As far as I can tell, Macaw has a decently-sized product line being sold by various online sellers, and a particular earphone, the GT100s, has had a decent reception on the forums. Now, with that impression aside, I guess we can say the T60 will be pretty good, right? Let's get to it.

(Disclaimer: the product in review was received free of charge from George at Gearbest.com (whom I would also like to thank) in exchange for my honest opinion. Please take the following with a grain of salt and always try before you buy.)

Intro



TL;DR: The Brainwavz B200 exceeds expectations with its flagship IEM status, providing an excellent all-around package that embodies the very best of Brainwavz.

(Update 1/05/2018: Sometime in 2017 the B200 ahs been updated with removable cables and halved in price. This review, now since this B200 is now discontinued, is now obsolete, but sound impressions should still be accurate.)

Brainwavz has long been known for being a manufacturer that consistently releases great-sounding, high-quality earphones at price tags that won't break the bank. This combination has been the core of every Brainwavz release since the very beginning. But what if they decide to take all of that experience and channel it into a set of truly extraordinary earphones? That, my friends, is what I'll be covering here today: the Brainwavz B200.

The B200 is the highest-end model of Brainwavz' brand new balanced-armature B series of earphones, and is priced at a cool $200 – by far the most expensive Brainwavz earphone to date. But does that mean they're the best Brainwavz earphone? Let's find out.

(Disclaimer: the product in review was received free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. Please take the following with a grain of salt and always try before you buy.)


Intro


TL;DR: The Brainwavz BLU-Delta adds Bluetooth functionality to an already-excellent IEM, creating what I would say is a stroke of genius.

Over the past years we’ve covered both of Brainwavz’ prime Bluetooth earphones – the BLU-100 and the BLU-200. Knowing this, Brainwavz gave me the opportunity to have a listen at yet another wireless offering, albeit this time, the product in question is a bit different. This, my readers, is the Brainwavz BLU-Delta – essentially the Brainwavz Delta turned into a Bluetooth-capable, battery-powered cyborg of an earphone. How will it fare in its new market? Let’s find out.

(Disclaimer: the product in review was received free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. Please take the following with a grain of salt and always try before you buy.)



TL;DR: Though its price tag is a bit hard to justify, the Brainwavz Krudul Duo is a versatile earphone storage solution that you will want if you need one.

Before I begin I would like to thank Pandora at Brainwavz for providing a review sample of the Brainwavz Krudul Duo. I am not directly affiliated with Brainwavz or any of its staff beyond my role as a reviewer, nor was I paid in any form to write this review. All opinions and photos in the review are explicitly my own unless otherwise specified. Finally, please take the following opinions expressed in the review with a grain of salt. Thanks!

On DB Headphones, we've talked about some accessories a few times. One time I talked about some earpads; another time I talked about a headphone hanger. This time we're going to take a look at something similar to the latter. Meet the Brainwavz Krudul Duo.

Now, from the first picture you're probably wondering "What unusual doohickey has Brainwavz brought to your desk now?" The Brainwavz Krudul Duo is an earphone hanger – much like a headphone hanger, but for earphones. It's not that different from the headphone hangers that Brainwavz also sells, such as the Hengja which I previously reviewed, so I'm sure this review will be no different. Let's get to it.

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.