# Brainwavz M1 - value for money earphones



## Krow (Apr 23, 2011)

*Brainwavz M1 review - excellent bang-for-buck earphones
*
I have spent the last few months drooling over audio gear, stalking several audiophiles on the internet. I also spent hours in the bathroom fantasising about writing product reviews. But it was only post my tryst with the Brainwavz M1 that I felt motivated and excited to write one.

*INTRODUCTION*

Hong Kong based MP4Nation's in-house brand Brainwavz, known for their excellent value for money IEMs (In-ear monitors) released the M1 last year, after the huge success of its elder brother, the M2. I did my research before ordering these earphones and I have never regretted my choice. I placed an order for three pieces on mp4nation.net when they had a pre-order offer running, thereby grabbing them at a super-duper-ultra-steal price of $28.50 (Rs. 1280) each. 

*farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5644632036_a16eeedd9c.jpg
*The long wait paid off*

My earphones arrived in January, two months after I had placed the order (I got them shipped via Registered Mail) but it was worth the wait. The moment I began unpacking, I knew that I would fall in love with them.

*THE BOX*

*farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5644068549_04a86ac0fe.jpg
*The cosy innards of the M1 residence*

The earphone came well-packed with a sponge coating that houses the round, strong yet light case. Each pack came with three sets of silicone tips (small, medium, large), one pair of biflange tips and a shirt clip. It did not include the advertised foam tips or the ear glider.

*farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5644073335_91a54fd544.jpg
*Tips of all sizes with the shirt clip holding the biflanges*

The tips provided with the pack are comfortable. I wear the earphones for long hours without any discomfort or strain on my ears, so much so that I often forget that I am wearing them. The biflange tips fit my ears very well. Even those who sampled my M1 have not had any fit issues. 

*farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5644633630_dea9dd9a4f.jpg
*The package looks professional and keeps the M1 safe as well*

The overall package looks professional and at the same time is easy to ship. I shipped an M1 to a friend via SpeedPost (distance ~800km) in the standard EMS envelope and it reached him without damage to the packaging.

*BUILD QUALITY*

*farm6.static.flickr.com/5063/5644071209_f6b33ea60d.jpg
*Ill-treated M1 cable (left) and loved M1 cable (right)*

After using the M1 for a while, I figured that the textured cable, with a braided/meshed feel to it, remembers how you treat it. If you are careless with it, you’ll be left uncoiling nasty knots (unlike the Sennheiser LX-90 cable which straightens itself out magically no matter how you keep it). On the other hand, if you roll it up nicely, it rewards you by disentangling easily.

*farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5644072389_6a4202383b.jpg
*The sturdy connector with pink blips, errr... strips*

Its L-shaped (45 degree) connector is very well-built. Despite inserting it into tight audio jacks in computers’ front panels, it has survived, unlike my ex-earphones – the Sennheiser LX-90  whose housing came off when I yanked it out of a tight 3.5mm jack.

However, I wish the M1 had an I-shaped (90-degree) connector. That would be better for those who put their music players in their pockets. But I am not complaining as it still is very good for listening to music on laptops/desktops where the bend in the connector suits the angle of the jack. The pink strips on the connector don't quite fit with the otherwise neat look of the earphones. Black might have been better.

The left and the right earpieces have separate cables which meet like a 'Y' at the halfway mark. The earphone, with its plastic and aluminium housing, feels tough but is very light. There is no strain relief joining the cable to the earphone, unlike the M2, but the build quality of the cable seems strong enough to withstand strain. I have accidentally yanked the M1 out of my ears quite a few times and even sat on it once (luckily, I was on my bed), without damaging it . But please don't use this as an excuse to hack your M1 to pieces. 

*SOUND*

Time to attack the most important part of this review – the sound.  The M1 is my first IEM, so take the description with a pinch of salt. 

BASS

For my taste, the M1 gives sufficient bass – slightly laid back. I have tried listening to hip-hop tracks like In Da Club by 50 Cent, Pump It by Black Eyed Peas and Spun by Flipsyde to verify this. The bass sounds tight, almost like a punch on a leather bound book in a quiet room (no echo). It is not loud or boomy or woody, but controlled and always behind the vocals. Even though it does tend to lose its punch and become slightly thuddy in bass-heavy tracks, the bass does not sound unpleasant.

SOUNDSTAGE

The soundstage of the M1 is fairly wide. Many times, when I was sitting in a quiet room or walking down quiet streets, I turned and looked sideways to locate the source of a sound. It turned out to be a part of the song I was listening to. This is true for vocals as well as instruments. 

SEPARATION

From Flipsyde/Linkin Park to Metallica/Megadeth to Beethoven/Pt. Jasraj (hip-hop to metal to classical), the M1 retains good instrument separation. With some concentration, it is not too difficult to hear a particular instrument lurking in the background. 

Guitar sounds are reproduced well, without sacrificing details. Even the tabla sounds fantastic. Overall, mids sound clean and well-detailed. I tried some Opera tracks and liked how the highs sound.

Vocals sound recessed, so do the drums. The drums (and cymbals) lie right at the back. Yet I cannot say that any one sound overpowers the drums completely. Overall, M1 sounds is fairly balanced, with no single overpowering element .

ISOLATION

*farm6.static.flickr.com/5270/5644640946_a8695b2c86.jpg
*The comfortable biflange tips (far right) provide decent noise isolation*

The noise isolation is just enough to ensure that one can listen to music in a crowded bus without increasing the volume to ridiculously high levels. The wind creates some disturbance when I walk outdoors, but it doesn't kill the music. Also, when I wear the M1 straight (cable downwards), there is a disturbance when the cable rubs against my clothes or body. This can be taken care of easily by wearing them over the ears or by using the shirt clip provided.

I listen to my music at 25 - 30% on my Dell Studio 15 and 30-50% on my iPod Classic and I am pretty happy with the performance on both.

*CONCLUSION*

If you are looking for a balanced sounding IEM under Rs. 2000, then the Brainwavz M1 is for you.At $39.50 (Rs. 1780) from mp4nation.net, these earphones are still an excellent deal. Value for money at its peak, they are one of the best choices in that price range. I suggest those living in India to buy it from an Indian seller (like Pristine Note, Shop audio, headphones, amplifier, DAC, hifi, mp3, audiophile products online store India for Rs. 1950 with shipping) to avoid the two-month long wait.

Pros:

Value for money
Excellent build quality
Well balanced sound with good separation

Cons:

PMP/DAP users may like an I-shaped connector
Have to pull it out by the cable – a strain relief would have helped

*farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5644122371_7722a60f81.jpg
*The light and strong clamshell case*

Special thanks to TE Members, Faheem for recommending the M1 and BF1983 for selling me his iPod Classic at a price affordable to me. This review would not have been possible without both.

Extra special thanks to my friend who wished to remain anonymous for helping me with the photography and for going through the text of this review over and over until we managed to edit it well enough to make it flow. Without "Anonymous", this review would have been soulless.


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## Land rover (Apr 23, 2011)

A very comprehensive review with awesome pictures. 

Liked your description of its Sound.

Good for people like me who have never bought an earphone apart from those recommended by the cell-phone companies.


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## meiji_singh (Apr 23, 2011)

Being the ~800 'friend' to whom this was shipped, I have tried these and use these quite frequently, with my desktop, iPod Touch, Samsung Galaxy S and the Nokia N86. It works flawlessly on all of these, and the sound quality is amazing.


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## vickybat (Apr 23, 2011)

*@ Krow*

Excellent review buddy. Very helpful and shows that you truly are a pro in sound engineering. This review is better than many reviews in online sites. In short* "clear and comprehensive"*.

Did you find any difference in the nano and classic using the brainwavz? I really like to know this. Can you throw some light on it buddy?


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## coderunknown (Apr 23, 2011)

first of all, great review. really enjoyed reading. but 1 important point is that L shaped connectors are useful if you keep your pmp/mobile in your shirt pocket. cause i have used both I & L shaped & i prefer L shaped. 

but i specially liked that it shipped with useful accessories & the box itself made it look premium.


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## Krow (Apr 26, 2011)

Land rover said:


> A very comprehensive review with awesome pictures.
> 
> Liked your description of its Sound.
> 
> Good for people like me who have never bought an earphone apart from those recommended by the cell-phone companies.


Thanks a lot mate.  The idea was to be able to get across to even those who do not know much about sound and earphones.



meiji_singh said:


> Being the ~800 'friend' to whom this was shipped, I have tried these and use these quite frequently, with my desktop, iPod Touch, Samsung Galaxy S and the Nokia N86. It works flawlessly on all of these, and the sound quality is amazing.


Thanks bro! I'm glad you like the gift. 



vickybat said:


> *@ Krow*
> 
> Excellent review buddy. Very helpful and shows that you truly are a pro in sound engineering. This review is better than many reviews in online sites. In short* "clear and comprehensive"*.


That is flattering.  No, I am not a pro in sound engineering. I am just a noob who managed to review his first good pair of earphones.  Thanks for reading and your appreciation. It is really encouraging. 



> Did you find any difference in the nano and classic using the brainwavz? I really like to know this. Can you throw some light on it buddy?


I'll listen some more and post the difference. But from what I remember, the sound in the Nano was fuller, while that on the classic was a little neutral. I prefer the sound of the Classic, but my friend prefers the Nano. It is very subjective, as I mentioned earlier.



Sam said:


> first of all, great review. really enjoyed reading. but 1 important point is that L shaped connectors are useful if you keep your pmp/mobile in your shirt pocket. cause i have used both I & L shaped & i prefer L shaped.
> 
> but i specially liked that it shipped with useful accessories & the box itself made it look premium.



Thanks a lot.  Yes, it totally skipped my mind that the player could be kept in the shirt pocket as well. Thanks for pointing that out. I like 90-degree connectors personally. But this one is sturdy, so I don't mind the 45-degree one either.


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## Sid_hooda (Apr 26, 2011)

Haha, 2 months delivery from MP4Nation ? Looks like i got lucky (got a pair of M2's for a friend in 12 days) 

Good review though, and a good IEM too 
PS- How's the imaging of these IEM's (i.e. Instrument placement when listening to music) ? If its good, then i might get it for a friend who needs an IEM for gaming/music


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## Rockstar11 (Apr 26, 2011)

nice review


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## Faun (Apr 27, 2011)

Test these tracks:
Yasmin the Light - Explosion in The Sky
A Song For Starlit Beaches - Yndi Halda
New Born - Muse


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## rhitwick (Apr 27, 2011)

First: A great review Pranay. Very detailed. Alas! I'm in office so could not view the photos. 

Second: A very soulful review I would like to say 

Third: It would be nice if you could compare it with market toppers like Creative, Soundmagic, Sennheiser with respect to sound only. Well, its your first IEM, still a research on sound quality for your personal experience would be nice for us to set a benchmark.

Fourth: Again, great review. Keep it up.


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## Krow (Apr 27, 2011)

Sid_hooda said:


> How's the imaging of these IEM's (i.e. Instrument placement when listening to music) ? If its good, then i might get it for a friend who needs an IEM for gaming/music


Could you elaborate on what you want exactly? I did mention that no sound overpowers the other and that drums and cymbals lie right at the back, but are not overshadowed. Bass is recessed, vocals are mostly at the front. If there is anything specific you want to know, I'll tell you.



Rockstar11 said:


> nice review


Thanks. 



Faun said:


> Test these tracks:
> Yasmin the Light - Explosion in The Sky
> A Song For Starlit Beaches - Yndi Halda
> New Born - Muse


I'll get back to you once I listen to these.  It would help if you could provide links where I can listen to these unless you want me to test off youtube.



rhitwick said:


> First: A great review Pranay. Very detailed. Alas! I'm in office so could not view the photos.
> 
> Second: A very soulful review I would like to say
> 
> ...


Thanks a lot for your compliment.  Hmmm, I did think of posting about various competitors at the same price range. But then I thought that what people say they sound like might not be the same as my impressions.

Still, I'll see what I can do about this. Thanks again.


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## Faun (Apr 27, 2011)

Must say you got it at a much better price 
Brainwavz M1, M2, M3 and Pro Alpha - in stock

Can you breakdown the total price according to shipping charges, customs etc ?


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## Krow (Apr 27, 2011)

Faun said:


> Must say you got it at a much better price
> Brainwavz M1, M2, M3 and Pro Alpha - in stock
> 
> Can you breakdown the total price according to shipping charges, customs etc ?


It was a special pre-order offer. Each piece was available for $29.50. For each increase in quantity of order, you get a further discount of $1 - meaning I got each piece for $28.50. Shipping free via Registered Mail (took 2 months to arrive as things take time to get customs clearance from HK).

No customs charges. Lucky me. 

If you order the M1 now, you can get it for $39.50. You may wait for the next pre-order discount so that you can get a $10 discount. But what you will pay if you buy it from an Indian seller will be just 200 bucks more than the MP4 Nation price, which is better than waiting 2 months.

The other option is to choose FedEx as the shipping option at MP4 Nation. That will set you back by a further $19 plus whatever ridiculous customs charges you may incur.


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## Sid_hooda (Apr 28, 2011)

Krow said:


> Could you elaborate on what you want exactly? I did mention that no sound overpowers the other and that drums and cymbals lie right at the back, but are not overshadowed. Bass is recessed, vocals are mostly at the front. If there is anything specific you want to know, I'll tell you.


I mean, lets say you're listening to an orchestra, how well does the earphone place the various instruments and how much variation of their depth is perceived ?
Also, how well do these IEM's fir people with smaller ear canal's and did you wear them over-the-ear or straight down ?


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## Krow (Apr 28, 2011)

Sid_hooda said:


> I mean, lets say you're listening to an orchestra, how well does the earphone place the various instruments and how much variation of their depth is perceived ?
> Also, how well do these IEM's fir people with smaller ear canal's and did you wear them over-the-ear or straight down ?





			
				In the review said:
			
		

> The wind creates some disturbance when I walk outdoors, but it doesn't kill the music. Also, when I wear the M1 straight (cable downwards), there is a disturbance when the cable rubs against my clothes or body. This can be taken care of easily by wearing them over the ears or by using the shirt clip provided.



I usually wear them straight down when indoors and over the ears when outside.

Yes, one of my friends here uses the small silicone tips as the biflanges don't fit. The small tips keep falling off my ears. I guess that means his ear canals are smaller. And yes, he is pretty comfortable with the M1.

The instruments are separated well, but they are not far off from each other. They do not overlap completely though. Variation of depth is noticeable, but not so much in most songs. It is great in some songs like _Trumpets_ by Flipsyde or _Bohemian Rhapsody_ by Queen. Does that answer your query?


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## Sid_hooda (Apr 28, 2011)

Yes, thanks a lot man


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## Krow (Apr 28, 2011)

You are welcome. 

@ Faun, I'll post those impressions in a couple of days.


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## xtremevicky (May 2, 2011)

Very Good review . Brilliant picture presentation.

As my next buy will be a high end Earphones , This makes the list but is a little expensive for my first Earphones .


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## Krow (May 2, 2011)

xtremevicky709 said:


> Very Good review . Brilliant picture presentation.
> 
> As my next buy will be a high end Earphones , This makes the list but is a little expensive for my first Earphones .



Thanks a lot. 

These are my first IEMs and I do not regret spending as much as I did at all.


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## EdoPack (May 16, 2011)

Nice review! I've got the old gen iPod nano of the same colour (although it's on its last legs) that's coupled with the Brainwavz M2's - I do like heavy bass, mind!


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## Faun (May 16, 2011)

Krow said:


> You are welcome.
> 
> @ Faun, I'll post those impressions in a couple of days.



bamp


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## doomgiver (May 16, 2011)

Brainwavz M1 IEM Earphones - Preorder [Brainwavz-M1] - $29.50 : MP4 Nation!, :: Low Priced MP4, MP3 Players and the latest scoop on the newest MP4 Player

look at that price!


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## teejay_geekEd (May 17, 2011)

Great review man. 
And nice pictures too.
I'm also planning to write a review on my M2.


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## Krow (May 19, 2011)

EdoPack said:


> Nice review! I've got the old gen iPod nano of the same colour (although it's on its last legs) that's coupled with the Brainwavz M2's - I do like heavy bass, mind!


Thanks. I was going to buy the M2 initially, but its pre-order $10 discount slipped away and I settled for three M1s. 


Faun said:


> bamp


Sorry Faun, had no time till now. Soon I will post. 


doomgiver said:


> Brainwavz M1 IEM Earphones - Preorder [Brainwavz-M1] - $29.50 : MP4 Nation!, :: Low Priced MP4, MP3 Players and the latest scoop on the newest MP4 Player
> 
> look at that price!


I got it for a dollar less than that too. 


teejay_geekEd said:


> Great review man.
> And nice pictures too.
> I'm also planning to write a review on my M2.


Thanks. And do write your review (and post it here).


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## Rahim (Jun 1, 2011)

Sorry for bumping this thread. I have ordered M2 from Pristine Note at TE and sent the scanned copy of the payment but still not getting any confirmation or response  I hope everything will be all right?


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## Faun (Jun 1, 2011)

Krow said:


> Sorry Faun, had no time till now. Soon I will post.


Soon....



Rahim said:


> Sorry for bumping this thread. I have ordered M2 from Pristine Note at TE and sent the scanned copy of the payment but still not getting any confirmation or response  I hope everything will be all right?



You made the deal in TE forum ? If yes then no probs.


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## Rahim (Jun 2, 2011)

^I got a confirmation email this morning  Response is slow tbh.


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## Krow (Jun 3, 2011)

@Faun The problem is that I have no laptop/desktop now and the song is not on my iPod. Need to get it synced asap.


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## Rahim (Jun 3, 2011)

I got it today


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## XTerminator (Jul 23, 2011)

Since nobody has mentioned it,Id like to raise a doubt.

You used an ipod classic without it being rockboxed? that's practically phail as it has bs of a equaliser and theres a considerable sound difference when pair of good iems are used with an ipod and when used with a phone/pmp with adjustable equaliser settings.

ntl,iems look pretty badass


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## Krow (Jul 24, 2011)

I use my iPod with EQ off. I am not very fond of any of the presets except maybe rock. I'll post a comparison when I have another player.  As of now, these sound better on the iPod than on my Dell XCD35.


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## xtremevicky (Jul 26, 2011)

Well Kind of bumping this up . 

I am thankful to you . I bought M2 .


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## Krow (Jul 26, 2011)

Ha ha. You are most welcome.

Minor update: A friend's M1 is slightly damaged. The aluminium part of the ear housing got separated from the plastic part. I think the glue gave away as the earphones were in a bag with a load of other stuff. But then they are fine now. Plonked them back together and fixed.


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## noob (Jul 26, 2011)

Have purchased today  

Pics and review soon 



Krow said:


> I use my iPod with EQ off. I am not very fond of any of the presets except maybe rock. I'll post a comparison when I have another player.  As of now, these sound better on the iPod than on my Dell XCD35.



same here..EQ destroys the original composition. I always listen to pure music ,EQ OFF.

And ofcourse with iPod it will sound much better than laptop counter part. Sound chips make a huge difference.

how much is the burn-in period  for ear phones ?


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## Krow (Jul 27, 2011)

noob said:


> Have purchased today
> Pics and review soon


Waiting for review. 


> And ofcourse with iPod it will sound much better than laptop counter part. Sound chips make a huge difference.


I found the IEMs to work much better with a Dell Studio 15 laptop for songs as compared to the iPod Classic. Was not very good for movies though.


> how much is the burn-in period  for ear phones ?


Nothing really. M1s sound more or less the same no matter how much you use them. Even after six months of usage, I can't notice any difference in sound quality.


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## xtremevicky (Jul 28, 2011)

My M2 are working brilliantly with my Ipod Touch . 

They had a burn time of 2-3 hours !


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## XTerminator (Jul 31, 2011)

Anybody here uses the PL30/PL50?


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## pratik385 (Aug 2, 2011)

@Krow

Very nice review mate. Thanks it will be a great help, as iam planning to buy a iems. If my current cx180 can be repaired.
Well done 

@all

Guys please check my problem. I have sennheiser cx180 earphone, my younger bro have done something to it and now i cant properly hear from it. The problem is at the connector to the device the place where the sennheiser is written which led to 3.5mm jack. If the surface is held in some direction then it worked correctly. I dont have bill i have misplaced it somewhere. But i have the box in which it came. Its been over an year using it. But few months before this incident happened. What to do? Is there any sennheiser shop in Pune. What will be the repair cost, any idea?


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## Krow (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks pratik. 

You should start a thread in the Audio section for queries. Audio - Digit Technology Discussion Forum


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## Faun (Aug 2, 2011)

pratik385 said:


> @all
> 
> Guys please check my problem. I have sennheiser cx180 earphone, my younger bro have done something to it and now i cant properly hear from it. The problem is at the connector to the device the place where the sennheiser is written which led to 3.5mm jack. If the surface is held in some direction then it worked correctly. I dont have bill i have misplaced it somewhere. But i have the box in which it came. Its been over an year using it. But few months before this incident happened. What to do? Is there any sennheiser shop in Pune. What will be the repair cost, any idea?



internal wire snapped off./


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## pratik385 (Aug 3, 2011)

So what should i do now ?


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## Faun (Aug 14, 2011)

Temp solution is to hold it in a way that it works, otherwise you will have to change the cable.


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## Sarath (Aug 14, 2011)

pratik385 said:


> @Krow
> 
> Very nice review mate. Thanks it will be a great help, as iam planning to buy a iems. If my current cx180 can be repaired.
> Well done
> ...



I think I have the same problem. Mine are 1.5yrs old. The left speaker produces a distorted sound because of which I have dumped them. 
You should try contacting sennheiser and ask if its repairable before splurging in new ones. For 1500 bucks these are not cheap.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4:35pm- Read the review
4:50pm- Ordered M1 from pristine note
5:00pm- GF says she will get me Monster Turbine from UK. 
After 5pm-  ~>


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## Krow (Aug 14, 2011)

Sarath said:


> 4:35pm- Read the review
> 4:50pm- Ordered M1 from pristine note
> 5:00pm- GF says she will get me Monster Turbine from UK.
> After 5pm-  ~>



Today?  My tip: listen to both, sell off the one you don't like. You'll get a good price for both, just wash the tips you use.


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## Sarath (Aug 14, 2011)

Krow said:


> Today?  My tip: listen to both, sell off the one you don't like. You'll get a good price for both, just wash the tips you use.



Hey krow- the emoticons are overexpressive  . I am actually elated that I am finally getting headphones after such a long search. You review helped me nail my choice, although I had never factored in the M1.

Plus the turbine IEMs is just an added bonus. I am not sure if I will get them at all. 

Also the more the merrier. Looking at how my brother is treating his bundled apple earpieces, I am sure my M1 will find a new owner pretty soon. Also at 1999bucks the apple phones are far from moneys worth.

Oh forgot to mention, my bad: Great Review. (Yes, I am gonna copy your style a bit  )


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## Faun (Aug 14, 2011)

^^which one from monster turbines ?


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## Sarath (Aug 14, 2011)

^^Sorry didn't understand

Company:      Monster Cables
Model name:   Turbines
Type: In Ear   Monitors

If you are asking which of the turbines then I think its the most basic one selling for a cheap 8ooo bucks.

The next model is the turbine pro. Saw them for 1334*12= Rs.16000


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## Faun (Aug 14, 2011)

^^I guess this one 
Monster® Turbine™ High Performance In-Ear Speakers™

Looking for bass ?

Btw here are some other IEMs under same range to consider:
*www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/47856...trident-dn-16-hephaes-added-8-10#post_6492055


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## Sarath (Aug 15, 2011)

Yeah thats the link I posted for lynx


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## Krow (Aug 16, 2011)

Sarath said:


> (Yes, I am gonna copy your style a bit  )


Build on it and try to better it.  In case you need anything, feel free to ask.


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