December 2019

Great Audiophile Gift Ideas For The 2019 Holiday Season
Enjoy the Music.com celebrates our 14th annual gift ideas to give your audiophile!

Brainwavz Delta In-Ear Monitors

  Odd items cross my desk for possible review, and these apparently well-made examples of the usual £35 in-ear variety caught my attention – especially after I discovered that these only cost £20 ($22.50 on Amazon). Key points are solid aluminum alloy construction, a well interfaced snap-in mount for the wide range of earbuds. An additional Comply memory foam tip for near perfect sealing means virtually noise-free operation for adjacent travelers, and almost no ambient noise leakage into the wearer’s ears. The tight seal takes some adjustment, but most users will take to it with gratitude, owing to the considerable benefit in useable signal-to-noise ratio. A good seal also defines good stereophony and the deepest and most powerful bass, as it did in this case.

This type of earphone intimately drives the ear canal entrance and requires very little power for a dynamically realistic result, and theoretically promises a long life provided they are not abused. Inside, tiny moving coil speakers are fitted within a sealed chamber capsule of machined alloy.

Functional details include clear channel labeling, a decent tangle resistant cable with intelligent strain relief at each junction, a full function line remote with microphone and volume, plus track change, Android and iOS. A most detailed operating guide includes excess volume ear safety guidance and a 24 month warranty.

The sound is not high end, nor was it expected to be, but it was sufficiently musical for me to persevere, noting a smooth, fatigue free mid and lower treble. Rock oriented, it had strong bass lines which were well articulated and quite well timed, a smooth midrange, and a mildly dull treble that lacked extension to higher frequencies. Stereo imaging and depth was above average while nothing in the sound annoys. You can buy Brainwavz Delta In-Ear Monitors on Amazon for fast delivery.

Recommended by Martin Colloms of HIFICRITIC magazine.

---> Back to Great Audiophile Gift 2019 main page.