Beta Brainwavz Pro canalphones

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Thirty-five dollars doesn’t get you much these days. You might get an album on CD if you hunt around, a Maccas meal for two or a pair of movie tickets — but no popcorn. It’s surprising, then, that for less than three Banjos and a Queen Lizzy — that’s a $10 and a $5 note, Reserve Bank of Australia: $5 note — you can get a pair of earphones that are worlds better than stock iPod ear-buds, with passive noise cancellation and good bass response.

The Beta Brainwavz Pro earphones may not be the most attractive headphones you’ll ever buy, but at least they aren’t as extroverted as other models we’ve seen. They’re squat and finished in glossy black, sitting deep within your ear canal with only the thin headphone cable protruding. There are three sets of silicone ear tips and one foam set in the sales package. We think that the range of fitting options is a great bonus; usually only more expensive headphones feature a variety of tips.

We selected the sponge tips for the best fit, and found good levels of passive noise isolation. Canalphones aren’t always comfortable — you have to be okay with pushing an object into your ear — but the advantage is a significant increase in the amount of background noise blocked. This means overall volume levels can be lower, which helps with maintaining a healthy volume level and improving sound quality.

Sound from the Beta Brainwavz Pro canalphones is good, especially considering the low price tag. Bass is the standout performer. While it’s not deep and booming like you’d achieve with a pair of bigger headphones, it’s accurate and punchy with little superfluous decay. Mid-range is slightly recessed, but seems to have a relatively flat frequency response so there are no obvious dips in volume when listening to a vocal- or guitar-driven track with a variety of notes.

Treble frequencies are also slightly quieter than bass but they sit at a level roughly equal to mid-range means, so music sounds even and balanced — and applying a bit of equaliser adjustment through your MP3 player won’t create any distortion. The Beta Brainwavz Pro canalphones can reach painfully high volumes without clipping. This is largely thanks to their in-ear design, which relies on a highly sensitive driver at low volume levels when compared to traditional ear-buds.

The Beta Brainwavz Pro headphones are a good choice if you’re looking to upgrade from your stock iPod or MP3 player ear-buds. They offer reasonable sound quality and the bonus of passive noise isolation, at a price that won’t hurt your wallet.

You can buy the Beta Brainwavz Pro from MP4Nation.net.

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