What’s better than a nice, clean shave in the morning?
I’m a double-edge safety razor type of person (today’s shave: Fantasia sandalwood soap, cheap abody shaving brush (it sucks as the brush part isn’t removable and of low quality as it still loses hair to this day, but the handle is very nice), Muehle R41 razor, Shark Super Chrome blade (so much better than the standard Shark blades), Osma Alum block, Emporio Armani Stronger With You Intensely Eau de Parfum (had a tiny plastic spray bottle sample laying around that I totally forgot and wanted to try – well, okay… Don’t know what to think of it yet; definitely not the type of EDT/EDP I normally use… Very sweet, chocolaty and super intense – reminds me of the Axe Dark Temptation body spray I was gifted several years ago when it came out, but just like in audio, one cannot be 100% sure as memory is a bitch (I’d however assume that the memory of scents is somewhat less easily fooled as our auditory memory))). What type of person are you? Straight razor, Shavette, double edge safety razor, multi-blade razor or electric razor?

Here are a few additional websites that I find trustworthy and helpful that you may consider adding to your list :

audiosciencereview.com is a great and measurements- & objectivity-focused website with a main focus on DAC reviews (their output impedance measurements are somewhat higher than the actual output impedance of the devices, however the rest is performed with state-of-the-art audio measurement gear; great resource to see if a DAC/device has got flagship-worthy performance or is “flawed” and performs below specs, even though a lot of (even on the “bad” products) it is below the audible threshold anyway).

cymbacavum.com – trustworthy review site operated by Shotgunshane and a few other enthusiasts that I’m not really familiar with.

rinchoi.blogspot.com – not active anymore but a good resource for in-ear measurements and some modifications.

clarityfidelity.blogspt.com – great measurements of headphones, IEMs, earbuds.

en.goldenears.net – don’t know whether they’re still active or not, but they have many frequency response measurements, although their compensation target is somewhat weird and has changed over the years, however their raw data is mostly accurate.

blog.naver.com/prologue/PrologueList.nhn?blogId=gre_nada offers many frequency response measurements (It’s a review blog but in Korean language).

Anyway, I hope that the B200 v2, KOEL and the B400 variation problems are just a temporary slip and that Brainwavz can return to the glorious days of the original B200, B100, B150 and B2 (I have unfortunately never heard the latter or seen measurements of it, however it seems like it was a good product), and perhaps even offer a mostly neutrally tuned product again, or at least continue to produce pleasantly tuned, full sounding BA in-ears with good quality control and driver matching.

Cheers

P.S. Send me an email…nice to have you back! I missed your technical knowledge but you obviously were a great teacher considering the overlap of our Koel reviews.

As to “free samples”. I said it all along: sample — a small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like.

I would like to return the Koels to Brainwavz for analysis.

It’s a pity for me to see that Brainwavz, who paved a very good way with the (“old”) B200 (with black case and fixed cables), B100 and B150, are now going down the drain with the B200 v2 and KOEL. The B400 is a kind of middle thing, however not a bad product (although imo inferior to the original B200). But the KOEL and B200 v2 are just laughable when it comes to the bass range. Of course, this is somewhat concealed by a mildly raised fundamental, but earbuds-like bass extension is shameful.
Neutral? Yes, please, but not with a rolled-off bass. Cheap or not, my MEE A151p (first generation), UE600vi, SoundMAGIC PL50 and Sony XBA-C10 as well as the single-BA Etymotic models are all pretty neutrally tuned and (except for the Etys, which are noticeably more pricier) inexpensive, but have a linearly extending bass (unfortunately most of them are no longer available). The same applies to the FiiO FA1. And for dynamic in-ears, models like my Fostex TE-02 or HiFiman HE-400i show what a neutral/natural sound with flawless bass extension looks like, too.
Sorry KOEL (and B200 v2), but I guess that was nothing.
I prefer the warm, full sounding B100, B150 and B200 (the original, not the laughable successor) to the KOEL and B200 v2 by a huge margin.

I have one of the first KOELs; the upper and super treble is more present that on yours’, but its bass roll-off is even a bit stronger.

Do Brainwavz even measure the models and prototypes before they go into production? Probably not, Otherwise I cannot explain the laughably bad bass extension of the KOEL and B200 v2. Are they even designed and manufactured in-house? Back in the day, they were OEM models of existing products.

No, the KOEL is really just an in-ear for audiobooks. For everything else, there are better alternatives.

Cheers