Here’s part one of a look at the Beta Brainwavz earphones where we’ll look at what’s in the box and how they perform as newborns before they’re burned in.

Review after the jump.

Inside the nice box you get the headphones and a great selection of tips and accessories, all nicely packaged in an almost sterile looking sealed plastic pouch. (Also in the box is a Mifo brand case and cable-winder which I didn’t find until I’d taken the composite photos below. Whoops. Still, they get their own pics later).

The Headphones

In terms of construction and looks, these are a really nice.
The earphones themselves have a classic black and silver style which accommodates any of the tips whether you choose to go with the orange, black or white colours.

The 1.2m cable feels strong and is well wound in the box keeping it from the kinks that can lead to terminal twisting.

There’s also a slight difference between these and a lot of other headphones in that where the cable meets the jack plug the plastic is moulded at an angle which is not only a nice touch, it’s also pretty practical.

As a 45 degree cable first-timer, I’m impressed. It makes wrapping the cable around the player easier and less obtrusive and when I’m taking it out of the player I’m not loosing the connection by pulling straight up as I’ve found with countless other audio cables and guitar cables in my time.

The Accessories

The most plentiful accessories are the array of quality tips that come with it.

Each tip fits the bodies perfectly meaning there’s no leaking of sound.

Silicone Tips

The silicone tips come in two styles, the white bi-flange tips the standard cones which come in white and orange.

Foam Tips

There are the most plentiful thanks to the new additions to the box, the black foam tips pictured.

The foam tips are possibly the snuggest fit but of course everyone has different preferences.
Whilst the black tips are the most stylish, the orange foam tips are almost cylindrical out the box but have the necessary ’squidginess’ to mould perfectly to the necessary shape, creating the best seal.
Luckily with the amount of tips included everyone should get the sound and fit they need.

Filter Caps

These tiny metal screw-on caps effectively cut out some of the high end, not in an intrusive way but by way of simply achieving a more well-rounded sound, especially just out of the box.

Without tips.

With tips

They screw on easily and don’t impede the fit of the tips.

Clip

This one’s simple enough, a sturdy plastic clip that keeps the cable close to your chest.

The Case & Winder

Hiding in the back section of the box was the almost overlooked Mofi brand case and cable winder.
The Mofi case was a really nice surprise and the cable winder is a sensible and practical solution to the equivalent of a bag full of noodles.

Sound

Twenty minutes out of the box they are already impressing.
After trying out all the different ear buds I’m already hearing a nice full sound from the off and hearing bass runs I didn’t think would be present at this early stage. That’s not to say they’ve got a true bass sound but they are far more present that I was expecting.
The stereo is good, the sound is bright and the sound is generally impressive, already sound as good as the best I’ve got from some other brands.
There’s also some really nice mid range and while it doesn’t have the full and present bass I’m expecting to come after burning in, with the help of the filter caps they’re fully listenable as there’s no horrible high-end punch to the sound that you can often come across with new earphones.
Already I’m excited about how they’re going to end up sounding once the drivers have burned in…see you in 100 hours for part 2.