Brainwavz Jive Noise review: Price and availability
Brainwavz Jive Noise review: Design and build quality
Here, we find mostly happiness. At this price, you are really not entitled to expect all that much in terms of style and build quality. But we are impressed with the Brainwavz Jive Noise. Build quality is really rather good. The Brainwavz Jive Noise feature a solid metal casing, and are available in black, blue, green, red, white and purple. We tested black, naturally. An in-ear earphone doesn’t need to look all that great, but there is a distinct feeling of class about the Brainwavz Jive Noise.
The on-cable remote is is plastic but not hideous, and comes with a three-button layout. The cable itself is an ordinary rubber-wrapped affair. It is thin, and slight, and round. So although we had absolutely no problems with wear and tear during several weeks of robust usage, I would be concerned about tangle and breakage over the longer term. As you would expect- and hope for in an in-canal earphone, the Brainwavz Jive Noise has a lengthy earpiece that fits deep inside your ear canal. So straight out of the box we found that noise isolation was good, without any faffing about to get a better fit. However, as we outline below the Brainwavz Jive Noise comes with a variety of additional tips, so anyone should be able to find a good fit and isolation. Overall I would say that the design and build quality of the Brainwavz Jive Noise is good. Excellent at this price.
Brainwavz Jive Noise review: Specifications and features
The Brainwavz Jive Noise comes with 9mm dynamic drivers, and a 16Ohm impedance rating. The frequency range is 20-20,000Hz, sensitivity is 98dB @ 1 mW. The copper audio cable is 1.3m long, the 3.5mm jack is gold plated, and there is a hard-cover carry case that you will never use (but that will keep your headphones safe).
On the cable is a three-button remote that offers phone call control, and audio player control. It supports Apple iOS and Android devices, and worked fine with both in our tests. As well as the hard case you get three sets of silicone ear tips in various sizes. There is also a set of comply foam tips, and for those with an underdeveloped sense of the ridiculous, a shirt clip and a velcro cable tie.
Brainwavz Jive Noise review: Sound quality
We reach the crux of the matter: what does noise sound like when channeled into your ears via the Brainwavz Jive Noise. Pretty decent. It can’t match the promise of the build quality, but unless you are an audiophile or a bass fiend you will be more than satisfied with the Brainwavz Jive Noise. Let’s start with the bass: it’s not really there. I mean, it is present, but there is no real punch from the bottom end. And this, combined with the detail in the top end, can mean certain tracks punch a bit too much from the top for our liking. If you are into bass, you may find things a litle shrill. What we do like is the detail. We found we could pick out individual instruments and voices at the top, middle and bottom of any mix. And the volume is pretty good, too. There is none of that slight distance we sometimes relate to cheaper headphones. Overall then the Brainwavz Jive Noise is better than it ought to be. Not audio that will blow you away, but much better than cheap headphones have any right to be. For your daily commute earphones, they will suffice. (Read next: Best budget earphones 2016 UK.) Matt Egan is Global Editorial Director of IDG, publisher of Tech Advisor, and a passionate technology fan who writes on subjects as diverse as smartphones, internet security, social media and Windows.
