Performance

MP4Nation's Brainwavz HM5 is equally comfortable for use on-the-go or at home, in front of one's desk. It is light. Closed-back, it does offer a few dBs of noise attenuation as compared to open-backed headphones. In terms of durability, I would have no qualms using it on a daily commute or while on a bike. Clamping force was a real issue at first, but a stretching exercise as I burned this set in resolved that problem.

In terms of tuning, the HM5 is very likeable, exhibiting a very smooth overall frequency response, which makes it very enjoyable to listen to no matter the track. Even poorly mastered tracks do not sound sibilant and maintain a good treble response.

The amount of bass is no let down either. The HM5 is comparable to Sennheiser's PX-200II if you can get the PX-200II to sit right, and the HM5 is better when it comes to extension. Both are close to each other in terms of definition, but the HM5's closed design and the fact that it is less sensitivity to positioning makes it the winner for me.

The HM5 has a surprisingly good sound stage. It does not produce the widest or deepest sound stage, but is very coherent even with multiple voices, which is probably due to its fast response and decay. Its sound stage is better than that of the somewhat softer-sounding PX-200II. Despite it lacking a bit of bass as compared to the HE-300 from HiFiMAN, I find myself preferring the HM5 for general representation, and HiFiMAN's offer costs $70 more.

Coming from the Takstar HD5500, the HM5 feels a bit more polished and slightly more comfortable on this reviewer's head. The HD5500 has a bit more bass, but is less controlled, and everything from the midrange and up is totally HM5 territory. The HM5 also has a far better sound stage, and while the HD5500 definitely packs a lot of punch for its price, it has a hard time dealing with the HM5.

Comfort-wise, the HM5 does alright for a set of closed backs. It does get hot over time, which could perhaps be mitigated by adding some semi-ventilated pads, which would undoubtedly affect the sound quality. One thing that could improve comfort for all of us with medium-sized or larger ears would be some additional padding material on the pads. This would raise the cups off the ears, which would completely avoid the issue of having your ear tips rub up against the cups' insides.