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Basicly just out of curiosity I bought the Alpha Brainwavz. They look almost the same like the Smokin' Buds but are they the same in real life? I was hoping that the Brainwavz was the unbranded version of the Skullcandy's.

I took some side by side pictures to compare.

First the 3.5mm plug, the Brainwavz are having a slightly smaller sized plug, both are gold(ish) plated. The Brainwavz are having a big CHINA on the side.





The Smokin' Buds are having a volume control, the Brainwavz not. This kind of volume control is very convenient.




The shape of the earphones is almost excactly the same, just some minor details and the colors are different. The Brainwavz are having a black plastic ring and the Smokin' buds are having a chrome metal ring. The Smokin' buds are having a clear L-R mark, the Brainwavz have something familiar printed in the rubber, but it is too small to be convenient in daily use.











Finally the most important thing and that is sound quality, the sound quality from both sets is very close to eachother, the Smokin' buds seems to have a warmer sound but even that small difference can disappear once the Brainwavz are used more. My Smokin' buds are almost 1 year old so they are allready "runned un".

The wire on both headsets is Y-shaped, altough I used to have a white pair of Smokin' buds and they had the less convenient J-shaped cord.

The verdict: Get the Brainwavz, they are worth every cent and the overall build quality is very good.

UPDATE August 27:

I used the Brainwavz a few days now and I need to change my first opinion. They simply are better than the Skullcandy's. The sound from the Smokin' Buds is more muffled compared to the Brainwavz. 10/10 for the Brainwavz!!!

excellent review there hotbox and remarkably similar they are indeed, and if they are up to quality then even more of a bargin

A couple of friends from work have Skullcanady Smokin' Buds and I showed them my Alpha Brainwavz. Thay are really close in the looks department for sure. I was going to pick up a pair, until the Brainwavz came out.

Just a quick reply on the left and right ear on the Brainwavz. Instead of looking for the [L] and [R] on them, just remember to put the small rectangular hole facing the back of your head. Then they will always be in the proper ear. The hole is much easier to see than the stamped [L] and [R].

Very good idea, thank you.

must say though, i do prefer the two tone of the black and grey, to the all black of the Brainwavz, i think the Brainwavz just need a splash of A color somewhere, just to mae them stand out in looks as well as sound quality

My smokin buds are dying... the silver circle is chipped and is falling off. The sound is good, but i feel they could use some more base. Ill probably get the brainwavz with my next player.

A quick question, Do the brainwavz fall out your ears? I have small ears.

I'm still really thinking that the brainwavz need a logo. Not sure we can fit the full mp4nation logo on it, but perhaps just the lowercase script "n" in orange?

I think that could look pretty cool.

hey Hotboxx thanks for the comparison, i have been wondering how well the Alphas shape up to the Smokin Buds. I didn't even know the two shared the same design till i showed the design of the Alphas on the forum and some one emailed me asking if they were unbranded versions of the Smokin buds.

Now i do not know if the Alphas come from the same factory, the fact is this particular design is available from a couple of makers, but the sound quality does vary. Of course this is China, the makers may be making earphones in this design due to the popularity of the Smokin buds. Good to see that the Alphas to hold their own in the comparison.

No, they don't fall out of my ears, the standard rubber plugs fit very well. And they are delivererd with 2 more sets with different size. If your Smokin' Buds are dying, than you can replace them with the Brainwavz, you will not be dissapointed.

For some reason or another I always thought the smokin' buds would fall out of my ears. Some people say they stay and others say you can't even move around with them in.

So how long did it take for your Alpha Brainwavz to arrive?

A few day less than 2 weeks after I placed order I received the Brainwavz. I placed the order on August and they were shipped out on August 12 (there is a weekend in between). After they were shipped out it took about 1 week to arrive in Belgium.

China....original as ever

wow i guess the brainwavz are really good because skull candies cost a bit of money like 30 dollars for an earphone

lol, I can't wait to tell THIS to the people who actually bought skull candy