Hands on: Breo de Janeiro Headphones

Everyone likes music; whether it’s a little soft, orchestral Mozart, or a lot of bass-filled Dubstep. People’s music tastes vary, but when it comes to audio quality, most are in agreement; we want a full, crisp sound—we want to hear every cymbal, shredding guitar chord and vocal imperfection—because it’s all there for a reason. Finding a pair of headphones that can give the high standard of sound we’re seeking can be tricky and time-consuming, so let us help you out. If you’re on a moderate budget and are looking for sound quality over brand, Breo may be worth a look.

According to their website, Breo offers “inspired & unique lifestyle products.” They sell watches, headphones, beanies, flip flops and bags, to give you an idea. Their range of headphones is quite limited in comparison to other companies, but there’s something to suit most, ranging from heavy, over-the-ear headphones, to cheap and cheerful in-ear headphones. The pair we got to try out while attending The Gadget Show Live were the Breo de Janeiro Headphones and we have to say they’re impressive.

Let’s take a look at the stats. They likely won’t mean much on their own, so here’s a comparison between the Breo de Janeiro headphones and Sennheiser’s HD 238 Precision headphones, which offer superb audio quality themselves with the added benefit on the Sennheiser brand. The easiest way to compare them is on their ability to produce the full range of frequencies needed to reproduce audio. As a reference, a standard drum kit produces frequences from 50 – 16,000 Hz, and the average human ear can hear from 20 – 20,000 Hz.The Breo de Janeiro frequency response ranges from 5 – 20,000 Hz. That means that there’s 15 Hz on the low-end that would simply be a vibration to your ears, for the lowest of low bass lines. The Sennheiser HD 238 Precision headphones range from 16 – 23,000 Hz, which offer a little on either side of the spectrum to give a full tone to all genres of music. Both headphones offer excellent audio quality, but you can grab the Breo de Janeiro for a third less than the price of the Sennheiser option.

We tried the Breo de Janeiro headphones with several genres of music and, in each, the instrument and voice representation sounded incredible. The low bass and high cymbals were never distorted, and even with the volume turned right down, the full, rich sound was never lost.

The design of these headphones is great, too. There are three color combinations from which to choose; black/gray, orange/gray and yellow/black. The black/gray model has a matte finish, but the other two options feature a mirrored surface on each side. They’re quite small once placed on your head, and they can fold easily for storage. The fit is nice, too. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend taking these out for a run, but if, say, you’re waiting in an airport and your flight is called, there shouldn’t be any worries that your headphones would fall off. Then again, thanks to the superb sound quality and limited exterior noise, you probably wouldn’t hear the flight being called. By limited exterior noise, I unfortunately am not referring to any active noise canceling methods, but simply the tight, comfortable fit. The cans are padded, of course, and really hold their place. As a result, the world around you instantly becomes a little quieter.

The Breo de Janeiro headphones are compatible with every iPod, iPhone and, in fact, anything with a 3.5mm jack output. The standard results we got using an iPhone 3G were excellent, but by changing the iPhone’s EQ settings to acoustic, everything immediately sounded brighter.

Currently, Breo’s headphone range aren’t available in U.S. stores for you to try out, but for a little over $70, they can be ordered from their website and shipped across in no time. With the main selling factor being audio quality, it’s a little hard to convince you through words, but imagine this; you’ve just bought an iPad. You can’t wait to watch movies on the gorgeous display, but you know your Apple earbuds just aren’t up to the task. $70 gets you excellent audio quality, original design and bragging rights that you had your headphones shipped halfway around the world because that’s how important audio quality is to you.

Are they worth the shipping costs though? Can you get just as good quality from a store within your own neighborhood? Probably, so the ball is left in your court. After trying them, I know which one I’d chose, but each to their own. One thing is for sure, though—Breo are certainly a worthy competitor against the likes of Bose and Sennheiser. Who would’ve thought it?

Product [Breo de Janeiro headphones]