Bravo Audio Ocean

This little amp was worth the initial aggravation. I’ll try to link to my suffer thread from my first week in The Ocean. It’s my most satisfying setup, and by far my cheapest. I really like the sound that enough power can deliver from planars.

Couchside at the Bravo Beach:

ALAC files
iPad, iPods and iPhones

Morrow Ultra Reference M 3.5 mini patch cable (48 SSI wires)

Or: Arcam rDock to Morrow RCA interconnects (8 SSI wires)

Bravo Ocean
Sylvania JAN 6189w 12AU7 tube

Sendy Audio stock braided cable
Youkamoo 1/4” to 4.4 TRRRS adapter

Sendy Audio Aiva planar magnetics

I received this amp today and I must say its' a great little amp!

So to start with the downsides, the unit can get quite hot, the power plug is UK, but hopefully is uses a standard cord which you can purchased in any store for almost nothing. I used my old PS3's one.
The unit also does not come with cables, so be sure to have Jack <> RCA or RCA <> RCA cables to get sound from it.
Sound-wise, the soundstage is not the widest, and the metal body can get quite hot while in use.
Oh, and the front LED is super bright in the dark, so you'd better cover it with a black sticker.

Now, for the good points!

First, the sweet sound of tubes. Yes, this is an hybrid tube amp, so the tube is only used for the pre-amp circuit, but the sound is notably smoother than transistor amps, especially neutral ones such as the Soundblaster G6. You still get all the micro-details you'd get on other amps, although they sometimes may be harder to hear. The good point though is that the amp is a lot more forgiving than neutral amps when listening to poorly-recorded tracks or poor-quality MP3 files (yes, I'm looking at you, 64 kbps YouTube).

The lows are great but still lack a bit of kick. They are a bit smooth which some may appreciate - I personally like when I feel like the headphones are vibrating on my head because of the bass, so it's a matter of preference.

The pre-amp tube emits almost zero light hopefully, and the unit itself is pretty good-looking. The metal (or is it aluminum?) body is really nice.

The amp automatically switches between the line output to the headphones output when you plug yours in, and switches back when you unplug them, which is nice, but when you power the amp off and power it on again, the default output will be the line out, even if headphones are plugged in.

Overall, the product is really well-built and the sound quality, at $55, makes it an absolute no-brainer. If you want to discover what tubes sounds like, that's the perfect amp to try!

(FIY, I'm using the G6's as a DAC thanks to its line output, connected through USB to a Windows computer and listening mostly to 16 bits / 44.1 kHZ FLAC files)

I also tried some new tubes with this amp, a 12AU7 from Tung-Sol and one from JJ Electronics. The first one gives a drier sound with heavier bass and I personally didn't like it much.

But the JJ tube really improves the sound : the bass is tightier, punches more, and the mids becomes incredibly detailed. The soundstage is wider and more precise as well. You get a drier sound but still relatively warm. Overall, I'm more than happy with this JJ tube and I think the Ocean really benefits from tube-rolling with this one. So I change my review from 4* to 5* as a simple 20€ tube can really improve the sound.

 
Bravo Audio LTD was established in May 2010. They are a Chinese company developing Tube Headphone AMPs, Tube speaker Amps, USB DACs and Guitar Amps. They were one of the first companies to produce affordable, high quality tube amplifiers. Today I'm reviewing the Bravo Audio Ocean.
 
Disclaimer:
 
The Bravo Ocean was sent to me by Bravo Audio for the purpose of this review. The opinions here are my own based on my experience with the product. I'd like to thank Henry from Bravo Audio for the opportunity to test the Ocean.
 
Bravo Audio website: http://www.bravoaudio.com/index.php?route=common/home
Bravo Ocean product page: http://www.bravoaudio.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=50
 
Features (taken from the official website):
 

1. Powerful dynamic and sweet TUBE sound
2. With Shu Guang 12AU7 TUBE
3. Multiple input output option, no more adapters.
4. Aluminum Casing and Beautiful looking
5. Pure Class A Tube amp, No op amp IC
6. Low voltage, good safety
7. Powerful for any Headphone

 
 

In Put Power	DC24V
Input Sensitivity	100mV
Input Impedance	100KOhm
Out-Put Impedance	20~600 Ohm
Gain	30dB
Frequency response	10Hz-60KHz +/- 0.25dB
Signal/Noise Ratio	>90dB
Dynamic range	84.6dBA(300 ohm) 89.8dBA(33 ohm)
THD	0.016%(300 ohm) 0.45%(33 ohm)I
MD + Noise:	0.045(300 ohm) 0.42(33ohm)
Dimension	115mm (D) X 82mm (W) X 78mm (H)
Input	Stereo RCA x1, Stereo 3.5mm x1
Output	Stereo 6.35mm x1

 
Packaging and accessories:
 
The Ocean came in a fairly compact white and blue box with Bravo Audio logo on the front and a QR code on one side. Opening this up I was presented with another plain white box. Inside the second box is the amplifier, seated in some nice, sturdy black foam with the tube pre-installed. There's also the small power adapter included and a little User's Manual.
 
     
 

 
Build:
 
The Ocean is made of a high quality brushed aluminium and feels strong and well built. The blue color is rather striking and is matched by black front and back panels. There's an U shaped protector that sits over the tube for protection against knocks. While this makes it more difficult for those wanting to roll tubes, I find it a sensible addition and it also adds to the overall aesthetic of the unit.
My only gripe with the build is the lack of any feet on the amp. Some simple rubber domes on the bottom would help raise the amp off the surface allowing better airflow and would help to keep temperatures a bit lower.
On the front panel we find the power switch,  6.35mm and 3.5mm headphone jacks, a (very bright) red power indicator LED and the volume knob. The power switch is sturdy and the volume knob is smooth with a nice amount of resistance to it.
On the back panel is the power socket, a 3.5mm line in, RCA line in and RCA line out.
 

 

 

 

 
Sound:
 
This is my first experience with a tube amp and the sound is in line with what I was expecting but surprised me as well. It adds a bit of weight to the low end and fills out the sound spectrum with a subtle warmth that's very pleasing. What surprised me the most however was the fact that very little detail is lost in the music and the highs don't lose any of their sparkle or impact. The Ocean seems to add some airiness and a nice analog presentation.
 
Equipment used:
 
Arcam irDAC-II
JDS Labs Element
 
Music:
 
Arne Domnerus Group "Jazz at the Pawnshop" album [flac]
Helen Jane Long "Embers" [mp3 320 kbps]
Ludovico Einaudi "Islands" album [flac]
The Pineapple Theif "Your Wilderness" album [flac]
Michail Eick "Midwest" album [flac]
 
 
Bass extension is good and the Ocean doesn't appear to suffer from any 'slowness' that is sometimes attributed to tubes. Kick drums retain their punch but sound a little fuller overall.
Midrange sound natural and warm making the Ocean great with vocals and classical music. Listening to "Indaco" by Ludovico Einaudi and "Embers" by Helen Jane Long, violins, cellos and piano sound fantastic and rich with good tonality.
Highs retain their sparkle as I mentioned above and extension is good. While playing Arne Domnerus Group's "Barbados" from "Jazz at the Pawshop" cymbals and high hats remain clear throughout with no noticeable roll-off and they don't get lost in the busy drum solo sections.
In use:
The aluminium body of the Bravo Ocean does get quite hot but hey, it's a tube amp so this should be expected.
This thing has 'powah'! Serious, brain melting power. I never take the volume knob past 9 o'clock (7 o'clock is the minimum!) I haven't tested it with anything super inefficient or with very high Ohms but I'm confident it has the grunt to push any headphone you could throw at it. There is a slight channel imbalance at very low volume but this disappears before 8 o'clock on the knob and was never an issue for me.
Unfortunately I don't really have  anything to compare the Ocean with so this review will be a 'standalone' effort.
 

 
 
Conclusion:
This is a good option for anyone who  wants to dip their feet into tube amping without having to spend a ton of cash. The Bravo Ocean pairs particularly well with neutral sources and cold or bright headphones but worked well with everything I tried. For those that want to tube roll the Ocean works with 12AU7 tubes which are abundant and can be found quite cheap online. This is a great little amp and is a no-brainer recommendation.