I picked this up second hand on ebay, more out of curiosity than anything. I'm just getting into listening with headphones and one of my amps doesn't have a headphone socket, so this seemed like as good a pace to any to get started. Note also that I'm using a very basic pair of headphones right now: AKG K44s. These are no doubt looked down upon by many in this community, but with decent reviews on many forums given their super-economy price tag (I paid about GBP20 (c.US$32)for them on Amazon). I was pleasantly surprised by the capability of the headphones when running straight out of my Macbook or from my vintage Yamaha AVC-30 amp, but once I'd got the little Bravo Ocean hooked up via a decent set of interconnects, it got me into to a whole different league. Much improved clarity and presentation of the soundstage, coupled with a deep, rich quality of sound got me listening to my vinyl with renewed interest.
Powerful and tuneful bass, detailed vocals and accurate treble. I can only imagine what it might sound like if I plugged in a really good pair of headphones.
My only criticisms seem somewhat pedantic given the price I paid and the sound quality pumped out by this little blue box. However, like other reviewers I find the red LED way too bright, and although the unit is pretty solid it is small and can easily skate around - something that could be easily improved on with the addition of some rubber feet (I used blu-tack). Lastly, and perhaps more important as a criticism, the CD input plug/socket on my unit is not as secure as it could be.
However it does seem churlish to complain of such minor issues when this amp pours forth such a lovely warm listenable stream of music for such a small amount of cash invested. It'll certainly be staying on my desk for some while to come.
Powerful and tuneful bass, detailed vocals and accurate treble. I can only imagine what it might sound like if I plugged in a really good pair of headphones.
My only criticisms seem somewhat pedantic given the price I paid and the sound quality pumped out by this little blue box. However, like other reviewers I find the red LED way too bright, and although the unit is pretty solid it is small and can easily skate around - something that could be easily improved on with the addition of some rubber feet (I used blu-tack). Lastly, and perhaps more important as a criticism, the CD input plug/socket on my unit is not as secure as it could be.
However it does seem churlish to complain of such minor issues when this amp pours forth such a lovely warm listenable stream of music for such a small amount of cash invested. It'll certainly be staying on my desk for some while to come.
