[mcandmar]

   
I suspect (though can't prove) that the Bravo's are all the same circuit, with a different heater setup for the different tubes, and an EQ for the V3. I have variously heard some people proclaim the V2 to be better than the V1, and others say that 6922 tubes are better than 12AU7's (also something I have no clue about). Still others buy the Ocean and proclaim it best (maybe because they paid more for it?)
 
In my brief experience, I have found the 12AU7's and its variants to be (mostly) less expensive than the 6922's, but that could just be chalked up to random chance on eBay. I suppose like a lot of other things in this hobby, that's an entirely subjective observation. I like cheap, so I went with the V2.
 
Personally, I'm not going to be buying a V1 or a V3 to find out which is best. I did toy with the idea of buying a V1 before I bought my second V2, but decided against it. The real reason I wanted two V2's was spare parts, lol. Just in case one of them blows up, or I goof up one of them when I finally get around to modding. Or in case the PS takes a dump, etc. In retrospect, I probably should have gone for something different. On the bright side, at least it wasn't an expensive mistake.

 
AFAIK the only difference between the V1 and V2 are the tubes familys. Generally speaking 6 series tubes are more expensive, i cant speak for which sounds better as i've only ever used the 12 series.
 
The same basic circuit was used in amps made by Indeed and Little-Bear, the latest versions of each have a switch to select between 6 and 12 series of tubes opening up a lot more options. (Indeed G2 / Little-Bear P-1). The P-1 was being auctioned off on ebay recently, i picked one up for $20.  The latest version of these amps is currently the Indeed G3, though i expect Little-Bear will release their version shortly.

 

[arcorob]

NEVER discount El Cheapo...LOL
 
The Bravo II is El Cheapo and works very well and the ability of a 12AU7 to truly define a colored sound is awesome. But why not discount El Cheapo ? Because I have found a number of Audio products in the El Cheapo category that blow away the competition costing several times more..known, reviewed name brands that truly SUCK in comparison.
 
For example, I did an extensive search/buy/try on phono stages. All the usual suspects up to the $300 range. NONE of them beat the ART DJ Pre II which is $50 at amazon. Side by side comparisons, needle drops, etc. Then took it a step further and ran it on straight DC (battery power) eliminating the wall wart. phenomenal for the price. I finally moved to the Phonomena II ($600) which beat it hands down and also supported MC...But for the average buyer getting pointed to Cambridge or Music Hall, Clearaudio, etc. in the few hundred dollar range, they were throwing money away.
 
Same with the AUNE T1 and the Bravo V2. Yes, there are MANY that blow these products away...but what is the price point ? I am biased though...Bought my Bravo II in a great bid for $69 so not even sure what it costs today.
 
The moral of the story is - Its always good to check things out. If I had not seen this board I would not have found my AUNE and I love the little guy..lol
 
Inside the $50 ART DJ Pre II...This is no toy

 

[money4me247]

@arcorob, sooo where's the bravo review? i think you just posted a review about ART DJ Pre II (zzZZZzz... wrong thread not interested) 

 

[money4me247]

btw: I've read that for tube amps you can damage your amp/headphones if you don't do a secret ritual when powering on/off the amp... anyone have any more info about this? lol (specifically relating to the bravo v3)
 
edit: secret ritual includes either pluggin or unplugging headphones or turning the volume to zero.

 

[arcorob]

LOL...Not meant to be a review actually...just a sample...
 
Have to work on my Bravo II review...man, this site makes me work...

 

[maxipad]

I burnt myself once or twice on the heat sinks so they could be a fire hazard… but other than that it's a decent little amp, particularly if you balance the l/r for your tube.  Also be careful not to get metal in there.  I forget what I did but I somehow got mine to spark (I had it about 3 years ago… then sold it and moved on to a little dot Mkiii)  It was decently loud.  I had a V2 if anyone cares.  Tried it with AKG K702, Dennon D2000, Sony MDR-SA5000, HD800.

 

[DefQon]

@money4me:

Yes I'm being serious just,send me over the best beer your country has to offer and I'll send you my 339.

 

[money4me247]

@money4me: Yes I'm being serious just,send me over the best beer your country has to offer and I'll send you my 339.

hahah i would imagine you are still joking as the 339 is quite pricey... but on the off-chance you're not...
 
pick your poison & i'll be happy to oblige:
http://beeradvocate.com/lists/top
http://www.mensjournal.com/expert-advice/the-24-best-beers-in-america-20121026
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/17/best-craft-beers-zymurgy-2013_n_3455737.html
 

 

 

[HOWIE13]

Error, Removed

 

[HOWIE13]

  is this a real offer? lol! i'll take you up on it!
 
another great option (IMO) to consider is garage 1217 tube amps! new project sunrise 3 out & project ember are both really highly reviewed  
http://www.garage1217.com/index.html

OMG These Garage's are awesome. Can't find too much on how they sound, but you can adjust so many settings. Anyone heard any of these?

 

[money4me247]

  OMG These Garage's are awesome. Can't find too much on how they sound, but you can adjust so many settings. Anyone heard any of these?

http://www.head-fi.org/t/675850/project-ember-review

 

[UmustBKidn]

  ...
 
another great option (IMO) to consider is garage 1217 tube amps! new project sunrise 3 out & project ember are both really highly reviewed  

 
No. I'm sorry, going to have to disagree with you on this one.
 
The cheapest garage amp assembled is $149. That's more than twice the price of a Bravo V2. The $99 kit is missing the chassis, power supply, and something else I think, and you need to put it together yourself. You'd need to spend money to finish the thing. I just don't see the advantage.
 
The arguments about being able to roll more types of tubes? So what? If you really are going to spend tons of money rolling every type of tube know to mankind, then you don't want to be spending money on these amps anyway. You're better off spending your money on a better amp.
 
The other kits are more expensive, some of them are more expensive than the Bottlehead Crack. That's just not worth the money.
 
If you're going to be putting together a kit, I think the kit ought to come with everything you need. When you start picking the options for the garage amps that include everything you need, you quickly find they get pricey. Near as I can tell, they cost more than amps with a better reputation.
 
I've become rather tired of people advertising garage amps in this thread. The whole point of buying a Bravo amp is that you're on a budget, and want a budget amp. Most folks prefer their gear already assembled. Yeah, there are downsides to the Bravo gear, but most people know that going in. There are other threads to discuss garage amps.

 

[money4me247]

 
No. I'm sorry, going to have to disagree with you on this one. The cheapest garage amp assembled is $149. That's more than twice the price of a Bravo V2. The $99 kit is missing the chassis, power supply, and something else I think, and you need to put it together yourself. You'd need to spend money to finish the thing. I just don't see the advantage. The arguments about being able to roll more types of tubes? So what? If you really are going to spend tons of money rolling every type of tube know to mankind, then you don't want to be spending money on these amps anyway. You're better off spending your money on a better amp. The other kits are more expensive, some of them are more expensive than the Bottlehead Crack. That's just not worth the money. If you're going to be putting together a kit, I think the kit ought to come with everything you need. When you start picking the options for the garage amps that include everything you need, you quickly find they get pricey. Near as I can tell, they cost more than amps with a better reputation. I've become rather tired of people advertising garage amps in this thread. The whole point of buying a Bravo amp is that you're on a budget, and want a budget amp. Most folks prefer their gear already assembled. Yeah, there are downsides to the Bravo gear, but most people know that going in. There are other threads to discuss garage amps.

@UmustBKidn, hahah. mmm well, the garage1217 amps share a lot of design clues, so that's why they get brought up. obviously, the garage1217 tube amps are pricier, more high-end gear compared to bravo's entry-level budget amps. from what i've read though the garage1217 punches at a much higher weight-class than its price suggests as there are quite a few reviews out there that have them comparing favorable to competitors at a much higher price bracket. so in that sense they are kinda similar to the bravo tube amps offering more value for your money. heh.
 
hahah... i've actually grown quite uncomfortable going by brand-name & popularity for an indicator of quality. i have found that the more popular/recommended options are often simply the more well-known products, but if you do a little research, you can find a lot of hidden gems that outperform more well-known products at a lower price point. that's how I found the bravo tube amps (you won't have anyone here at head-fi throw you that recommendation). the garage1217's $100-300 tube amps may seem pricey compared to bravo's $100 offerings, but when you hear them being compared to $400-1,000+ tube amps, you'll see that their price is quite reasonable for their performance if you are comfortable stepping away from the bigger-brand-name gear.
 
I feel like people who have Bravo amps are really just people interested in tube amps, so it's always cool to hear about other more obscure tube amp options. sorry if the side-discussion is annoying you, but i think it's always fun to hear about new products! cheers.

 

[davei1]

   
AFAIK the only difference between the V1 and V2 are the tubes familys. Generally speaking 6 series tubes are more expensive, i cant speak for which sounds better as i've only ever used the 12 series.
 
The same basic circuit was used in amps made by Indeed and Little-Bear, the latest versions of each have a switch to select between 6 and 12 series of tubes opening up a lot more options. (Indeed G2 / Little-Bear P-1). The P-1 was being auctioned off on ebay recently, i picked one up for $20.  The latest version of these amps is currently the Indeed G3, though i expect Little-Bear will release their version shortly.

I landed a Little-Bear P-1 also...First thing I did was ditch the Chinese 12AU7 and replaced it with a Electro-Harmonix 6922EH with Balanced Triodes ($13)...That got the sound levels right and left
correct and gave a nice improvement in the audio (added bass and more full sound)...Then the big problem with the provided cheap power supply...I got lucky and landed a 24VDC regulated power supply on Ebay for under $20...That got rid of all HUM...It's now dead quiet even if I turn it up well beyond what I'd be able to use it at...What a great little amp now...So I have like a total of $60
in it with all the upgrades...I removed the graphic and name from the plexiglas using a product called "Goof-Off" I already had...And then buffed the plexiglas clear...Very nice little amp....
 
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/davei42261/100_0401_zpsbc31b453.jpg
 
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v131/davei42261/100_0395_zps5c9e7be0.jpg

 

[HOWIE13]

  http://www.head-fi.org/t/675850/project-ember-review

Thanks for the link-don't know whether I would prefer the automatic settings of the Ember or playing around with the manual settings of the other Garage Amps. Probably wouldn't have much time to relax to the music with these amps-so many things to fiddle with!