Is this bravo amp a regular tube amp or a pre amp
Dec 26, 2009 at 5:19 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16
derek800

derek800

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Sorry if this is a stupid question but I want to purchase a bravo tube amp from eBay but I can't tell if this is a regular tube amp or a pre amp. Here's the link

Valve Class A Tube Headphone Amplifier pre Bravo VC b - eBay (item 250553708801 end time Dec-26-09 20:00:50 PST)

I don't really have any experience with amps other than a fiio e5. I've read reviews of these bravo amps on here and it seems like s decent affordable starter tube amp. I just can't tell if it's a pre amp, the seller has some that say headphone amp pre bravo vc, and some that say bravo pre amp. I tried asking the seller but I would like to purchase this today if it's what I'm looking for. Thanks for any help.
 
Dec 26, 2009 at 6:49 PM Post #3 of 16
Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
What's a "regular tube amp"? That thing is a simple Sijosae Class-AB. Drives headphones and can easily function as a preamp. It will not drive speakers.


Thanks for your answer. I just wanted to make sure I was buying the right type of amp. Obviously I don't know much at all about amp's, I'm just getting into the hobby, and I thought that there was a difference between an "amp" and a "pre amp." So I guess I will be bidding on this then, thanks again.
 
Dec 29, 2009 at 4:27 AM Post #5 of 16
I ended up purchasing this amp two days ago. I can't wait to get it and see how it sounds with my HD 238's. I'll post some impressions on the 238's paired with the bravo after the amp has had some burn in time.
 
Dec 29, 2009 at 6:44 PM Post #6 of 16
Quote:

Originally Posted by derek800 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I ended up purchasing this amp two days ago. I can't wait to get it and see how it sounds with my HD 238's. I'll post some impressions on the 238's paired with the bravo after the amp has had some burn in time.


Its a good sounding amp and pretty well made, you will like it. Just go easy on the input and output connectors when plugging in the cords as they are only mounted to the circuit board and not otherwise secured. Takes a long time to show up from Hong Kong.
 
Dec 29, 2009 at 9:54 PM Post #7 of 16
Portable amps dont have enough drive to be good preamps though.
You need a powerful home amp,if you want to use it as a preamp.
 
Dec 29, 2009 at 11:04 PM Post #8 of 16
Hello folks, I am new to this forum and this thread caught my eye.

I ordered the Bravo amp and received it in two weeks. It was well packed and arrived in perfect shape. I am still breaking it in with Grado SR80s.

The first amp I bought is a Grado RA-1, which I still have. I chose it as a reference since it has high and controversial opinions on the Internet. Almost everyone seems to agree that it sounds good. Anyway, I have built various cmoy variants including Tangentsoft variants including three channel and BUF634 combinations using National Semiconductor, Analog Devices amd Burr Brown amps with Jung multiloop circuits.

The bottom line is that that of all I have built, only one with an AD8620 driving BUF634 buffers with an active ground channel and a one amp power supply sounds better than the Bravo. I got in on eBay for $40 plus $16 shipping for a total of $56, my best bargain so far. I put the 24 volt regulated power supply on a scope and the ripple was less than 5 millivolts. The amp is dead silent on quiet passages.

I do admit that I like to EQ my music so when I compare amps I turn the EQ off. This little amp just sounds great!
 
Dec 30, 2009 at 12:25 AM Post #9 of 16
After reading the last few posts and other good reviews on this site I can't wait to get this in the mail and try it out. I know it's coming from Hong Kong and is it's going to take a while though.
 
Dec 30, 2009 at 4:50 AM Post #10 of 16
^^ Yup, they shipped the amp on 26th November and as of today I have not yet received it.
frown.gif


My replacement tube however reached me within 8 days of ordering it from the States.
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 30, 2009 at 5:11 AM Post #11 of 16
Does anyone here have experience with burning in this particular amp or anything similar? To burn it in properly do you just leave it turned on to warm up or do you actually play music through it from your source. Also about how long does it take to burn in a tube amp, and does it sound better after letting it warm up before use?
 
Dec 30, 2009 at 11:02 AM Post #14 of 16
Quote:

Originally Posted by derek800 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Does anyone here have experience with burning in this particular amp or anything similar? To burn it in properly do you just leave it turned on to warm up or do you actually play music through it from your source. Also about how long does it take to burn in a tube amp, and does it sound better after letting it warm up before use?


I asked this question in the indeed thread and the answer i got was this

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/6268072-post212.html

Personally I let mine warm up for 10-15 minutes first, theres about 40 hours on it now and it sounds good to me, still putting it through its paces at the moment.
 
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