Brise Audio TSURANAGI

Greetings dear audiophiles, and welcome to my review of the Brise Tsuranagi portable amplifier. I am extremely excited to share my impressions and experiences with you all - this amazing little box is stellar. Big things do indeed come in small packages! Sneak peek, a teaser before we get to the end you ask? I’m in love, this amp is incredible. Boom, full stop, GOAT beyond words. But more on that later. For those of you not in the know, Brise is a Japanese company who have been around for quite some time, but have become much more popular in the west over the past year or so. Somehow they flew under the radar for many, but now the cat is out of the bag and everyone is scrambling to get anything with Brise written on it. This is a full borne A+ hype fever that seems to be infecting audiophiles everywhere. I understand why, their attention to detail and unflinching sonics are deservedly impressive. Everything is discrete utilitarian only and matte black, it’s nice to see an audio brand not focusing on splashy shiny stuff for a change. The Brise philosophy seems to be sonics above all else, even scrimping on cosmetics and usability in the relentless pursuit of audio perfection. Their gear is usually back-ordered for months, they are a small operation so you’ll be paying upfront and waiting. The very well reviewed Yatono Ultimate 8 Wire cable is a good example of this - it is one of the best sounding cables I have ever heard, but the ergo and comfort leave a lot to be desired for many - divisive for sure. The Tsuranagi is their first foray into amplifiers, supposedly born from needing an amp in house for testing cables and sussing out problems. It was so good they decided to sell it, much to all our benefit. Remember that relentless pursuit of perfection? See a need, fill a need, sometimes the results are better than anything you’ve ever heard. Brise also makes a bunch of Hi-Fi 2-channel audio products like interconnects, speaker cables and power cables, but the prices will make you wince and cry. I’m sure they sounds ridiculous, I’m far too poor for those gems. Even Brise’s portable Head-fi cables are extraordinarily expensive, but well worth it I can attest. The Brise house sound is decidedly transparent, extremely resolving and natural, with a slightly modern approach to pure copper tonalities. They remind me a bit of Luxury & Precision’s approach, incredibly natural high performing analog sound, where- again- sound performance is by far the main priority and the rest a distant second thought. And that approach has paid off, everything I have heard from Brise has been staggeringly good. They pioneered a new kind of shielding for their cables, using many, many layers of proprietary shielding that gives an insanely black background, extreme resolution and detail, while staying utterly clean and clear, natural and powerful. If you haven’t had a chance to hear anything from them, I certainly recommend it, they are world class.

Before we get started, a few things to note. I bought the Tsurangi myself, though I did get a discount from MusicTeck in exchange for this review. I am not requited to say anything positive, only to share my thoughts and impressions. When I review something it is because I want to hear it myself, because it intrigues me, I lust after it. I don’t have a laundry list of forced reviews to work through, I’m not a professional, this is a passion - an addiction - for me. Some of you may have read my previous reviews, many of which have focussed on TOTL cables, something that causes a sense of disbelief for some. Spending outrageous sums of cash for a cable pushes many people too far, the cost to improvement ratio is about as crazy as anything in the hobby. I totally get it. So I am pleased now to be offering my thoughts about something more “tangible” if that word pleases you. I find cables can offer large sonics upgrades and improvements, but an amplifier can have a lot more effect. Power hungry IEMs transform when they are scaled, all gear does, and hearing is believing in this situation. Amps bring a whole slew of high grade components, more power and headroom, boosting your source’s ability to power demanding IEMs, and the possibility for better synergy with your gear from its potential change in impedance. (While demoing the Storm with DX300 MAX I found the bass caused some light distortion, using the Tsu removed this problem completely. Even something as powerful as MAX was improved by the Tsu in my opinion) An amp won’t fix your IEMs if they aren’t what you wished they were, nor are they a replacement for a DAP you don’t dig, but they are a big part of your chain, and can have a very large impact on sound. People discount headroom as a factor; remember it’s not just about power, extra headroom gives an increased sense of dynamics, space, layering and control that would otherwise be missing. I found the increase in SQ and dynamics to be rather enormous personally.





This is not a cheap item, $2700 at the time of writing. There are other amps out there costing far less, the Aroma A100TB for one (~$1100 with PSU). I reviewed it myself, and gave it a 5 star rating which still stands today. It is a fabulous piece of gear, and I loved mine to death when I had it. The Brise is different, it’s something else, and I will say right off the bat, it is the finest portable IEM amplifier I have ever heard. Hand down, it’s ridiculously good sounding. I know that’s a super strong statement to start with, but I honestly feel it lives up to that, every time I plug it in. One thing to note though, the Tsu is only made for IEMs, so don’t think it will drive full size headphone, it was never meant for that. My Jewel and the infamously hard to drive Storm were powered to their maximum potential without breaking a sweat, so there’s a lot there, just know a Susvara amp it is not.

*** EDIT - After the release of this review I have received quite a few PMs and comments about the Tsu being only made for IEMs. I quoted the Brise website for this statement, as I am not a HP user. In fact many people have reported to me the Tsu does indeed work really well for a large array of full size headphones. So just keep in mind the Tsu was designed for IEMs, but is not limited to just that.

The Tsuranagi doesn’t come with a case, nor is there rubber feet. I bought a custom case from Vishnu Leather in Korean, and while it was quite expensive, it’s awesome and protects the amp. You can see mine in the photos below, he offers many other color/leather options. I always just contact him via Instagram @vishnuleather

For testing I used the Sony WMZ1M2 and A&K SP3000, as well as demo sessions with a modded 300MAX. For IEMs I had extended listening with many, including the Jewel, Storm, A18t, FF Meastro, Fir RN6, and Elysian X + Annihilator.






The Physical, The Use and The Warning

THE PHYSICAL - The Tsuranagi comes in the traditional matte black Brise cardboard box with gold logo. There is a manual, a printed Brise catalog, a USB C cable, and a credit card sized serial number card which is a nice touch. That’s it, typical Brise, just keep it super minimalistic. The amp itself is a small black box, made of what feels like aluminum, with a satin black finish. It is smaller in person than I expected, and super light. The footprint is less imposing than other amps, it could even be pocketable if one wanted to do that for some reason. The front has a volume knob, 3.5mm SE and 4.4 BAL inputs with a selector switch to choose between them, and balanced only outputs, in 2.5mm and 4.4mm. There is a single blue LED for power status underneath the volume knob, three blue LEDs for battery charge indication, and a fourth that lights only when the amp is charging. Out back there is a USB C charging port, and that’s it. Very unassuming visually, nice and clean. It brings to mind street racer cars they call “sleepers” - where it looks like a Camry but under the hood is a 454 cubic inch fire breathing monster. The build quality is very nice, robust and feels solid. My only qualm here, the satin finish is very prone to smudges. The faceplate is even worse, when I tried to wipe it off it only seemed to make it worse. All black hardware does this, but I think it bears mentioning. Sonics above all else!

***It has come to my attention there is a payable refresh option now available, most likely to address the cosmetic issues. ***

Interestingly, they placed the jacks in a slightly awkward way, the input is in the middle as opposed to the usual side placement, so you have wires crossing when using the amp in the traditional orientation next to the DAP. You can’t place the amp right next to your DAP unless the IC is quite long, otherwise it’s off to the side at an angle as you can see in my photos. The jacks are quite close together, so plugging in and out requires a bit of care. Perhaps this was done intentionally, or it couldn’t be avoided due to the circuit board layout. Perhaps it sounded better placed there, who knows. Also, the jacks they used are not flush, they stick out a tad, which means the plug doesn’t sit flush against the casing. This puts stress against the connection, and you can see the jack flex if you move your cables a bit. Again, Brise knows what they are doing and I bet there is a reason for all of this. These are indeed tiny qualms that shouldn’t affect your decision to buy or not, it’s simply another example of Brise putting SQ over all else. Bleeding edge audio quality means some sacrifices somewhere else it seems. Sonics above all else x2!






THE USE - To turn the amp on you simply turn the volume knob and it clicks on, turn it back to zero for a nice satisfying click for off.

The battery lights work well, though there is some minor funkiness in how they display. When you turn the amp on you see the power LED turn on first, and then the battery lights come on one by one until they show the present battery charge. Turning it off does the same, but in reverse. If you turn the amp on and listen the battery LEDs function normally. I found when you turn it off the battery charge can fluctuate a bit when you turn it back on. I could be 75%, after turning it off and on again it would be 50%. Off and on again, back to 75%. Weird. I think the reason for this is how the battery charge is measured, something that I found with L&P DAPs like the LP6 and P6 Pro, but please don’t ask me to explain the technical part. Just know that during normal use I found the readout to be quite accurate. Battery life seems very good, from my tests I got 7-8hrs+. I was too focused on the sound to take detailed readings, it never died on me once so it would probably go more. For a portable amp I would say battery it is as good as anything in this form factor. Perhaps better, maybe someone will do a more scientific test to confirm this, that’s not really my thing.

One of the cool things about the Tsuranagi is that it charges with USB C. No more funky adapters and wall warts, hooray! The manual says you cannot use PD or Fast Charging, but I found out by accident that it does indeed charge with my Satechi 85W PD. According to the manual it charges with a standard 5V 2A draw, so perhaps it can accept the PD charging but doesn’t fast charge. Actually every charger I tried seemed to get the charging light to come on, never getting hot even while playing+ charging, but please don’t quote me on that. It’s always better to use the recommend equipment so as not to void your warranty, so be careful people. Charging is fairly slow, taking hours to refill complete, after which the charging light turns off which is a nice smart feature. I found no issues leaving it on the charger overnight after a lengthy late nite session to be ready for the morning’s extended jams.

Like most electronics the Tsu sounds better after it warms up. You may notice a more subtle sound improvement the first time you plug it in, but just be patient, after about 15 minutes it really starts to shine. I did a very small amount of burn-in this time, I just wanted to listen to it as much as possible. I'm sure it will open up tremendously in the coming hours and weeks of drool-worthy listening time.






The volume knob on the Tsu is great, perfect balance of weighted feel and fine tuning adjustability. You can adjust extremely small levels of difference, even a single degree of rotation gives a noticeable change. According to the manual as I understand it, the physical volume knob you turn is not the actual volume for the unit. It controls an internal volume control that is fully analog, so there is a bit of a delay when you change volume. I’m sure this was done for an extremely advance sonic reason, this is Brise’s calling card signature move after all, so I won’t even try to explain it as I don’t understand it myself. All it means is when you adjust the volume in smaller increments it is not noticeable, but if you make a large adjustment you can hear the volume ramp up with a short delay. So please, when turning up a lot, do it slowly. More than once I went to crank it up only to find the volume knob position I was aiming for was way too loud.


THE WARNING - There is one thing that I need to mention before we move on. According to the Brise website, Tsuranagi was built around the Sony M2, they’re shown together in almost all the photos. They are made for each other, really. What they don’t tell you, is that if you’re using a Sony DAP you MUST use a Y cable IC or YOU CAN BREAK THE AMP. This is because Sony has a floating 4.4mm output, which means they don’t connect the 5th pole to the chassis ground. (This is strange seeing how Sony pioneered the 4.4mm plug, but who’s keeping track) You need an interconnect that has a 4.4mm and a 3.5mm on the DAP end, this uses the ground from the 3.5mm jack. So, Sony peeps, be warned. Don’t break your new toy, get the correct IC right away so you won’t be tempted to try it out like I did. At least I found out after only a few hours, and nothing broke. I had a long conversation with Brise via email about this, they were super cool and understanding about it. They have since updated their website with a Tsuranagi Q+A page, and sent an email to all existing owners to warn them of possible damage. Kudos for taking care of it so quickly and responsibly, Brise gets major points on this one in my opinion. Now, Brise does makes an excellent interconnect cable made specifically for the Tsuranagi and M2, I bought it myself and it sounds epic. It’s also $1200, ouch! But, Sony owners out there can use an IC cable or grounding adapter from any company they wish of course.


***Brise’s website now features a Q+A section with a lot of technical details and compatibility concerns, if you’re considering the Tsu you should read it through yourself: https://briseaudio.com/pages/tsuranagi-q-a







THE SOUND

How does it sound? Glorious. Ridiculously good. Amazeballs. Choose your superlative and I feel it is rightfully represented by the beast that is the Tsuranagi. It packs the Brise house sound to its core, bringing amazing musicality, resolution and dynamics, but it’s just so transparent too. Not in a clinical way at all, staying effortlessly musical, lifting your gear up and out in every direction, while never taking away the heart of what was there to begin with. For those that have heard the Yatono Ultimate IEM cables, I would say the Tsu is like an Ultimate 8W in a box on steroids. The tuning and tonality are very much of the same lineage, and they should be, as the Tsu has Ultimate and Murakomo wires for internal wiring. Leave it to Brise to put their highest quality IEM wire inside an amp, I’m not sure I have heard of another company doing something like that. The end result is truly stunning, the Tsu has a larger than life type of sound that envelops you in an endless space of sonic bliss.

Upon plugging it in, what I first heard was the bass - dear lord does it go deep. It has more rumble, more texture, more authority and punch. It’s sooooo good. I hear more information down there too, not just rumble and thuds. Really articulate bass that has great levels of detail, while also being so deep and powerful that I can feel it in my kidneys. It does focus a bit more on the sub region over mid bass, I can instantly hear and feel more sub rumble in an effortless way. That doesn’t mean it lacks any punch or kick, mid bass is articulate and punchy too. Remembering the transparency, there is more attention and featuring to the bass, but not more quantity. It’s just more flushed out, more clear, but not boosted or shelved. That means your IEMs, DAP, and music library have the same quantity of bass as before, it is simply improved in all aspects. If the track is bass light or neutral, it will stay that way. If it’s some serious deep house stuff, you can be sure it will put a big smile on your face with incredible texture and deep rumbles. I have honestly been on a serious electronic music deep dive lately, fueled in no small way by just how great the bass is with Tsuranagi. And remember, coming with that extra power is the extra headroom, which is felt prominently in the bass region. It’s tighter, more taught and crisp too. More effortless, reaching deep without breaking a sweat extremely well controlled. Just fantastic.

The bass isn’t featured, everything is perfectly balanced. In typical Brise fashion, mids are clean and crisp without being sharp. Amazingly detailed, but always musical. Voices sit right above your head, guitars and keys have amazing texture and grit when called for, or delicate and nuanced for the tender stuff. Acoustic instruments and electronic benefit greatly, sounding very natural or otherworldly respectively. There is an increase in note weight, but not thickness or muddiness, everything just sounds bigger and more powerful. Treble is silky smooth and well extended, also with increased note weight which I really like, not thinning out to accentuate space or false air. Sparkle is well controlled, tiny golden flakes of magic EST treble flicker and float around you. Never leaning into sibilant territory, smooth and gorgeous.





The second thing I noticed was the staging, and wow. The stage is massive, extending in all directions. I hear vertical expansion endlessly above, width stretching far away on either side, plus great depth out as well as below. It somehow manages to keep the instruments closer to you, increasing the engagement factor, while keeping this immense space all around. So it’s powerful and intimate while also being enormous at the same time. It’s really wild, hard to describe honestly. I heard similarly when I demoed the Yatono Ultimate 8W, so it comes as no surprise to me that it has the same effect. The Tsuranagi stage is much larger than just the 8W, but they go for the same vibe. Positioning and placement is also top notch, I hear instruments clearly placed all around the stage, as well as reverbs and twinkling details swirling around in very precise layers with tons of air and separation. What I find also very impressive is the positioning of depth in regard to instruments. On a drum set I can clearly hear some drums, like snares, are closer to me and how the crashes and toms are further away. During a drum fill I can actually hear the toms as they go not only from side to side, but also closer and further away, increasing the realism. It’s like sitting in the studio with the band as they jam all around you.

Lastly I noticed the blackness of the background, like a black hole, just pure nothingness. Notes and details jump out at you from empty space, resulting in a large increase in microdetails and appreciated resolution. No-one does shielding like Brise, even PW honestly, and this is one of the defining factors of the Tsuranagi. That pitch black background and zero noise floor is addictive. With well recorded material you get some of the most defined note attacks and transients I have ever heard. Like the first time I heard the Orpheus, details just leap out and grab your attention, then float away behind your head into the depths like an endless cave at the center of the earth. That feeling of being lost in space, engulfed in music and alone in the universe has never been more apparent for me than when I plug in the Tsuranagi. It’s rather hard to explain, how does something get more black than black? Somehow they have figured it out. The Tsu is incredibly dynamic, so even in the quietest passages you can feel that darkness all around you, and when it gets big the world opens up and explodes in a fiery wall of sound. Micro and Macro details are on the highest level here, you can hear EVERYTHING, but never overwhelming or clinical. Macro dynamics and vertical expansion are further enhanced here too, I hear a large increase in subtleties, as well as outright slam and power. The sound is natural, and extremely resolving. I don’t hear any focused frequency more than others, it is what I would call reference, but not at all in the way of being boring, flat, or lacking excitement in any way. It’s a big sound, a huge sound, and everything just sounds better. I know that’s a bit of a wide net statement but I have yet to find a genre of music that doesn’t profit rather immensely from the Tsu. It’s inspiring to be honest, and I find myself super excited every time I have a chance to plug it in. More than once I was rushing home from work just to listen, checking out old and new material just to see how amazing it sounds.





COMPARISIONS - So, how does the Tsu stack up against the other TOTL portables you may ask? Extremely well, as I mentioned at the beginning of this review I find the Tsu to be the best portable amp I have ever heard. And that’s saying a lot, since I had enormous expectations, plus I have also demoed and owned quite a few amps in the last few years. The others are great, especially the Aroma A100TB which I reviewed a while back. But the Tsu has something they don’t, and while it’s hard to put a specific name to that difference, I will just say that Brise magic has something to do with it. Please keep in mind that I didn’t have these amps side by side for direct comparisons, so I am relying on my notes and extended experience with the same playlist of demo tracks and same IEMs.

The Aroma A100TB is a killer amp, and in my review I said it was the best amp I had heard. I meant that. The 100TB is far cheaper, and with the optional (though I think it necessary) PSU it sounds absolutely incredible. I found it to thicken up the sound a great deal, adding a sense of increased dynamics, increased stage size and more detail. It is very powerful sounding, and to its credit, quite raw and thunderous. It made everything sound huge and very detailed, a potent mix. The bass was very tight and punchy, mids super clean and resolving, and the highs were tight and controlled, while never being too bright or shrill in any way. If I had to describe its sound in one word it would have to be raw or intense, and I mean that in a good way. The biggest difference between the 100TB and Tsuranagi is in subtleties and grace. The Aroma is ultra powerhouse, the Brise is more refined. More graceful and realistic, more neutral, more open, with greater ease in its approach. That’s not to say that it’s less powerful sounding, or that it’s boring or lacking impact - quite the opposite. Yeah, you can crank it up and get your chest shaking, but the personality is just more refined, more mature. It gives all the intensity, power or thunder you could ever want, but it also does the gentle stuff, the heavy metal, the jazz, the deepest house bass drops, or vocals in a way that moves you to tears while also throwing your head back. I hear a deeper bass with more texture. It’s more detailed, more open, stretching wider and with better positioning and stage placement. The treble is more extended, more airy, and more smooth. Just like the Yatono Ultimate 8W cable, it somehow gives a bigger and more bold sound while also being refined and spacious, elegant even.

The A100TB has a slightly smaller footprint, but when you add the PSU it does end up being “bigger” in daily use. The Tsu is very small and light, and I found the size easier to handle with daily listening and transportation. Also, the PSU always needs to be plugged in, and that cable just adds something to get tugged on or possibly broken. Both casings are easily scratched and smudged. They both have very similar high level build quality, similar power for IEMs, so in the end it just comes down to personal choice. So yes, I prefer the Tsu over A100TB. It does outperform the Aroma on several levels, its tuning is more mature and expansive, plus that bass is ridiculously good.

The Pico Orga is a wonderful little tube amp that I was lucky to demo for a few months, before the owner asked me to sell it for him. It’s a fully analog tube amp and it sounds as such. Huge enveloping stage that is fully 3D all around you. Great texture and realism, a wonderfully organic listen. You can tube and IC swap, I spent many enjoyable days playing around with it. In terms of resolution and neutrality the Origa is easily bested by the Tsuranagi, but they are going for totally different sounds. The Tsu is far more clean and clear, the Origa is warmer, greasier and tube sounding. The Origa is SE only vs the Balanced output of the Tsu. The Origa is very hard to find, but used it costs about the same as the Tsu, and has similar amounts of power. Yeah, they’re totally different, but I think it’s a benefit to include it here. The Origa is really something special if you get a chance to hear it for yourself.

The Cayin C9 - I owned the C9 myself, actually it was my first portable amp for IEMs. I was in love with it when I had it, kind of a Swiss army knife that worked well with everything. The C9 features Kong Nutubes, which are not real vacuum tubes in the truest sense of the word for all the die-hards out there. They sound great, but for the sake or argument I won’t refer to them as “tubes”, especially since I am including the Origa in this comparison. The C9 sounds great, has plenty of power under the hood, and a very pleasant tonality. Solid state and tube modes, plus Class A and AB give you loads of options to fine tune your sound. As good as the C9 is, I think it is beginning to show its age, the resolution and abilities are slightly below the newer bad boys on the block. It is also pretty large and heavy compared, and I remember it got quite hot under lengthy use, especially when using time mode. The Aroma is better, the Tsu is on another level entirely. The Tsu somehow manages to keep all the musicality and emotion while also being incredibly detailed, layered and resolving. C9 and Aroma are wonderful amps, the Tsuranagi is simply another step up.







Interconnects - As the Tsuranagi is extremely sensitive, your choice of IC will play a big role. I tried it with quite a few different ICs and came to the same conclusion each time; the Brise ICs sound the best matched with Tsu. They simply match the house sound, have that extremely detailed yet musical sound, and they are the most neutral of anything I tired which resulted in a very expansive and technically capable amp setup. I hear more of the Tsu with Brise ICs, others were more colored or imparted too much of their own vibe into the mix. You can of course use any IC you wish to color or adjust the sound to your liking, there are many amazing ICs out there. I received quite a few messages about IC choices for the Tsu, and many were how it compares to the Orphy IC I have. Well, the Orphy sounds incredible, and, to no-one’s surprise sounds exactly like the Orphy sounds. Extremely resolving with a great analog tonality, warm, smoother treble and amazing mids, with a focus on the mid bass. The Brise is more neutral, less warm, less mid forward but equally as heavy in the note weight, with more top end sparkle and deeper sub bass. The Orphy is actually more resolving in the mids, with great mid bass punch, but it’s a bit more colored overall and “can” draw attention away from the perfect neutral balance that is the Tsu. I loved the Ultimate 8W cable, but the ergo was sudden death for me and I just couldn’t handle it. The nice thing about the Tsu with Brise Ultimate Mini IC is that I get all that Brise tone I fell in love with, without the ergo and discomfort I had with the IEM cable. The Orphy cable is far more comfortable and with certain IEMs is absolutely godly. Ultimately I really dig both ICs, but if I was to advise, I would suggest the Brise IC for the Tsu. Keeping in mind that Brise ICs are ridiculously expensive (~$900-1200!) you may want to experiment with what you already have before taking the plunge. If you can afford it, (and you can find one) just get the Brise Ultimate Mini IC and call it a day, absolute GOAT and end-game for sure.

DAPs - I found that all DAPs were greatly improved when adding the Tsu into the mix. How much so varied based on how much power the DAP had to begin with, and whether I was using LO or double amping. The WM1Z M2 doesn’t have an LO, but double amping is phenomenal with the Tsu (as mentioned, the Tsu was designed with it). While some may prefer a true LO, and one that doesn’t require some special cable or adapters, I found the amped M2 to retain its addictive Sony house but with an increase in dynamics, stage size, bass reach etc. It just got bigger and better while tuning wise not changing really at all. Using something like the SP3000, the increase was also considerable, but since it has more power the extra headroom wasn’t as hugely noticeable. But the weightier more dynamic delivery was a huge step up. Marco dynamics, resolution, positioning, all increased. I heard more Brise in the tuning, since I was using the LO, you skip the AK’s power section altogether. I like this combo a lot, very modern Hi-Fi, HUGE stage. Funny enough, even with the 300MAX, which has a staggering amount of power already, (more than Tsu?) I liked it better with the Tsu than alone. It was just more dynamic, again having a bigger presence, and more grace. Even more HUGE-ER stage, absolutely massive. While only the Sony is shown in the photos, it’s simply because that’s what I had with me the day of shooting. In my experience, the Tsuranagi brings out the absolute best in any source, no matter what it is.





The Conclusion - Here we are at the end, and I think what I said up front still holds most true, and most relevant; The Brise Tsuranagi is the best portable IEM amp I have ever heard. It is just incredible, and no matter what I throw at it, it’s simply breathtakingly good. I find myself excited to use it, rushing home to plug it in. Isn’t that what this hobby is all about? Being transported to another plane, being completely enveloped in your music, permanently emblazoning a smile that reaches ear to ear. That’s what it is for me at least. The Tsuranagi is a rocket ship of tone, a sleeper street racer, and a graceful zen garden all in a small, plain black box that doesn’t draw attention to itself. Yes there are a few idiosyncrasies and small qualms in basic usage, but I found after a bit you totally forget about them as they really don’t matter. Sound is first, and for this there’s nothing that comes close in my opinion. If you find yourself looking for the best of the best, the Tsuranagi is it. Yes, it’s a lot to spend on an amp, this hobby is ridiculous in pricing. But if you find yourself with enough cash to spend $4k on a portable amp and matching IC, I promise you won’t regret it. I know it’s a lot, I know. It’s the most expensive IEM amp by a large margin, but I think it’s actually better by the same margin. I have yet to be so in love with a piece of gear, the Tsuranagi holds a very special place in my heart. I only hope that it can do the same for you.


Thank you to Andrew at MusicTeck, and also to the whole team at Brise for their dedication, amazing work, and willingness to support their users. If you want to get one for yourself I cannot recommend MusicTeck more - support your local audio store and the nicest guy in the biz! You can find it here: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/brise-audio/products/brise-tsuranagi-portable-amplifier

Thanks for reading!