[Makiah S]

Quote:

well, i took the g3 off the for sale, i wasn't getting any interest in it, so i decided i was gonna keep it, work on my soldering skills on it instead of starting with a kit
in taking down off the shelf where i had it, i noticed the volume control seemed out of alignment , pointing up, i gently straighten it, the imbalance that i was noticing is all but gone
only at very low levels, there some, but its much better now, it may have gotten jostled in shipping, or i did something to it
any, it would have been a pretty good deal for the 50 bucks i was asking, but i'm keeping it now, it sounds real good with those rca clear tops !!

Your dang right it does xD,
 
Glad you modding it <3 she needs a good ownder to mod the crap out of her xD [and I mean that literally] If your REALLY good. Trying slapping a gain switch in there, something to lower the gain would make that thing beast. In addition people like buying MOdded Gear [or I SURE DO] so keep track of what you put into and maybe if u try to sell again, take like %67 of what u spent and jack the price up by half that amount xD [jk u can price it how ever lol]
 
Still Litle Dot II with 4 tubes for $100... WOW not bad at all, that's a FULL tube no hybrid or NOTHING. Nice man very nice
 
My only headphone goal would be the Mad Dogs as they have been reviesed and I have a SOlid State amp for them now, in addition I'd like another pair of Byer dt 880 but I want le 600 ohms this time! Thankfully my Matrix M Stage was HEAVENLY with my 250 ohm, it REALLY did a great job of adding some weight in the lower Mids and upper bass. I was super happy. I had more low end than my w1000x, and I mean that in Quality+Quanity. The w1000x was heavyer, but the dt 880 hit you deeper. Both where great, point being, For me the cans where excellent compliments, and as much as I mis my 880 250 ohms, I look forward to my 600 ohms xD 
 
ethier way, great to here your into the modding of the Bravo "type" hybrid amps! Might be buying my G3 back from you soon xD, after you made some mods to it <3 

 

[cheaphifi]

If you're looking for something similar to the Bravo / Indeed thingies but with better quality :
- you can order it ready to play (built with tube installed and bias adjusted) or in kit for the diyers.
- improved conception from the start, no need to mod to have a great sound and no bad surprise like humm or buzzing noise or channel imbalance.
,100% genuine components, very high qualitative PCB and excellent quality check, made in USA.
- great features like auto-bias (Ember) or built-in easy bias system with led indicators (no longer need a multimeter to adjust tube bias) and a protection circuit to protects your headphones,
- compatible with a huge amount of noval tubes (with 12V or 6V heater) like ECC81, ECC82, ECC83, ECC85, ECC88, 6N1P, 6N23P, etc... (about 80 ! )
- you can adjust the output impedance, by-pass input caps, or change op-amps on some amps.
- at least as powerful as the best modded G3 but with a far better sounding.
 
Their amps are more expensive than the Indeed and Bravo amplifier but they really worth the price.
i'm not saying that the cheap chinese amps aren't good but if you're looking for an hybrid amplifier working at its best directly "out of the box" you should look at : http://garage1217.com/index.html

 

[UmustBKidn]

Quote:

Get yourself some 1950's diamond etched base Telefunken ECC82's and call it the perfect setup for the Bravo. 

 
Three more boxes came in the mail today. I shall try them at work tomorrow. Is it horrible that I'm testing these at work?

 
I also bought a hard case with foam inserts to hold all these tubes. It's getting a bit hard to carry around all this glass. Lord, what have I done...
 
Today's curiosity was a westinghouse cleartop tube. Very open sounding, not so much bass.

 

[UmustBKidn]

Quote:

If you're looking for something similar to the Bravo / Indeed thingies but with better quality :
...

 
Actually, I wasn't. I'm just having Fun With Tubes. I'm quite happy with my Bravo V2.
 
To be honest, I've heard of the amps you mention, but to me these are all kind of in the same class of amplifier, in particular their low price hybrid. Looks like the same thing at twice the price to me. I decided a while back that the only modding I really care to do for my Bravo is tube rolling. I just don't see the point in replacing all of the parts in the thing.
 
If I was going shopping for another amp/dac setup, personally my preference would be a step up, for more tubes, something like the Bottlehead Crack, or maybe the Schiit Valhalla. I don't think I'd buy another budget hybrid.
 
In my case, my budget hybrid is sitting on my desk at work, so I am a bit wary of dropping a bunch of money and leaving the setup sitting in a semi public place 24/7. I'm almost begging for trouble. I've actually been considering going the other direction: taking my Bravo home, and getting something even cheaper for work. Like a CMoy.
 
My closed back cans are also becoming kind of annoying, because I'd like to hear more of what's going on around me (including hearing the phone ring). Not that I want to completely regress to the setup I started with (God Forbid), just something a bit less isolating. It's becoming too easy for me to get absorbed in all of this fun I'm having with tubes too. Sooner or later my boss is going to come by my cube while I'm swapping out a tube, and I don't want to have to explain that activity to him, LOL.

 

[cheaphifi]

Quote:

To be honest, I've heard of the amps you mention, but to me these are all kind of in the same class of amplifier, in particular their low price hybrid. Looks like the same thing at twice the price to me. I decided a while back that the only modding I really care to do for my Bravo is tube rolling. I just don't see the point in replacing all of the parts in the thing.

 
They look like the same thing but they aren't, g1217 amp's are not really the same thing than common low price hybrids, i'm currently own their cheapest amp the Project Starlight, it has very interesting features : compatible with both 12v and 6V heater tubes (ECC88, 6N1P, 6N27P and ECC81, ECC82, ECC83 on the same amp), easy biasing system (change tube and set bias in 5min without remove the cover), the sound is in the same league than my Audio-Gd C2 (clean sounding, great details, plus this little tasty "tubey sounding" which make the music more lively), and it has enough power to make sing AKG K340, Sennheiser HD-650 or hungry 600 Ohm Beyers...
 
I previously owned the garage1217's very first amplifier, the Project Sunrise and it was also an awesome full Class A hybrid with awesome sonic qualities.
 
I'm don't trying to convince you, but if you can, I encourage you to listen to an g1217 amplifier, i think you'll understand that i mean by awesome.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

 
They look like the same thing but they aren't, g1217 amp's are not really the same thing than common low price hybrids, i'm currently own their cheapest amp the Project Starlight, it has very interesting features : compatible with both 12v and 6V heater tubes (ECC88, 6N1P, 6N27P and ECC81, ECC82, ECC83 on the same amp), easy biasing system (change tube and set bias in 5min without remove the cover), the sound is in the same league than my Audio-Gd C2 (clean sounding, great details, plus this little tasty "tubey sounding" which make the music more lively), and it has enough power to make sing AKG K340, Sennheiser HD-650 or hungry 600 Ohm Beyers...
 
I previously owned the garage1217's very first amplifier, the Project Sunrise and it was also an awesome full Class A hybrid with awesome sonic qualities.
 
I'm don't trying to convince you, but if you can, I encourage you to listen to an g1217 amplifier, i think you'll understand that i mean by awesome.

Oh they are AWESOME, but Indeed an Bravo are still the cheapest. Espically if you get them from users here, in addtion the $200 price can buy you well many better amps imo. So those aren't really to much of a starter amp. Still I'm sure they are really great! If you like the look and sound of hybrids they've got to be winners I'm sure! 

 

[darkarn]

Quote:

 
I found it kind of hard to get a good shot. I tried to keep the power switch visible, for the sake of orientation.
I hope these help. Click for larger versions.
 

 

 

 

 
Quote:

Even if you burnt off the trace for one of the solder pads for the FET leg, you should be able to still tell where it leads to. Solder/bridge a wire to the nearest point where the broken trace connects up to.

Hi guys, thanks for the help. Unfortunately, the more I try to fix (another shoutout to solderdude/Frans, thanks for your help!) it, the worse it got (right channel goes missing while left channel has unusually high static, pads being burnt off). I decided to just start afresh, especially when he pointed out that I have swapped most of the parts for at least a few times.
 
So anyway, how's the Ocean like compared to the V2? Has anyone modded it before? Or should I just sell off my tubes and save up for a better tube amp (i.e. what's the next level I should go for? How will changing tube family affect my experience?)?

 

[mvrk10256]

Hey guys i picked up this bad boy a little while ago and recently posted a tube rolling thread on it. Compared a bunch of tubes. Feel free to take a look. Also got a lot of hardware on order from mouser for mods, will post some pictures and more info in that same thread when they are done. 

 

[jaywillin]

Your dang right it does xD,

Glad you modding it <3 she needs a good ownder to mod the crap out of her xD [and I mean that literally] If your REALLY good. Trying slapping a gain switch in there, something to lower the gain would make that thing beast. In addition people like buying MOdded Gear [or I SURE DO] so keep track of what you put into and maybe if u try to sell again, take like %67 of what u spent and jack the price up by half that amount xD [jk u can price it how ever lol]

Still Litle Dot II with 4 tubes for $100... WOW not bad at all, that's a FULL tube no hybrid or NOTHING. Nice man very nice

My only headphone goal would be the Mad Dogs as they have been reviesed and I have a SOlid State amp for them now, in addition I'd like another pair of Byer dt 880 but I want le 600 ohms this time! Thankfully my Matrix M Stage was HEAVENLY with my 250 ohm, it REALLY did a great job of adding some weight in the lower Mids and upper bass. I was super happy. I had more low end than my w1000x, and I mean that in Quality+Quanity. The w1000x was heavyer, but the dt 880 hit you deeper. Both where great, point being, For me the cans where excellent compliments, and as much as I mis my 880 250 ohms, I look forward to my 600 ohms xD 

ethier way, great to here your into the modding of the Bravo "type" hybrid amps! Might be buying my G3 back from you soon xD, after you made some mods to it <3 

Well I'm very much a beginner with a soldering iron, and the little dot I have is the mk1+ , 3 working pairs of tubes, no matter though, I figure I've got two pretty decent tube amps for under 200

 

[UmustBKidn]

Quote:

They look like the same thing but they aren't, g1217 amp's are not really the same thing than common low price hybrids, i'm currently own their cheapest amp the Project Starlight, it has very interesting features : compatible with both 12v and 6V heater tubes (ECC88, 6N1P, 6N27P and ECC81, ECC82, ECC83 on the same amp), easy biasing system (change tube and set bias in 5min without remove the cover), the sound is in the same league than my Audio-Gd C2 (clean sounding, great details, plus this little tasty "tubey sounding" which make the music more lively), and it has enough power to make sing AKG K340, Sennheiser HD-650 or hungry 600 Ohm Beyers...
 
I previously owned the garage1217's very first amplifier, the Project Sunrise and it was also an awesome full Class A hybrid with awesome sonic qualities.
 
I'm don't trying to convince you, but if you can, I encourage you to listen to an g1217 amplifier, i think you'll understand that i mean by awesome.

 
If I ever get a chance to hear them at a meet, I surely would enjoy a listen. But this thread is really about the Bravo amps, after all.

 

[UmustBKidn]

Quote:

Hey guys i picked up this bad boy a little while ago and recently posted a tube rolling thread on it. Compared a bunch of tubes. Feel free to take a look. Also got a lot of hardware on order from mouser for mods, will post some pictures and more info in that same thread when they are done. 

 
I am curious why you used a cheap monoprice headset for your comparison? Also, I guess you just plugged your laptop's headphone output into the Bravo? I didn't see a DAC mentioned.
 
After doing some of my own tube rolling on my Bravo, I've come to the conclusion that I am kind of wasting time and money. The Bravo won't sufficiently drive my Beyerdynamic DT770/250's (yes, there's a lot of volume, but the bass response is crap compared to my Schiit Magni). So why does a solid state class AB amp outdrive a class A hybrid tube amp? Well, because Schiit gear rocks

In all seriousness, I'm not sure why, but it does. There is a dramatic difference in the two setups. If you want to spend $200 bucks on a headphone setup, you can't beat a Schiit Magni amp driven by a Schiit Modi DAC. I'd use that for work, except I can't plug that DAC into any computers at work. So I'm stuck with the ipod and Bravo.
 
The Bravo V2 does drive my Sony MDR 7506's well, but with the Pure i-20 DAC in line, there is enough brightness in the high frequencies to start my ears ringing. When I take that DAC out of line, the detail that it did bring is gone, and I'm back to basically amplifying an iPod. So all this lovely detail in the 20-odd tubes I've been playing with is mostly not audible. That, or my ears are still ringing so bad I can't hear LOL.
 
So I'm going to see if I can return the Pure i-20. That was a waste of money. I'm not sure why the thing produces such a bright, harsh high end, but damn, I swear its just too hard to listen to after a while. I'm not going to go out and spend a couple hundred bucks on a DAC to drive a cheap headphone amp. It just doesn't make sense. I think I'm going to keep a GE 5-star 5963 tube in my Bravo V2, and park the rest of my selection until I can invest in the next setup (most likely a Bottlehead Crack).
 
The one thing I haven't tried yet, that really begs to be tried, is driving my Bravo V2 with my Modi DAC, and then trying my tube rolling exercise. I already know the Modi is way better than the Pure i-20. The only disadvantage is, I have to plug the Modi into a computer, which isn't something I can do at work. I'll have to bring it home for that experiment. So I can't just add a Modi to my work setup - the company won't permit it.
 
So, I'm right back where I started with my Bravo V2. It's a very nice first step up in hi fi audio. But trying to make it into something it isn't, is just as expensive as buying a better amp in the first place. And that wasn't my goal - I just wanted something relatively good and cheap for work. I won't be spending $150-200 on a "better" hybrid amp. I would rather invest that money in a Bottlehead Crack, because then I can go to town on tube rolling (and I can also then justify spending 300 bucks for a good DAC to drive it).
 
If you are on a budget, or are in a situation like me where you leave your gear on your desk at work (and don't want to leave 600 bucks worth of gear laying around), then a stock Bravo V2 is definitely the way to go. You just can't beat it for $70 bucks on Amazon (maybe even cheaper on eBay). The only cheaper option is a cMoyBB (which I am still tempted to get LOL).
 
And as for tube rolling: pretty much any NOS American tube will sound better than the stock Chinese tube - honestly, don't spend the money for a Mullard or a Telefunken. A $10 NOS American made tube is all you need.

 

[jaywillin]

Quote:

 
I am curious why you used a cheap monoprice headset for your comparison? Also, I guess you just plugged your laptop's headphone output into the Bravo? I didn't see a DAC mentioned.
 
After doing some of my own tube rolling on my Bravo, I've come to the conclusion that I am kind of wasting time and money. The Bravo won't sufficiently drive my Beyerdynamic DT770/250's (yes, there's a lot of volume, but the bass response is crap compared to my Schiit Magni). So why does a solid state class AB amp outdrive a class A hybrid tube amp? Well, because Schiit gear rocks

In all seriousness, I'm not sure why, but it does. There is a dramatic difference in the two setups. If you want to spend $200 bucks on a headphone setup, you can't beat a Schiit Magni amp driven by a Schiit Modi DAC. I'd use that for work, except I can't plug that DAC into any computers at work. So I'm stuck with the ipod and Bravo.
 
The Bravo V2 does drive my Sony MDR 7506's well, but with the Pure i-20 DAC in line, there is enough brightness in the high frequencies to start my ears ringing. When I take that DAC out of line, the detail that it did bring is gone, and I'm back to basically amplifying an iPod. So all this lovely detail in the 20-odd tubes I've been playing with is mostly not audible. That, or my ears are still ringing so bad I can't hear LOL.
 
So I'm going to see if I can return the Pure i-20. That was a waste of money. I'm not sure why the thing produces such a bright, harsh high end, but damn, I swear its just too hard to listen to after a while. I'm not going to go out and spend a couple hundred bucks on a DAC to drive a cheap headphone amp. It just doesn't make sense. I think I'm going to keep a GE 5-star 5963 tube in my Bravo V2, and park the rest of my selection until I can invest in the next setup (most likely a Bottlehead Crack).
 
The one thing I haven't tried yet, that really begs to be tried, is driving my Bravo V2 with my Modi DAC, and then trying my tube rolling exercise. I already know the Modi is way better than the Pure i-20. The only disadvantage is, I have to plug the Modi into a computer, which isn't something I can do at work. I'll have to bring it home for that experiment. So I can't just add a Modi to my work setup - the company won't permit it.
 
So, I'm right back where I started with my Bravo V2. It's a very nice first step up in hi fi audio. But trying to make it into something it isn't, is just as expensive as buying a better amp in the first place. And that wasn't my goal - I just wanted something relatively good and cheap for work. I won't be spending $150-200 on a "better" hybrid amp. I would rather invest that money in a Bottlehead Crack, because then I can go to town on tube rolling (and I can also then justify spending 300 bucks for a good DAC to drive it).
 
If you are on a budget, or are in a situation like me where you leave your gear on your desk at work (and don't want to leave 600 bucks worth of gear laying around), then a stock Bravo V2 is definitely the way to go. You just can't beat it for $70 bucks on Amazon (maybe even cheaper on eBay). The only cheaper option is a cMoyBB (which I am still tempted to get LOL).
 
And as for tube rolling: pretty much any NOS American tube will sound better than the stock Chinese tube - honestly, don't spend the money for a Mullard or a Telefunken. A $10 NOS American made tube is all you need.

i found the modi v-2 combo to work very well !

 

[mvrk10256]

I used the MP 8323 cause thats all I had available at the time. I got the Bravo for $50 and I am recouping pretty much all the money I spent on tubes. Plus it was a learning experiance and you can not put a price on that. 

 

[MPBateman]

Can anyone point me towards a DIY build of this amp or it's design?

 

[cheaphifi]

Quote:

Can anyone point me towards a DIY build of this amp or it's design?

 
here : http://garage1217.com/graphic_design_005.htm
 
the amps in these kit are better than bravo, indeed, etc... best sound, much more reliable, and campatible with more tubes.