fiesta
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2010
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The review is from headfonics.
I am always on the lookout for good sounding budget friendly amps and the Bravo Amps have been on my sites for a few months now. Since just a few days ago, I have been listening to not just one but two variations of the Bravo amps namely the V1 and the V2. These amps seem to be very similar in design looking almost identical to one another except for the difference in two caps at the front portion of the amp. I think the difference in the caps makes The V1 be able to work with the Electro Harmonix 6922 and the Shu Guang 12AU7 tube with the V2. I don’t think the tubes can be swapped between the two amps without doing any modifications.
In this review, I will be talking about the sound of the Bravo amps as they sound in their stock configurations driving the 32 ohm Grado 225i and the 300 ohm Sennheiser HD600s. I might comment later on also about the changes in their sound if ever I get to do any tube rolling or modifications. I will also talk about how the Bravos compare with other amps that I have with me at the moment including the FiiO E10, FiiO E9, a DIY OTL Tube amp (codename:Kraken) with a similar design as a Bottlehead Crack/ Woo Audio 3.
I am always on the lookout for good sounding budget friendly amps and the Bravo Amps have been on my sites for a few months now. Since just a few days ago, I have been listening to not just one but two variations of the Bravo amps namely the V1 and the V2. These amps seem to be very similar in design looking almost identical to one another except for the difference in two caps at the front portion of the amp. I think the difference in the caps makes The V1 be able to work with the Electro Harmonix 6922 and the Shu Guang 12AU7 tube with the V2. I don’t think the tubes can be swapped between the two amps without doing any modifications.
In this review, I will be talking about the sound of the Bravo amps as they sound in their stock configurations driving the 32 ohm Grado 225i and the 300 ohm Sennheiser HD600s. I might comment later on also about the changes in their sound if ever I get to do any tube rolling or modifications. I will also talk about how the Bravos compare with other amps that I have with me at the moment including the FiiO E10, FiiO E9, a DIY OTL Tube amp (codename:Kraken) with a similar design as a Bottlehead Crack/ Woo Audio 3.
Since I like the V2 more than the V1, I’ll talk a little more about them in comparison with amps like the FiiO E10 and the more powerful FiiO E9 desktop amp. The mids on the V2 for example are juicy and mouthwatering. Violins and cellos soar oozing with passion that is nowhere to be found in the sound of the FiiO E10 or E9 for example. It seems like the mids and certain parts of the highs of the V2 are more boosted than the E10 giving them this lively character. Or should I say that the E10s may be the one that is recessed in the treble vs the V2. The clarity and midrange resolution of the V2 is just better to me than what can be heard out of the FiiO E9 and E10. The E9 however is more powerful than both the Bravos, so if you really want to listen to your music at volumes where the hairs inside your ears move during every crescendo, then the E9 is still the better amp choice.
As for me, I just sold the E9 because I couldn’t go back to their slightly veiled midrange after listening to the lively and engaging Bravo V2. Again, The V2 is not perfect and has less bass than what I would consider to be a perfectly balanced amp but I would still easily take its more organic character over the slightly more mechanical/artificial character of the E9. So far as the treble on the V2 is concerned, They are also slightly on the bright side like the V1 but to a much lesser degree. In fact, the HD600 has great synergy with the sound of the V2 making the senns lose their infamous veil in this setup. Of course if one desires to change the sound of the V2 a bit, one can do so by doing some mods or by tube rolling. If only I could get the cleaner slam and better bass extension of a good solid state amp like the E9 yet keep the liquid and flowing mids of the V2, I don’t think I would really be looking for an amp upgrade for a very long time. I think that may be a little too much to ask for though when talking about amps under $100.
In the end, I would definitely recommend the V2 amp for those that want to get their feet wet with the sweet sound of tubes. Are there even any other tube amps in this price level out there? Just don’t drive a K1000 or an HE6 with them because although the volume knob is capable of a lot of gain, they will surely distort before they can get loud enough. If you are a basshead, the V1 might also be okay but their tuning just wasn’t good enough for long term listening for my tastes as a midrange lover.
I am always on the lookout for good sounding budget friendly amps and the Bravo Amps have been on my sites for a few months now. Since just a few days ago, I have been listening to not just one but two variations of the Bravo amps namely the V1 and the V2. These amps seem to be very similar in design looking almost identical to one another except for the difference in two caps at the front portion of the amp. I think the difference in the caps makes The V1 be able to work with the Electro Harmonix 6922 and the Shu Guang 12AU7 tube with the V2. I don’t think the tubes can be swapped between the two amps without doing any modifications.
In this review, I will be talking about the sound of the Bravo amps as they sound in their stock configurations driving the 32 ohm Grado 225i and the 300 ohm Sennheiser HD600s. I might comment later on also about the changes in their sound if ever I get to do any tube rolling or modifications. I will also talk about how the Bravos compare with other amps that I have with me at the moment including the FiiO E10, FiiO E9, a DIY OTL Tube amp (codename:Kraken) with a similar design as a Bottlehead Crack/ Woo Audio 3.
I am always on the lookout for good sounding budget friendly amps and the Bravo Amps have been on my sites for a few months now. Since just a few days ago, I have been listening to not just one but two variations of the Bravo amps namely the V1 and the V2. These amps seem to be very similar in design looking almost identical to one another except for the difference in two caps at the front portion of the amp. I think the difference in the caps makes The V1 be able to work with the Electro Harmonix 6922 and the Shu Guang 12AU7 tube with the V2. I don’t think the tubes can be swapped between the two amps without doing any modifications.
In this review, I will be talking about the sound of the Bravo amps as they sound in their stock configurations driving the 32 ohm Grado 225i and the 300 ohm Sennheiser HD600s. I might comment later on also about the changes in their sound if ever I get to do any tube rolling or modifications. I will also talk about how the Bravos compare with other amps that I have with me at the moment including the FiiO E10, FiiO E9, a DIY OTL Tube amp (codename:Kraken) with a similar design as a Bottlehead Crack/ Woo Audio 3.
Since I like the V2 more than the V1, I’ll talk a little more about them in comparison with amps like the FiiO E10 and the more powerful FiiO E9 desktop amp. The mids on the V2 for example are juicy and mouthwatering. Violins and cellos soar oozing with passion that is nowhere to be found in the sound of the FiiO E10 or E9 for example. It seems like the mids and certain parts of the highs of the V2 are more boosted than the E10 giving them this lively character. Or should I say that the E10s may be the one that is recessed in the treble vs the V2. The clarity and midrange resolution of the V2 is just better to me than what can be heard out of the FiiO E9 and E10. The E9 however is more powerful than both the Bravos, so if you really want to listen to your music at volumes where the hairs inside your ears move during every crescendo, then the E9 is still the better amp choice.
As for me, I just sold the E9 because I couldn’t go back to their slightly veiled midrange after listening to the lively and engaging Bravo V2. Again, The V2 is not perfect and has less bass than what I would consider to be a perfectly balanced amp but I would still easily take its more organic character over the slightly more mechanical/artificial character of the E9. So far as the treble on the V2 is concerned, They are also slightly on the bright side like the V1 but to a much lesser degree. In fact, the HD600 has great synergy with the sound of the V2 making the senns lose their infamous veil in this setup. Of course if one desires to change the sound of the V2 a bit, one can do so by doing some mods or by tube rolling. If only I could get the cleaner slam and better bass extension of a good solid state amp like the E9 yet keep the liquid and flowing mids of the V2, I don’t think I would really be looking for an amp upgrade for a very long time. I think that may be a little too much to ask for though when talking about amps under $100.
In the end, I would definitely recommend the V2 amp for those that want to get their feet wet with the sweet sound of tubes. Are there even any other tube amps in this price level out there? Just don’t drive a K1000 or an HE6 with them because although the volume knob is capable of a lot of gain, they will surely distort before they can get loud enough. If you are a basshead, the V1 might also be okay but their tuning just wasn’t good enough for long term listening for my tastes as a midrange lover.
