Warwick Acoustics APERIO and BRAVURA
Aug 5, 2022 at 11:11 PM Post #32 of 846
hi goldenone, did u have a chance to compare the bravura setup with the abyss ab1266 tc? thanks
I owned 1266 TC which is totally different and in many aspects opposite to Bravura whose vocal is close to 9 ( for me Sony R10 has the vocal and mids of 10, but yet unbalanced tuning).As the Fourte of electrostatic technology, Bravura's highs are simply amazing if not better extension than TC but smoother with no hotness nor fatigue, yet without brutal rolling off as X9000, voce or Audeze carbon. I honestly would only rate the vocal of TC only 5, sadly the rumors are true. For low end extension TC is better as the strong point of Plannar technology with better dynamics.I agree with the mass that TC has one of the best lows.

TC is two of the most speaker sounding cans in my opinion and the other is Raal. BRAVURA sounds like a headphone yet its intimate mids and vocal are spot on, musical and moving while TC can't move me personally speaking, it is technical and metallic sounding to me. Depending on what genres do you normally listen, I think for EDM, electronic music, TC is the one to go for; other than that I would go for BRAVURA, or you can buy both cause they complement each other.
 
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Aug 6, 2022 at 12:32 AM Post #33 of 846
I owned 1266 TC which is totally different and in many aspects opposite to Bravura whose vocal is close to 9 ( for me Sony R10 has the vocal and mids of 10, but yet unbalanced tuning).As the Fourte of electrostatic technology, Bravura's highs are simply amazing if not better extension than TC but smoother with no hotness nor fatigue, yet without brutal rolling off as X9000, voce or Audeze carbon. I honestly would only rate the vocal of TC only 5, sadly the rumors are true. For low end extension TC is better as the strong point of Plannar technology with better dynamics.I agree with the mass that TC has one of the best lows.

TC is two of the most speaker sounding cans in my opinion and the other is Raal. BRAVURA sounds like a headphone yet its intimate mids and vocal are spot on, musical and moving while TC can't move me personally speaking, it is technical and metallic sounding to me. Depending on what genres do you normally listen, I think for EDM, electronic music, TC is the one to go for; other than that I would go for BRAVURA, or you can buy both cause they complement each other.
thank you for your detailed writing, very clear.
 
Aug 6, 2022 at 7:07 AM Post #34 of 846
hi goldenone, did u have a chance to compare the bravura setup with the abyss ab1266 tc? thanks

I owned 1266 TC which is totally different and in many aspects opposite to Bravura whose vocal is close to 9 ( for me Sony R10 has the vocal and mids of 10, but yet unbalanced tuning).As the Fourte of electrostatic technology, Bravura's highs are simply amazing if not better extension than TC but smoother with no hotness nor fatigue, yet without brutal rolling off as X9000, voce or Audeze carbon. I honestly would only rate the vocal of TC only 5, sadly the rumors are true. For low end extension TC is better as the strong point of Plannar technology with better dynamics.I agree with the mass that TC has one of the best lows.

TC is two of the most speaker sounding cans in my opinion and the other is Raal. BRAVURA sounds like a headphone yet its intimate mids and vocal are spot on, musical and moving while TC can't move me personally speaking, it is technical and metallic sounding to me. Depending on what genres do you normally listen, I think for EDM, electronic music, TC is the one to go for; other than that I would go for BRAVURA, or you can buy both cause they complement each other.

I own a pair of 1266 (phi tc/latest version) and love them. But I think @hifixman put it quite well. They are VERY different sounding headphones and not really direct competitors.

1266 has more expansive staging, more dynamic and impactful low-end (with the ability to adjust/tune it based on fit and pad gap), and for EDM/Electronic and quite a lot of Percussion heavy genres and Rock I'd pick the 1266.

But the Bravura wins on timbre, overall tonality and is better for vocal-focused and more 'delicate' genres if that makes sense. It's a more 'normal' sounding headphone but the reason I like the 1266 is because some aspects of it are a bit over the top and that makes genres which benefit from it very exciting and engaging.

They honestly complement each-other very well though and if you have one or the other, buying the one you don't have would be quite a good move. But there is definitely no 'better' headphone in this situation and they're just quite differently tuned headphones which are good for different things. Neither have weaknesses which would prevent me from listening to anything in particular, and I'd happily use either as a main headphone. But if you are in the fortunate position to be able to have more than one, it's almost always better to pick a headphone which suits what you're listening to or the mood you're in.
 
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Aug 9, 2022 at 2:55 PM Post #35 of 846
Got the Bravura incoming tomorrow to compare against all my gear. Will report back :L3000:
 
Aug 10, 2022 at 10:56 AM Post #36 of 846
Some unboxing pics. The entire presentation is really damn impressive and build quality all round is fantastic.









 
Aug 10, 2022 at 4:45 PM Post #42 of 846
I fell in love with Warwick Aperio before the coivd back in 2019 and still think it is the best solid state electrostatic system which is most true to the source reference sound at submit fi level. I'm totally sure it could be used in professional studios for monitoring. What impressed me most is Bravura I encountered at show which is more fun to listen to due to the bumped mid bass. In particular, its vocal is so mesmerizing. I have never cried listening to any system so far but my eyes are close to be wet when listening to the song Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin via Bravura.

While APERIO is definitely bigger, clearer, more transparent, more open, more dynamic, more revealing and more technical, I feel there will be people who might prefer the sound sig of Bravura. Diminishing return is crazy between Aperio and Bravura. At that price and as a all in one, Bravura has been such a bargain and even makes me question the investment on Aperio.

BTW I'm dying to know if the black version of Aperio is just a different color or with sonic improvement.

P.S, in terms of only resolution, electrostatic technology has innate advantage over plannars. Yet I still think plannar flagships have better dynamics ( and/or musicality) in most cases, exception may be T2 with Mullard Tubes with X9000.
Hi, do you have any info on the amplifier on the left of the 2nd pic? Thanks!
 
Aug 12, 2022 at 11:22 AM Post #43 of 846
My APERIO review is now live on YT if anyone is curious.
Man I miss these so much already....

 
Aug 12, 2022 at 12:10 PM Post #45 of 846
My APERIO review is now live on YT if anyone is curious.
Man I miss these so much already....


Great review! I'll get the Bravura next week^^ Really looking forward to it. But it was not a good idea to look into the Aperio review of you :sweat_smile:
 

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