[hifixman]

Comparing the bravura and the x9000 is really tricky. They present sound so differently and emphasize such different aspects of the music. The Bravura is full, rich and smooth top to bottom. No thinness in the sound. Whereas the x9000 has outstanding spacial and layering qualities. I can't say the sound is thin, it's just very focused and open. One is not necessarily better than the other. It is all in what is your preference. For me they are both excellent. Still waiting on Aperio to show up so no comment there.

Have you been waiting for Aperio for two years already? If you go to the Canjam NYC and try X9000 with either T2 or Grand Cayman, you might prefer tube design if musicality is what is missing to you

 

[ardbeg1975]

Have you been waiting for Aperio for two years already? If you go to the Canjam NYC and try X9000 with either T2 or Grand Cayman, you might prefer tube design if musicality is what is missing to you

I’ve heard an X9000 on a Blue Hawaii and a 009S on an Eksonic T2. The T2 was the most slamming bass I’ve ever heard on an estat but the Bravura comes close at a more relatively “affordable” price point. I do appreciate the smaller desk footprint of the Warwick.

 

[hifixman]

I’ve heard an X9000 on a Blue Hawaii and a 009S on an Eksonic T2. The T2 was the most slamming bass I’ve ever heard on an estat but the Bravura comes close at a more relatively “affordable” price point. I do appreciate the smaller desk footprint of the Warwick.

well it definitely needs space for hosting better and more power supply and other important parts, I won’t go anything with small desk footprint. Plus my tweaked T2 has more and better bass than the ones at show

 

[BTD1]

Aperio was ordered in August, now promised for Feb delivery. As much as I can appreciate what tubes bring to the table, I am just not interested in messing with tube related issues, plus I listen at night in bed and the glow from tubes would not work in my situation.

 

[alvin sawdust]

Looking through the specs for the Aperio and it uses a switch mode psu! Surely this can be improved upon?

 

[hifixman]

Looking through the specs for the Aperio and it uses a switch mode psu! Surely this can be improved upon?

Good thought, perspectives and question! I know my T2 has three tweaked toroidal power supplies and Cayman has one toroidal power supply and four normal power supplies. The legendary Circltoron needs four floating and four ground power supplies making it as big as a mini refrigerator.

Regarding your question, I don’t think you could do that especially without breaking the manufacturer warranty by changing its power circuit. That is the typical take and sacrifice for small footprint and AIOs, which could also apply to HE-1. What you could do for sure is to use external power plant, regenerators, and conditioners. While they are not my things as I’m all for passive tweaks, many power products could smooth out the sharpness that might bother some in that Aperio does have that electrostatic cymbals that could be a tad bright to some.

 

[Loose-Leaf]

You know your getting somewhere when surfing through your favourite music every track clearly doesn’t sound was mixed and produced in the same studio. The Bravura system can produce this sense of realistic presence though it pails in comparison to some front end combinations I’ve had recently in my home and listened to at others.
A realistic human pitch is on top of my list over pretty much everything else experiencing different sources and dacs directly compared to the Bravura System it lacks the flexibility of bypassing its built in dac, personally on a musicality scale I would give the Bravura system a 7.5 out of 10 that’s with trying different sources including streaming i wouldn’t rate as the most transparent.

Edit * Personally if the Bravura system allowed to bypass its built in dac what I have in mind for a separate dac overall musicallity would take a jump forward including of course a more realistic sense of the human tone and pitch , even the added expense I think would be a huge bang for buck system .

I had a home trial of the Bravura system I liked it though it’s a lot less then then the cost of what I currently have in a headphone system just more evidence cost has no bearing on performance. I’m trying to arrange a home trial of its bigger brother anyway I get what your saying about music playback all sounding like every track was recorded in the same studio , a good front end will reveal striking differences .Chatting with Jussi the developer of HQplayer a while ago over on AudioPhileStyle last he told me he uses a SACD player the signal from the player goes directly through his HQplayer software i to use it this way .

 

[crazyhank]

Hi all, I'm thinking to buy the Bravura M1 system but I was hoping to give a try before I commit. I'm located in the Bay Area, California. Does anyone have at least somewhere in California I could give it a listen for a few minutes? I'm happy to pay or bring my gear to share

Thank you so much!

 

[Purzel]

Hi all, I'm thinking to buy the Bravura M1 system but I was hoping to give a try before I commit. I'm located in the Bay Area, California. Does anyone have at least somewhere in California I could give it a listen for a few minutes? I'm happy to pay or bring my gear to share

Thank you so much!

https://audio-vision-sf.myshopify.com/collections/warwick-acoustics

 

[ardbeg1975]

After a couple of weeks of listening, I have this growing suspicion that the Bravura has generally ruined planars for me. I will exclude the Final D8000 Pros paired with a 300B amp for sentimental reasons but at the risk of gushing, the non-fatiguing yet highly resolving and engaging FR and listening experience of the Bravura has caused me to very rarely reach for the planars, particularly the Kennerton Rögnirs which otherwise are highly detailed, expansive in soundstage, and closed back for convenience to boot. My timbre and bass response complaints with e-stats are addressed by the Warwick and the speed and imaging cannot be beat. If my 300B amp and a ZMF dynamic hadn’t captivated me, I’d be seriously considering selling all my gear and simplifying down to an Aperio. Well, I could do that and keep the integrated tube amp for high efficiency speakers…

 

[hifitoaster]

I'm next in line to get a Bravura demo from a dealer. I'm very excited to spend some time with it. I really enjoyed it at CanJam socal and think I'll probably like it even better in my quiet home.

 

[Tshaff]

After hearing Aperio, I was excited to hear HE-1 and I was aware there was a demo unit in an audio shop in Seattle area. I called them today and they said the unit was stolen at night about a month ago. That's the only one in the country and they have no plans to get another demo unit in.

Dang.

Was me

 

[simorag]

Auditioning the Warwick Acoustics Aperio

Premise

I am on a stage of my audiophile journey where I am considering to replace my messy DAVE + M-Scaler + various ancillaries with a more elegant solution, provided the uptick in sonics is significant as well.

While I am at this (and various auditions in progress are showing that this is not an easy feat as I hoped), I keep obviously an open mind on alternative routes.

The Aperio appeared on my radar about a year ago, but I did not want to go through the hassle of traveling across Europe to try it, also because I had other priorities at the time (upgrading my music server). Now, as I am approaching my next big investment in my system, I felt ready to go the extra mile (such an understatement) and, also considering the recent accolades, decided to fly to Stockholm and try the system in person.

Setup and Objectives

As usual, I had my playlist with me, which represents a mix of what I listen to more often (classical, some jazz), and a selection of test tracks I use to assess specific aspects of the sound presentation.

The dealer (Perfect Sense, most exquisitely professional and helpful) was kind enough to prepare a setup for me in advance and allow me an entire matinée with the Aperio.

The baseline setup was quite minimalistic (which I liked a lot), being composed of an Aurender N30SA TOTL streamer and the Aperio system.

The second part of my audition was done with an external DAC in the chain, and among the numerous succulent options I had at my disposal, I selected the Playback Designs MPD-8 (another product I consider very attractive on its own).

In both cases the Aurender output was via USB.

The audition with the MPD-8 allowed me to evaluate the potential improvement over the built-in DAC of the Aperio when superseded by a high-end dedicated DAC. This in turn had a twofold scope:

• Estimate how likely it would be for me as an Aperio user to still look into DAC upgrades for the Aperio system itself;
• Evaluate (gross approximation level) the option of using the Aperio as a DAC for my Riviera AIC-10 when driving my other headphones. That would allow me to sell the DAVE to recover part of the insane money outlay needed to acquire the Aperio.

Furthermore, as my main upgrade strategy would be to upgrade my DAC, having the chance of being exposed to the MPD-8 was appealing per se.


Non-Sonics Comments

To get quickly rid of the boring part of this report, let me mention a few things unrelated to sonic performances.

Build quality / industrial design are very good, yet not outstanding. It does not exude the kind of luxury the price positioning would call for. And this stands for both the headphones and – especially – the electronics box. The color mismatch between the all-black headset and the silver box is another thing I did not like. I am aware of the all-black special edition, which would suit more my tastes, but this very fact of releasing special editions of a product that should be exclusive on its own (and preserve a high resale value as such) is a marketing approach that I am not fond of, to say the least.

Comfort was not ideal, because of a slight side pad pressure, but still very good.


Standalone Aperio Audition

As the name suggests, the first thing that stroke me was how open the presentation was. The soundstage is among the widest I have experienced, and – similar to the AB-1266 – very well populated from left to right (I hate a three-lobed soundscape, or large but diffused ones). There is an inordinate amount of (very thin) air between the musicians, which produces one of the most ‘out-of-your-head’ experiences I had with headphones.

The other immediate highlight is an unreal capability of detail retrieval, which comes thanks to a pitch-black background noise floor combined with light-speed transient response and apparent lack of distortion, hence devoid of any noticeable artificial brightness.

The third element of distinction is bass presentation. It has volume, shape, articulation and reach which I experienced only on planars, with a ridiculous amount of speed and control. Only the AB-1266 – when very well driven and perfectly fit on the head – gives me more pleasure with bass notes, thanks to an additional oomph and sub-bass quantity that I find especially pleasing.

In terms of tonal balance, the Aperio are, in my book, a little north or neutral. They are not bright, and the dreaded sibilance is a non-issue, but their palette veers towards immaculate glacial clarity.

Their midrange is not very far from what I heard from Stax SR-009S, with a slightly darker shade of golden, and a little more weight. Still, not my ideal midrange presentation, as I like some more meat to the bones and some more rustic texture e.g. with string instruments, whereas the Aperio makes them a touch too light on their feet than I usually relate to live sound. Valkyria and Susvara are more aligned to my personal tastes here.

The most enjoyable part of my listening was with classical ensembles. From quartets to baroque orchestras to Mahlerian forces the localization of individual instruments in the 3D space was nothing short of phenomenal (literally hyper-realistic, i.e. transcending what is experienced in a real venue). The sense of music appearing from nowhere, or, in other works, utter transparency, was unprecedented for me. The SR1a had that kind of skill, yet not combined with the laser-like level of localization precision, or with the soundstage size, let alone for the grain-less midrange I was hearing from the Aperio.

When big sonic climaxes were reached, the Aperio didn’t even blink, everything remained clear, readable, with no spatial or dynamics compression.

Dynamics is another element of the presentation that took me by surprise, both micro and macro-dynamics were shocking.

I wished I was offered some more weight, heft in percussions and piano, which instead remained a step or two behind what I get from the Valkyria brutal energy displacement. But, the flipside of this was that the most intricate drum lines or piano virtuosic passages became a straightforward reading, as the Aperio came with the Rosetta Stone of all music scores.

Rhythmic drive is another area where the Aperio performs very highly. Music is very lively, has motoric propulsion which excites, even challenges at times until you recalibrate to their pace.

I have not had the time to estimate whether the Aperio is fatiguing in the long run, sure it projects at the listener an immense amount of information, at furious rate. I would not recommend them for those seeking the comfort of holistic, laid back, intimate, cozy headphones listening. It is more a tour-de-force, attention grabbing, exciting presentation, similar to (and possibly beyond) SR1a and AB-1266.


Aperio + Playback Designs MPD-8 DAC

The MPD-8 DAC is renowned for its ‘analog-like’ (pardon the cliché) signature, and with the Aperio that was actually apparent when it came to tonal balance. The overall timbre palette got a slightly darker hue, and some more fleshed out character. Violins, acoustic guitar, cello, vocals, ... all benefited from this – at least to my personal taste.

The thing is that the whole presentation was somewhat tamed, like if the added weight to the notes came at the expense of their mobility, and the uniqueness of the Aperio personality was somewhat traded-off.

I got the feeling that with the MPD-8 in the chain there was more resemblance to what I recognize as real music, but the breath catching moments were slightly less effective.

Overall, I believe the MPD-8 could be a successful pairing for making the Aperio more inviting and forgiving, or more suitable for longer listening sessions, or to cover even more bases in terms of music genres. Piano, for example, became more satisfying, thanks to a richer and longer decay, a less supersonic attack and a more soothed, less polished high register.

For me personally, as I have those bases already covered by the Valkyria in a spectacular fashion, I would start with the Aperio in its immaculate relentlessness and keep the V. as a complementary headphone.


Comparisons and Conclusions

Among the headphones setups that I have personally listened (never tried X9000, Shangri-La Sr, Sony MDR-10, HE1), my all-time favorites are Susvara + Viva Solista, Riviera AIC-10 + AB-1266, AIC-10 + Valkyria, DarTZeel CTH-8550 + SR1a. All the above require a synergistic DAC and source, and are listed in no particular order as every combo has its own strengths and limitations (for me of course).

Now the Aperio takes its place among the ones above with full honors. It establishes a new benchmark (for me) in terms of soundstage deployment and imaging localization, clarity and resolution, transient response.

However, the Aperio would not be the One Who Reigns Over All, for me.

A maxed-out Susvara incarnates the most evenly great performer I experienced across multiple genres and sonic parameters. In its stock form, the Aperio – based on the short audition I had – has the potential to overcome such a system in most areas, while leaving some midrange realism and bass slam on the table.

The AB-1266 with the AIC-10, the Superconductor and the right tube, becomes a spectacular all-rounder as well, with the bonus of a few wow factors, like their speaker-like presentation (which the Aperio now matches) and, above all, their bass that still reigns supreme for my tastes.

The SR1a is also hard to beat at what they do best, although I believe (again, under the limitations of a few-hours test drive) that the Aperio beats them at their own game in most aspects, with the plus of its fully developed bass.

Finally, but more importantly, my penchant for the Valkyria remains untouched as, with all their limitations and flaws, they are the headphones that make my emotional connection with my preferred music work in the most visceral way. I still believe they are producing the most naturalistic overall portrayal of acoustic instruments, hence I am not prepared to part from them, and for this single reason in my system the Valkyria and the AIC-10 would stay for the time being.

I now only need to do my homework in private finance administration (and marriage preservation) in order to evaluate if I can afford the Aperio as a partial addition to my system ... perhaps if I would get a compelling trade-in offer for my DAVE, M-Scaler and AB-1266 TC that could be doable.

 

[BTD1]

I

Auditioning the Warwick Acoustics Aperio

Premise

I am on a stage of my audiophile journey where I am considering to replace my messy DAVE + M-Scaler + various ancillaries with a more elegant solution, provided the uptick in sonics is significant as well.

While I am at this (and various auditions in progress are showing that this is not an easy feat as I hoped), I keep obviously an open mind on alternative routes.

The Aperio appeared on my radar about a year ago, but I did not want to go through the hassle of traveling across Europe to try it, also because I had other priorities at the time (upgrading my music server). Now, as I am approaching my next big investment in my system, I felt ready to go the extra mile (such an understatement) and, also considering the recent accolades, decided to fly to Stockholm and try the system in person.



Setup and Objectives

As usual, I had my playlist with me, which represents a mix of what I listen to more often (classical, some jazz), and a selection of test tracks I use to assess specific aspects of the sound presentation.

The dealer (Perfect Sense, most exquisitely professional and helpful) was kind enough to prepare a setup for me in advance and allow me an entire matinée with the Aperio.

The baseline setup was quite minimalistic (which I liked a lot), being composed of an Aurender N30SA TOTL streamer and the Aperio system.

The second part of my audition was done with an external DAC in the chain, and among the numerous succulent options I had at my disposal, I selected the Playback Designs MPD-8 (another product I consider very attractive on its own).

In both cases the Aurender output was via USB.

The audition with the MPD-8 allowed me to evaluate the potential improvement over the built-in DAC of the Aperio when superseded by a high-end dedicated DAC. This in turn had a twofold scope:

• Estimate how likely it would be for me as an Aperio user to still look into DAC upgrades for the Aperio system itself;
• Evaluate (gross approximation level) the option of using the Aperio as a DAC for my Riviera AIC-10 when driving my other headphones. That would allow me to sell the DAVE to recover part of the insane money outlay needed to acquire the Aperio.

Furthermore, as my main upgrade strategy would be to upgrade my DAC, having the chance of being exposed to the MPD-8 was appealing per se.


Non-Sonics Comments

To get quickly rid of the boring part of this report, let me mention a few things unrelated to sonic performances.

Build quality / industrial design are very good, yet not outstanding. It does not exude the kind of luxury the price positioning would call for. And this stands for both the headphones and – especially – the electronics box. The color mismatch between the all-black headset and the silver box is another thing I did not like. I am aware of the all-black special edition, which would suit more my tastes, but this very fact of releasing special editions of a product that should be exclusive on its own (and preserve a high resale value as such) is a marketing approach that I am not fond of, to say the least.

Comfort was not ideal, because of a slight side pad pressure, but still very good.


Standalone Aperio Audition

As the name suggests, the first thing that stroke me was how open the presentation was. The soundstage is among the widest I have experienced, and – similar to the AB-1266 – very well populated from left to right (I hate a three-lobed soundscape, or large but diffused ones). There is an inordinate amount of (very thin) air between the musicians, which produces one of the most ‘out-of-your-head’ experiences I had with headphones.

The other immediate highlight is an unreal capability of detail retrieval, which comes thanks to a pitch-black background noise floor combined with light-speed transient response and apparent lack of distortion, hence devoid of any noticeable artificial brightness.

The third element of distinction is bass presentation. It has volume, shape, articulation and reach which I experienced only on planars, with a ridiculous amount of speed and control. Only the AB-1266 – when very well driven and perfectly fit on the head – gives me more pleasure with bass notes, thanks to an additional oomph and sub-bass quantity that I find especially pleasing.

In terms of tonal balance, the Aperio are, in my book, a little north or neutral. They are not bright, and the dreaded sibilance is a non-issue, but their palette veers towards immaculate glacial clarity.

Their midrange is not very far from what I heard from Stax SR-009S, with a slightly darker shade of golden, and a little more weight. Still, not my ideal midrange presentation, as I like some more meat to the bones and some more rustic texture e.g. with string instruments, whereas the Aperio makes them a touch too light on their feet than I usually relate to live sound. Valkyria and Susvara are more aligned to my personal tastes here.

The most enjoyable part of my listening was with classical ensembles. From quartets to baroque orchestras to Mahlerian forces the localization of individual instruments in the 3D space was nothing short of phenomenal (literally hyper-realistic, i.e. transcending what is experienced in a real venue). The sense of music appearing from nowhere, or, in other works, utter transparency, was unprecedented for me. The SR1a had that kind of skill, yet not combined with the laser-like level of localization precision, or with the soundstage size, let alone for the grain-less midrange I was hearing from the Aperio.

When big sonic climaxes were reached, the Aperio didn’t even blink, everything remained clear, readable, with no spatial or dynamics compression.

Dynamics is another element of the presentation that took me by surprise, both micro and macro-dynamics were shocking.

I wished I was offered some more weight, heft in percussions and piano, which instead remained a step or two behind what I get from the Valkyria brutal energy displacement. But, the flipside of this was that the most intricate drum lines or piano virtuosic passages became a straightforward reading, as the Aperio came with the Rosetta Stone of all music scores.

Rhythmic drive is another area where the Aperio performs very highly. Music is very lively, has motoric propulsion which excites, even challenges at times until you recalibrate to their pace.

I have not had the time to estimate whether the Aperio is fatiguing in the long run, sure it projects at the listener an immense amount of information, at furious rate. I would not recommend them for those seeking the comfort of holistic, laid back, intimate, cozy headphones listening. It is more a tour-de-force, attention grabbing, exciting presentation, similar to (and possibly beyond) SR1a and AB-1266.


Aperio + Playback Designs MPD-8 DAC

The MPD-8 DAC is renowned for its ‘analog-like’ (pardon the cliché) signature, and with the Aperio that was actually apparent when it came to tonal balance. The overall timbre palette got a slightly darker hue, and some more fleshed out character. Violins, acoustic guitar, cello, vocals, ... all benefited from this – at least to my personal taste.

The thing is that the whole presentation was somewhat tamed, like if the added weight to the notes came at the expense of their mobility, and the uniqueness of the Aperio personality was somewhat traded-off.

I got the feeling that with the MPD-8 in the chain there was more resemblance to what I recognize as real music, but the breath catching moments were slightly less effective.



Overall, I believe the MPD-8 could be a successful pairing for making the Aperio more inviting and forgiving, or more suitable for longer listening sessions, or to cover even more bases in terms of music genres. Piano, for example, became more satisfying, thanks to a richer and longer decay, a less supersonic attack and a more soothed, less polished high register.

For me personally, as I have those bases already covered by the Valkyria in a spectacular fashion, I would start with the Aperio in its immaculate relentlessness and keep the V. as a complementary headphone.


Comparisons and Conclusions

Among the headphones setups that I have personally listened (never tried X9000, Shangri-La Sr, Sony MDR-10, HE1), my all-time favorites are Susvara + Viva Solista, Riviera AIC-10 + AB-1266, AIC-10 + Valkyria, DarTZeel CTH-8550 + SR1a. All the above require a synergistic DAC and source, and are listed in no particular order as every combo has its own strengths and limitations (for me of course).

Now the Aperio takes its place among the ones above with full honors. It establishes a new benchmark (for me) in terms of soundstage deployment and imaging localization, clarity and resolution, transient response.

However, the Aperio would not be the One Who Reigns Over All, for me.

A maxed-out Susvara incarnates the most evenly great performer I experienced across multiple genres and sonic parameters. In its stock form, the Aperio – based on the short audition I had – has the potential to overcome such a system in most areas, while leaving some midrange realism and bass slam on the table.

The AB-1266 with the AIC-10, the Superconductor and the right tube, becomes a spectacular all-rounder as well, with the bonus of a few wow factors, like their speaker-like presentation (which the Aperio now matches) and, above all, their bass that still reigns supreme for my tastes.

The SR1a is also hard to beat at what they do best, although I believe (again, under the limitations of a few-hours test drive) that the Aperio beats them at their own game in most aspects, with the plus of its fully developed bass.

Finally, but more importantly, my penchant for the Valkyria remains untouched as, with all their limitations and flaws, they are the headphones that make my emotional connection with my preferred music work in the most visceral way. I still believe they are producing the most naturalistic overall portrayal of acoustic instruments, hence I am not prepared to part from them, and for this single reason in my system the Valkyria and the AIC-10 would stay for the time being.

I now only need to do my homework in private finance administration (and marriage preservation) in order to evaluate if I can afford the Aperio as a partial addition to my system ... perhaps if I would get a compelling trade-in offer for my DAVE, M-Scaler and AB-1266 TC that could be doable.

What a great summary of your impressions of the Aperio! I am wondering if you had the opportunity to use the line out/pre-amp function of the Aperio during your test?

 

[hifixman]

Good review! Have you tried other stunning sources on that audio rack?

How would you compare APL10& AIC10& Soulnote system with Aperio? @simorag