There are many times I wished I could replace the headphone cable it’s so microphonic while listening I sit completely motionless I’m sure others to i think # 2 complaint is owners are stuck with the dac , what's perfect those are my minor grievances ,..Ive never really thought about what category I would label myself as though I suppose like many that appreciate a taste of a little more realism while enjoying music . Ive always enjoyed live performances especially non amplified performances in acoustically sound venues New York City in our neighborhood had a few.
For me a more realistic human pitch is up there in importance while listening at home , my wife was a studio musician vocalist I have uncompressed files of her speaking and singing I use sometimes for partially evaluating components . Though a curious thing I belong to a small group we trade and try out different components occasionally and sometimes speaker systems the five of us have near completely different systems. It’s aways interesting and fun trying out different stuff lately it’s been sources streamer servers from $500.00 to 10K , wow personally I would say you can spend your money more wisely pursuing better speakers headphone's even a amplifier better suited for your transducer thsts for sure .Anyway it was fun checking out these servers however they all sound different some failed processing the human pitch to my liking some plain sterile sounding though i found it very interesting as interesting as trying different headphones and speakers .
I wouldn’t completely disagree about the cable carrying degree of microphonics – though I don’t find I have to still as still as you – I settle down and tend not to move around much when listening to music anyway – I’m more interested in the quality of the music that is carried through the cable. But I am not saying, by that, you don’t also focus on this. Given the nature of the system (it’s need for extremely heavy-duty cable – I can only speculate a thoroughly non-microphonic cable is a bridge too far. But that is a fair point – the buyer may need to be forewarned that is an aspect. For me though – not an irritant of any significance. I have spent hours on albums – immersed and not distracted by any serious microphonic cable interruptions. As I mentioned – I’m blissfully glad I don’t feel any need or wish to think about cable alternatives. I’ve about overdosed on cable acquisitions with my other headphones.
I don’t find myself ‘stuck with’ the DAC – in the sense I wish I could bypass it and use my other DACs – I have the audio-gd R1, Soekris 1421 and MHDT Pagoda (as mentioned) – I love the R-2R and NOS sound. I’m not interested in a Holo Spring or May, and the Ferum stuff doesn’t create an itch for me either – what I mean by this is I get that DACs can be great fun and allow the music listener to approach sound tuning in ways that please and become a very personal experience.
The DAC implementation of the Sonoma is – for me – brilliant. It delivers a presentation of highs and lows I am really very very happy with – I like clarity, micro-detail AND smoothness – which is what I like about the R-2R stuff I enjoy. I’m not averse to delta-sigma flavours – and to my ears and taste – the choices made with the Bravura / Sonoma tuning are spot on. The upper end has all the sparkle, air, and brightness I enjoy in my other set-ups – and I never (so far so good) experience the slightest hint of harshness or sibilance – and at the same time don’t get in any way bothered by a feeling of premature roll-off. Clearly, Warwick has introduced some DSP – and I’m cool with what they’ve done. Today I listened to:
76 minutes of Nils Frahm’s ‘Tripping With Nils Frahm’, 48 minutes of Céline Bonacina’s album ‘Jump’ – with her fabulous compositions, Baritone sax, Rachel Eckroth’s Fender Rhodes and voice – and more. Added to this, a spell-binding recording of Mahler’s Symphony No.1 – performed by the Czech Philharmonic and conducted by Semyon Bychkov – and for some wicked contrasts – Billie Eilish’s ‘what was I made for’ – from the Barbie soundtrack, Miley Cyrus’s excellent break-up song ‘ Flowers’ and John Batiste’s superb and optimistic ‘Worship’ – the Bravura and Sonoma have been delivering ace after ace.
Every second of music has worked wonderfully for me. I have a quite eclectic taste and interest in music – and the Bravura / Sonoma are meeting this taste outstandingly. So I just feel no need or desire to explore the tuning and synergy in ways other than Warwick has designed. I like what they’ve done that much. And I know they have the Aperio with the chance to introduce one’s own DAC choices – and many other features. I’m not in a position to buy that and would never spend that amount of money on it if I were even in a position to. And that is NOT taking a sneaky dig at anyone who does have an Aperio. Live and let live.
I also enjoy live music – and make a point of experiencing it at least once a month. I also find it keeps my ears and hearing cultivated and alert. Educates them too, to frequencies, instruments, and all the other expressions we use to describe the headphone experience. It’s often Jazz but last year included stuff like Paul Weller, Big Thief, Marc Ribot, and Kruder + Dorfmeister. Never big stadiums – smaller auditoriums to small Jazz venues (here in Munich).
I usually spend some time listening to an artist’s work / latest album before the gig – and then after the gig. It’s also a good way (I find) of gathering a sense and scale and scope of that sonic ‘realism’ you mention.
I’m not that techy or technical but I’m not an uninformed or purely instinctive listener. I’m 60 and throughout my life I’ve had quite special friendships with musicians and performing artists. My ‘critical listening’ is not really informed by Mhz references and charts and graphs – I get lost with them – but I can and do trust my hearing. It’s clear you have a great solid reference (human voice pitch) and I find this helps with exploring DAC, AMP, HP and speakers.
I finally introduced a modest streamer into one of my set-ups – the audio-gd R1 NOS DAC and its sibling Class A Master 19 HPA – I wanted to leave the USB once – and do LAN into streamer and from there some other connectivity. I found the sound enriched and not in a day and night way but definitely something is different. Of course, these are personal journeys we make – filled sur enough with degrees of psychoacoustics and fantasy – but not only that. I’m still getting to know and appreciate the couple of different set-ups I have.
Coming back to the Bravura system – it’s the being freed of itches and thoughts of modifications that I like. I’m on the third listening to the Mahler Symphony No. 1 and it is shockingly and soothingly fun and revealing and real. Like the equipment isn’t here. That’s the golden vein of sonic pleasure I like.
Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts.
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This is truly a wonderful all-in-one kit. I look forward every day to the evening when I can sit in my chair and spend a few hours enjoying my favorite music.
