Well done Massdrop for the introducing this little workhorse!
I've owned the Bravo Audio Ocean headphone amp for awhile now, and first thoughts I had about it was its nice built quality. Full aluminium shell, with a good protection bar to protect the tube in the unfortunate you drop your amp.
First of all, this is not a full tube amp, could qualify for a preamp / buffer amp or purely a headphone amp. One thing that is impressive is the capability to power hard to drive headphones easily. This little amp is a beast!
I have tried my HD6xx, AKG 612, Beyerdynamics DT990 with it, and it was just effortless in giving the power needed for high ohm headphones.
Secondly, the fun part of tube amps, is tube rolling. Trying it out with different tubes will give u different sound signature, and of course this is based on personal preference once again. The stock 12AU7 tube that comes with it, does NOT glow. So those who are looking for pretty aesthetics, probably have to change out the tube.
A word of caution, for those who intend to buy / have bought the Bravo Audio Ocean amp - ***do NOT let kids touch them, or even yourself during operation*** For my unit, it was really hot. I could not lay my finger on them for more than 3 seconds. I am not sure if this is still the same, but I am guessing it is as that's what class 'A' amps do.
Sound:
Definitely clarity is not as clean as compared to solid state amps. However, it does add more warmth, body, to my music / vocals sound fuller than it was on a solid state. Then again, sound signatures will vary according to the burn-in period of the tubes, headphones, environment you're in. Too many factors for them to all go wrong....or right.
For those interested, I have actually tested it against the recent Topping D30 DAC+ A30 Amplifier combo. Which I have also given a short review in there. Did A/B comparisons, there are definitely differences, better or worse is really up to you to judge.
Tubes are fun to listen to, given that it sounds more natural. But if you are looking for a first headphone amplifier, a solid state would build a good foundation.
Then again, I am by no means an audiophile, just here to share some of my thoughts about this product.
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First of all, this is not a full tube amp, could qualify for a preamp / buffer amp or purely a headphone amp. One thing that is impressive is the capability to power hard to drive headphones easily. This little amp is a beast! I have tried my HD6xx, AKG 612, Beyerdynamics DT990 with it, and it was just effortless in giving the power needed for high ohm headphones.
Secondly, the fun part of tube amps, is tube rolling. Trying it out with different tubes will give u different sound signature, and of course this is based on personal preference once again. The stock 12AU7 tube that comes with it, does NOT glow. So those who are looking for pretty aesthetics, probably have to change out the tube. A word of caution, for those who intend to buy / have bought the Bravo Audio Ocean amp - ***do NOT let kids touch them, or even yourself during operation*** For my unit, it was really hot. I could not lay my finger on them for more than 3 seconds. I am not sure if this is still the same, but I am guessing it is as that's what class 'A' amps do.
Sound: Definitely clarity is not as clean as compared to solid state amps. However, it does add more warmth, body, to my music / vocals sound fuller than it was on a solid state. Then again, sound signatures will vary according to the burn-in period of the tubes, headphones, environment you're in. Too many factors for them to all go wrong....or right.
For those interested, I have actually tested it against the recent Topping D30 DAC+ A30 Amplifier combo. Which I have also given a short review in there. Did A/B comparisons, there are definitely differences, better or worse is really up to you to judge. Tubes are fun to listen to, given that it sounds more natural. But if you are looking for a first headphone amplifier, a solid state would build a good foundation.
Then again, I am by no means an audiophile, just here to share some of my thoughts about this product.