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Bravo Ocean Tube Amplifier
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Bravo Ocean Tube Amplifier
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Product Description
Solidly built with a significant heft, the Ocean tube amplifier is made from solid aluminum and decked out in a bright cyan finish. The 12AU7 tube produces a warm sound signature that lightens up any track Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downLazloHollyfeld
34
Jan 22, 2016
I've had two of these for a few years now. I keep one in the office, and one here at home. To answer a few questions...the tubes do glow. They don't glow brightly, but they do glow. Generally, I find they sound pretty good. I bought one of the Massdrop O2 amps here a couple of months back, and did a back and forth comparison of the Ocean to that one, and frankly there isn't a lot of difference. They both do a good job. The Ocean does a little better with some songs, the O2 does better with others.
gm0n13
54
Jan 22, 2016
LazloHollyfeldWhoa, an honest, concise, non hyperbolic post with reasonable observation? Thought I was on the wrong site for a sec. Don't u care if the blue hue might clash with the matte black of the K7xx?? (LOL) Mr. or MS. Lazlo, u are an island of rationality in a world of well, not. Now stop blowing our curve. I for one have to concentrate to hard on typing to actually use reason. Makes my brain hurt.
MoonRock
40
Feb 5, 2018
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.
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.
coolerking
164
Jul 13, 2018
MoonRock" Then again, I am by no means an audiophile, just here to share some of my thoughts about this product."
Thank you for your input. The way you discussed how they sounded was more informational, for me, than what many "audiophiles" input in these discussion groups. I wish more people just spoke to the sound.
Appreciate it.
Thank you for your input. The way you discussed how they sounded was more informational, for me, than what many "audiophiles" input in these discussion groups. I wish more people just spoke to the sound.
Appreciate it.
PigmonkeY
1082
Jul 13, 2018
Listening to mine now, which was delivered yesterday, with a selection of a few inexpensive tubes. It certainly does tubey things. Don't know much else to say about it than that.
Edit: After about half an hour, the left channel has gone dead, looks like a bad RCA jack. I popped the lid open and also found taht one of the mosfets aren't even screwed down to the heat sink plate completely.
Bummer, off to massdrop support again.
Edit: 3 days and massdrop is still silent. cool story guys.
Edit 2: they offered me 20% back and keep, or a return. I took the 20% and broke out the soldering iron.
Edit: After about half an hour, the left channel has gone dead, looks like a bad RCA jack. I popped the lid open and also found taht one of the mosfets aren't even screwed down to the heat sink plate completely.
Bummer, off to massdrop support again.
Edit: 3 days and massdrop is still silent. cool story guys.
Edit 2: they offered me 20% back and keep, or a return. I took the 20% and broke out the soldering iron.
bsastor
779
Aug 10, 2018
PigmonkeYThey might as well make this in to a kit set so people could do their own soldiering, much like the OLKB keebs haha.
Spitfire417mkii
0
Feb 5, 2018
Hi All, is there a big difference between tube amps that have one or two tubes in the configuration? I imagine there is, however I am thinking of choosing this drop over a little dot mkii. Mainly due to the price/performance factor. I am looking to pair the Bravo ocean with the smsl ad18. What do you guys think? Good start to my audiophile awakening? Pardon my ignorance and I thank you all for any feedback or advice.
Spitfire417
4
Feb 5, 2018
Thanks mate! very helpful. I have heard wonders regarding the magni 3 and will look into it with intent. I was looking at the LD MKi earlier; but didn't pull the trigger as there were discussions comparing the MKI & MKII and basically the hybrid aspect of the MKI put many people off. I am fascinated by way the tubes look and an very keen to discover the sounds that tubes offer. I will look to join this drop with the intention of tube rolling. I would have loved to join the O2 with SDAC but it does not look like the drop will be coming anytime soon.
Eli35
653
Feb 5, 2018
Spitfire417I think Magni 3 is the way to go if you're coming from nowhere, have a vast variety of headphones, and plan to drive them all with the same amp. And it might be a long-term safe investment, because it has enought power and flexibility (inputs, gain switch, preamp output) to be useful on a wide variety of setups. And yeah, LD I+ is a compromise that tries to offer the best of both solid state and tube amps, but falls off somewhere in the middle and it's not as good as a pure SS for low-impedance and not as good as OTL for high-impedance. It's said to be a great match for Grados and some Audio Technica tho, if you had some of these it might interest you (I don't). Also for planars, LD I+ is great because it's the most "tubey" sound that you'll get without dealing with the high output impedance from OTL amps (I own a Fostex T-X0, almost the same as Fostex T50RP-mk2, and they sound great from the LD I+).
O2 with sDAC was not the deal of the century, because of the low quality included power supply that basically forces you to spend an extra $20 buying a decent one (same as Massdrop O2). Also, having a DAC/amp combo might not be the best for the long-run, because probably later you'll upgrade your amp and you'll be stuck with the O2/sDAC combo (or you'll have to buy a new dedicated DAC). It's usually better to have separate DAC and amp, in case you upgrade/sidegrade/whatever, because it offers you the best flexibility being able to replace any component separately.
O2 with sDAC was not the deal of the century, because of the low quality included power supply that basically forces you to spend an extra $20 buying a decent one (same as Massdrop O2). Also, having a DAC/amp combo might not be the best for the long-run, because probably later you'll upgrade your amp and you'll be stuck with the O2/sDAC combo (or you'll have to buy a new dedicated DAC). It's usually better to have separate DAC and amp, in case you upgrade/sidegrade/whatever, because it offers you the best flexibility being able to replace any component separately.
Jstoner857
4
May 15, 2020
Has anyone received theirs yet? It says it shipped April 29, but tracking hasn't been updated since.
e.xo
117
Feb 6, 2018
I honestly have very limited expirience with tubes to be honest.. but from what i've heard the Little Dot Mk1 is one of the best "cheap" desktop tube amps and the next step up would be a darkvoice, although i heard the Little Bear B4 portable tube amp (70 or so $ on amazon) is awesome and delivers a good tube-sound BUT it only can be operated while on batteries..
Eli35
653
Feb 6, 2018
e.xoWell, there's also the Little Dot MKII, the "big brother" of the I+ and the cheapest OTL amp (full tube, no solid-state). Problem with the MKII is that, being an OTL amp, it has high output impedance and it's only good while driving high impedance headphones (like Sennheiser HD600/650/6XX, Beyerdynamics 300 or 600 ohm versions, and so on). For low impedance headphones, it won't either deliver much power or sound too good, and it'll probably have strong background noise. But the sound you'll get from that is supposed to be the entry level of "real" tubey-ness, not a compromise like hybrid amps (LD I+, Bravo Ocean, Little Bear B4...).
My main headphpones are the HD6XX, I also have some low-impedance planars & IEMs, and I'm really considering buying a LD MKII just for driving my 6XX, even when I already own (and like) the LD I+. That good it's supposed to be the MKII. It all depends on your headphones and personal preferences, perfect amp doesn't exist. But if you only plan to have one amp for a vast range of headphones, Magni 3 seems to be the price-performance king.
My main headphpones are the HD6XX, I also have some low-impedance planars & IEMs, and I'm really considering buying a LD MKII just for driving my 6XX, even when I already own (and like) the LD I+. That good it's supposed to be the MKII. It all depends on your headphones and personal preferences, perfect amp doesn't exist. But if you only plan to have one amp for a vast range of headphones, Magni 3 seems to be the price-performance king.
PowerWaffles
60
Jul 22, 2020
Is this one going to ship directly from China too? I had considered ordering one but don't want to wait 3 months like I did for the last Bravo drop.. Also anyone have any thoughts on this vs the V3? I was unimpressed with the V3 and don't really expect to find anything amazing in this price range, but I like the look of these little tube amps. If this is better I might sell/give away the V3.
Edit: From other comments, it sounds like this one is taking several months to arrive too, so I guess I'm gonna pass. RIP massdrop.
(Edited)
Rowdy2026
803
Sep 3, 2020
Well my reading was good enough to know you’ve contradicted yourself 💯x’s.
I mean initially you never bought this amp cause you know....postage.
Next thing you’re all bent out of shape over your purchase taking soooo long to reach your precious hands.
So which is it??.....TrOlL mUCh??
PowerWaffles
60
Sep 3, 2020
Rowdy2026Once again if you had read the entire thread you would see my question was because I had ordered a DIFFERENT amp from the same company, through drop and was worried about ANOTHER horrible shipping experience. You're only further proving my point and the troll thing is an obvious projection..
(Edited)
Mojo3354
116
Sep 3, 2020
RayFUnfortunately that model has too much hiss and hum. It also randomly resurrects the neighbors pets buried in their backyard.
AndrewJM
17
Jun 24, 2014
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I had one of these about a year ago and it broke after three months. I had massive problems with manufacturer getting a refund.
The unit's performance wasn't bad; it really did bring a warmth to the music I was listening to. However, I wouldn't recommend this amp, as it is not durable.
Tube amps are wonderful, but there is little hope of getting a quality one at this price.
Also, if you do go with the Bravo Ocean, be aware that the outside metal (blue) is actually a heat sink, so the device will get quite hot after a small amount of use.
The unit's performance wasn't bad; it really did bring a warmth to the music I was listening to. However, I wouldn't recommend this amp, as it is not durable.
Tube amps are wonderful, but there is little hope of getting a quality one at this price.
Also, if you do go with the Bravo Ocean, be aware that the outside metal (blue) is actually a heat sink, so the device will get quite hot after a small amount of use.
Mark
3186
Admin User
Jun 24, 2014
AndrewJMGiven the size of the orders we place with Bravo Ocean, warranty issues aren't a problem for us. If you purchase it from Massdrop, and for some reason they don't honor the warranty, we look after it for you.
GingerBeard
11
Feb 4, 2016
Just got mine - Using it with a Fiio X1 - volume pot on Amp at first notch - sound way too loud and distorted. Fiio X1 has high gain line output - Bravo Audio Ocean is meant to drive high impedance headphones.
Solution: Made a custom line cable to go from Fiio X1 to Bravo Amp with 150K Ohm resistors on both left and right Channel.
Great drop! Hope this helps anyone.
Great drop! Hope this helps anyone.
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