Warwick Bravura Review
My notes on my experiences with the Warwick Bravura have frustrated my attempts at organizing them into a coherent review. Besides others far more knowledgeable than I have already done so. So rather than imitating their work, I’ve linked to three reviews above and will leave this as my stream of consciousness thoughts on owning them.
If I had to describe the Bravura’s sound in a single word, it would be “clear.” The clarity and resulting detail retrieval and especially instrument separation are unparalleled within my experience. You can single out each instrument individually and follow its progression through the musical piece with ease. Tracks that previously sounded congested with difficult to understand lyrics are transformed. This quality isn’t usually my primary concern. As a drummer who mostly listens to progressive rock, qualities like slam, punch, impact, and dynamics are at the top of my list. Natural timbre and spaciousness then follow in importance.
My go-to headphone is the Meze Empyrean II, with a significant amount of EQ applied (at least 190Hz needs to be lowered by a few decibels). What truly impresses me about the Bravura is that it achieves everything the Empyrean II does but also adds a new level of clarity.
Another of my favorites is the Hifiman Mini Shangri-La. I’ve had it for a year now, and I still love it. Yet even with EQ I couldn’t achieve a very punchy sound, and pad rolling compromises the clarity and spaciousness. If only there was a headphone that had the same level of clarity as an electrostatic but with the punch of the Empyrean II.
I had demoed the Bravura twice at CanJam SoCal, and both times it left me impressed, but I figured I could never afford one. Recently I realized that if I sold my Modhouse Tungsten DS V2, a few other headphones, and the source equipment I wasn’t using anymore, I could afford a Bravura without much remorse or out of pocket. So I decided to go for it.
The Sonora M1 system that powers the Bravura suits me well because I’m comfortable using DSP and not picky about my DAC. What better headphone is there for someone who always tunes their headphones with EQ than a headphone that is factory tuned with EQ?
I think the value is decent considering that a Susvara OG costs $6k and you haven’t even bought the DAC and amp for it yet. While I haven’t A/B’d Bravura vs Susvara, I’ve heard one multiple times from high-quality source equipment. I genuinely like the Susvara and would love to own one, but I don’t remember the same level of clarity that I get out of the Bravura. Of course I’m biased but I’ll have the chance to confirm this opinion at the next local meet on Pi Day.
Drums sound simply amazing. You can feel the initial snap, easily hear the resonance, and precisely locate each tom. This might be the best headphone for drums I’ve heard, short of an Aperio GSE or perhaps a HEDDphone 2 GT.
It took a lot of experimentation for me to get the bass just right. It’s so easy to overdo it, and it’s like candy for my ears. What’s impressive is that the Bravura responds to increasing bass almost as well as a good planar. Ultimately, I settled on just filling in the sub-bass below the Bravura’s natural bump at around 70Hz. Specifically, I use LS 64 Hz 6 dB 0.8 Q.
I must admit that my experiences with the Bravura align closely with the typical “driver story.” I desire the speed of an electrostatic combined with the bass extension of a planar. I have a few theories about why the Bravura can go deeper than most electrostatics, but I’m genuinely puzzled about the source of its profound clarity. It’s definitely not due to an overall elevated treble, as the Bravura is more neutral than the V-shaped Empyrean II. The possibility of tuning my Empyrean II to match the clarity of my Bravura is intriguing.
Comfort is a major consideration for me. It’s not as high as the Empyrean II, of course. Putting those on after a while in the Bravura feels like wearing nothing at all. I have an XL head and am usually quite sensitive to clamping pressure. The Bravura are definitely clampy, but I find them surprisingly comfortable for extended listening sessions. The ear cups are large enough that the pads don’t touch my ears at all. The swivel is quite stiff yet that allows me to distribute more of the clamping pressure onto the bone behind my ears, which is comfortable. Nevertheless I’m still conscious of the pressure and seal. Taking them off feels like removing a properly fitted racing helmet.
Overall owning the Bravura is an interesting experience. I wouldn’t say they blow away all of my other headphones. But they sure are addictive for recordings that can fully utilize their clarity. They are more “listening to my equipment through my music” than my others. So much so that I have a “Bravura” playlist with the tracks that really shine. This is one of the few drawbacks I have found. My listening selections have narrowed lately since I crave that emotional connection that only the right recording can create.
So is the Bravura going to take over as my one-and-only headphone system? Nope. But man… on a good night… with the right music… it consistently wows me.
And one of my biggest pain points with most British audio equipment is how hideously expensive it is, especially in comparison to other excellent sounding alternatives. Though there are exceptions…