V3 Tube Headphone Amplifier EQ Equalizer

I previously had a very early V1 and bought a Genelex Gold Lion tube for it. I liked it a lot but it broke. The build quality wasn't the best and some solder joints failed, eventually blowing the transistors. I replaced them once but the second time I decided it was time for a new one. I figured build quality should have improved by now, but even if not, it sounds so good that the price point almost makes it disposable... Well it seems quality has improved, which is nice. This amp sounds different to the V1 even with the same tube. I think the equalizer seems to boost the mid-range when it's all set to zero but hey, it has an equalizer, you can compensate for that! I did notice left and right channels are round the wrong way but that just might have been my unit (red and white inputs reversed). Easy to spot and fix but slightly unnecessary I guess. It is VERY quiet with no input signal (no hiss), which is good. It can drive even low efficiency headphones well too. I never hear external noise because of the lack of shielding so I think that criticism is invalid after five years experience with one of these. The heat syncs get hot. It could use bigger ones, but it is what it is. The standard valve is still quiet and has good overall response but seems a little noisier than the Genelex and not quite so bright in the higher mid-range. I'm being pretty critical there though. Sound quality. Well, it's a very simple class A hybrid tube amplifier built with no power or heat compromise in mind, so what you get out is pretty much exactly what you put in, only bigger, and that is exactly what you want. I like the passive EQ feature but purists will not. they should buy a V1 and a better tube. As I mentioned, this will drive just about any common full sized headphone and let you get the best from them - there will be a huge difference between this and your built in iPhone amplifier or cheap solid state unit just because your headphones will be driven properly. The fact this has a tube is a bonus really and it will let you try different tubes (tube rolling) so you can decide if there's any difference between them or if the emperor just bought a new suit. Personally I think the difference is more than enough to justify some tube prices but it is fun finding out for yourself if you agree. You can use some of the cheaper tubes on the market just to see before you go spending $200 on a NOS 1951 Western Electric or the like. Overall, at this price point, you cannot go wrong for a good headphone amplifier, tube or not, I love it.

Don't buy this! It will make you spend more and more on headphones, DACs, cords, and amps, both solid state and tube! It demands friends! Since buying this cheap little gateway drug of an amp, I broke down and bought a Darkvoice and a SMSL SAP-VI ($48 delivered!), and 2 sets of $200 headphones. I'm trying to stay 'cheap' but this little guy is getting too expensive! I obviously got the bug. This little guy does sound great! It's not the most powerful amp ever (one reason you'll feel the urge to upgrade). It pushes my Fostex T50RP Mk3's and AKG K7XX's 'OK'. It can get loud, but not ear-bleed loud, and on quiet or demanding tracks it runs out of volume knob or clarity. This is why I bought those other 2 amps - this thing made me want to compare it to a super powerful solid state amp and a decent full-tube amp! How did it this happen... This amp adds warmth/brightness without getting shrill. I notice instruments I hadn't before, like violins and harpsichords. Lindsey Stirling's violin sounds amazing on it. If a track does get too brassy, lowering the mid slider a tiny bit does help. I'm surprised it can make the mids so much brighter without being harsh. Is that tube magic or just the rest of the amp? Who knows. It does seem to remove a bit of the bass, for me, which isn't the greatest. You can compensate with the EQ - I either leave them at full or lower the middle slider one mark. As this is a passive EQ, neutral is the top of the slider range - that detail should be in the instructions or they could just printed a '0' on the panel next to the appropriate slider mark. I find it much more enjoyable to listen to than the Schitt Fulla 2 amp I'm testing, which to me sounds fairly dead and lifeless. Maybe the Fulla is more accurate/neutral, and I could use an EQ or VST to make it sound warmer, but for now I've been using the Fulla as a DAC for the V3. The Bravo has a bit more power than the Fulla 2, which runs on USB. Now for the cons: The V3 will easily distort when pushed. All amps have limits. I got the SMSL sAp VI for more power, which the Fostex T50RP3's demand. It also seems cheaply built - even more than a DIY kit should be - little things like the side RCA inputs not lining up and the caps being soldered in lopsided, etc. That looks bad. I could probably fix those with a soldering iron, if it was worth it. I'd love if the inputs were on the back, but especially not on the front (yuck!). It could also use a bigger volume knob, though the pot is not scratchy and seems OK (it does have a bit of imbalance at low volume, which is to be expected). The volume knob is tiny and smooth, and can be hard to turn (I might wrap it with a rubber band for a sexy tactile feel). It's also hard to see the little indicator detent. Let me get out my sharpie... The biggest issue is that the mosfets and voltage regulators really do get insanely hot. It's just nuts. I can't imagine this thing lasting years, though I've left it on for several days straight and it plays fine. It draws 9.2W all the time, no matter what you play or what volume you set. As a class A amp, it's having a full-blast dance party whenever it's on! This always-on design really demands a better/bigger cooling solution. Yes that'd add cost which must be taken into account - so why not also use better mosfets too. Would cost more than $0.50 per unit? Hmm. The only reason I may not keep is that it's hard to use in even a semi portable fashion, like next to the bed. It has open sides and runs so hot I don't want to run it semi-supervised or in the dark. One drop to the floor and it could be over. If you do like this amp or the V1/V2 sister amps but want it to be more refined and durable, try the Bravo Ocean. The Ocean drops the EQ, but adds an RCA (variable) pre-out and about $24 to the price. And it has better ergos all around, with the jacks all on the proper sides of the device (headphones, volume, and power switch on the front, inputs/outputs/power cord on the back). It It uses the cheaper and more plentiful 12AU7 tube, where the V3 needs the 6922. They're both good tubes, but the V3 comes with an EH tube which I believe is superior to the Shuguang in the Bravo. So while the Bravo may be harder to mod, but runs cooler and is better shielded from the environment, impacts, and random RF interference. As a final note - RF noise hasn't been a problem at all for me - just don't put your phone inches from it. That affect all amps/devices to various degrees.

the sound is good, I really enjoyed it after a few days, the warm sound that you wanted from a tube amp is there. Problem is it started to gain static noise after a few hours of use. Now I can barely use it

Not a very robust unit; lasted about 12 months for me before failing. I bought a replacement tube hoping that was the problem, but sadly it isn't. Problems I noticed were interference noise (it's not a shielded unit, after all), and occasional irritating, scratchy, loud noises, like the sound of a circuit shorting. Now the unit will last perhaps 10 minutes before it stops working, and regardless of the gain volume it will send loud bursts of noise to my headphones, which thankfully seem to have so far survived this electrical assault. All I can say to people is to shop around: there are much better single tube amps in this price range available now. This one might have nice sound inherent from tube amplification when it works, but its failure modes are disastrous.

This is a nice unit, but very underpowered. I purchased it to use with my Koss Pro 4AA headphones. These are full size 300 ohm headphones. This Bravo unit does not have enough power to effectively drive the headphones. The amp does fine with low impedance ear buds of small headphones. My other fault with this amp is that it easily picks up interference from wireless signals. I had to move the unit at least 3 feet away from my WiFi and cordless phone or else I got a "buzz" in the amp. It looks cool in the clear plastic case, but would have worked better in a shielded metal case. The tone quality and dynamic range is good, but just not loud enough with the big headphones. PROS: Good looks, nice tone and dynamic range CONS: Low power, interference in signal from wireless