SeeAudio Bravery Anniversary Limited Edition - a Revisited Nirvana

PROS:

• Gorgeous shell and color design
• Modular cable inclusion (2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm)
• Competent technicalities
• Sensible tuning. U shaped done right
• Rich and lushful sound presentation
• Easy to drive yet has a lot of potential on balanced outputs
• Smaller shells that will accomodate better fit than the OG Bravery
• All BA setup yet organic sounding

CONS:

• headphone termination will be a hassle when using a phone with thick cases
• Azla's included tips might not be for everyone. It worked for me but subjective for some

Ruby gem inspired Bravery

INTRODUCTION:

I reviewed the OG Bravery back in October, 2021. And I claimed that it was TOTL worthy for me. SeeAudio released this special anniversary limited edition, and I was compelled to get one. Surprisingly, the way I remembered how Bravery sounded to my ears back then, compared now is a bit different. Is it for the better or worst? If you want to know, pls do read on.. 

DISCLAIMER:

My opinions here are completely my own. I am NOT in any way influenced by any form of incentive. This is purely my honest, subjective impressions and experience with the gear on hand. I cannot stress more that you should take this as a grain of salt for we have different perception to sound and what we hear. I always try my best to stick with the stock accessories that come with the gear by default. You are free to try other methods such as tip rolling or cable rolling. Below are worth noting before concluding on what I say here:

1. DAP (digital audio player, be it phone, laptop, mobile, or stationary setup)
2. DAC or dongle or any external amp
3. Ear Tips
4. Cables
5. Source of audio file be it offline FLACS or streaming services like Deezer, Apple music, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify and the likes..
6. Your playlist. It matters and is worth considering when reading from a reviewer's perspective. It is apparent that you get to know your favorite reviewer and what they are listening to leisurely and critically. 

My reviews are more on how music sounds in my ears. The technical stuff like frequency graphs and the physics behind the tech and drivers used, I leave to other reviewers.  

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Configuration: 4BA setup 
• 2 x Knowles for the Lows, 1x Sonion for the Mids, 1 x Knowles for the Trebles
• Impedance: 18ohms
• Sensitivity: 110+/- 1db
• Freq response: 20hz - 20khz

PACKAGING:

Packaging/Inclusions

The packaging here is similar to the OG Bravery with a few upgrades. And a different approach in color. More vibrant and vivid waifu. It is an eye candy to look at especially if you are a waifu fan. Below are the inclusions. 

Vivid outer box sleeve

• Envelope with documentation, stickers, postcards, and extra filters inside. 
• Metallic case with the bunny like logo
• A pair of Bravery iems
• Hakugei cable. Modular type this time. A very nice upgrade. 
• 3 pairs of Azla Xelastec tips 
• 3 pairs of foam tips 

Bonus inclusions: only for purchases of the Bravery Anniversary edition

Waifu mouse pad

Waifu Stand

While the inclusions are somewhat modest, all are premium grade. Especially the modular cable. If you are equipped with sources that have balanced outputs, you are in for a treat. 

Now I can’t express how gorgeous this IEM looks. Though I am not a fan of red, I just can't ignore how beautiful this is designed. Let us make the photos speak for themselves. 

Now let us dive into how Bravery sounds this 2nd time around…

For the entirety of this review, stock setup is used. Azla tips L in size, stock cable Hakugei, and both on single ended and balance output 2.5mm. My main source is offline flacs on the Hidizs ap80 pro. 

LOWS: 

Here is where I was surprised the most. From memory, the OG Bravery has a very substantial amount of bass. Rich, thick and heavy. As I have progressed as a reviewer since October 2021, my preference and taste leaned toward neutrality. I was expecting a bassy sound when I plugged in this new Bravery and voila!! It is not as bassy as I remembered them. The lows are tighter, snappy and have a good amount of details. SeeAudio claims that sound and tuning is somewhat the same as the OG Bravery but my ears say otherwise. Lows here are leaning to maturity and more on quality than quantity. The commendable extension to the sub is still present. Modern tracks will present a good amount of lows readily available. Classic tracks will be focused on the mid bass department that I really admire. Lows here are accurately presented with a slight bump but never overbearing and drowning. Fleetwood Mac, Toto, Stevie Wonder tracks never sounded bloated or puffed up too much on the lows. While Daft Punk tracks and the likes will give you a good full bodied presentation. 

Conclusively, the lows here are somewhat leaning to neutrality that mature listeners will admire. Bass heads will still be left hanging. Personally, the lows here are just right for a good thumping and at times that I am not being analytical. I did not sense any exaggeration. Good amount of texture, details and slam. If I have to hyperbole a little, the lows here are so good that you will start to doubt if there is a DD hidden inside. 2 fast BA Knowles tuned so well, that it sounds like a DD. 

Sexy and gorgeous..

MIDS: 

For those who have been following my reviews, you are in the know of my preference in terms of mids. I don't favor recessed mids and it is because I'm an instrumentalist that I want elements relevant to me, to have that sense of forwardness. And I'm glad to say Bravery did deliver my satisfaction. 

Mids here are well placed. Its presence is prominent and the same can be said for its quality in sound. Vocals are very intimate and engaging while being presented naturally. It has a good sense of airness and headroom for both instruments and vocals. Bravery effortlessly presents vocals on both genders male and female. 

Instruments like pianos, Rhodes, organs, when highlighted, especially on solos, are precisely placed. Upper mid range is not plagued with hotness. Distortion guitars are never exaggerated even on rock tracks. We are bordering on imaging here and we will discuss that more later on. Bravery gives an even performance on both vocals and instruments. Each respecting their own space and when it's their time to shine, it is highlighted properly. 

Conclusively, mids are also Bravery’s strong point. Elements never felt out of place and never became a chore. 90% of the time mids are well executed. It is not as forward as like it's in your face yet not recessed to leave you wanting more of the elements to be heard. 

TREBLES:

Here at the top, we have good energy, airness and transparency. In terms of sibilance, I cannot remember a time that I cringed. Trebles exhibit good extension yet not being too aggressive. Macro and micro details are present and nuances will surprise you from time to time. Cymbal strikes offer good grit and bite. Brass sections are impactful and have good weight and body. Trebles never drown in comparison to other frequencies having their own space. High registers of instruments never felt lacking or too thin. Presentation of the whole treble department is crisp and transparent. Jpop tracks are somewhat mixed leaning towards bright and if you're into this kind of genre, you are in for a treat. 

Conclusively, the trebles here are by far one of the best presentations I've heard. I remember saying this on another SeeAudio product which is the Yume Midnight and they share the same character. Clean, snappy, open and airy yet not aggressive to produce sibilance. 

FIT & ISOLATION 

In my case, fitting here is an improvement compared to the OG Bravery, having bigger shells. The size of the shells here are just right and it will cater most ear sizes. If I remember right, I had some issues with the OG Bravery with the nozzle angle but that was gone here. The Azla Xelastec tips was used in this review and it worked for me. I have read that some individuals have a love and hate impression on these tips but as for me, I love it. 70% it gave me good sound isolation and very comfortable wear. I brought and used Bravery with me, on stage, and I perform around 3-4 hours, not continuous though, and Bravery gave comfortability of wear. Bravery will give strain-free wear for long listening sessions. 

TECHNICALITIES:

A comparison with the OG Bravery is inevitable here. For starters, there are some slight improvements here. 

Sound stage is wider with the Bravery anniversary edition. Not by a huge amount but noticeable. In my review on OG Bravery, I said the stage is intimate and I put it as a con. Well now it is a pro. A good sense of head space is added and though I can enjoy both worlds of intimate and wide stage, I can safely say this is a treat. 

Speed of BA is one thing that I always prefer BA setups over single DD's. Or hybrids or tribrids on that matter. Speed here is very adequate and has good direction. Your busy tracks will be executed effortlessly. Dirty Loops is an artist that favors quick and fast licks and Bravery never felt sluggish or left behind. 

Separation and layering are very decent and have a good sense of space in contrast to each element. Instruments never felt cramped and bumping against each other. Everything is well placed and now we go to imaging or instrument placement. Which I think deserves good comment. Placement of instruments and vocals, or elements in general, is top notch. I take notice of this quickly because it is in the nature of my work. Deciphering harmonies and instruments. In a song I might be playing the piano part, strings, brasses, flutes, and many other things. And Bravery reveals all those elements effortlessly. And this is very constructive for me. By far, one of the most capable set when it comes to imaging. 

COMPARISONS: 

Today I will compare Bravery with one of my favorite IEM. The Kinera Idun Golden. Both are technically capable but different in tuning. And of course, different price points. 

• Bravery is much more rich and lush sounding. While Idun is somewhat lean sounding. 
• Both are technically adequate and capable. 
• Sound stage is wider with Bravery. 
• Imaging is better with Bravery. 
• Idun had an edge on separation by a small margin. 
• Both offer good isolation, fitting and comfortability. 
• Idun, having a leaner sound, offers cleaner presentation and minimal possibility of frequency bleeds.  
• Bravery has more life and color in tuning. Idun can be sterile and dry at times. 

Conclusively, I love both. And honestly I cannot pick one over the other. They have different approaches in sound and tuning yet are technically capable. It all boils down to sound preference or your mood. For music enjoyment I will pick Bravery over Idun. For analysis and work related purposes as a musician, I will pick Idun. 

Bravery with lighting from behind

SOURCES AND GEARS:

• LG V30 hifi dac (high impedance mode)
• Hiby Music player
• UAPP app (USB Audio Player Pro)
• Tidal Masters subscription
• offline FLACS
• Hidizs AP80 pro
• Deezer Hifi subscription

Here are some tracks I usually listen to when reviewing: 

• That’s the way of the World by EWF
• Africa by TOTO
• The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Kral
• Balmorhea album All is wild, All is Silent
• Sila by Sud
• Smooth Escape by D’Sound
• Never too Much by Luther Vandross
• P.Y.T by Michael Jackson
• Ain’t no Sunshine by Eva Cassidy
• Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC
• Another one bites the Dust by Queen
• Good times bad times by Edie Brickell 
• Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans
• Ain’t it Fun by Paramore
•  Redefine by Incubus
• Far Away by Nickelback
• Lovesong by Adele
• Lingus by Snarky Puppy
• Harvest for the World by Vanessa Williams
• Love Bites by Def Leppard
• No Such Thing by John Mayer
• As by Stevie Wonder
• Whip Appeal by Babyface
• Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan
• Futures by Prep
• Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
• Every Summertime by NIKI
• SADE tracks
• AC/DC tracks
• Queen tracks

And many more… I always listen to High resolution format, being the least quality 16bit/44khz FLACS be it offline or online. 

VERDICT:

Since October 2021, I have been saving up for Bravery. And I love it too much that when they released the anniversary edition, I just had to get one. Asked my wife for a go signal and I decided to declutter some of my IEMs to afford and buy one. Special mention to Kent Alfonso for reserving one unit for me. 

So, is Bravery still an end game worthy for me? YES!!! Or more accurately, a pause game entry for my collection. The changes and improvements on this edition are worthy enough for me to make the purchase. A more mature bass presentation, improvements on technicalities, and an upgraded modular cable are all big wheels to me. 

So who is Bravery for? 

• Mature listeners are in for a treat. Despite leaning towards neutrality, this set is not void of being fun sounding. 
• Bass heads need to audition first before taking the leap. Bass is there but may not cater your bass cravings. 
• Treble heads. We have good extension here and a lot of detail retrieval. 
• Technical listeners, musicians, sound tech guy and even audio engineers can use this for initial or post referencing. 
• Casual listeners who love details and vocals. 

If you have the OG Bravery and it suits your preference, I think there's no need to make the purchase. Unless you are a collector of limited editions, by all means make the leap. I have stated a lot of comparisons here with the OG Bravery and if you fancy a more mature Bravery, I say go for this edition. Sadly only 500 units were produced, and I wish you luck on hunting for one. 

To wrap this up, this edition of Bravery proved worthy of its price tag. In tuning and technicalities and inclusions. We have a very good balance of tuning and technicalities without the expense of details, texture and timbre. I'm so satisfied that I can safely say, I will take a break from purchasing sidegrades. Moreover, my next purchase might be in the 500$ price range. Anything in the 300$ range, I could not ask for more with Bravery. Fun sounding yet analytical all in all. Ultimately, the Bravery anniversary edition has an edge over the OG, particularly if you are more of a mature listener or neutral head. Some consumers and reviewers have mixed love and hate opinions on Bravery and I respect that. As for me, I find this set captivating, amazing and a strong recommendation from me, especially to those related to my nature of work, a gigging musician. 

A friendly reminder, my impressions here are completely my own, with my setup and components. Unless we have the same gadgets and setup, your mileage will and always vary. Not to mention our hearing, which is very unique to each individual. Please do take this as a grain of salt. Cheers and catch you on the next one!! 

Interested and want to purchase this edition of Bravery? Afaik, it has run out of stock. There are a couple of items left, here in Philippines. And the guy you want to talk to is Kent Aldriann Alfonso. I'm sure you can arrange something with him if you are not in Asia. Look him up on Facebook. 😉