SeeAudio Bravery Review

In this review, we take a look at the SeeAudio Bravery, a 4BA IEM selling for $279.

Disclaimer: the SeeAudio Bravery was sent to us, free of charge, by Hifigo in exchange for an honest opinion. You can check their website if you want to get a pair, after reading our review.

About SeeAudio

Founded in July 2019, SeeAudio is a very young IEM brand. Information regarding the brand is scarce, and apart from a Facebook Page, I couldn’t find anything. But, a quick search on the internet showed quite a few reviews, customer surveys, and more importantly gave me a broader view of the brand.

Based in China, SeeAudio is a (geeky) new manufacturer, advertising themselves as specialists in high-end custom and universal fit In-Ear Monitors. And so, the first models they unveiled perfectly fitted this description – a 10BA (Neo) and a 4BA+4EST (Kaguya), both priced over a thousand dollars – quickly followed by the Yume, a much more affordable model. 

We reviewed this one a few months ago, advertised as a 1DD+2BA “tuned following the Harman Curve, by professional acoustic engineers with years of experience in the audio industry”. And if we praised its build quality and comfort, we found out that lows and highs didn’t catch up with the mids, as we expected something a little more engaging. 

That said, we now have their latest model for review, the SeeAudio Bravery. Combining four BA drivers in a three-way configuration, the brand says that particular model will allow you to (quote) Embrace life and hear what you expect and fight for, once you’ve entered the Bravery secret territory.

So let’s get it on.

Design & Build Quality

Casing

Out of the box, the SeeAudio Bravery gives a solid impression, thanks to its thick, glossy, resin shells. 

In fact, I was surprised by how good-looking they look, as the retail box doesn’t give a hint of what’s inside. Compared to the Yume, those new IEMs are quite bigger, even more than my FiiO FA9 which carries two more drivers inside.

It feels sturdy, the faceplate is pretty good-looking, without being too ostentatious, and the metallic nozzle is another nice touch. Bonus point for the faceplate, I really like how the flakes shine over through the acrylic. Size-wise, they fit right between the AudioSense DT600 and the FiiO FD7 I recently reviewed, so thanks to that, they should fit almost every ear. 

Again, I have to highlight how good entry-level IEM has become in those past years. When you had to pay hundreds of dollars to get a 3-way IEM, you can now get a quad-driver, semi-custom one, for a fraction of that price.

Build Quality

Unsurprisingly, build quality is top-notch and the SeeAudio Bravery even put to shame some of its similarly prices competitors. There are no steps, no cracks, no bruises, just one smooth surface all over the shell, and it feels perfectly balanced in the hand.

The shell is made of two pieces only, the main translucent body, and the nozzle. That last part isn’t a direct extension of the body but a metallic plug, blended with the shell. The 2-pin port fits perfectly, even if I’d have preferred an MMCX one, for durability, and the braided, mesh-covered, cable feels equally robust.

On each side, the brand emblazoned a different picture. While the left side displays SeeAudio’s logo (a mystic eye) and the brand name, the right side exhibits a stacked lotus pattern. And, honestly, I found the whole design absolutely gorgeous!

The cable is equally good and if you can find better ones on the market, just for the mesh and massive 2-pin plugs. It’s braided, straight-shaped at the end, and feels pretty robust. At least enough to withstand a daily dose of commuting abuse.

Bundle and Comfort

Inside the box

First, we have to talk about the retail box. Yes, the Weeb stuff with the Genshin-impact like character, praying for… audio prowess? When I got the box first, I got misled and thought that I ordered a toy or something from a manga store. It’s not a bad thing in any way, but I’m kinda curious to see how this bold design will be received by audiophiles.

That said, it’s kinda refreshing and for once, I read what was written on the box.

Out of the box you get:

• the SeeAudio Bravery
• a 2-pin 6N OCC copper cable with a 3.5mm termination plug from Hakugei
• three pairs of azla Xelastec silicon tips and three pairs of foam tips
• a round carry case
• an acrylic figurine of… Bravery?
• some papers

A funny bundle, even if a bit sparse, especially compared to similarly priced chi-fi IEMs, lacking the usual clean tool that we get ninety percent of the time. But, the figurine blend nicely with my desk, so extra point for that.

Additional accessories

If you want to go further with your SeeAudio Bravery, there are only two upgrades you should do:

• go for a balanced cable, if your source offers 4.4 mm or 2.5 mm outputs
• get a DAP or a DAC to drive them nicely 

It could be something as simple as a NuPrime Hi-mDAC or an EarMen Eagle, but please don’t use your computer headphone out (even if the new MacBook one is pretty impressive).

Comfort

As I expected, the SeeAudio Yume completely filled my ears, once fitted with the right tips – for me the mediums one. Again, they were a bit bigger than I thought, but the semi-custom design easily compensates for that caveat.

To top all of that, the provided cable if a bit heavy is tangle-free and worked as a protection for the IEMs, once curled up in my pocket.

Isolation

Like all resin-made IEM, the SeeAudio Bravery are very good noise-blockers. 

Be it railroad sounds, subway closing-doors siren, or the usual talking “brouhaha” heard in crowded places, the IEM managed to dampen it quite swiftly. I use a mechanical keyboard at the office, and if I can hear the click with silicon tips at low volume, once I’ve plugged some foam, every unwanted noise is completely out of the picture.

And, for once, I can wholeheartedly suggest using the silicone tips instead of the foam ones if you want to cut off your surroundings. The Xelastec were amazing on this regard, so much that I think that I’ll try to get a few sets for my other IEMs.

So, time to check the specs!

The review continues on Page Two, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.

Page 2: Sound performances