SeeAudio Bravery Review

Specifications

For the nit-pickers and nerdy ones here, I’m giving the specs and technical sheets. For all the others, you can just go lower to see how the SeeAudio BRAVERY performs.

Hybrid configuration + Harman Curve

Like the NEO – their flagship – the SeeAudio Bravery uses a mix of Knowles and Sonion balanced armature drivers. If the lows and highs are provided by Knowles, the mids-driver comes from Sonion.

The promise? Clean, accurate, and smooth sound reproduction through the help of an electronic frequency divider filter that consists of two physical division filter, for a three-way configuration. It’s a pretty common setup now, but sometimes you can be very surprised, positively.

The brand gives a frequency response chart, plus a frequency distribution graph, and from that, you can directly spot a slight V-Shape. Also, compared to the Yume, the overall chart seems more natural and this time, SeeAudio didn’t try to match the Harman Target Curve (thank you).

What’s really interesting regarding the Bravery though is how those came to life. As a community-made project, the tuning, and design were chosen by audio enthusiasts across the world. I don’t know how that will translate, but let’s stay open-minded here.

Sensitivity / Hiss 

Impedance is low (18ohm), sensitivity is good (106dB/mW), so you should have no problem driving those IEMs with your usual DAP, or even a phone.

On my FiiO M11 Plus LTD, the IEM behaves exceptionally well. Same with my EarMen Sparrow or the ddHiFi TC35B plugged into my computer, all were able to drive the IEM with ease, even in noisy environments.

Last but not least, hiss never was an issue.

Full specs

• Type: IEM
• Style: 4BA – 3-Way
• Drivers: 1x Sonion (mids) 2x Knowles (lows) 1x Knowles (highs)
• Socket: 2-Pin
• Cable: 6N OCC copper – 3.5mm straight
• Shell: 3D printed silicon + custom faceplate
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20 KHz
• Impedance: 18 ohms
• Sensitivity: 110dB
• Sound Isolation (up to): 30 dB
• Cable length: 120 cm 
• Price: $279

Sound performances

My main sources were the FiiO M11 Plus LTD / EarMen Sparrow / ddHiFi TC35i. Trusted sources from trusted brands that I used extensively for the past months.

As usual, files were played from either Apple Music / Spotify or my own music library. Some tracks will be highlighted, just so you can try them home too!

Overall signature

So, does the Bravery convey the sound of holiness and purity? I don’t know about that, but I was pleasantly surprised nonetheless.

There’s a slight v-shape vibe, but overall the presentation remains neutral. Resolution and clarity are excellent, and the whole spectrum shows an impressive level of definition, even at low-volume. Head to head with the Yume, the Bravery feels like a real step-up, especially in the low range where the latter reaches notes the Yume only skimmed on the surface.

On tracks like Corvid Phase from Headflux, the IEM displays nicely controlled bass response and impact. For a full-BA, the result is compelling, helped by the tight-seal offered by the new silicon tips, and techno-lovers like me should find the Bravery pretty adequate to that genre.

If lows are tight, mids don’t fall short either. Voices especially were given a lot of love and attention, and I was deeply impressed by how natural the mid-range came out, even just plugged on the small TC35i. SeeAudio really knows how to tune their mid-range and, in my opinion, it’s one of the most impressive feature of this IEM – even if the frequency chart showed recessed mids.

On the other hand, highs can be a bit too forward sometimes. That’s not an issue most of the time, but some tracks might sound a bit sparkly with the Bravery, almost sibilant. On bad recordings, it’s almost painful, and you may have to lower the 8kHz on your EQ, to tone down that spike.

Add a potent source like the FiiO M11 Plus Ltd and the SeeAudio Bravery opens up really nicely. Highs are sharper and lows gain more weight, without infringing on the voices. The seamless transition between low, mids, and highs is proof that SeeAudio really did some nice engineering and tried to blend those three drivers, in the best possible way. And, my previous regarding the lack of low mid-range, is completely irrelevant now, as the IEM nicely fixed that issue.

I listened to classic tracks like Hysterias from SebastiAn, or vocal one like La Jeune Fille en Feu from Par One and that confirmed my first impression: if voices remain one the best feature of the Bravery, everything else has been improved. I also tried complex tracks like Crash Landing from Illangelo which highlights the ear’s excellent ADSR and wide dynamic range, with an exquisite rendering of every subtle nuance. A good example is Most of the Time from Lisa Ekhdal, whose particular tone of voice felt delightfully closed even at very low volume.

Later on, I stepped up my setup and swapped the EarMen TC35i, for the EarMen Sparrow, the lows tightened, instruments separation improved, and the overall resolution deeply improved. My only complaint would be regarding the sound stage, which is good, but not spectacular, even more, compared to dynamic models like the FiiO FD5. 

In the long run, the IEM remains highly impressive and feels like a real alternative to models such as the FiiO FH5 or the AudioSense DT200, thanks to a more consistent render across every genre I tried. Big improvement!

Tonality

Highs: engaging and sharp. High-frequencies extension is great, but the bravery can be a tad too bright sometimes, so you better choose your source carefully. Between 7kHz and 10kHz, the boost can either be pleasant, or repulsive, depending on what you like but nothing you can’t fix with a quick EQ.

Good test-track:  The Look Of love – Dusty Springfield

Mediums: clean and quick. As usual with SeeAudio, mids are absolutely flawless and provide the perfect balance of sharpness and oneness. Everything seems perfectly on-point and SeeAudio vastly impressed me in this regard. Kudos the brand!

Good test-track: Plastic Love – Mariya Takeuchi

Bass: solid bass and deep rumble. Bass is there, well-defined, impactful, and when the Yume lacked solid low-mids, that isn’t the case on the Braveryy as I couldn’t get my usual kick on the go. That said, the Yume still managed to deliver deep sub-low, proof that it’s more about tuning than performance issues.

Good test-track : Peur des filles – L’impératrice

Conclusion

For $279, the SeeAudio Bravery is a very potent IEM, surpassing the previous Yume in every possible way.

Build quality is excellent, comfort is superb, and the sound is very good, with impressive lows and sharp highs. Paired with a quality source the IEM behaves really well, and this makes the Bravery a real competitor for the like of FiiO or Fearless, in this price range.

The downsides? If highs are praiseworthy, they tend to be a bit too forward, past 7kHz. But, overall, there’s still a lot to love, and If SeeAudio were fell a tad short with the Yume, the Bravery is a real success, doubled as a weeb/Genshin impact adjusted goodies. I like that.

Page 1: About the brand, design and build quality