Comparisons –
Shozy BG ($279): The BG is a 5x BA earphone with a well-detailed, revealing tuning, it is more linear in the bass but brighter leaning in the treble than the Bravery. The Bravery has a more robust, dynamic and weighted low-end while the BG is more even with a light mid-bass warmth. The Bravery is deeper-extending and more weighted, the BG is a bit faster and more separated, but the Bravery is more textured and engaging overall. The midrange is more forward on the BG and has a more neutral tonality. It is slightly lean but altogether, crafts a mostly natural voicing and lacks the strain and colouration of the Bravery. The BG is a bit more revealing here as a result of its cleanliness combined with a slight forwardness. It has some glare from the treble and a slightly sharper articulation gives it some rasp.
The Bravery sounds more coloured in both voicing and tonality. It has a bit more warmth and body, but chiefly a smoother articulation. This actually makes it a bit more forgiving if not quite as resolving overall. The same goes for the treble, the BG is very well-detailed for its asking price but also quite bright leaning in both the foreground and background. It has a slightly cleaner transient response and a bit more bite. However, it also has more glare and less separation. The Bravery relinquishes a little fine detail in the foreground for greater atmosphere, air and headroom. It sounds grander and more balanced. The Bravery has the larger soundstage, the BG better layering and sharper imaging. I found the Bravery to be better separated due to its greater treble balance.
Fiio FD5 ($319): TheFD5 is a single Be-plated DD earphone with a similar U-shaped signature. I used the large nozzles and balanced tips for this comparison. The bass tuning is extraordinarily similar on both, though the dynamic-driver based FD5 definitely has more punch and slam alongside a more lingering, textured note presentation. It has more rumble and sub-bass power while the Bravery comes across as slightly more mid-bass focused, being much faster and more articulate. It really depends what style of bass you prefer. The midrange voicings are also similar albeit in different execution. The FD5 is more objectively linear and sounds a bit more natural in terms of voicing. Vocal positioning is similar on both, the FD5 has slightly more structured and filled-out vocals. The chief advantage is its slightly more natural upper-mid tuning. It has a slightly cleaner tone and is more articulate but is perhaps overly so as some rasp is evident.
The Bravery is the inverse. It has a bit more warmth but slightly less body, in turn, it is more separated, defined and textured. It has a bit more energy and clarity, a hint of strain but isn’t pushed too far due to its smoother articulation. The FD5 has a more focused foreground detail presentation while the Bravery is more airy and pristine sounding. The FD5 has a slightly more accurate treble timbre, though crisp, it has a bit more body and texture. The Bravery is airier and sounds a lot more open but also with less bite in the lower-treble. In terms of detail retrieval, the FD5 does have a bit more fine detail in the lower-treble while the Bravery has better background detail retrieval. The FD5 has a slightly deeper stage but both are mostly similar overall. I find the FD5 to layer better with its cleaner background and more stable centre image. The Bravery is floatier but also more separated and a bit more multi-dimensional.
Moondrop Blessing 2 ($319): The Blessing 2 is the go-to option around this price and for good reason, it combines excellent tuning with good technical performance. It should come as little surprise the Bravery is quite a bit more coloured in its delivery. The Blessing 2 has a more linear bass performance but with a bit more depth due to its hybrid configuration. The Bravery has more power and weight with a bigger sub and mid-bass. The Blessing 2 has slightly less bass and slightly less speed, but also a cleaner tuning and more defined, assertive DD slam. The midrange is more balanced on the Blessing 2, but the Bravery isn’t actually that much more laid-back in direct comparison. The voicing is markedly different, however. The Blessing 2 has a cleaner tone and a denser, more structured presentation. Its vocals are larger and more complete.
The Bravery has higher clarity but smaller vocal size. It has slightly leaner note weight giving it a more defined, textured presentation at the cost of timbral accuracy. The Blessing 2 has a more even treble tuning but also much faster roll-off in the middle-treble. Nevertheless, it is noticeably more detailed in the lower-treble, delivering a keener note attack and more defined notes in general. It retrieves fine details better and has more body and texture. On the flipside, though clean, it doesn’t have a huge amount of background detail. The Bravery is far more energetic and has a lot more air and headroom. It has a noticeably more background detail and brings them more to the fore with its brighter tuning. The Bravery also has a noticeably wider soundstage. However, the Blessing 2 does layer and image better in addition to having slightly better separation overall.
Verdict –
These are difficult times for audio manufacturers as expectations are no longer defined by the broad median, but by the supreme outliers. So though I would usually be inclined to say the Bravery exceeds its asking price in performance, the same does apply to its equally accomplished competitors. In turn, it’s far more apt to state that the Bravery lies near the top of its price tier. This is a thought out and well-executed product designed by a company of clear direction and method. See Audio has demonstrated they can make a Harman faithful monitor in the form of the Yume and they’ve really flaunted their mastery of sound tuning on the far more coloured, far more complex Bravery. This is not a reference monitor, it isn’t perfectly balanced nor perfectly accurate in timbre. However, the recurring theme here is moderation and consistency; the Bravery is wide, energetic and vivid but never fatiguing, intense or sharp. It is aptly named, for See Audio has created a courageous, out of the box earphone and one that is no less accomplished in terms of musical enjoyment than class leaders if not quite as genre versatile. If you enjoy an open, high-clarity sound and a powerful bass performance, the Bravery punches well above its weight.
The Bravery can be purchased from HiFiGO for $279 USD at the time of writing. I am not affiliated with See Audio or HiFiGO and receive no earnings from purchases through these links.
Track List –
Billie Eilish – dont smile at me
Bob Seger – Night Moves
Courtney Barnett – Rae Street
Cream – Wheels of Fire
Dire Straits – Communique
Dirty Loops – Next To You
Eagles – Hotel California
Elton John – Honky Chateau
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
H.E.R – I Used To Know Her
Jasen – BYE
John Mayer – Continuum
Kanye West – Ye
Missy Higgins – The Sound of White
Radiohead – OK Computer
TALA – ain’t leavin` without you
The Beatles – Abbey Road
The weeknd – After Hours
Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride
