oBravo HAMT-1
Recently I have said that headphones are, together with digital/analog converters, the most popular devices of the last two or three years. I must admit that it is not clear to me why there is such a boom of headphones.
It may be because smartphone owners, that is to say the majority of the adult world population, have their device full of downloaded music and since the quality of the phone’s loudspeakers is really poor they listen to their music with earphones.
Many people make do with the earphones that are sold with the smartphone but some others want a better quality. There are brands that produce quality earphones that have a price range among 100 and 400 euros. And it is exactly an in-ear earphone that costs 400 euros that we will soon review on our magazine.
We are aware that there are items that are even more expensive but those are meant for professional use and are used as monitor earphones during concerts.
As for the headphones, we find many different models with different prices that go from few euros to many hundreds. Stax and Jecklin Float are historical top brands, AKG and also Sennheiser are famous and also quite expensive brands.
It is really amazing to see how many small new brands are starting to produce their headphones or earphones from all over the world.
Among these new brands we find oBravo Audio, and its top of the range headphone - HAMT-1 - is the object of our review today. We are proud to be the first magazine in Italy to review this product.
The plant is settled in Taiwan and it’s not brand new, since it was founded in 2006. It was mainly a producer of consumer devices and not hi-end devices. Nowadays it produces 10 different models of headphones.
This is how oBravo introduces this headphone:
“With the HAMT1, we have combined one of the most advanced headphone driver technologies, called Air Motion Transformer(AMT) Tweeter with Dynamic Neodymium Drivers, to deliver the finest bass performance of any headphone in its class”.
Features:
1. The world first Coaxial two way headphone design by an implementation of AMT tweeter and Dynamic Neodymium driver to deliver a rich sound stage listen experience in headphone market.
2. World class Alcantara material implementation for longer duration usage.
3. Easy way to fine tune personalized sound style by an optional tuning kit, TK1.
4. Light weight design for easier mobile usage
Specification:
• Frequency Response: 15Hz~45KHz
• Tweeter: 40mm Air Motion Transformer Tweeter
• Dynamic Driver: 57mm
• Impedance: 56 ohm
• Sensibility in dB: 105dB
• Weight: 540 g
As you hold this headphone you notice its nice manufacture. Wood, metal and alcantara are very nice to see and pleasant to touch. It is evident the difference between this headphone and the other headphones that are made with cheap plastic.
It is heavy, but once you wear it, it is very comfortable thanks to the soft leather pads that are very comfortable.
The manufacturer declares a high sensitivity, so I decide to connect it to my LG G3 smartphone and the result is surprising. If you keep a medium volume and listen in silent environments you can listen very well without an external amplifier. I do not think though that the HAMT-1 was conceived to be used for poor quality listenings, so I connect it to a NuForce HA-200 - kindly provided by Audiograffiti - that will amplify the signal coming from the Yamaha Cd-S3000 digital player.
I put the headphone on my ears and … OMG! awful! a low pitched and confused monotone sound. Nothing else! I write straight away to the Italian distributor but I think I know what the problem is. This headphone is brand new and it needs a burn in … 200 hours is what the distributor says.
I hope and pray that my electricity bill will not be too high (the NuForce works in full Class A) and I leave the headphones connected and playing night and day for a whole week. Once the burn in is done I listen again and things are much better now, but not good enough. The bass is enhanced and covers the mid-hi range. How is this possible? Do they use an expensive Heil Tweeter to get this sound? Impossible. I read the user’s instruction - a very poor piece of paper - and I take a look also at the nice small plastic suitcase that contains Allen keys and a lot of different silicon caps.
It may be because smartphone owners, that is to say the majority of the adult world population, have their device full of downloaded music and since the quality of the phone’s loudspeakers is really poor they listen to their music with earphones.
Many people make do with the earphones that are sold with the smartphone but some others want a better quality. There are brands that produce quality earphones that have a price range among 100 and 400 euros. And it is exactly an in-ear earphone that costs 400 euros that we will soon review on our magazine.
We are aware that there are items that are even more expensive but those are meant for professional use and are used as monitor earphones during concerts.
As for the headphones, we find many different models with different prices that go from few euros to many hundreds. Stax and Jecklin Float are historical top brands, AKG and also Sennheiser are famous and also quite expensive brands.
It is really amazing to see how many small new brands are starting to produce their headphones or earphones from all over the world.
Among these new brands we find oBravo Audio, and its top of the range headphone - HAMT-1 - is the object of our review today. We are proud to be the first magazine in Italy to review this product.
The plant is settled in Taiwan and it’s not brand new, since it was founded in 2006. It was mainly a producer of consumer devices and not hi-end devices. Nowadays it produces 10 different models of headphones.
This is how oBravo introduces this headphone:
“With the HAMT1, we have combined one of the most advanced headphone driver technologies, called Air Motion Transformer(AMT) Tweeter with Dynamic Neodymium Drivers, to deliver the finest bass performance of any headphone in its class”.
Features:
1. The world first Coaxial two way headphone design by an implementation of AMT tweeter and Dynamic Neodymium driver to deliver a rich sound stage listen experience in headphone market.
2. World class Alcantara material implementation for longer duration usage.
3. Easy way to fine tune personalized sound style by an optional tuning kit, TK1.
4. Light weight design for easier mobile usage
Specification:
• Frequency Response: 15Hz~45KHz
• Tweeter: 40mm Air Motion Transformer Tweeter
• Dynamic Driver: 57mm
• Impedance: 56 ohm
• Sensibility in dB: 105dB
• Weight: 540 g
As you hold this headphone you notice its nice manufacture. Wood, metal and alcantara are very nice to see and pleasant to touch. It is evident the difference between this headphone and the other headphones that are made with cheap plastic.
It is heavy, but once you wear it, it is very comfortable thanks to the soft leather pads that are very comfortable.
The manufacturer declares a high sensitivity, so I decide to connect it to my LG G3 smartphone and the result is surprising. If you keep a medium volume and listen in silent environments you can listen very well without an external amplifier. I do not think though that the HAMT-1 was conceived to be used for poor quality listenings, so I connect it to a NuForce HA-200 - kindly provided by Audiograffiti - that will amplify the signal coming from the Yamaha Cd-S3000 digital player.
I put the headphone on my ears and … OMG! awful! a low pitched and confused monotone sound. Nothing else! I write straight away to the Italian distributor but I think I know what the problem is. This headphone is brand new and it needs a burn in … 200 hours is what the distributor says.
I hope and pray that my electricity bill will not be too high (the NuForce works in full Class A) and I leave the headphones connected and playing night and day for a whole week. Once the burn in is done I listen again and things are much better now, but not good enough. The bass is enhanced and covers the mid-hi range. How is this possible? Do they use an expensive Heil Tweeter to get this sound? Impossible. I read the user’s instruction - a very poor piece of paper - and I take a look also at the nice small plastic suitcase that contains Allen keys and a lot of different silicon caps.
With patience and a lot of imagination I realize that the loudsp … ehm the headphone has an adjustable system of bass frequencies. I unlock the housings and once the wooden part moves I can see the inside of it.
As you can see in the pictures there are three elliptical holes in which the silicon caps fit precisely. They are of three different kinds: two have different sizes and are opened on both sides, and the other can be mounted on the former supports to guarantee an almost airtight lock to the holes.
As you can see in the pictures there are three elliptical holes in which the silicon caps fit precisely. They are of three different kinds: two have different sizes and are opened on both sides, and the other can be mounted on the former supports to guarantee an almost airtight lock to the holes.
I decide to go for the most extreme intervention and I lock all three holes, I do not like compromises.
The holes are really small and it takes the fingers of a small kid to put the insert in the right place, it took me more than half an hour to do it properly.
I wipe away my sweat and I am ready to listen again.
I start with the Hilliard Ensemble and Jan Garbarek, Officium (ECM) to test this headphone about the soundstage, that is the weak spot of many headphones.
Well to begin with the sax in at the centre of the scene with an echo on the right as it always is also with very high quality devices. The voices of the British quartet are distributed between the two channels and give a good idea of their position in the Austrian St. Gerold Propstei.
Sometimes Garbarek’s sax seem a bit too feeble but since it is an instrument with a very acute sound this may be just an impression. With the tenor sax, in fact, thing are much better.
I want to try these headphones with my smartphone once again. The listening of the Allman Brothers Band (At Fillmore East) on SACD is very captivating.
The low range is much better than before and there is no comparison with other famous in ear devices. With a little more power the listening might be perfect. There are on the market small amplifiers that may be of use in this case.
I listen again to the HAMT-1 with the NuForce; time to listen to the Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin (Telarc). Dynamics is good, and in this recording it is abundant indeed. The low range is present, it is soft and always in control (hurray for the caps!). It is always a bit prevalent on the mid range that is pushed back a little, and has a warm and pleasant sound that remains a bit too tamed. This I must admit, is a characteristic that can be found in many headphones, no matter how expensive they are. All in all the sound is pleasant and relaxing.
Tympani and bass drum are close to perfection if we consider the fact that we are listening with headphones.
The Miserere by Gregorio Allegri (SACD Chandos) is very interesting to listen to. The treble voices are shrill as you expect them to be. Every now and then you hear a background noise that with the loudspeakers you cannot hear. The space is huge thanks to the good soundstage creation without evident holes. The old sound focused on the two ears is now just a memory!
There is a CD among the many that Marco Lincetto with his Velut Luna has recorded in these years called “Stop at the Devil’s Crossroad”. It is a collection of traditional American Blues performed by an Italian group: Nik Lee & the Young Fellas. This is a very nice performance with a hint of groove. You will listen to it with your ears and your body!
The recording is one of the best possible for this music genre. If you like this music go ahead an buy it here, it is worth it!
The OBravo with this record have a powerful but soft low range while the mid range is a bit backward once again; the top range is different from usual and well in evidence in its upper position, but a bit too weak in its lower section.
The higher strings of the dobro have an excessive metallic sound. It is as if the tweeter was crossed too low and therefore could not reproduce the mid high range with the right density.
Buena Vista Social Club (World Circuit, CD) is well recorded and the oBravo seems to evidence it. They were born to enhance the Latin American sound! The audience there has different tastes and likes a different sound. They like a macho low range, a round and puffy sound. Their recordings sound like that, because they want them to.
As I said before I have listened to many headphones lately. I have noticed that all of them, exception made for the electrostatic ones - have a sound that somehow cuddles the ears. I can understand why; something that has a very strong mid range may be annoying during hours-long listenings.
The oBravo HAMT-1 enhance this characteristic and give a precise connotation to the sound that one may like or not. This sound is a bit far away from the fidelity of the sound reproduction as I mean it. But do not misunderstand me, listening with these headphones is a pleasure that may last for hours…
Angelo Jasparro
Manufacturer: oBravo Audio
The holes are really small and it takes the fingers of a small kid to put the insert in the right place, it took me more than half an hour to do it properly.
I wipe away my sweat and I am ready to listen again.
I start with the Hilliard Ensemble and Jan Garbarek, Officium (ECM) to test this headphone about the soundstage, that is the weak spot of many headphones.
Well to begin with the sax in at the centre of the scene with an echo on the right as it always is also with very high quality devices. The voices of the British quartet are distributed between the two channels and give a good idea of their position in the Austrian St. Gerold Propstei.
Sometimes Garbarek’s sax seem a bit too feeble but since it is an instrument with a very acute sound this may be just an impression. With the tenor sax, in fact, thing are much better.
I want to try these headphones with my smartphone once again. The listening of the Allman Brothers Band (At Fillmore East) on SACD is very captivating.
The low range is much better than before and there is no comparison with other famous in ear devices. With a little more power the listening might be perfect. There are on the market small amplifiers that may be of use in this case.
I listen again to the HAMT-1 with the NuForce; time to listen to the Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin (Telarc). Dynamics is good, and in this recording it is abundant indeed. The low range is present, it is soft and always in control (hurray for the caps!). It is always a bit prevalent on the mid range that is pushed back a little, and has a warm and pleasant sound that remains a bit too tamed. This I must admit, is a characteristic that can be found in many headphones, no matter how expensive they are. All in all the sound is pleasant and relaxing.
Tympani and bass drum are close to perfection if we consider the fact that we are listening with headphones.
The Miserere by Gregorio Allegri (SACD Chandos) is very interesting to listen to. The treble voices are shrill as you expect them to be. Every now and then you hear a background noise that with the loudspeakers you cannot hear. The space is huge thanks to the good soundstage creation without evident holes. The old sound focused on the two ears is now just a memory!
There is a CD among the many that Marco Lincetto with his Velut Luna has recorded in these years called “Stop at the Devil’s Crossroad”. It is a collection of traditional American Blues performed by an Italian group: Nik Lee & the Young Fellas. This is a very nice performance with a hint of groove. You will listen to it with your ears and your body!
The recording is one of the best possible for this music genre. If you like this music go ahead an buy it here, it is worth it!
The OBravo with this record have a powerful but soft low range while the mid range is a bit backward once again; the top range is different from usual and well in evidence in its upper position, but a bit too weak in its lower section.
The higher strings of the dobro have an excessive metallic sound. It is as if the tweeter was crossed too low and therefore could not reproduce the mid high range with the right density.
Buena Vista Social Club (World Circuit, CD) is well recorded and the oBravo seems to evidence it. They were born to enhance the Latin American sound! The audience there has different tastes and likes a different sound. They like a macho low range, a round and puffy sound. Their recordings sound like that, because they want them to.
As I said before I have listened to many headphones lately. I have noticed that all of them, exception made for the electrostatic ones - have a sound that somehow cuddles the ears. I can understand why; something that has a very strong mid range may be annoying during hours-long listenings.
The oBravo HAMT-1 enhance this characteristic and give a precise connotation to the sound that one may like or not. This sound is a bit far away from the fidelity of the sound reproduction as I mean it. But do not misunderstand me, listening with these headphones is a pleasure that may last for hours…
Angelo Jasparro
Manufacturer: oBravo Audio
