Available in silver or a special edition matte black, the BRAVURA headphones are eye-catching--plus they look and feel substantial and well-made. The black version, which I demoed, has silver grilles that give a peek to the copper mesh behind them that protects the drivers. The top of the headphone features a simple black "W" logo etched into a dark orange circle. The headband is much wider and thicker than the headband on the Sonoma M1. It's actually a version of the headband from Warwick's flagship APERIO headphone. The hand-stitched leather cushion is generously padded.

The headband itself is touted as being less "clampy" than the Sonoma M1. In my opinion, both headphones seem to have a rather substantial clamping force; I don't perceive less with the BRAVURA. I wouldn't say this is unpleasant, but it could be uncomfortable for some people. Headphone fit is subjective and depends on things like head shape and width and ear size. The ear cups are injected magnesium with handmade sheep's hair cushions.

The cable for the BRAVURA has been updated. According to Warwick, the Sonoma M1's cable system was prone to ‘touch it, you hear it’ effects. The BRAVURA comes with a new ultra-low-capicitance cable that is thicker than the Sonoma M1 cable. Now, electrostatic headphones require specialized cables. An electrostatic headphone does not present a normal load to any partnering amplifier. As a result, it is impossible to use just any cable to connect amplifier to headphone. Whereas the Sonoma M1 cable is fabric until the splitter, where it switches to polyurethane, the BRAVURA cable is fabric all the way. I like that there's a prominent dark orange ring under the right side connector.

Warwick's criteria for the
BRAVURA cable:

• Capacitance had to be minimized
• Mechanical noise pickup had to be minimized
• Signal purity had to be maximized
• The cable had to be thin, flexible, and lightweight

"We developed a bespoke ultra-low capacitance cable to guarantee optimal signal transfer between amplifier and headphone. Manufactured in collaboration with ATLAS and LEMO, the cable is strengthened with Kevlar between the inner cores, and uses high-precision self-latching LEMO connectors. A high quality woven Moplen outer braiding with soft feel and ultra-wear resistance ensures a luxury user experience."

Warwick Acoustics

Founded in 2002, Warwick Acoustics (previously known as Warwick Audio Technologies Inc.) spun off from work being done on electrostatic transducers (aka drivers) in the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick in England. Warwick Acoustics' claim to fame has been their award-winning HPEL driver technology. HPEL stands for High Precision Electrostatic Laminate.

In traditional electrostatic drivers (also called transducers), a thin diaphragm with a conductive coating is typically stretched between two metal grids with a positive charge, called stators. Adjusting the voltage on the grids, and the resulting change in the magnetic field, sets the foil in motion and thus generates sound. With the HPEL driver, there is only one stator. The second element is then a spacer, which is connected to a conductive metal grid. The foil itself is laminated with a metal film and in turn is bonded directly to the honeycomb separator. This is divided into different cells that are tuned to different frequencies and can work independently. For more stability, the construct is finally packed in a separate plastic cassette. HPEL technology offers a particularly large frequency range and at the same time removes the stator between the sound transducer and the ear.

For the BRAVURA, Warwick invested three years of HPEL development to refine their core patented technology to further improve upon all the benefits for which electrostatics are famous. The latest evolution of the single-ended HPEL uses a new stator design and more advanced materials resulting in ultra-low distortion, increased SPL, and a wider bandwidth. Each HPEL is handmade and individually matched.

I started out listening to a trio of songs that have been in my "drive to work" rotation: "Bitterblue," "Moonshadow," and "Peace Train" from Cat Stevens' Teaser and the Firecat. Right off the bat, I was deeply engaged with the guitar strumming on the first track. Electrostatic headphones have a way of making strings sound magical, and this was no exception. And then there was the passionate grit in Stevens' voice. The BRAVURA definitely seemed to put an emphasis on the midrange. I could hear some nice bells and tambourine in the background, too. On the more delicate "Moonshadow," Stevens' voice was front and center with everything else beautifully complementing it. The background vocals were really lovely here, too, cascading down around the rest of the music like a waterfall. Truth be told, this song has never been a favorite, but the BRAVURA made me like it more. Finally, on "Peace Train," I enjoyed the deep thump of the drums and bass guitar and the strumming of the acoustic guitar, the latter of which gave me pleasant chills across my back.

Switching to Pink Floyd (but not one of the typical albums I use in reviews), I cued up "Fearless" from the album Meddle. This track has a sort of "rise and fall" cadence that alternates between loud and quiet. The BRAVURA kept up nicely here, without my having to adjust the volume or strain to hear the softer parts. A really cool thing is that I heard something in the song that I had never noticed before: a small, higher-pitched sound borrowed from the song "Echoes" (on the same album). Why had I never noticed this before? Probably because I'd never listened on a headphone that excels with detail the way the BRAVURA does. Near the end, "Fearless" fades into a version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel. This particular version was allegedly recorded at a soccer game, with a crowd of voices belting it out in a sort of chant. This, again, gave me chills. I really felt that I was dropped down in the middle of the stadium and hearing the voices all around me.

Next, I listened to "Julius," a jazzy, uptempo number from Phish. Admittedly, the horns on this track can be "too much" for my ears on an analytical or treble-forward headphone. Listening with the BRAVURA, though, the highs were pleasant and non-screechy. I enjoyed the more midrange focus here, with Trey Anastasio's vocals being more prominent than I'm used to. Additionally, I found myself following the bassline more than I normally would. It was wonderfully tight and contained but added some nice low-end heft.

I rounded things out with "Beloved Wife" by Natalie Merchant. I've listened to this song on many headphones. There's a lot of bass boom in this recording, which can easily overpower the other elements in the song. On the BRAVURA, the bass felt more contained, with the gentle guitar strums and delicate piano notes holding their own. And Merchant's gut-wrenching vocal delivery here was right out front, as (in my opinion) it should be. Bravo to the BRAVURA!

I feel like the BRAVURA strikes the right balance between microdetails and low-end depth. There is more than enough detail to satisfy critical listeners, but the treble never overwhelms. There's also a nice amount of low-end presence to add solidity and interest to the most minimalistic tracks.

BRAVURA Headphones

Black headphones: $2,395.00

Silver headphones: $1,995.00

BRAVURA Headphones plus Sonoma M1 Amplifier

Black headphones + amp: $6,795.00

Silver headphones + amp: $5,995.00

All options available at this link.

Headphone box:

• BRAVURA headphones
• Cable
• Quick start guide

DAC/amplifier box:

• DAC/amplifier
• Universal power supply unit
• IEC power cord
• USB cable
• Quick start guide

Bravura Headphones

• Type: Open-back headphones; circumaural type
• Drivers: HPEL, single-ended electrostatic
• Effective driver area: 3570mm2
• Transducer capacitance: 105pF
• Bias voltage: 1350Vdc
• THD: 0.1% @ 1kHz / 100dB SPL
• Moving mass (for dynamic range): > 0.2g
• Frequency response: 10Hz - 60kHz
• Cable: Ultra-low capacitance, High-precision cable, 2m length
• Weight: 403g (14.2oz)

Sonoma M1 DAC/HeadpHone Amplifier

• Type: Class A solid-state electrostatic headphone energizer with build-in DAC, ADC, and DSP functions
• Inputs: One USB digital input, one coaxial S/PDIF digital input, two stereo analog inputs (one high-level via RCA jacks, one low-level via 3.5mm mini socket)
• Outputs: One electrostatic headphone/bias voltage output jack
• DAC: Dual mono, 32-bit/384 kHz ESS DACs with balanced outputs
• Digital Audio Formats Supported 
  • USB: All PCM inputs up to 32-bit/384 kHz and DSD via DoP (DSD64/DSD128)
  • Coaxial S/PDIF: All PCM inputs up to 24-bit/192kHz
• Device Drivers: An XMOS device driver is required when the Bravura system is used in Windows environments
• Frequency response: Bandwidth > 65kHz
• Distortion + Noise: <0.05%
• Dimensions (HxWxD): 57x190x290mm
• Weight: 2.45kg