OBRAVO VENUS SIGNATURE IEM - REVIEW
MEZE AUDIO ADVAR IEM
oBravo, a Taiwanese firm that has been producing high-end personal audio since 2006, has become synonymous with original designs, exquisite form factor and outstanding sonics. They have a varied portfolio of products that include IEM and traditional headphone models.
Their models range from moderate to ultra luxury product pricing.
We were very happy to receive the oBravo Venus Signature IEM’s, which retails for approximately $950, depending on the exchange rate.The shells of Venus are composed of brass that has been coated with platinum. These shells have a mirror sheen like stainless steel shells. Venus Signature has just enough weight for a luxurious, substantial feel without being cumbersome. The Venus shell looks to be physically similar to the oBravo Cupid, except for larger cable ports. There is only one tiny vent at the nozzle's base, and black and red colour coding indicates Left and Right, thankfully. The quality of construction is beyond excellent
A high-end OCC Litz silver-plated copper cable is included with the Venus standard. The Venus Signature model has a premium gold-plated silver cable. The updated cable now has a modular twist-lock interchangeable termination system from oBravo, allowing you to quickly and simply swap between single-ended (3.5 mm), balanced (2.5 mm) and 4.4 mm (6.3 mm) connections.The upgraded cable is a pleasure to work with. It's easy on the eyes and soft to the touch. Most happily, it has no stiffness or kinks and is easy to manoeuvre.
The Venus Signature earpieces are a delight. They are comfortable and secure in the ear since they are made of brass and are just the right size and shape to fit in the ear cavity. They sit in the ear canal with ease and with a relaxed feel.. The elegantly polished shells are seamlessly bonded together, and the metallic surface exudes great quality. Three different- sized silicone eartips included in the packaging are very welcome, since they provide a very tight seal that boosts sound quality significantly. In essence, it is passive noise cancellation.
I'll give you a quick primer on planar magnetic technology before discussing the quality of sound produced by these high-end in-ear-phones. The 8mm planar magnetic drivers in the Venus Signature are built from a thin layer of electrostatic material sandwiching wires, transmitting a changeable electric signal, as opposed to the standard diaphragms used in dynamically driven earphones.
The planar magnetic drivers have a rapid recovery time and low levels of reverb and distortion because they are resilient and vibrate in time with the electrical input. Venus Signature combines planar magnetic driver and neodymium motor magnets for a unique combination. Note that our loudspeakers of choice tend to be Magneplanar.
SETUP AND LISTENING
We used the Venus Signature mostly with the Klipsch Heritage headphone amp and DAC. The music was sent to the Klipsch either via Roon or via Audirvana playback software on a Mac Mini M1. The Klipsch turned out to be a perfect match for the oBravo Venus Signature. It had plenty of juice and tonally, it was amazingly in sync. The low gain setting proved more than enough to achieve excellent impact and plenty of volume. However, we did experiment with the high gain setting for quieter music.
The oBravo Venus Signature produces an amazingly smooth, clear sound with tight bass, a generous midrange and beautifully detailed highs. There was a natural warmth that was addictive. It was exceptional at soundstaging and presenting the precise location of instruments in the mix.
The Venus Signature also proved highly adaptable and capable of reproducing even the most demanding musical styles. We found ourselves listening to a lot of acoustic music, jazz and intimate instrumental albums at first, and the Venus Signature passed these tests with flying colours.
A new album we stumbled upon, the 2023 self-titled debut by The Optics, is simply remarkable in every way. It features nine compositions, all improvised, recorded live, with no edits. The band is from Bern, Switzerland, and the music is chamber jazz at its finest, with accordion, bass, saxophone and drums, and spoken and sung vocals. The Venus did a superb job of putting the listener in the room with the musicians and getting the timbre and tone of both the individual instruments and the ensemble with great accuracy. It felt like we were standing in the middle of the performance space with the musicians around us. As a bonus, the recording is top shelf too. Highly recommended.
We were also highly impressed with Onliness, the latest album from Josienne Clarke, an exceptional Scottish singer-songwriter. The production is vivid, with many interesting layers of instruments, including harp and harmonium. Clarke also produced the album, and the sonics are superb, and the songs draw you in like mini pop symphonies. The Venus Signature made this a very intimate affair, with no lulls or loss of momentum.
Classical music filled out the final stretch of the review period. We listened to quite a few pieces in several formats, including high-resolution PCM and DSD. One album that really brought out the strengths of the Venus Signature was Introducing the Symphonina: Spreading the Joy of Symphonic Music to Young Audiences Around the World. It features short modern classical pieces by several composers, including Christopher Reed, Steve Locks and David Fogel. The music is delightful, and the sound via the oBravo was spacious, with the strings having a sweet, airy high end, plenty of woodiness on the cellos, and just the right percussive attack on the piano.
In the end we felt the Venus Signature was tuned very smartly, to accommodate many musical genres and listening habits. There was no listening fatigue, even after sessions that lasted hours. We felt all audio bands were represented very nicely and there was no imbalance or sharpness.
It should be noted that oBravo smartly packages the Venus Signature with a modular connector kit, including proprietary adapters and connectors of varying sizes to fit into most audio outputs. There are also three pairs of nice silicone ear buds and foam ear tips. A nice added touch is a zipper-equipped, very solid carrying case.
Conclusion
The oBravo Venus Signature are simply superb personal audio transducers—exceptional, actually. At close to the $1,000 price point, they are very much front runners in that market. No audio product is perfect, but the Venus Signature made it difficult to find any significant flaws in its build, appearance or sound. If we had to live with just one IEM model, the Venus Signature would likely be it.
The fit and feel of the Venus Signature was, for us, just perfect. And this is how a product at this price point should be. Of course, others may have a different experience, but we are confident the Venus Signature will satisfy the vast majority of listeners ergonomically. It is safe to say the Venus Signature will also pair well with most audio devices. We strongly recommend checking out the Venus Signature and the rest of the oBravo line up.
SPECIFICATIONS
Driver configuration: 2nd-generation patented 8mm planar magnetic driver + 9mm neodymium dynamic driver
Housing material: Platinum-plated brass housing
Impedance: 16ohm
Sensitivity: 105dB
Frequency response range: 18Hz ~ 40kHz
Product information
oBravo Venus Signature: $950
https://obravo.life/en/earphone/venus/
AKRM