Foreword / YouTube Video Review
These were loaned to me by the manufacturer for review. I was not paid for this review nor has Bravura seen this review before public release.
The review on this website is a brief overview and summary of the objective performance of this speaker. It is not intended to be a deep dive. Moreso, this is information for those who prefer “just the facts” and prefer to have the data without the filler. The video below has more discussion.
Information and Photos
Manufacturer’s information can be found here. Here’s a quick excerpt from their site:
Unlike conventional speakers, which use multiple drivers in a planar arrangement to play different frequency ranges, Bravura 7 speakers are equipped with nine 1.5” midrange drivers arranged in a unique ring array design. At the center of the ring, a 22mm tweeter delivers silky smooth highs up to 20 kHz that never sound shrill or harsh. A dedicated 7” woofer packs powerful low end sonics, while the custom tuned 7” passive radiator port delivers bass all the way down to an F10 roll off of 41 Hz. Two crossovers at 300 Hz and 6,000 Hz ensure a smooth response across the entire frequency range.
Approximate retail price for these is about $6500/pair USD.
CTA-2034 (SPINORAMA) and Accompanying Data
All data collected using Klippel’s Near-Field Scanner. The Near-Field-Scanner 3D (NFS) offers a fully automated acoustic measurement of direct sound radiated from the source under test. The radiated sound is determined in any desired distance and angle in the 3D space outside the scanning surface. Directivity, sound power, SPL response and many more key figures are obtained for any kind of loudspeaker and audio system in near field applications (e.g. studio monitors, mobile devices) as well as far field applications (e.g. professional audio systems). Utilizing a minimum of measurement points, a comprehensive data set is generated containing the loudspeaker’s high resolution, free field sound radiation in the near and far field. For a detailed explanation of how the NFS works and the science behind it, please watch the below discussion with designer Christian Bellmann:
The reference point is at the tweeter.
Measurements are provided in a format in accordance with the Standard Method of Measurement for In-Home Loudspeakers (ANSI/CTA-2034-A R-2020). For more information, please see this link.
CTA-2034 / SPINORAMA:
The On-axis Frequency Response (0°) is the universal starting point and in many situations it is a fair representation of the first sound to arrive at a listener’s ears.
The Listening Window is a spatial average of the nine amplitude responses in the ±10º vertical and ±30º horizontal angular range. This encompasses those listeners who sit within a typical home theater audience, as well as those who disregard the normal rules when listening alone.
The Early Reflections curve is an estimate of all single-bounce, first-reflections, in a typical listening room.
Sound Power represents all of the sounds arriving at the listening position after any number of reflections from any direction. It is the weighted rms average of all 70 measurements, with individual measurements weighted according to the portion of the spherical surface that they represent.
Sound Power Directivity Index (SPDI): In this standard the SPDI is defined as the difference between the listening window curve and the sound power curve.
Early Reflections Directivity Index (EPDI): is defined as the difference between the listening window curve and the early reflections curve. In small rooms, early reflections figure prominently in what is measured and heard in the room so this curve may provide insights into potential sound quality.
Early Reflections Breakout:
Floor bounce: average of 20º, 30º, 40º down
Ceiling bounce: average of 40º, 50º, 60º up
Front wall bounce: average of 0º, ± 10º, ± 20º, ± 30º horizontal
Side wall bounces: average of ± 40º, ± 50º, ± 60º, ± 70º, ± 80º horizontal
Rear wall bounces: average of 180º, ± 90º horizontal
Estimated In-Room Response:
In theory, with complete 360-degree anechoic data on a loudspeaker and sufficient acoustical and geometrical data on the listening room and its layout it would be possible to estimate with good precision what would be measured by an omnidirectional microphone located in the listening area of that room. By making some simplifying assumptions about the listening space, the data set described above permits a usefully accurate preview of how a given loudspeaker might perform in a typical domestic listening room. Obviously, there are no guarantees, because individual rooms can be acoustically aberrant. Sometimes rooms are excessively reflective (“live”) as happens in certain hot, humid climates, with certain styles of interior décor and in under-furnished rooms. Sometimes rooms are excessively “dead” as in other styles of décor and in some custom home theaters where acoustical treatment has been used excessively. This form of post processing is offered only as an estimate of what might happen in a domestic living space with carpet on the floor and a “normal” amount of seating, drapes and cabinetry.
For these limited circumstances it has been found that a usefully accurate Predicted In-Room (PIR) amplitude response, also known as a “room curve” is obtained by a weighted average consisting of 12 % listening window, 44 % early reflections and 44 % sound power. At very high frequencies errors can creep in because of excessive absorption, microphone directivity, and room geometry. These discrepancies are not considered to be of great importance.
Horizontal Frequency Response (0° to ±90°):
Vertical Frequency Response (0° to ±40°):
Horizontal Contour Plot (normalized):
Vertical Contour Plot (normalized):
“Globe” Plots
Horizontal Polar (Globe) Plot:
This represents the sound field at 2 meters - above 200Hz - per the legend in the upper left.
Vertical Polar (Globe) Plot:
This represents the sound field at 2 meters - above 200Hz - per the legend in the upper left.
Additional Measurements
Response Linearity
Impedance Magnitude and Phase
Step Response
Group Delay
Harmonic Distortion
Harmonic Distortion at 86dB @ 1m:
Harmonic Distortion at 96dB @ 1m:
Dynamic Range (Instantaneous Compression Test)
The below graphic indicates just how much SPL is lost (compression) or gained (enhancement; usually due to distortion) when the speaker is played at higher output volumes instantly via a 2.7 second logarithmic sine sweep referenced to 76dB at 1 meter. The signals are played consecutively without any additional stimulus applied. Then normalized against the 76dB result.
The tests are conducted in this fashion:
- 76dB at 1 meter (baseline; black)
- 86dB at 1 meter (red)
- 96dB at 1 meter (blue)
- 102dB at 1 meter (purple)
The purpose of this test is to illustrate how much (if at all) the output changes as a speaker’s components temperature increases (i.e., voice coils, crossover components) instantaneously.
Multitone Distortion
The following tests are conducted at (4) approximate equivalent output volumes: 70/79/87/96dB @ 1 meter. The (4) voltages listed in the legend result in these SPL values.
The test was conducted in (3) manners:
- Full bandwidth (20Hz to 20kHz)
- 80Hz to 20kHz
The reason for the two measurements is to simulate running the speaker full range vs using a high-pass filter at 80Hz. However, note: the 2nd test low frequency limit at 80Hz is a “brick wall” and doesn’t quite emulate a standard filter of 12 or 24dB/octave. But… it’s close enough.
For information on how to read the below data, watch this video:
- Full bandwidth (20Hz to 20kHz)
- 80Hz to 20kHz
Parting / Random Thoughts
As stated in the Foreword, this written review is purposely a cliff’s notes version. For details about the performance (objectively and subjectively) please watch the YouTube video. But a couple quick notes based on my listening and what I see in the data:
This is a very unique speaker. It is practically omnidirectional until about 6kHz where the tweeter/horn take over. At this point the radiation goes from about ±180° to just ±20° almost instantaneously. I’ve never seen or heard of a speaker that has such a drastic change in directivity.
Speaking of directivity, you’ll notice that the DI of this speaker is also unique. The DI is negative from about 300Hz to 2kHz. This is because the reference point of the measurement is at the tweeter. I did conduct another set of measurements with the reference point at the midrange. The difference in overall response was minimal; notably only that the DI was no most at 0 through this midrange region.
So, how do they sound? Well, that’s what the video is for. But in short: very, very open and large soundstage, highs that not very present, nice midbass snap but overall level compared to midrange seems a bit low. The most notable thing - to me - in terms of sound was just how important it is to be directly in line with the tweeter. At one point when I got out of my seat to go move the speakers a bit, I noticed I instantly lost high frequency detail as I began standing from my chair. You can see this evidenced in the data.
Compression is quite high with this speaker, notably through the entire midrange’s response. On one hand, this makes sense because they mids are so small, they can’t possibly have much excursion and I would expect some motor non-linearity to give them issues as they are pushed harder and harder. That said, with (9) of them, I didn’t expect this to be much an issue. So, I’m a bit surprised by this. However, the high compression is relegated to the 102dB level so I could have simply just found the limits of this speaker. And that’s why I perform this testing.
This is one of those speakers that just needs to be heard simply because of how different it is. A speaker that is practically omnidirection until all-of-a-sudden when it becomes very directional is extremely, extremly unique so trying to describe the sound is not an easy task. Overall, it wasn’t my cup of tea. But it’s definitely different. And that might interest you. Or, it might not.
Support / Contribute
If you find this review helpful and want to help support the cause that would be AWESOME! There are a few ways you can do so below. Your support helps me pay for new items to test, hardware, miscellaneous items needed for testing, new speakers to review and costs of the site’s server space and bandwidth. Any help is very much appreciated.
Join my Patreon: Become a Patron!
If you find yourself interested in buying this speaker, please consider using one of my affiliate links below. It costs you no additional money but does help me earn a small commission which helps me pay for gear to test and other review gear.
You can also join my Facebook and YouTube pages if you’d like to follow along with updates.