Cue Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young—It’s been a long time comin’.
Or maybe that’s just my impatience talking.
The Brama Integrated Amplifier, officially Gen 2, offers 200 Watts of output power into 8 Ohms, 400 Watts into 4 Ohms, and “unconditional stability into 2 Ohms” from its Class AB lateral MOSFET output stage. A pair of Western Electric 300Bs sit inside, mounted horizontally, and reside in the pure Class A preamplifier stage. Now don’t worry about what you may be worrying about as those 300Bs are run very conservatively and the Brama’s chassis is machined from a solid chunk of aluminum which acts like a giant heat sink. Plus there’s a protection circuit with 3 sensors keeping an eye on the Brama’s temperature.
Brama’s industrial design is the product of Olivier Raymond Studio whose clients include Samsung, Porsche AG, and Vitra, and its cool understated elegance more than tickles my fancy. The font face is a study in simple symmetry with a pair of 24-position Swiss rotary encoders with magnetic sensing for input selection/on/off (left) and volume/mute (right) sitting aside that lovely Sapphire crystal gauge.
And that meter does more than dance as it also shows the selected input when changing inputs as well as the volume level when moving it up or down. It’s a smart meter.
Besides what you can see, and/or read about in the specs below, the Brama comes with XLR to RCA adapters to accomodate single-ended connections. Forgive the manufacturer photo but the Brama has already been put to work.
The included remote, which speaks to the Brama via Bluetooth, is also machined from a single slab-O-aluminum and it holds the distinction of being the most intelligent remote I’ve come across and I’ll explain why in the review proper.
I first reviewed a Vinnie Rossi product in 2005 and it’s been a real treat watching his creations grow. My ears can’t wait to hear his latest. Stay tuned!
Vinnie Rossi BRAMA Integrated Amplifier
Price: $47,995
Company Website: Vinnie Rossi
Features
Controls
- Volume Control: 100-step precision resistor ladder topology
- Input Select: Choose from 5 inputs
- Gain: Low/Med/High settings
- Balance: 12-step adjustment from left to right
- Memory Inputs: Save settings for Gain and Balance per input
- Home Theater Bypass Mode: Easily switch to this mode
Front Panel
- Left Knob: 24-position Swiss rotary encoder with magnetic sensing; push-button for power ON/OFF
- Right Knob: 48-position Swiss rotary encoder with magnetic sensing; push-button for MUTE.
- Wattage Gauge: Displays RMS watts into 8/4 ohms
- Gauge Glass: Sapphire crystal
Rear Panel
- Line-Level Inputs: 5 sets of balanced XLR inputs (RCA-to-XLR adapters included)
- Line-Level Outputs: 1 set of volume-controlled balanced XLR outputs
- Speaker Outputs: WBT Nextgen 0710-Ag binding posts
- AC Input Jack: IEC 320-C14 with built-in fuse holder
- USB-C Jack: For firmware updates
- Brama Link: 1 pair for interfacing with Brama Monoblock Power Amplifiers or for trigger output usage.
Remote
- Display: 2.4” high-resolution LCD with sapphire glass
- Connectivity: Bluetooth connection to Brama
- Battery: 3.7V Li-ion rechargeable (user-replaceable)
- Charging: USB-C jack for battery charging and firmware updates
- Material: Machined from a solid block of aluminum
Protection
- Over-Current Protection: For L and R power amplifier outputs
- Over-Temperature Protection: Monitored by 3 sensors
- Alarm Reporting: Automatic reporting of alarms to Brama Remote
Specifications
AC Mains Input: 100-264Vac (50-60Hz)
Output Power: 200W RMS per channel into 8 ohms | 400W RMS per channel into 4 ohms | Unconditional stability into 2 Ohms
THD+N: Less than 0.1% (20Hz – 20kHz)
Frequency Response: 5Hz – 100kHz (+/- 0.5dB)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: Greater than 100dB
Input Impedance: 20k ohm
Gain: Adjustable: 22dB (low) / 28dB (med) / 34dB (high)
Balanced Line-Output Impedance (XLR): Less than 100 ohms
Speaker Output Impedance: Less than 0.01 ohms
Triodes: Western Electric WE300B (matched pair)
IEC Jack Fuse: 16A 250V (5x20mm), Fast Blow, Ceramic Type
Power Consumption (Idle): 70W
Product Weight: 50 lbs. (22.7 kg)
Product Dimensions (including knobs, jacks, feet): 18.7″ x 16″ x 5.5″ (475mm x 406mm x 140mm)
Remote Dimensions: 6″ x 2″ x 0.5″ (150mm x 50mm x 12.5mm)
Shipping Weight: 73 lbs. (33.1 kg)
Shipping Carton Dimensions: 25″ x 21″ x 11″ (635mm x 533mm x 279mm)
