[Acesn8s]

Yes I had to post here as the HA2-SE thread has been dormant for years so thought his would be the appropriate alternative.

Sorry to be dense but to clarify can I put place any of the following tubes in the input slot or in place of the ECC82?

6N23P SWGP Silver Shields
Siemens E188CC
Mullard CV4109
Telefunken ECC88

I am planning to keep using the provided PL/EL 95 tubes.

No, you should not roll those tubes in place of the ECC82, in my opinion. But note that Auris Audio will respond to you direct from Serbia if you go to their home page and ask them.

 

[marcusd]

Our review of the HA-2SF is now posted. For me, this is a definite upgrade on the HA-2SE, particularly in dynamic range with that additional power and cleaner more resolving sound. Also glad to see the spiked feet replace by something a little more glass friendly

https://headfonics.com/auris-audio-ha-2sf-review/

 

[Jonwch]

Our review of the HA-2SF is now posted. For me, this is a definite upgrade on the HA-2SE, particularly in dynamic range with that additional power and cleaner more resolving sound. Also glad to see the spiked feet replace by something a little more glass friendly

https://headfonics.com/auris-audio-ha-2sf-review/

Great review! I have had my eyes on this unit, especially since a demo unit arrived at my local dealer. Will definitely have to go and give it a try after reading this!

Was just wondering if you had a chance to compare it to the Euforia, right now these 2 are the top contenders for my next amp.

 

[marcusd]

Great review! I have had my eyes on this unit, especially since a demo unit arrived at my local dealer. Will definitely have to go and give it a try after reading this!

Was just wondering if you had a chance to compare it to the Euforia, right now these 2 are the top contenders for my next amp.

Ah sorry no Euforia here to compare it with.

 

[branislav]

The way I understand it is that it packs most of what Nirvana offers for less than half the price...I have Nirvana, but if I was in the market now, I'd definitely recommend this new model based on what Im hearing. Euforia seems interesting, but not as flexible given its power or lack thereof, compared to Auris...

 

[Jonwch]

The way I understand it is that it packs most of what Nirvana offers for less than half the price...I have Nirvana, but if I was in the market now, I'd definitely recommend this new model based on what Im hearing. Euforia seems interesting, but not as flexible given its power or lack thereof, compared to Auris...

I think one of the main benefits of the auris over the euforia for me right now is the fact that we have dealers here in Hong Kong that stock them, so I can actually audition the unit, whereas I can't with the euforia. And plus since I will only be running my empyreans with them, power shouldn't be too much of a concern, but the extra power certainly doesn't hurt.

That being said the euforia does allow for more extensive tube rolling options if I do decide to get into it in the future.

But with the near arrival of the new mcintosh mha200, that would also make another interesting choice, makes everything so much more difficult to decide on. So many choices...

 

[Sound Eq]

Oh. And one small surprise. There is an undocumented Low/High gain switch on the back of the unit. All my good headphones like high gain, but the low gain setting may work for IEMs.

That was easy.

How to make Phonitor X look small…

First impression: it sounds great after 20 min warmup. No noise, hum, or microphonics. I’m sure that the soundstage, timbre, and dynamics will improve with burn in, but it is surprisingly excellent out of the box.

hi can you give more feedback on how it compares to phonitor x

 

[TeNeT]

Hello, hope all are well!

I am new here. I am looking for a new HP amp. The Auris HA-2SF is a very strong contender for me. But it is currently behind the Cayin HA-6A in my mind. I wrote out my comparisons, they are based purely off what I read here in this thread, on HA-6A thread, and manufacturer's sites. I am certainly open though to being convinced otherwise. Tell me (especially if you have listened to the Cayin HA-6A), why should I choose the Auris over the Cayin. Please don't take that as some sort of challenge about the amp you bought. I really just want some honest feedback. I have not listened to neither of these amps, nor will I be able to do so before purchase. So I am relying on the owners of the two amps. I just happen to be leaning towards the Cayin at the moment.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/auris-ha2-sf-vs-cayin-ha-6a.958117/

 

[vcoheda]

certainly an interesting comparison. the cayin seems more prone to issues but it has been out longer and more people own it. another option, if you are willing to buy used, is the Allnic HPA-3000GT. there is one for sale on ebay. this amp looks great but personally have not heard it.

 

[TeNeT]

Thank you vcoheda!

Went to the eBay listing as well. That is an interesting amp. Seller has some other nice things as well. The attenuator on there looks really nice. Although the owner says there is a misprint on it's attenuator label. So who knows what that means? I am definitely going to do some research on it though. Thank you for the lead.

 

[Garak]

Hello, hope all are well!

I am new here. I am looking for a new HP amp. The Auris HA-2SF is a very strong contender for me. But it is currently behind the Cayin HA-6A in my mind. I wrote out my comparisons, they are based purely off what I read here in this thread, on HA-6A thread, and manufacturer's sites. I am certainly open though to being convinced otherwise. Tell me (especially if you have listened to the Cayin HA-6A), why should I choose the Auris over the Cayin. Please don't take that as some sort of challenge about the amp you bought. I really just want some honest feedback. I have not listened to neither of these amps, nor will I be able to do so before purchase. So I am relying on the owners of the two amps. I just happen to be leaning towards the Cayin at the moment.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/auris-ha2-sf-vs-cayin-ha-6a.958117/

I'm in the same boat as you, and still debating between these two amps. The Cayin will power literally anything, including driving Susvara to their absolute potential (it helps having tubes generally used in speaker amps). This on the other hand...So I'd start with, what headphones do you have? Because I don't think this will do the job for super hungry planars, which is why I'm still on the fence. But if you're not looking to drive nuclear power plants, I would probably get the Auris.

 

[Jonwch]

Hello, hope all are well!

I am new here. I am looking for a new HP amp. The Auris HA-2SF is a very strong contender for me. But it is currently behind the Cayin HA-6A in my mind. I wrote out my comparisons, they are based purely off what I read here in this thread, on HA-6A thread, and manufacturer's sites. I am certainly open though to being convinced otherwise. Tell me (especially if you have listened to the Cayin HA-6A), why should I choose the Auris over the Cayin. Please don't take that as some sort of challenge about the amp you bought. I really just want some honest feedback. I have not listened to neither of these amps, nor will I be able to do so before purchase. So I am relying on the owners of the two amps. I just happen to be leaning towards the Cayin at the moment.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/auris-ha2-sf-vs-cayin-ha-6a.958117/

In a similar position myself looking for a tube amp around this price bracket. Recently had the opportunity to demo the HA2-SF, using my Empyreans paired with the DAC from the iFi Micro Black Label. Here are some of my rough thoughts (keep in mind that this was in a store with quite a few people, so given my HPs are open back, the circumstances were less than ideal.

A huge improvement to sound stage, with noticeably better imaging compared to the on board amp of the Micro BL. I would say that the amp sounded less coloured if that even makes sense, the Micro BL being a great portable unit just does not compare, bass was a lot more defined, and hit a lot harder, the mid-bass was more controlled and didn't bleed into the mid's not nearly as much as the BL, treble was sparkly, with great resolution but smoooooth without too much roll off or loss in resolution, I am extremely sensitive to treble but never once during the audition did I feel I needed to turn down the volume (other than when the music I was playing was getting too ridiculously loud), being new to the hobby and especially to tubes, this was not the gooey warm experience I was expecting from a tube amplifier, but overall a very enjoyable experience.

Build quality was top notch, the materials used felt great to the touch, all the switches felt sturdy and smooth.

So all in all a great unit, the only reason I held back from the purchase was because there are other options on the market that I want to try out before I buy, including the feliks euforia, the primaluna evo series integrated amps and the newly released mha200.

 

[pgkrish]

Hello, hope all are well!

I am new here. I am looking for a new HP amp. The Auris HA-2SF is a very strong contender for me. But it is currently behind the Cayin HA-6A in my mind. I wrote out my comparisons, they are based purely off what I read here in this thread, on HA-6A thread, and manufacturer's sites. I am certainly open though to being convinced otherwise. Tell me (especially if you have listened to the Cayin HA-6A), why should I choose the Auris over the Cayin. Please don't take that as some sort of challenge about the amp you bought. I really just want some honest feedback. I have not listened to neither of these amps, nor will I be able to do so before purchase. So I am relying on the owners of the two amps. I just happen to be leaning towards the Cayin at the moment.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/auris-ha2-sf-vs-cayin-ha-6a.958117/

If you'd like the ultralinear capability, the Elekit 8600s seems to be a good candidate and has been reviewed very favorably. The primaluna evo too has it, but that is pricier than the other contenders.

 

[TeNeT]

I'm in the same boat as you, and still debating between these two amps. The Cayin will power literally anything, including driving Susvara to their absolute potential (it helps having tubes generally used in speaker amps). This on the other hand...So I'd start with, what headphones do you have? Because I don't think this will do the job for super hungry planars, which is why I'm still on the fence. But if you're not looking to drive nuclear power plants, I would probably get the Auris.

I currently only have DT880 Pros. Although I do have a vintage pair of Sennheiser HD 480 lol. I would love to get some Empyrean, and also either ZMF Aeolis or Verite opens. I think all of those would drive fine by either amp. I also am still on fence, but feeling I may be falling off to the Cayin side, lol.

In a similar position myself looking for a tube amp around this price bracket. Recently had the opportunity to demo the HA2-SF, using my Empyreans paired with the DAC from the iFi Micro Black Label. Here are some of my rough thoughts (keep in mind that this was in a store with quite a few people, so given my HPs are open back, the circumstances were less than ideal.

A huge improvement to sound stage, with noticeably better imaging compared to the on board amp of the Micro BL. I would say that the amp sounded less coloured if that even makes sense, the Micro BL being a great portable unit just does not compare, bass was a lot more defined, and hit a lot harder, the mid-bass was more controlled and didn't bleed into the mid's not nearly as much as the BL, treble was sparkly, with great resolution but smoooooth without too much roll off or loss in resolution, I am extremely sensitive to treble but never once during the audition did I feel I needed to turn down the volume (other than when the music I was playing was getting too ridiculously loud), being new to the hobby and especially to tubes, this was not the gooey warm experience I was expecting from a tube amplifier, but overall a very enjoyable experience.

Build quality was top notch, the materials used felt great to the touch, all the switches felt sturdy and smooth.

So all in all a great unit, the only reason I held back from the purchase was because there are other options on the market that I want to try out before I buy, including the feliks euforia, the primaluna evo series integrated amps and the newly released mha200.

Thank you for that info Jonwch! I also was pointed to the MHA200 in the thread I made. That is really a very sweet looking and I am sure sounding amp. Only faults I could find is it sounds like the volume pot disappoints some owners, and I would be concerned it is slightly underpowered. Somewhere I heard a (tube) headphone amp should be at least 1 watt per channel, and it looks like MHA200 is half watt per.

If you'd like the ultralinear capability, the Elekit 8600s seems to be a good candidate and has been reviewed very favorably. The primaluna evo too has it, but that is pricier than the other contenders.

That (Elekit) actually looks like a really cool amp and a great value! BUT only way I am getting that amp is buying it already built by somebody else, lol. There is one on eBay pre-assembled. although I have to quote one of the lines, lol. "Our veteran engineer has assembled it with great care, so you can rest assured that it will be repaired after purchase." They may want to re-word that line ... The evo unfortunately is above what I am willing to pay.

 

[ManKli]

Great review! I have had my eyes on this unit, especially since a demo unit arrived at my local dealer. Will definitely have to go and give it a try after reading this!

Was just wondering if you had a chance to compare it to the Euforia, right now these 2 are the top contenders for my next amp.

Just copy past ....lazy Friday

I really liked the Empyrean with the Euforia, it`s a great combo. There are two reasons why i sold it. I changed the Listening setup where i needed longer cable between the DAC and Amp and also from the Amp to the Headphones. So i decided to use balanced cables and switch to the Auris HA-2SF with balanced in/out`s. Second, after i decided to keep the HEDDphone, i realized i need more Headroom/authority. The HEDDphone is not for everyone, the weight is clearly a issue..

If i would not have changed the setup (distances) and decided to sell the HEDD, i would have keep the Euforia. The biggest difference between the Euforia and the Auris (beside the Power Output) is the tuning. While the Euforia is a typical Tube Amp (in the best sense) the Auris is more on the neutral side. However, while i love the Cayin i-HA 6 with all my Headphones, the Auris is in the sweet Spot between the Cayin and the Euforia. If you like the tuning of the Euforia, and have no need for more Power keep the Euforia - it is a great Amp ! Keep in mind the Auris is much bigger and has a external Powed Supply. Also this is not a Amp for tube rollers, there are not a lot alternatives to the stock tubes..

Is it worth to sell the Euforia for the only reason to drive the HEDD ? Probably not, a Topping D 90 will do the Job (i tried it, its a great combo). If you want just one Amp for the most Headphones on the Planet : ) ? You will not regret the purchase of the Auris Audio.