[aqsw]

Easiest way to check is run them for about an hour. Touch the transformer. IF you can fry an egg on it, change your tubes!

 

[mondrax]

I did check the transformer, was not getting any hotter that other setups, the tubes were also not radiating much heat as other ones I have. But to be on the safe side I need to do a bit more research.

Cheers
M

 

[angpsi]

@Aornic's review of Elise. I'd say it's right on the money for one month's worth of listening.

 

[hypnos1]

Just want to add the there is extensive experience with the EL3N tube and it has been proven safe to use in the Elise/Euforia amps.

TOO TRUE, mordy...and thanks for the reminder. After all, the Philips-designed EL3N was indeed the initial "find of the Century" lol!...and which then led to the Telefunken-designed variant, the EL11. As we know, both are fabulous tubes, and usually a good bit cheaper than the 'top rank' 6SN7s. And the EL12 (especially the 'Spezial', top anode variant) is IMHO a match for any 6AS7G/6080...depending, as usual, on system/ears/preferences. As mentioned previously (many times lol!!), I myself now rate the 12 Spezial above even my beloved 'Holy Grail' GEC/Osram 6AS7G variants... and although not cheap now, they're still much cheaper than the GECs.

And yes again, given the hundreds of hours I've now used the 11/12 Spez combo (and previously the EL3N!) - as well as other users - I do believe we can confidently say "proven safe to use"... ....CHEERS!...

 

[Aornic]

@Aornic's review of Elise. I'd say it's right on the money for one month's worth of listening.

Thanks.

I also posted this on the Head-fi review listings. Also with the written review, which can be found here.

 

[hypnos1]

Easiest way to check is run them for about an hour. Touch the transformer. IF you can fry an egg on it, change your tubes!

Hi aq...(and @mondrax)... trouble is, capacitors and resistors can be reaching stress levels, even if the trafo isn't overheating terribly...especially over the long term, no? ...

 

[mordy]

Easiest way to check is run them for about an hour. Touch the transformer. IF you can fry an egg on it, change your tubes!

Hi aqsw,
Certain approved tubes run VERY hot. Recently bought a couple of Bendix 6080WB (labeled Raytheon), and measured F 209 with my infrared laser thermometer (the hottest I measured). I would say that the housing got hot enough for the egg trick..., even though I use socket savers as insulators.
I have my amp on a shelf in an equipment rack, and I mounted a discarded 4" PC fan above the amp so that it draws air away from the amp, and this helps to cool down the amp.

 

[Oskari]

The music here is quite nice. The video not so much.

 

[canthearyou]

Update: I received an email from Henryk and he says the amp is still in customs and he has provided them with the documents they asked for. He said he has no control on the speed that customs processes it's packages.

 

[connieflyer]

A government entity is it's own worst enemy. They move at the pace that they want, when they want, well all you have invested is time and shipping, so you are in good shape

 

[angpsi]

Hi guys,

So, on Sunday I went to a local mini can-jam meet and got the chance to listen to a good number of summit-fi gear. The guys who participated brought headphones such as the Abyss, the HiFiMan Susvara, and two HD800s—one modded and one stock—, along with a Mjolnir, a Mojo and a Fiio X5 gen3, plus high quality cables! I brought with me the Elise with all my tubes, the HD600, the Mimby/Eitr setup and my Benchmark DAC1. It was quite an experience, and I was really happy to meet all the wonderful people that attended.

Lucky for me the Elise on GEC6080/Sylvania 6sn7w plus HD600 held its own quite wonderfully, at least to my own ears. Against much pricier gear the combo actually felt like a very happily matched pair, producing a sound that was highly enjoyable albeit not reference class as the other gear. The Mjolnir was powerful enough to drive anything thrown at it, although it hardly did justice to beasts such as the $6000 Susvara. To be honest, I didn't really like the Mjolnir, perhaps gen2 is better. On the other hand, the Abyss was a revelation to my ears! Lucky for me, it actually trumped all the other gear available by such a margin that I didn't feel the need to leave my wonderful setup behind for anything less than that! I cannot stress that enough: the Elise plus HD600 is a match made in heaven, provided you are fine to settle for a truly musical but less than reference performance. I believe my impressions echo those of @Aornic to a great extend.

At the moment I am carrying the Mojo with me as a loaner, courtesy of one of the guys at the meet. It's a uniquely strong contender as a DAC, and I believe it can be a very capable yet different flavor than the Mimby. First impressions though, I believe that the Mimby is a better match to the kind of sound signature the Elise produces. I'll keep listening for the duration of the week and see what I come up with in the end.

Finally, the big surprise of the evening came from the FiiO X5 gen3. I have to admit that I don't really have any experience with DAPs, but what the FiiO did with my lowly Etymotic Hf3 was beyond belief. I am truly tempted!

All in all, I am happy to finally place my Elise amongst a constellation of truly amazing gear. It's definitely not the end of all that head-fi has to offer, but it's indeed very good for what it does, and where it stands in the food chain. Suffice it to say that I wouldn't have the HD800 (modded or unmodded) over my HD600 for the Elise. IMO it's a whole different animal, and the HD600 is a much better match for the sound signature. Of course, as always, YMMV.

Looking forward to exploring the field more, I now realize it can be a truly exciting experience to pursue!

Best,
A.

 

[Rossliew]

Thanks for the meet impressions , angpsi. Have always been curious about the Abyss

 

[pctazhp]

@angpsi Very interesting and informative post about the meet. Thanks a lot.

I've never been to a meet, but we have one scheduled here for Oct 21 and I'm planning to go. It looks like there will be a very impressive collection of gear there. I'll post the complete list as it firms up.

 

[angpsi]

Thanks guys, it sure was an informative experience!

On a different note, I just got me a set of HD650s! And a pair of Ken-Rad 6sn7gt / VT-231 staggered plates! I don't know, maybe the meet woke the spending beast in me...

HD600 vs. HD650 was always a battle I was looking to make happen. In the end, only one will survive (that means one is going off for sale when I decide)! Which one do you think will make it in the battlefield the Elise lays out for them?

 

[richdytch]

Hi folks, hope all's good in Eliseland. I have a question if you don't mind. Since I changed my power amp (again!) I've been using my old Chatham 6AS7G power tubes a lot, since with the Cyrus Stereo 200 they come alive in a way I'd not heard before. Full of body and plenty of 3d imaging... and they also don't have the sibilance which is apparent when I'm using EL12/EL12N in Elise, and the Cyrus. BUT, they seem to regularly do something which makes the protection circuit in the Cyrus shut off. I guess they cause the amp to occasionally leak DC. Maybe spikes. However, I've noticed that it only really happens when there are other people in the house! I'm wondering if other people constantly switching other equipment in the house on and off might be causing some fluctuations in the power supply. If that's the case, could that be causing the phenomenon I'm experiencing?

Everyone else is out at school and work right now, and the setup seems stable. No outages in the last hour or so. I'm guessing that when it happens it's not causing any damage, since the Cyrus's protection is doing what it was designed to do. Protect. So I'm not overly worried.

Thanks, Rich