[Quinto]

So please help a tube-noob music lover out

 
Which tubes would be great for my HD650, I listen to classical (lots of solo piano and strings) and jazz (no big band stuff).. say on a budget around 250 euro (or less of course)
 
I'm not planning on tube rolling, I just want great wonder sound and be done with it (really

)
 
and what's the consensus on the stoch tubes, are they ok or not really..

 

[HOWIE13]

  So please help a tube-noob music lover out

 
Which tubes would be great for my HD650, I listen to classical (lots of solo piano and strings) and jazz (no big band stuff).. say on a budget around 250 euro (or less of course)
 
I'm not planning on tube rolling, I just want great wonder sound and be done with it (really

)
 
and what's the consensus on the stoch tubes, are they ok or not really..

 
It's really hard to answer you just now but when your Elise comes, if you listen with the stock tubes and post what you think and how you would like the sound improved, then there will be a reference point to offer advice. That way you can hopefully save the cost of trial and error tube rolling.

 

[connieflyer]

That would be my advice as well. Let the amp and tubes burn in and see what you like or dislike and it would then be easier to advise you. Get some hours on the gear first.  I wish I would have done that but did not. Now I know better.  Good luck

 

[HOWIE13]

  That would be my advice as well. Let the amp and tubes burn in and see what you like or dislike and it would then be easier to advise you. Get some hours on the gear first.  I wish I would have done that but did not. Now I know better.  Good luck

 As I was tying that I was thinking the same about myself too  LOL

 

[Quinto]

   
It's really hard to answer you just now but when your Elise comes, if you listen with the stock tubes and post what you think and how you would like the sound improved, then there will be a reference point to offer advice. That way you can hopefully save the cost of trial and error tube rolling.

sounds like music to my ears, thanks guys

 

[hypnos1]

Hi folks....
                                                   A NEW ELISE IS ON ITS WAY TO ME...and it's DIFFERENT!!!
 
Let me explain...
 
For some time now I've been suffering dreadful withdrawal symptoms that have only been slightly eased by my chance discovery of, and experimentation with, mesh-plated tubes of the EL3N family. The reason? - my left channel has been out of operation!...
 
For a long time, my punishment of the sockets has resulted in less-than-perfect contact, especially with certain tubes. In my frustration, I have often forced the tube in more vehemently than I should have, eventually resulting in refusal to play ball at all. I now realise that the culprits were tubes with pins that were nowhere near straight and distorted the socket's receptors. And so my advice to all is : straighten any bent pins before insertion, and do not force tubes in unduly! Make sure the pins align well, don't insert at an angle, and all should be well. Or, as some do, use aptly-named "socket saver" adapters lol!...here endeth the lesson...
 
Anyway, the upshot was that Lukasz was happy to offer me a replacement amp, in view of mine being the 'prototype' and the guinea pig in discovering just what alternative tubes Elise can manage/surpass with....I said YES PLEASE, of course. But not content with that, I saw this as an opportunity to ask for some possible upgrades while at it - at my own expense...one of them being fancy-grade sockets!

.
And then I thought : why not use this as a blueprint for a possible "Special" Elise version as an upgraded option?...and after long, hard deliberation (hence my unbearable wait/suffering lol!

...but all in a good cause...

), those marvellous guys at F-A have come up with mods that have surely exceeded all my expectations/hopes, and which - thankfully! - they're extremely pleased with as far as the final result is concerned.
 
And so, assuming I am as pleased as they are with the modded version (yet to be named), it will probably be offered as an option, at a price yet TBA.
Needless to say, my eagerness to get an Elise back in my life is now ten-fold what it has been for a good while now!!

...just have to hang on a few (hopefully!) more days...am desperate for my fix LOL!...
 
I shall copy here Lukasz's list of the mods done...which I personally find very impressive - to say the least! But, of course, the proof of the pudding....

....and as a teaser, he sent a photo of the new sockets used...WOW already!!...
 

 
 

 
Teflon, gold-plated sockets...drool,drool...

 
So watch this space guys!...CHEERS!...

 

[connieflyer]

A thing of beauty  to be sure!
Good luck!

 

[mordy]

Hi h1,
 
We are all looking forward to hear your impressions - is it going to be a subtle change or major change in sound?
 
Also interesting to hear that the problem with your amp was a worn out socket. Personally, I have been using socket savers since day one with the Elise to avoid wearing out the sockets, and to insulate the chassis from the heat of the tubes, resulting in lower operating temperatures.

 

[Walderstorn]

Also the price would be interesting to know in the case they are considering offering those options and others to all.

 

[Lavakugel]

Hi
 
Just read about feliks audio elise. Is this tube amp really so good?. Have anybody compared it to icon audio hp8 or woo wa 6 (se)?

 

[DecentLevi]

Wow H1, for me the biggest improvement may be the pure silver connectors. This is something that had crossed my mind earlier that could benefit an amp, seeing how astronomical of a difference my OFC silver cable replacement for an HP-100 headphone had made. After re-confirming this with almost 30 A/B cable comparison tests... literally the difference was night / day: dynamics twice as sharp, 2x improved details / clarity, bass more organic sounding - yet overall slightly 'brighter' as many experience with silver cables. So definitely the sound of the upgraded Elise will be different - I'm sure for the even better

 

[UntilThen]

A timely Christmas gift for you @hypnos1 . Well derserved and am glad FA gave you an ungraded replacement. 

 

[DecentLevi]

Also about wire materials, I wanted to mention that different types of conductors in fact do color the sound in different ways. Gauge also matters: too thick and you will lose some signal and too thin it will act as a resistor.
 
@UntilThen good to see you're still around and didn't miss something as extraordinary as this! Over one year and 3 Elise threads, occasionally peaking as the #2 thread on Head-Fi, and still we got more exciting times ahead! I also have some cool things up my sleeve (not only the below)
 

  Hi
 
Just read about feliks audio elise. Is this tube amp really so good?. Have anybody compared it to icon audio hp8 or woo wa 6 (se)?

 
Haven't heard of the HP8, may have tried the WA 6, but I do recall the WA2 is much more resolving than the Elise. I recon however that the upgraded Elise just may be on level playing field with all of the above. And at least if you get the 'standard' Elise you can reach amazing heights with the likes of 421A or Chatham / Tung Sol 5998 powers with EL3N drivers, for one of thousands of possibile combinations.
You can also get jaw-dropping fidelity from the Elise with SACD... for the first time in my life, I heard native DSD yesterday with the Elise 

. I didn't post about it on the Elise threads because I don't think you guys would believe me on what a difference this makes vs. PCM (WAV / CD / FLAC), but let me just say that it was astounding enough to move me to tears even with a genre I barely like. And I do say that native DSD on the Elise (with 421A powers + EL3N drivers and modded HD 650) sounded as good to me as the Woo Audio WA2, and perhaps better than the newest Zana Deux playing PCM

 

[hypnos1]

  A thing of beauty  to be sure!
Good luck!

 
Thanks cf...indeed, even more beautiful than before! And hopefully even more beautiful sound lol!!

 

  Hi h1,
 
We are all looking forward to hear your impressions - is it going to be a subtle change or major change in sound?
 
Also interesting to hear that the problem with your amp was a worn out socket. Personally, I have been using socket savers since day one with the Elise to avoid wearing out the sockets, and to insulate the chassis from the heat of the tubes, resulting in lower operating temperatures.

 
Yo m...I certainly did punish my sockets over the past almost 2 years - should have used those socket savers LOL!

...but have always preferred keeping to a minimum any additional connections in the signal line - Catch 22!! Your point re. helping to reduce heat build-up is also a good one though...especially when using tubes like the ECC31, which have the amp getting very hot... (another plus for the EL3N, which has the case and transformer running hardly warm!).
 

  Hi
 
Just read about feliks audio elise. Is this tube amp really so good?. Have anybody compared it to icon audio hp8 or woo wa 6 (se)?

 
Hi Lavakugel.
 
There are now a good many who do say Elise is extremely good - especially at the price point. Don't think we've yet had anyone also with the amps you mention, alas...it would indeed be a very interesting comparison...(I suspect the new, modified edition on its way to me will stand up to some very serious competition - hopefully lol!).
 

  Wow H1, for me the biggest improvement may be the pure silver connectors. This is something that had crossed my mind earlier that could benefit an amp, seeing how astronomical of a difference my OFC silver cable replacement for an HP-100 headphone had made. Literally the difference was night / day: dynamics twice as sharp, 2x improved details / clarity, bass more organic sounding - yet overall slightly 'brighter' as is generally experienced with silver cables from many.

 
Hi DL...pure silver wire for the signal line was the main upgrade I asked/hoped for - as most must have gathered by now, I've been an avid fan of pure silver for a long while now. And so long as at least 99.9% soft-annealed silver is used, that added 'brightness' shouldn't border on harshness. I'm over the moon therefore that F-A did in fact go for this upgrade...along with those others I'd hoped for!

 

[hypnos1]

  A timely Christmas gift for you @hypnos1 . Well derserved and am glad FA gave you an ungraded replacement. 

 
Yes indeed UT...and thanks - can hardly believe my first was two Christmases ago lol! And so now, my poor abused prototype will apparently take pride of place atop a workshop place at F-A ... a 'mascot' for where it all began!

...(mind you, mon ami, I sure do hope my new replacement is in fact an UPgraded one!!

...CHEERS! to you too!

...