Feliks Audio ENVY

[Exekuhtor]

Nice bit of extra height on those adaptors!

Yes! They were more expensive (still absolutely reasonable) but they are much easier to remove. Also, i really don't want to confuse them with the 6SN7 -> 6922 adapters which i also have, that would be... not good...

Ok, What is going on with those (way too expensive) Telefunken.
Blackest background out of any tube i own. ANY. (Alongsides the new production 300B's of course).
Wow. They sound spectacular.
I kinda dislike that you get what you pay for with tubes. Seems you have to pay real €€€ to get the best of the best. Not that many hidden gems that you may find.
Well, they exist for over half a decade, so i guess people know what's good and price it accordingly.

Immanis with TM's and those Telefunken is absolutely nuts. It's very hard to pull myself from wanting to keep listening and do the stuff i have to do...

Maybe i'll get another too expensive 12AU7 pair in the future. But certainly not in the near future. The Teleunken are hands down better than the Melz.

 

[Doug2507]

Yes! They were more expensive (still absolutely reasonable) but they are much easier to remove. Also, i really don't want to confuse them with the 6SN7 -> 6922 adapters which i also have, that would be... not good...

Ok, What is going on with those (way too expensive) Telefunken.
Blackest background out of any tube i own. ANY. (Alongsides the new production 300B's of course).
Wow. They sound spectacular.
I kinda dislike that you get what you pay for with tubes. Seems you have to pay real €€€ to get the best of the best. Not that many hidden gems that you may find.
Well, they exist for over half a decade, so i guess people know what's good and price it accordingly.

Immanis with TM's and those Telefunken is absolutely nuts. It's very hard to pull myself from wanting to keep listening and do the stuff i have to do...

Nice, didn't even know that was an option!

Yep, don't know why but Envy seems to really like the 12AU7 family. (IMO anyway...)

Price wise, yeah, to a certain extent. There are good ones that I'd say are more bang for buck vs others. Those CBS 5814 I mentioned the other day are very reasonable but more of a niche sound than all round (really nice bass), something like a '57 long plate valvo (D7) also great bang for buck and a bit more linear. The other end of the scale would be something like 1593 Mullards which are up to around 3k for an early black plate with good print, but they're not massively different from some other far less expensive ones, just extremely collectable along side a very pleasing unique tone. Kind of like B65 status I guess.

TFK's are nice with Immanis / TM. I do prefer the earlier one's though as they're a little smoother. TFK sit quite firmly in the neutral camp for 12AU7 so you'll know where you sit with preference to tone. They're as neutral as I go with Immanis. NEC / Siemens / TFK / Tungsram / RT, they're on the whole the neutral "family", Brimar / some RT / some valvos / some Mullards moving off that (I guess kind of crossover tubes regarding tone, all depends on year / construction, mostly mid to later 50's), then valvo / HIVAC / Mullard etc hitting the touch of warmth side (think mids) with most of those being no later than 1955-56. There's quite a spread tbh and I found the difference between great and not so great is more down to technical ability / smoothness with 12AU7 rather than tone (personal pref), there's quite a difference between run of the mill and great, and unfortunately a ridiculous amount of tubes to choose from!

 

[Exekuhtor]

Yep, don't know why but Envy seems to really like the 12AU7 family. (IMO anyway...)

I think so too.

1593 Mullards which are up to around 3k

Excuse me??? LOL

TFK's are nice with Immanis / TM. I do prefer the earlier one's though as they're a little smoother. TFK sit quite firmly in the neutral camp for 12AU7 so you'll know where you sit with preference to tone.

Yeah, they are neutral, but not boring or sometimes even annoying or just unspectacular in the mids like the Melz can be. They are hyper detailed and holographic with superb extension in both directions.

then valvo / HIVAC / Mullard etc hitting the touch of warmth side (think mids) with most of those being no later than 1955-56.

Yeah, if i buy another pair i want more warmth, for sure. I am super happy that the Telefunken are at least worth it (for me), nothing is more soul crushing than paying 600€ for a pair of NOS tubes that doesn't sound good.

There's quite a spread tbh and I found the difference between great and not so great is more down to technical ability / smoothness with 12AU7 rather than tone (personal pref), there's quite a difference between run of the mill and great, and unfortunately a ridiculous amount of tubes to choose from!

Aye, that's what i'm a litle afraid of. Ok, i'll try to keep an eye out for the right Valvo / HIVAC / Mullard pair, but i don't want to pay an extreme amount of cash.

 

[tunes]

So of all the driver tubes available for Envy which ones can give the largest sound stage/reverb, black silent background and no major sibilant issues for Immanis??

 

[Doug2507]

Excuse me??? LOL

Yeah, crazy huh. That's pretty much the ceiling for 12AU7 pricing, but it's a big jump vs the rest. You're about half that for a slightly later grey plate pair and HIVAC's are a touch less. Black plate 1593 is kind of like a clear glass B65 and grey plate (also welded, not crimped) kind of like a grey glass B65, then you've got the crimped grey plate 1593 which would be more akin to a D getter B65. That's the closest analogy I can give for perspective.

Yeah, if i buy another pair i want more warmth, for sure. I am super happy that the Telefunken are at least worth it (for me), nothing is more soul crushing than paying 600€ for a pair of NOS tubes that doesn't sound good.

That's pretty much what started it for me, G73-R's (with Storm) then wanted the same tech ability but more warmth. I still like quite a few neutrals with Storm but for Immanis it's defo the warmer camp that floats my boat the most there.

So of all the driver tubes available for Envy which ones can give the largest sound stage/reverb, black silent background and no major sibilant issues for Immanis??

I'll go out on a limb here and say you'd be looking at your 300B's for stage size rather than driver? I don't think drivers have that huge an impact on stage size (personally) vs 300B choice, but something like an M8316 does stage reasonably wide vs others (a favourite with the AIC-10 crew). Immanis stages wide as is so maybe I don't notice any difference in size as much as I did when rolling with Storm, which is too long ago now to remember / comment on. WE are well known for big / grand stage....

There's also a multitude of other driver types to pick from like 6F8G, 6J5, C3's etc etc which I've not played too much with but plenty of other owners in here have. Maybe some of those stage far and wide.

I don't find too much difference in background noise with drivers but I find that a difficult topic to get my head around and think it's more relative to stage & imaging, and general system noise. Some tubes do have more noise than others but it's not a thing that I pay much attention to / notice unless it's a bad tube. Noise on an old recording / mastering stands out a lot more to my ears than background tube noise.

I've not experienced sibilance at all with any tube & Immanis, maybe that's just a source, ear anatomy / age thing? There are differences in treble for sure which does effect how immanis plays but I've not had any sibilance, maybe also due to library...(?)

 

[Nielsh82]

Slightly off-topic, but there seem to be many happy RAAL 1995 Immanis owners that use it in combination with their Envy.

Is it that spectacular that I should I consider selling my 1266 Phi TC and Susvara Unveiled to fund buying one?
Or is it just different and very much dependent on personal taste?

 

[Exekuhtor]

Is it that spectacular that I should I consider selling my 1266 Phi TC and Susvara Unveiled to fund buying one?
Or is it just different and very much dependent on personal taste?

Very hard to give you an answer for that.
It just depends.
The 1266TC is the bass king, and if you crave its bass, the Immanis will not replace it. If you are using the new pads (no seal break) or are ok with losing that subwoofer bass, you can sell the TC.
The Unveiled is a super specialist when it comes to midrange / vocals / intimacy etc. It can truly touch your heart like the Immanis can never do. I think it is an excellent companion to the Immanis.
The Immanis is faster and more detailed than those two and has a different tonality, rather U-shaped. Mids are recessed, it won't sound truly intimate like the Unveiled, its bass is very good, but can't reach the 1266TC's bass.
So: Do you want a TOTL, estat like experience when it comes to technicalities (and with a fantastic bass, which estats can't deliver), or are you super happy with the tonality of the ultra bass slamming TC and the heart-touching mids of the Unveiled?
If you think that you won't miss the mids of the Unveiled: Sell it.
If you think that you won't miss the bass of the 1266TC: Sell it.
The Immanis is more of an allrounder in terms of tonality, and a pure master when it comes to technicalities. In terms of objective technicalities, it wins, hands down. In terms of subjective tonality, the TC and the Unveiled have both one single feature (bass / mids) where they outshine the Immanis.
You may be able to substitute the Unveiled for the OG Susvara or even a completely different headphone, like a ZMF Aeolus (sounds ridiculous, but it has the same tuning in the midrange as the Unveiled, extremely rich and full mids, but of course it's way behind in technicalities). You won't be able to substitute the bass of the 1266TC though.
Hope that helps a bit. You can always tune the Immanis more to your liking with the chain (different tubes). Immanis is extremely good with the Envy and gets even better if you have found the perfect tube pairs for you taste with it.

Edit: I see that you already have some ZMF's, so you probably won't miss the midrange of the Unveiled that much, i don't know if you would miss the 1266TC's bass, only you can decide that.
Do not keep the Unveiled just for its technicalities (details, resolution, separation, speed, etc) the Immanis stomps it in this regard. Same with the TC, if you only have any of those because of their technical abilities, sell them and try to get an Immanis / Magna. The Magna is less expensive and also stomps those two in terms of technicalities. It has a slightly weaker bass than the Immanis (still very good, better than OG Susvara) and a very OG-Susvara like tonality (less recessed mids, a more normal, less speaker-like presentation).

 

[Doug2507]

Slightly off-topic, but there seem to be many happy RAAL 1995 Immanis owners that use it in combination with their Envy.

Is it that spectacular that I should I consider selling my 1266 Phi TC and Susvara Unveiled to fund buying one?
Or is it just different and very much dependent on personal taste?

I think you'd be able to get a pair on demo from Danny? That might answer the question best...

 

[Hiker816]

Slightly off-topic, but there seem to be many happy RAAL 1995 Immanis owners that use it in combination with their Envy.

Is it that spectacular that I should I consider selling my 1266 Phi TC and Susvara Unveiled to fund buying one?
Or is it just different and very much dependent on personal taste?

I think you'd be able to get a pair on demo from Danny? That might answer the question best...

If I were forced to choose between an Immanis or a 1266 TC + Susvara UV, I would choose the Immanis. However, listen to Doug2507. I don't think it makes sense to sell those HPs and buy the Immanis blind. Best to get ears on the Immanis first. A demo from Danny, or attending CanJam or a local meet (our Colorado meet is coming up on July 19) is the way to do it.

 

[MatW]

The Immanis is very tempting indeed, but I find its pricetag hard to swallow. I intend to wait it out and hopefully find a secondhand unit at some point in time. In the meantime I have plenty of headphones to keep me entertained. And I have not even tried the Storm with the Envy yet.

However, I did find several ways to empty the wallet. I like the Envy so much that I bought a second unit (hopefully shipping soon), and I also invested in some tubes: the Takatsuki and Elrog ER 300B, and two pairs of driver tubes courtesy of @Doug2507, who has been a huge help, sharing his knowledge and experience in this crazy subsection of the hobby.

Very curious to hear what these different tube combinations will bring to the table.

 

[skylinekursk]

The Immanis is very tempting indeed, but I find its pricetag hard to swallow. I intend to wait it out and hopefully find a secondhand unit at some point in time. In the meantime I have plenty of headphones to keep me entertained. And I have not even tried the Storm with the Envy yet.

However, I did find several ways to empty the wallet. I like the Envy so much that I bought a second unit (hopefully shipping soon), and I also invested in some tubes: the Takatsuki and Elrog ER 300B, and two pairs of driver tubes courtesy of @Doug2507, who has been a huge help, sharing his knowledge and experience in this crazy subsection of the hobby.

Very curious to hear what these different tube combinations will bring to the table.

I'm sorry but why do you need second envy?) is it different version?

 

[MatW]

I'm sorry but why do you need second envy?) is it different version?

I have two setups, one in my office and one in my living room.

 

[Djankie]

Today I received the melz 1578. Can you give me feedback if they are solid?

 

[Evangelist]

Just fire them up for the first time, did not yet had the opportunity to listen… shouldn’t be two filaments glowing up top?

The right tube just have one glowing

 

[Doug2507]

Just fire them up for the first time, did not yet had the opportunity to listen… shouldn’t be two filaments glowing up top?



The right tube just have one glowing

Is that your loose kenrad?