[Oskari]

Hey guys you spênd hundreds on tubes why not spend a few extra bucks on a proper tube caddy you open it up and your tubes are right there and there are stored safely in there boxes.

We can't all be pros such as you.

 

[Oskari]

Naked Eye

 

[MIKELAP]

We can't all be pros such as you.

We can't all be pros such as you.

But you could try, you might actually surprise yourself. lol

We can't all be pros such as you.

 

[Johnnysound]

[

 

[DecentLevi]

RE a previous comment, I agree it would seem there must be more to why two different pairs of tubes differing only by color would sound different, maybe other untold variances from different mfg. dates. Does @mordy or anyone still have both black and silver plate RCA 6AS7G's to compare for us? Also let us know when you have your 2nd pair of Foton 6N8S's to compare, thanks.

I've caved and picked up a really good deal on a pair of 6N8S drivers, but I went with the Melz silver base (2nd best reputed version with oval rather than larger round holes in plate) which has almost the same construction as Fotos's but was reviewed better than the Foton's - though of course tube results could be very system dependent. Though I won't be in town to try mine until next year.

 

[Dvdlucena]

Hello friends. Just searched in the tread and could not find any solid comparison between EUFORIA vs other references tube amps, like DNA stratus, zana deux, etc
Can someone chime in? Any opinion would be much appreciated

 

[pctazhp]

Hello friends. Just searched in the tread and could not find any solid comparison between EUFORIA vs other references tube amps, like DNA stratus, zana deux, etc
Can someone chime in? Any opinion would be much appreciated

I haven’t heard any of the amps you mention or other amps more expensive amps. I plan to attend a local meet here in Arizona on October 21where I think those amps and other higher dollar amps will be present, but I don’t place much stock in comparisons made at meets.

Unfortunately, I don’t think many Euforia owners have heard the amps you are talking about. Personally, I think most Euforia owners bought either because of previous experience with Elise or because of the many compelling reports of Elise and Euforia owners on HeadFi. I think they were convinced that Euforia offers a lot of value for its price point, but they also probably understood they needed to factor in additional expense that would probably result from tube rolling. Euforia and Elise are fairly unique because of the great variety of tubes that can be used in these amps. That also makes it difficult to compare the FA amps with other amps, because tube combos used in the FA amps can make quite a difference.

In some respects I liken the FA amps to Schiit products which offer true high end performance at a relatively reasonable cost. Unfortunately, FA amps can’t be auditioned with a return privilege.

I don’t have a lot of experience with high end headphone systems. But I was a speaker-based, vinyl sourced audiophile for 35 years during which I owned or heard some of the highest regarded systems of the day. And I can say without qualification that with my current system I have never enjoyed listening to electronically reproduced music more.

Good luck if you decide to take the plunge. Owning an FA amp kind of becomes a way of life. Finding the right tube combos and related gear is an exciting and rewarding experience.

 

[Dvdlucena]

Thank you very much

I haven’t heard any of the amps you mention or other amps more expensive amps. I plan to attend a local meet here in Arizona on October 21where I think those amps and other higher dollar amps will be present, but I don’t place much stock in comparisons made at meets.

Unfortunately, I don’t think many Euforia owners have heard the amps you are talking about. Personally, I think most Euforia owners bought either because of previous experience with Elise or because of the many compelling reports of Elise and Euforia owners on HeadFi. I think they were convinced that Euforia offers a lot of value for its price point, but they also probably understood they needed to factor in additional expense that would probably result from tube rolling. Euforia and Elise are fairly unique because of the great variety of tubes that can be used in these amps. That also makes it difficult to compare the FA amps with other amps, because tube combos used in the FA amps can make quite a difference.

In some respects I liken the FA amps to Schiit products which offer true high end performance at a relatively reasonable cost. Unfortunately, FA amps can’t be auditioned with a return privilege.

I don’t have a lot of experience with high end headphone systems. But I was a speaker-based, vinyl sourced audiophile for 35 years during which I owned or heard some of the highest regarded systems of the day. And I can say without qualification that with my current system I have never enjoyed listening to electronically reproduced music more.

Good luck if you decide to take the plunge. Owning an FA amp kind of becomes a way of life. Finding the right tube combos and related gear is an exciting and rewarding experience.

Thank you very much! Liked your post cheers

 

[DecentLevi]

Hello friends. Just searched in the tread and could not find any solid comparison between EUFORIA vs other references tube amps, like DNA stratus, zana deux, etc
Can someone chime in? Any opinion would be much appreciated

OK here's my take on your question. I will try to do this in a subjective yet critical manner so apologies in advance for anything that may make one thing sound inferior to another.

Myself being a somewhat active meet attendee and occasional organizer, I've had the chance to try most all of the 'big guys', including the Zana Deux and DNA Stratus at least 3x each in different environments. Of those the DNA stratus gets an edge, even more than the Blue Hawaii and the ZD - immediate dynamics, soundstage that lets you pinpoint objects in space, realism in spades. ZD comes close, and actually nothing seems missing at all. Exceptionally pleasing, especially the newest S version (ZD Super) with dynamics and realism that leaves nothing to the imagination. However on the ZD level, there are 3 other solid state amps that come to mind that win in one way or another, namely the Mcintosh MAC 4100 (vitage stereo receiver / amp), GS-X MkII, and Rangarok - most of which I've compared directly. Of these SS amps, most actually one-up the ZD in some way or another, especially in bass depth or realism vs. a subtly 'tubey' sound of the ZD.

There is on the other hand one new beast of an amp - a 300B type that I won't mention here for sake of keeping things sane - one that's astronomical in terms of both price and performance. But now finally onto the main question - how does the Euforia compare to the likes of ZD and DNA Stratus? While all are tube amps, there's great difference in terms of both price/performance ratio and preferences. The former two amps are basically already tuned for exceptional sound and may not be as popular for tube rolling with more limited tube compatibility, while the Euforia, like Elise can be considered a tube roller's paradise; with both 6AS7G and 6SN7 sockets (2 each), people like us have discovered what must be hundreds+ of possible tube combinations, enabling the experienced user to literally fine tune the sound in terms of tonality, dynamics, soundstage, etc.

To me the Euforia is 'a mile' better than any other tube amp I've tried sub-$1,500... well to be fair there is no other tube amp for this price point that performs like it. However spend 2-3x more and you will inevitebly get sound that you may very well like even more. Though I've heard sound 2-4x better than Euforia on other amps going all the way up to $15,000, I still feel satisfied when switching on the Euforia.

EDIT: though I used the same headphones on most of the top-tier amps, some of the reason they sounded better was also due to better headphones as well such as the Focal Utopia
EDIT 2: I would also put the upcoming Cavalli Liquid Tungsten amp between the ZD and the DNA Stratus

 

[Dvdlucena]

OK here's my take on your question. I will try to do this in a subjective yet critical manner so apologies in advance for anything that may make one thing sound inferior to another.

Myself being a somewhat active meet attendee and occasional organizer, I've had the chance to try most all of the 'big guys', including the Zana Deux and DNA Stratus at least 3x each in different environments. Of those the DNA stratus gets an edge, even more than the Blue Hawaii and the ZD - immediate dynamics, soundstage that lets you pinpoint objects in space, realism in spades. ZD comes close, and actually nothing seems missing at all. Exceptionally pleasing, especially the newest S version (ZD Super) with dynamics and realism that leaves nothing to the imagination. However on the ZD level, there are 3 other solid state amps that come to mind that win in one way or another, namely the Mcintosh MAC 4100 (vitage stereo receiver / amp), GS-X MkII, and Rangarok - most of which I've compared directly. Of these SS amps, most actually one-up the ZD in some way or another, especially in bass depth or realism vs. a subtly 'tubey' sound of the ZD.

There is on the other hand one new beast of an amp - a 300B type that I won't mention here for sake of keeping things sane - one that's astronomical in terms of both price and performance. But now finally onto the main question - how does the Euforia compare to the likes of ZD and DNA Stratus? While all are tube amps, there's great difference in terms of both price/performance ratio and preferences. The former two amps are basically already tuned for exceptional sound and may not be as popular for tube rolling with more limited tube compatibility, while the Euforia, like Elise can be considered a tube roller's paradise; with both 6AS7G and 6SN7 sockets (2 each), people like us have discovered what must be hundreds+ of possible tube combinations, enabling the experienced user to literally fine tune the sound in terms of tonality, dynamics, soundstage, etc.

To me the Euforia is 'a mile' better than any other tube amp I've tried sub-$1,500... well to be fair there is no other tube amp for this price point that performs like it. However spend 2-3x more and you will inevitebly get sound that you may very well like even more. Though I've heard sound 2-4x better than Euforia on other amps going all the way up to $15,000, I still feel satisfied when switching on the Euforia.

EDIT: though I used the same headphones on most of the top-tier amps, some of the reason they sounded better was also due to better headphones as well such as the Focal Utopia
EDIT 2: I would also put the upcoming Cavalli Liquid Tungsten amp between the ZD and the DNA Stratus

in your time with euforia, which tubes gave you the more holografic, 3D and spacious experience?
I will be in Germany on January, and I will probably order a euforia before the trip. Cheers

 

[DecentLevi]

Well the alltime largest soundstage goes to the 6-pack EL3N - however I don't recommend it due to exhorbitant costs of tubes plus four custom adapters; but especially the sound: although it's the largest stage, it's also somewhat muddy / slow / warm and extra 'tubey'. (bassy / saturated).

For a large stage also with excellent sound otherwise, I would probably recommend either:
- Tung-Sol or Chatham 5998 + your choice of 6SN7 driver tubes (these are very diverse)
or if you don't mind special ordering some adapters, you can get even more detail and vividness with:
- EL12 Spez + Ken-Rad VT-231
or
- Valvo EL12 + Telefunken EL12

* Please consult with us for special instructions to adapt the EL12 Spez.

I'm surprised my above comparison impressions didn't steer you away, but you're making a good choice! Also burn-time of amp and tubes should be considered

 

[Tunkejazz]

Sylvania 6sn7w + gec 6080 is a very (VERY) good combo, and you don't need adapters. Not a cheap combo though. Those Syl also work nicely with a standard pair of Tung Sol 6AS7G and then the price is not nearly as high.

That is my opinion at least!

 

[Dvdlucena]

Thanks you all for the help.
I'll be reading this thread now and in the future

 

[Johnnysound]

Well the alltime largest soundstage goes to the 6-pack EL3N - however I don't recommend it due to exhorbitant costs of tubes plus four custom adapters; but especially the sound: although it's the largest stage, it's also somewhat muddy / slow / warm and extra 'tubey'. (bassy / saturated).

For a large stage also with excellent sound otherwise, I would probably recommend either:
- Tung-Sol or Chatham 5998 + your choice of 6SN7 driver tubes (these are very diverse)
or if you don't mind special ordering some adapters, you can get even more detail and vividness with:
- EL12 Spez + Ken-Rad VT-231
or
- Valvo EL12 + Telefunken EL12

* Please consult with us for special instructions to adapt the EL12 Spez.

I'm surprised my above comparison impressions didn't steer you away, but you're making a good choice! Also burn-time of amp and tubes should be considered

Hi DL, for us the rest of mortals, owners of Euforia who do not have (yet) the chance to hear such top class ss HP amps, your post gives us peace of mind, at least. While sounding superb, Euforia is not an "easy" amp, to begin with...out of the box sounded excellent, but was like a wild horse, overwhelming my headphones with an hyper resolving rendition that allmost killed me. This is not your grandpa tube amp, thats for sure. While it is an OTL, tubed component, the similarities with other tube preamps stops there, in my limited experience. Now it is obvious for me that the design goal of Feliks Audio with Euforia has been to achieve reference levels in terms of frequency extension, neutrality, dynamics, low noise by means of a truly modern design but with no concession at all to "classic" tube sound. Do not expect a warm, laid back tube sound. Or classic tube flaws, like limited deep bass. Euforia simply delivers deep, strong, fast, truly enjoyable bass with ANY tube you might roll in. It is the amp, not the tubes. Of course, different tubes, different flavors: tubes like 5998s will go even deeper than almost any other...and many other tubes will work well with this amp.

My Euforia is less than 50 hours and is starting to "settle" a bit, so I feel that you have to be very patient with all that "boutique" capacitors and parts. A hundred hours, no less. Currently I stay with the TFK EL11/Tesla EL12 spezials. Teslas are NOS tubes, so they have to settle at the same time. The first two or three days, I thought the combo sounded refined, elegant, but lacking a bit in the balls department. Be patient, I said to myself. A week after, total transformation: bass tightened up to a fast and deep rendition that sounds fantastic with certain types of music that have very deep bass .. I am convinced that the auto bias circuit of the Euforia is really good, probably feeding the ELs with a near optimal value.

Regarding tube suggestions for the Euforia, there are a lot of tube combos that will sound excellent, depending on many variables. I use the Euforia as a preamp, and my ss NAD amps/LSA2 speakers are quite revealing: they sounded warm and sweet with my heavily modded LDIII, using C3gs and Chathams 6AS7Gs or 5998s, but the same combo sounds totally different with the Euforia. Much more dynamic, not very warm, and even a bit "dry". The Mullards 6080 sounded a bit restricted with the LDIII, but with the Euforia are different tubes, some of the best. Summing up, I would divide the tube rolling experience with Euforia in three "families": 1.- The default setup, with many 6SN7s, 7N7s, 6AS7Gs and 6080s to experiment with. 2.- The EL combos, with EL 11, EL12, EL12sp, EL12n, and variants, and 3.- The experimental setup, with other drivers like the C3Gs, E88CC, or even 6N6P, or 6N1P russian double triodes, paired with 5998s for example, really surprised me...

 

[mordy]

Thank you very much


Thank you very much! Liked your post cheers

Hi Dvdlucena,

I would just like to chime in with all the others that enjoy the Euforia (especially pct's beautiful summation), and with DL's comment about being satisfied with the Euforia, even compared to other amps that may excel in various aspects.

The Euforia has a special quality of bringing out musical enjoyment. It has what we used to call "soul". As things go, there is always better, but at a much higher price point, but the Euforia will make you happy.