[angpsi]

Hi guys, just a heads up, especially for newcomers in the land of Elise/Euforia: I just revived my old sleeper ad to sell my 6sn7/6080 tubes collection. Tubes are all professionally double-checked for consistency and life span, bundle price is a good bargain for anyone looking to get a solid set of tubes all at once, but also feel free to hit me with requests. For reviews on these tubes see the first post on this thread.

Good to be lurking back into the old neighborhood, hope I find all of you in good health and high spirit!

 

[DecentLevi]

Hi trob.

...
ps. @DecentLevi ...looks to me like your 'baby' is intended more for powerful needs, such as a guitar rather than ours lol!! . And I'm sure the filtration in Scutey's unit is probably better than in a strip, so I don't honestly think there'd be any gains.... Further gains would no doubt come from @connieflyer 's higher level Furman unit!!...CHEERS!...CJ

About the Furman P1800 PFR

I'm not exactly sure it's a lower model than @connieflyer 's ELITE-15 DM I (below) which is actually less than 1/2 the price of this one. But I've decided not to go with this one anyway because of what you said and a few bad reviews about it buzzing. Interestingly though, the above seems to be made specificially for audio (though maybe not for headphone amps), and CF's one seems to be more focused on video.

CF what can you tell me about any sonic difference you've noticed from your unit? And wouldn't it risk overloading a circuit if one were to plug in 15 components into one connection? Looks other users have reviewed this as improving the sound for home stereo systems too.


Or who knows, it may be that @OctavianH could be onto something with their modular approach using the compact, cheaper 2 outlet Furman AC210A-E connected to a mains monoblock, which I think is AKA power distributor.

But for me, I need 5 sockets: Euforia, Euforia external transformer, DAC + two USB 'decrapifiers': Schiit Wyrd, Singxer SU-1.

 

[DecentLevi]

Interestingly though the only Furman model that is listed in both "studio" and "audiophile" use is their IT-REF 15I unit, costing around the same as the Euforia itself, and 4x heavier than the above at nearly 60lbs. Looks impressive under the hood though, 'I'm not gonna lie'

 

[OctavianH]

About the Furman P1800 PFR
Or who knows, it may be that @OctavianH could be onto something with their modular approach using the compact, cheaper 2 outlet Furman AC210A-E connected to a mains monoblock, which I think is AKA power distributor.

But for me, I need 5 sockets: Euforia, Euforia external transformer, DAC + two USB 'decrapifiers': Schiit Wyrd, Singxer SU-1.

After many hours of reading and deciding, I went for this small Furman AC210A-E (220V version, "E" means export so most probably you need the one without "E" which works at 110V) and a Kemp Power Strip 4. In this way I will have 5 plugs. I will plug in the Kemp the Furman (which has in it my CXC and Elise), the LPS for DAC, my Beyerdynamic A2 amp and I will keep the the remaining output for a USB decrapifier (I use now ISO Regen but might switch to iFi iUSB3.0) or maybe the other DAC I use which is a cheap audio-gd NFB11.32.

I know it does not sound "professional" but you might use 3 x Furman AC210A-E and group your devices by categories (or power usage, since this unit has only 10A). In this way you can power off a part of the line via it's on on/off switch based on demand and still be much under the price of a "pro" unit...

I will come back with impressions related to the Kemp Power Strip when it will arive. It might take some time because of the Easter Holidays.

And a stupid question related to phase: How do I know to match the Phase of the Power strip with my Shuko connector of a connected device? For the wall outlet it is simple to measure 220V between one of the holes and ground and to check if the other hole and ground has near to 0V.

 

[DecentLevi]

Hey @OctavianH that will be super to hear your impressions of any difference those conditioners make - even if the difference is not 'super', just tell it like you hear it. Especially compare whether or not the added power strip makes a difference, I'm guessing it will in conjunction with the compact Furman unit but not with the large elite versions.

Wow, look at how silly we must look now to the average iPhone + wireless earbud consumer when they get a load of us comparing the sonic difference a power strip makes in the chain!

For me now I'm still a spectator until I get a place where I can set up my rig again. Hopefully soon! Also Octavian, I visited Romania for a month last summer. I found it to have a very historic and distinctive post-industrial feel, with slices of paradise but not quite my go-to country.

 

[OctavianH]

Also Octavian, I visited Romania for a month last summer. I found it to have a very historic and distinctive post-industrial feel, with slices of paradise but not quite my go-to country.

I agree with you, especially for the southern eastern part which is not quite my cup of tea. But Transylvania is nice and I think that towns like Brasov or Sibiu or Cluj are very different than, for example, Bucharest. Bucharest is also for me not very pleasant to travel to, and I do it only when especially needed, like for example last year when Judas Priest came with their Firepower tour. Anyway, nobody asked me where to be born, and after I was born here in Brasov I never found a better place for me to live. So it seems it is not so bad after all. The post-industrial feel is a reminiscence of the socialism era, which ended on paper a long time ago even if, unfortunately, many still keep it in their minds. If you have the chance to visit it again, you can try the north-western side which will appeal to be more pleasant to you, I hope.

 

[connieflyer]

`Morning DL, nice to hear from you, I can give you an idea of what I have found. Of the twelve outlets I use eight. I have CA Streamer, Gungnir Dac, Euforia, Logitech 3 way speaker system, Network Switch, PC, Monitor, and NAS. The most obvious thing I found, right of the bat, was the NAS, it is connected to my main music system, wired to my Anthem MX720, for music play. It never quite sounded that good. It was noise, I suppose. Slight distortion, did not like it. So used the Oppo dvd with cd's of what have you. Or Amazon music streamed. After the Furman, the NAS was cleaned up so much that the sound was great to the main system. Now I can stream, Amazon Prime, or Qbuz, Pandora or the NAS and the sound is wonderful. Same with my desktop speaker system, sounds very clear. The headphone using Senn 800, is totally silent and have no displeasure with it at all. I never thought I needed the Furman, but trying to get my system up to where I was happy with it, decided to try one. I live in a relatively small community, and am with in a quarter of a mile from the power sub station, and very seldom every have service interruptions may be once or twice in five years. Watching the power meter on the Furman, the voltage reads 122 steady most of the time. During peak demand times, it may go as high as 123 or as low as 121, never saw it higher or lower than that. The main thing I am seeing is the clarity of the music and while it can not increase FR, it can uncover that which the line noise has distorted. If you can find one that meets your needs, especially with return priveledges go ahead and try it. If I had it all to do again, that would be my first purchase, and everything else after that. All the above equipment is next to my Lazy Boy chair just for the headphones, with the wife's passing do not have to worry about what anyone days about the "decor"! The room is music centered, everything within reach of my chair. Remotes are great! One more thing, if you are leaving for extended period of time (vacation, hospital, ) or approaching bad storm, only one switch to disconnect your system. Power off Furman and everything pulled in is off. The main music system is also under a conditioner.

 

[lentoviolento]

for those who drive their meze with euforia.. do you think it could be driven by espressivo mk2 as well since it has even more juice?
because i can't keep the violectric too and i am considering selling it

 

[hypnos1]

The furman sounds really interesting, but i think the lack of uk plug sockets and enough of them means it probably wont work for me, so at the moment i am looking at

I think i'm going to DIY my power cables with Viablue X-40 Silver mains cable/ MS Power IEC & 3 Pins, so one of these from the wall into NVA BMU Mini 6 socket (at 275, small footprint, with money back guarantee and despite the polarising company owner, makes it look worth a punt, because the airlink BMU with VAT is coming out at £500ish...."buy crap, buy twice is ringing in my ears , then VIablue DIY out into Euforia, SoTM SPS 500 PSU (into streamer), Intel NUC ROON Server with Hugo2 also plugged in by its existing power supply.

If the NVA Mini BMU doesnt work out then i'll go to the Airlink. Only other longterm tweaks might be adding a Linear 19v PSU to the NUC and when space allows a regenerator at the beginning of the chain.

I'm about to be parted from euforia, as i'm off to Catalonia (Which is Definitely not Spain ) for week to see my inlaws, This is where the H2 earns its portable stripes and i will be squeezing the Stellia into my camera bag too. While i'm away, taking advantage of the wall-to-wall family childcare, i will hopefully have plenty of time to change my mind over the choice of power cable. I dont really want to spend more than £30-40 per metre, but if anyone has any thoughts cable, i'm all ears

Hi trob.

That NVA BMU does look very good value, and certainly worth giving a try IMHO. The Airlinks products do indeed have 20% VAT added to the prices I quoted previously, which does take them up somewhat!...(my ASF3000 for example becomes £857 - had erased that figure from my mind until now lol! ).

Nice to see you also going DIY on some power cables (cords). That ViaBlue seems good value, but if you can find some using OCC wire at a reasonable price, so much the better. I myself used some Neotech UP-OCC Hybrid cable, but at £56 PLUS 20% dreaded VAT per metre it ain't cheap!! (But can be bought in 25cm lengths if wanted). I noticed that HiFi Collective also had some nice, reasonably priced YA OCC copper cable (medium), but is now discontinued alas...don't know if they've still got a few remnant lengths however : https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/yarbo-audio-3-core-pure-mono-crystal-copper-power-cable.html

Good luck with all your upgrades...CHEERS!...CJ

 

[hypnos1]

for those who drive their meze with euforia.. do you think it could be driven by espressivo mk2 as well since it has even more juice?
because i can't keep the violectric too and i am considering selling it

Hi lentov.

I'm sure there would easily be enough power, but different tube families will deliver it in different ways quality-wise of course, which will influence the headphones' performance/sound. The Empyreans certainly are easy to drive, especially for planars. You really would need to be able to try them first, especially comparing the espressivo to the violectric...we're talking big bucks here lol!! ...GOOD LUCK!...

 

[hypnos1]

Now then guys...YE GODS...what have I set in motion here once more? Very possibly a whole new string of bankruptcies methinks lol!!

However, I'm so glad that more folks are now realising that the juice that feeds all one's equipment needs far closer examination - and bigger expenditure! - than one might have imagined. And as @OctavianH mentioned, it really is best policy to get that sorted properly before anything else. But I too was late discovering just how important this element is...and all thanks to my member friend Olli (Acapella11) who first sang the praises of a mains Regenerator, about which I was initially a bit dubious as I thought I had pretty good mains supply, so why bother? Should have known better than to even think of querying his judgment!! And from there we went to further conditioning/filtering, culminating in my rather expensive ASF3000. So I suppose we can all blame him, really lol!! ...(sorry Olli).

Now then folks, onto the results of Olli's HD800 (original, with replacement Neotech UP-OCC silver/gold cable) + Questyle CMA800 amp) vs my Euforia setup + Empyreans.

I shall try to be as brief as possible...(difficult for me!).

First...Senns vs Mezes in Euforia. We both agreed the Empys are much 'darker' and warmer than the 800s, but, I later discovered this was highlighted a good deal by my old, 'balloon' EL38s...more later. Both cans are superb on detail and soundstage...the 800s more scalpel-like in cutting through the music layers and subsequent separation/placement. But I must stress here that Olli's long term love affair with the Senns means he can pinpoint such things far more so than I, coupled with a hyper-analytical spotlight that surpasses even my own! Plus, his UP-OCC silver/gold wire aids in this a good deal...more so in this respect than my own UP-OCC multi-silver and copper cable.
However, despite the clinical precision of the 800s, I never felt the Empys lacking in this regard whatsoever...simply giving a different presentation.

Bass is much fuller from the Mezes, but in this testing the 800s had more control and balance in respect to the overall FR...

Treble was 'sweeter' in the Mezes, but with equally good extension, range and decay (where appropriate) relative to the Senns

We agreed that both cans excel in the mids presentation/details/balance/tone...showcasing vocals beautifully (especially female). I personally felt the Empys had a touch more tonal range in such as acoustic guitar.

So all in all, I would have given the edge to the Senns if one prefers pure (slightly clinical?) clarity over the warmer Empyreans....but now comes the BIG but :

Thanks to the 800s' highlighting re. bass and lower mids, I decided yesterday to try swapping my 'balloon' EL38s - with inherent bass elevation - for the Philips (France)/Dario silver banded version and...whoa!...different story (for me, anyway!). Now bass is less prominent, tighter, more solid and with better overall control...just like the Senns! And with the added bonus of slightly elevated, but still sweet, treble...with more of the 'sparkle' my T1s are blessed with (and rarely matched IMHO...even if a tad too much for some ears lol!). And all with no negative effect whatsoever on the wonderful mids. So where the 'balloon' EL38s were Heaven sent for the T1s, these Philips/Darios are for the Empyreans...in my system, of course!!

So now, given these changes, and in conjunction with the magical way in which the Empyreans just wrap the music around your head so smoothly, like a wonderfully cosy blanket, I am more than happy to say these Empyreans will not be leaving my ears...ever!!...(except to eat, drink etc. etc. )....not even for the supremely good 800s! ..(that do IMO only really excel in extremely good systems, and with extremely good cables).

ps. Given my last statement, the prize has definitely got to go to the Mezes for being a much better match for a lot of different equipment...

Some other interesting discoveries came out of Sunday's exertions, but they'll have to wait...you - and I(!!) - need a rest now....CHEERS!...CJ

 

[lentoviolento]

They are impossibile to try here in italy ..

 

[DecentLevi]

for those who drive their meze with euforia.. do you think it could be driven by espressivo mk2 as well since it has even more juice?
because i can't keep the violectric too and i am considering selling it

Hey just as your post came I noticed about a unique tube amp. I haven't tried it but given the meticulously done and highly positive review on this unit, I would say it's definitely not too far off the mark from even the Euforia, and at half the cost also including a (bypass-able) built in DAC and high/low gain switch.

Quad PA-One + Triode Dac/Headphone Amp
https://headphone.guru/quad-pa-one-triode-tube-dac-headphone-amplifier/



Or if you look around you just might be able to find a used Euiforia for this price, which has top-tier internals and wiring.

Also @connieflyer thanks for the nice write up about your sound system. It sounds like your system is improved with the Furman model But if you have a chance later, any thoughts on a before/after difference on the sound of the Euforia with it would be interesting too.

 

[teknorob23]

Hi trob.

That NVA BMU does look very good value, and certainly worth giving a try IMHO. The Airlinks products do indeed have 20% VAT added to the prices I quoted previously, which does take them up somewhat!...(my ASF3000 for example becomes £857 - had erased that figure from my mind until now lol! ).

Nice to see you also going DIY on some power cables (cords). That ViaBlue seems good value, but if you can find some using OCC wire at a reasonable price, so much the better. I myself used some Neotech UP-OCC Hybrid cable, but at £56 PLUS 20% dreaded VAT per metre it ain't cheap!! (But can be bought in 25cm lengths if wanted). I noticed that HiFi Collective also had some nice, reasonably priced YA OCC copper cable (medium), but is now discontinued alas...don't know if they've still got a few remnant lengths however : https://www.hificollective.co.uk/wire/yarbo-audio-3-core-pure-mono-crystal-copper-power-cable.html

Good luck with all your upgrades...CHEERS!...CJ

Ive ordered the nva mini bmu so I’ll report back. The Occ cable is a bit punchy price-wise as I think at the moment my budget is closer to £20 per metre. DH Labs powerplus gets a lot of good feedback. This French cable is occ core and ofc outer, and is £20. 17mm thick, so pretty ungainly.

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/cabl...tfe-3x25mm-double-shielding-o17mm-p-7527.html

 

[freesole]

Now then guys...YE GODS...what have I set in motion here once more? Very possibly a whole new string of bankruptcies methinks lol!!

However, I'm so glad that more folks are now realising that the juice that feeds all one's equipment needs far closer examination - and bigger expenditure! - than one might have imagined. And as @OctavianH mentioned, it really is best policy to get that sorted properly before anything else. But I too was late discovering just how important this element is...and all thanks to my member friend Olli (Acapella11) who first sang the praises of a mains Regenerator, about which I was initially a bit dubious as I thought I had pretty good mains supply, so why bother? Should have known better than to even think of querying his judgment!! And from there we went to further conditioning/filtering, culminating in my rather expensive ASF3000. So I suppose we can all blame him, really lol!! ...(sorry Olli).

Now then folks, onto the results of Olli's HD800 (original, with replacement Neotech UP-OCC silver/gold cable) + Questyle CMA800 amp) vs my Euforia setup + Empyreans.

I shall try to be as brief as possible...(difficult for me!).

First...Senns vs Mezes in Euforia. We both agreed the Empys are much 'darker' and warmer than the 800s, but, I later discovered this was highlighted a good deal by my old, 'balloon' EL38s...more later. Both cans are superb on detail and soundstage...the 800s more scalpel-like in cutting through the music layers and subsequent separation/placement. But I must stress here that Olli's long term love affair with the Senns means he can pinpoint such things far more so than I, coupled with a hyper-analytical spotlight that surpasses even my own! Plus, his UP-OCC silver/gold wire aids in this a good deal...more so in this respect than my own UP-OCC multi-silver and copper cable.
However, despite the clinical precision of the 800s, I never felt the Empys lacking in this regard whatsoever...simply giving a different presentation.

Bass is much fuller from the Mezes, but in this testing the 800s had more control and balance in respect to the overall FR...

Treble was 'sweeter' in the Mezes, but with equally good extension, range and decay (where appropriate) relative to the Senns

We agreed that both cans excel in the mids presentation/details/balance/tone...showcasing vocals beautifully (especially female). I personally felt the Empys had a touch more tonal range in such as acoustic guitar.

So all in all, I would have given the edge to the Senns if one prefers pure (slightly clinical?) clarity over the warmer Empyreans....but now comes the BIG but :

Thanks to the 800s' highlighting re. bass and lower mids, I decided yesterday to try swapping my 'balloon' EL38s - with inherent bass elevation - for the Philips (France)/Dario silver banded version and...whoa!...different story (for me, anyway!). Now bass is less prominent, tighter, more solid and with better overall control...just like the Senns! And with the added bonus of slightly elevated, but still sweet, treble...with more of the 'sparkle' my T1s are blessed with (and rarely matched IMHO...even if a tad too much for some ears lol!). And all with no negative effect whatsoever on the wonderful mids. So where the 'balloon' EL38s were Heaven sent for the T1s, these Philips/Darios are for the Empyreans...in my system, of course!!

So now, given these changes, and in conjunction with the magical way in which the Empyreans just wrap the music around your head so smoothly, like a wonderfully cosy blanket, I am more than happy to say these Empyreans will not be leaving my ears...ever!!...(except to eat, drink etc. etc. )....not even for the supremely good 800s! ..(that do IMO only really excel in extremely good systems, and with extremely good cables).

ps. Given my last statement, the prize has definitely got to go to the Mezes for being a much better match for a lot of different equipment...

Some other interesting discoveries came out of Sunday's exertions, but they'll have to wait...you - and I(!!) - need a rest now....CHEERS!...CJ

Thanks for the notes. I just ordered my Empyrean's so I am very excited to try them. I hear good things about the 800's because they are somewhat legendary... but so too were the 6XX... and while they are not the in the class, I didn't like the 6XX much at all. Are they alike in any way?