[connieflyer]

Just a quick update, got an email from Lukasz today, and he let me know the new Euforia Anniversary amp, they are looking at a September launch. Still working out the details of the launch with Upscale Audio in the US. A teaser picture for you.

 

[Mh996]

Just a quick update, got an email from Lukasz today, and he let me know the new Euforia Anniversary amp, they are looking at a September launch. Still working out the details of the launch with Upscale Audio in the US. A teaser picture for you.

And this is supposed to be a 2A3 design?

 

[connieflyer]

This would be just like the Euforia with different components, a slight change from the stock amp, a new paint job with what looks to be a slightly gloss or semi-gloss paint done like automotive paint. And of course the 20th anniversary logo on the front. As to what else may be inside we may just have to wait for the

 

[Johnnysound]

Three generations of Valvo EL11s (with a bit of “tack” to put them side by side)...and “yours truly” appears reflected by the first one as a bonus (LOL) !

The German seller told me that the “black glass chrome top” on the left is a forties vintage model (one of the earliest EL11 Valvos) and (sadly) it is NOT a mesh plate (hummm) but it do has black welded plates. Very nice sounding. The center one might be from the fifties, and the “clear top” on the right (more common) from the sixties or seventies.

Now (finally) I can understand all the fuss about the Valvos...sweet sounding tubes ! highly detailed, refined all around and great bass !! I also found that the vintage “black” one do have a distinct sound of its own...relaxed, wide, very special.

Their “oval plates” differ from the usual TFK/RFT round ones, and their sound may be a bit warmer. From first impressions, I found them perhaps sonically close to the excellent Tungsrams, (which in turn have unique “small diameter” round plates) but I feel that extended listening is mandatory to fully appreciate the Valvos...

 

[hypnos1]

And this is supposed to be a 2A3 design?

Oh dear me no, Mh...the 2A3 based amp is going to be a totally different beast...in more ways than one lol!! It's going to be quite a monster, being both a hi-end headphone and speaker amp, also with the option for STAX hp output! And will, no doubt, come with a rather hefty price tag alas . And from the early design concepts, is going to look a lot different to conventional fare...a very nice, more 'modern' look in fact . But it would appear there's going to be quite a long wait yet for it to be finalised...

 

[hypnos1]

Three generations of Valvo EL11s (with a bit of “tack” to put them side by side)...and “yours truly” appears reflected by the first one as a bonus (LOL) !

The German seller told me that the “black glass chrome top” on the left is a forties vintage model (one of the earliest EL11 Valvos) and (sadly) it is NOT a mesh plate (hummm) but it do has black welded plates. Very nice sounding. The center one might be from the fifties, and the “clear top” on the right (more common) from the sixties or seventies.

Now (finally) I can understand all the fuss about the Valvos...sweet sounding tubes ! highly detailed, refined all around and great bass !! I also found that the vintage “black” one do have a distinct sound of its own...relaxed, wide, very special.

Their “oval plates” differ from the usual TFK/RFT round ones, and their sound may be a bit warmer. From first impressions, I found them perhaps sonically close to the excellent Tungsrams, (which in turn have unique “small diameter” round plates) but I feel that extended listening is mandatory to fully appreciate the Valvos...

Nice collection of EL11s there J. And I would agree that the early, black glass Valvos deliver what I personally regard as a slightly better balanced sound overall, with a tad more 'musicality' and yes, a touch 'warmer'. More towards the EL3N in fact, but better overall IMHO. Which is not surprising really, as the Philips stable - as with the EL3N - obviously used the oval plate mostly in this series of tubes, as opposed to the German (TFK etc. design) large round plate.

A real shame your black Valvo doesn't have the mesh plate...it manages to combine the EL3N-type virtues (but with better bass/lower mids) with the incisiveness of the German design...sheer perfection lol! And its pedigree/sound style does show its EL3N DNA as I have a mesh-plated (oval) Australian Philips EL3NG - also black glass - that sounds identical to the Valvo...(so keep an eye out on ebay.au or Australian tube sellers for this one, along with the equally rare mesh plated, black Valvo). As you say, even the 'ordinary' plate Valvo has a "very special" sound...ENJOY!!...CJ

 

[hypnos1]

This would be just like the Euforia with different components slight change from the stock app, a new paint job with what looks to be a slightly gloss or semi-gloss paint done like automotive paint. And of course the 20th anniversary logo on the front. As to what else may be inside we may just have to wait for the

Hi cf...that gloss finish almost looks as nice as (real) Japanese lacquer, or the gorgeous finish on a Steinway/Bosendorfer Concert Piano lol...very classy! And at last, some (visible) graduations on the vol knob!

But what really matters is, of course, the component upgrades...and Lukasz himself is very pleased with the Anniversary (Limited) Edition's performance. So it should be very interesting indeed if one can do an A/B with the current incarnation...time will tell! ...CHEERS!...CJ

 

[Johnnysound]

Nice collection of EL11s there J. And I would agree that the early, black glass Valvos deliver what I personally regard as a slightly better balanced sound overall, with a tad more 'musicality' and yes, a touch 'warmer'. More towards the EL3N in fact, but better overall IMHO. Which is not surprising really, as the Philips stable - as with the EL3N - obviously used the oval plate mostly in this series of tubes, as opposed to the German (TFK etc. design) large round plate.

A real shame your black Valvo doesn't have the mesh plate...it manages to combine the EL3N-type virtues (but with better bass/lower mids) with the incisiveness of the German design...sheer perfection lol! And its pedigree/sound style does show its EL3N DNA as I have a mesh-plated (oval) Australian Philips EL3NG - also black glass - that sounds identical to the Valvo...(so keep an eye out on ebay.au or Australian tube sellers for this one, along with the equally rare mesh plated, black Valvo). As you say, even the 'ordinary' plate Valvo has a "very special" sound...ENJOY!!...CJ

Indeed...the Valvo EL11s sound is very well balanced overall, but the early black glass ones deliver a very special “musicality” that sets them apart (in a subtle way) from later models. Hard to describe, but it is a good example of classic vintage, sweet tube sound ...with dynamics, definition, great bass and none of the shortcomings of some old tubes. A joy to listen to with headphones.

Having experienced EL11s from TFK,RFT,Valvo and Tungsram driving the EL39s in Euforia, both as HP amp and as a preamp, I would say that the performance of the EL11 tubes was highly dependent of their role. In HP duties the Valvos were (probably) the best sounding overall because of their utterly balanced, refined presentation of the whole musical spectrum...truly enjoyable. On the other hand, in preamp duties driving a PA with 4xEl38s powers which are a touch warm & dark (classic British sound) you do need definition, clarity and “incisiveness” (as H1 said) from the preamp, and the results were the other way around: The RFTs were THE preamp tubes of choice, followed by the TFKs, Valvos and Tungsrams...

As a side note, my RFT EL11s improved a lot after 50 hours or so from new...now I like them even more: it is a punchy, very dynamic & detailed tube with great, tight bass...this one is a “must have” in Euforia.

I think it is interesting to share a different perspective since there are no absolute values in tubes, it all depends on the particular application, system or even musical preferences...

 

[mordy]

Indeed...the Valvo EL11s sound is very well balanced overall, but the early black glass ones deliver a very special “musicality” that sets them apart (in a subtle way) from later models. Hard to describe, but it is a good example of classic vintage, sweet tube sound ...with dynamics, definition, great bass and none of the shortcomings of some old tubes. A joy to listen to with headphones.

Having experienced EL11s from TFK,RFT,Valvo and Tungsram driving the EL39s in Euforia, both as HP amp and as a preamp, I would say that the performance of the EL11 tubes was highly dependent of their role. In HP duties the Valvos were (probably) the best sounding overall because of their utterly balanced, refined presentation of the whole musical spectrum...truly enjoyable. On the other hand, in preamp duties driving a PA with 4xEl38s powers which are a touch warm & dark (classic British sound) you do need definition, clarity and “incisiveness” (as H1 said) from the preamp, and the results were the other way around: The RFTs were THE preamp tubes of choice, followed by the TFKs, Valvos and Tungsrams...

As a side note, my RFT EL11s improved a lot after 50 hours or so from new...now I like them even more: it is a punchy, very dynamic & detailed tube with great, tight bass...this one is a “must have” in Euforia.

I think it is interesting to share a different perspective since there are no absolute values in tubes, it all depends on the particular application, system or even musical preferences...

There are no absolute values in tubes, it all depends on the particular application, system or even musical preferences...

This is a true word. The same tube can sound below average in one amp and sound great in another amp - hence hard to give general recommendations across the board.
There seems to be some tubes that sound good in many amps, but it all boils down to synergy with other tubes, equipment and personal preferences.
However, regarding recommendations for people who have the same amp it is much easier to agree on certain tubes or tube combinations.

 

[hypnos1]

Indeed...the Valvo EL11s sound is very well balanced overall, but the early black glass ones deliver a very special “musicality” that sets them apart (in a subtle way) from later models. Hard to describe, but it is a good example of classic vintage, sweet tube sound ...with dynamics, definition, great bass and none of the shortcomings of some old tubes. A joy to listen to with headphones.

Having experienced EL11s from TFK,RFT,Valvo and Tungsram driving the EL39s in Euforia, both as HP amp and as a preamp, I would say that the performance of the EL11 tubes was highly dependent of their role. In HP duties the Valvos were (probably) the best sounding overall because of their utterly balanced, refined presentation of the whole musical spectrum...truly enjoyable. On the other hand, in preamp duties driving a PA with 4xEl38s powers which are a touch warm & dark (classic British sound) you do need definition, clarity and “incisiveness” (as H1 said) from the preamp, and the results were the other way around: The RFTs were THE preamp tubes of choice, followed by the TFKs, Valvos and Tungsrams...

As a side note, my RFT EL11s improved a lot after 50 hours or so from new...now I like them even more: it is a punchy, very dynamic & detailed tube with great, tight bass...this one is a “must have” in Euforia.

I think it is interesting to share a different perspective since there are no absolute values in tubes, it all depends on the particular application, system or even musical preferences...

Hi J...no absolute values indeed, but as @mordy says, at least we're on safer ground with the same amp used lol! But what I would add is that certain tubes definitely keep upping their game exponentially in concert with the quality of the rest of one's gear, and I personally believe this applies especially to our use of 'unconventional'/unconfigured-for triode-strapped pentodes. And most of all to the latest EL38s and EL39s. For some strange (but wonderful!) reason, our amps - especially Euforia - seem able to squeeze ever more from these tubes...to the point where I simply can't imagine an amp specifically configured for these tubes delivering a significantly better sound (unless built using horrendously expensive components!! ). So we are very fortunate indeed that we can in fact enjoy these particular tubes especially to such advantage...and I for one am especially glad that with these tubes in place, I feel no need whatsoever for either a multiple array of tubes, or the (hotly debated!) need(?) for tube rectification...it's complex - and costly! - enough experimenting with different combinations of driver and power tubes to find the sound that suits our preferences, without adding yet further variables into the mix IMHO lol!

And yes, I can well imagine that 4x EL38s would benefit from (nay need) the kind of driving that comes from the German design of EL11. And it's very interesting that when I first experimented with this tube, the East German RFT brand was a good bit cheaper than pretty well any other version. And yet now, some of the prices being asked are quite (ridiculously?!) extortionate......??? But although these are excellent performers in Euforia for hp use, I suspect the Valvos would indeed appeal just a bit more to most folks' tastes. But whichever version is chosen, I do believe that there's a special 'relationship' going on between the EL11 as driver to the EL38/EL39 as power...no question!!

 

[mordy]

It is my impression that certain professional sellers are watching these threads and when a new wundertube appears, suddenly ads pop up for this tube, at very high prices, driving up the prices from the regular non-professional sellers.
Big brother is watching:
I once wanted to look up the origin of the expression "holy mackerel". Next thing there appeared ads on Google from travel agencies organizing tours to the Vatican.......

 

[hypnos1]

It is my impression that certain professional sellers are watching these threads and when a new wundertube appears, suddenly ads pop up for this tube, at very high prices, driving up the prices from the regular non-professional sellers.
Big brother is watching:
I once wanted to look up the origin of the expression "holy mackerel". Next thing there appeared ads on Google from travel agencies organizing tours to the Vatican.......

Yo, mordy...I've suspected this for a long while now, and have always had to think carefully before expounding the virtues of a tube that appeared to have real potential! In the end, I simply hoped that enough of our fellow members would be able to sample them before the profiteers jumped in lol! ...(but it's still rather annoying!! ...).

 

[hypnos1]

Hi guys. A quick note for anyone who thinks there might just be a loose wire connection in one (or more?!) pin(s) of a troublesome tube, and who's not afraid of a soldering iron or just a little more surgery.

I've just had an EL39 (yes, a 39!! ) die on me, and luckily it was the heater that went, so could only be one pin - or both! - at fault (if not inside the tube itself). So I did the trick mentioned by @mordy in the past and held a soldering iron to one of the pins for a while (keeping it fairly horizontal)...success!. Overjoyed also at finding the culprit straight off, I breathed a sigh of relief... However, it didn't last unfortunately!

Rather than try again - I suspected there was probably only a little solder used originally - I used a hacksaw to cut off just a small length of pin to gain access directly to the wire, and my suspicions were confirmed...very little solder in sight. So I wedged a short piece of copper wire tightly inside, against the pin's wire and resoldered it...hey presto, permanent job this time!

And so, folks, rather than bin such a very rare and precious tube - or any other! - if encountering something similar, even if you don't feel confident yourself, try to find someone who might possibly be able to carry out this relatively simple repair job for you...well worth a bottle of (good) wine lol!

The culprit in question, complete with shortened pin (before soldering) :



ps. Just goes to show that even otherwise very well constructed tubes can sometimes have unexpected weak spots in manufacture lol!! ...CJ

 

[mordy]

Very impressive rescue of ol' 39!

 

[Taojump]

Hey guys!
Just wanted to thank all of you guys that been sharing your tube rolling passion. I have read the whole thread since I was thinking to get the Euforia to use with my soon to arrive Meze Empyrean. At the moment I changed my mind however and will try out a non-tube amp instead.

Soo thanks..its been fun reading.