[DecentLevi]

welcome, @Burgerbassist - just out of curiosity did you get yours used or new, and which headphones are you using?

Welcome too @sotto123 - impressive gear on your page. I'll bet the Euforia must sound splendid out of the Gungnir multibit... and wow did you prefer the HD-600 / 650 over the LCD 2.2? And looks like both you and UT have the Atticus

 

[sotto123]

Welcome too @sotto123 - impressive gear on your page. I'll bet the Euforia must sound splendid out of the Gungnir multibit... and wow did you prefer the HD-600 / 650 over the LCD 2.2? And looks like both you and UT have the Atticus

Hey DecentLevi,

I went on a bit of a buying spree these past few months determined to find my end game setup, so I'll be selling a few things in the next couple of weeks.

Turns out that the first pair of headphones I bought in this hobby were the ones for me. Modding the HD650 only made them better. They just sound so right. Tonality is a characteristic I value more than anything else. The LCD 2.2 is actually the one pair of headphones I miss, much prefering them to the pre-fazor LCD-3. I may need to pick up a pair again at some point. The Atticus is good, but a bit dark and I have no need for a closed pair of headphones.

I'm actually not too crazy about the Gumby. I prefer the musicality of the 2Qute. The Gumby is good for critical listening but it lacks a bit of soul and rhythm. I can't fully relax and sink into the music when using it.

All that is left to do is to try a NOS DAC and I should be done. Ah, but then there are tube combinations to play with, says the voice in my head.

 

[DecentLevi]

Sotto, looks like you're quite IN with the hobby and well into a good endgame perhaps. According to your DAC preferences, I'd recommend the Holo Audio Spring DAC Level 1 (review link here). It's $1.7k but should give a lifetime of enjoyment, and AFAIK should be upgradable to level 3 should you ever want to do so on your own or through the manufacturer. It's a highly reviewed R2R (multibit) DAC with NOS mode, and I have tried it on 3 separate occasions with mid-fi and summit-fit headphones, always with unwavering results. The only reason I may not go for this one though, is the Chord Hugo 2 is only about $800 more; also sounds at least as good as the Holo Spring level 3, has optional built-in amp, and is like 100x more portable.

 

[sotto123]

I came across the Holo Audio Spring DAC Level 1 in my search, but am going to go with the MHDT Orchid. All their DAC's seem to get good reviews, and I think this one may have a sound I would really enjoy.

 

[Burgerbassist]

welcome, @Burgerbassist - just out of curiosity did you get yours used or new, and which headphones are you using?

Welcome too @sotto123 - impressive gear on your page. I'll bet the Euforia must sound splendid out of the Gungnir multibit... and wow did you prefer the HD-600 / 650 over the LCD 2.2? And looks like both you and UT have the Atticus

Welcome @sotto123!

@DecentLevi I ended up getting mine used on US Audio Mart. I had set up a deal to buy a Feliks Elise and the person stopped responding, so I looked around some more and found this used Euforia. It was a couple hundred under retail and while I was thinking it over Feliks upped the prices for the 2018 models, which helped me finalize the decision to jump on the used Euforia.

I run Beyerdynamic T1.2's through it, and they sound fantastic! I think they can generally be a little bright (although they're still new and I've read they settle in a bit more after 100+ hours) but the Euforia seems to tame that just the right amount. I also have a Sennheiser HDVA 600, which is a bit too clinical for my tastes. In contrast, the Euforia allows me to get sucked into the music, rather than feeling like I'm analyzing like I sometimes do with the Sennheiser.

P.S. - I also just updated the equipment on my profile here, which I had been slacking on since signing up. There's not much at the level that you and Sotto are discussing, but the way I look at it that just gives me more room to grow.

 

[Burgerbassist]

Hey @Johnnysound ,

Thanks for the info! Judging on your past posts, I thought you were talking about the 6N1P-E, but I couldn't tell for sure.

Those are, indeed, hard to find tubes. I've come across a lot of 6N1P-EV's and 6N1P-EB's with the grey box plates, but no plain 6N1P-E's with the dual black plates, which seem to be the "holy grail" tubes you're referring to. Oh well, it gives me something to hunt for, and in the meantime I can try the box plate model and also be happy with the stock Euforia tubes, as they sound great, too!

 

[Johnnysound]

Hey @Johnnysound ,

Thanks for the info! Judging on your past posts, I thought you were talking about the 6N1P-E, but I couldn't tell for sure.

Those are, indeed, hard to find tubes. I've come across a lot of 6N1P-EV's and 6N1P-EB's with the grey box plates, but no plain 6N1P-E's with the dual black plates, which seem to be the "holy grail" tubes you're referring to. Oh well, it gives me something to hunt for, and in the meantime I can try the box plate model and also be happy with the stock Euforia tubes, as they sound great, too!

Hi BB, you probably missed my post #4018 above (with pics), about the 6N1P-E. This is the one I am talking about. But, frankly, I do not believe that much in “holy grails”. I do suspect that a good plain 6N1P NEVZ of the same era (this is quite important) must sound very similar. And since the “holy grail” fever of this tube passed some years ago, prices dropped accordingly. Last month, and only by curiosity, I got a pair for $ 28 from a Russian seller. I just wanted to check what this fuss was all about. I don’t know if holy grail or not, the NOS tubes sounded, well, nice but somewhat recessed, lacking air, but after 30 hours or so they opened up. Tried some powers and found that 6080 Mullards were just the ticket. Maybe not for all kinds of music, but for Smooth Jazz/Lounge/Chill (that my 21 year old kid wants me to play) from Tidal MQA, the combo sounds clear, vibrant and dynamic, with deep , controlled, tight bass, and at the same time organic and sweet in the Euforia, period. And I am not saying there is no refinement, but exciting they are for sure. Thats why I like these tubes. Be patient, will appear for sale at any moment.

This is not to say that other combos will not sound great in Euforia. Just my experience...

 

[Johnnysound]

As a postscript to my previous post, I really don’t know the meaning of all that Russian versions “E”, “EB”, “EV” and others, versus the plain 6N1P tube, other than they indicate long-life, military variants. The “E” version, however, is very different from the standard tube. Apart from the triple micas, it has square, paralell black plates “american style” (against the common box type grey plates) and a top, wide round getter instead of the famous “UFO type” shared by almost all Russian tubes. Interesting, as the “Lampizator” site says, the type was conceived as a compact, space saving substitute for the 6SN7, and the “E” version looks like an all out effort to compete with western tubes...anyway, the type was designed specifically for audio, to be very linear and this is quite relevant, since 6SN7s were not designed exactly for that purpose.

If a legend like Audio Research selected this Russian tube as a driver for some of their great tube amps, they surely know a lot more than me. I just want to know what version they use, probably not the “E” one...

 

[DecentLevi]

Nice to see a few new faces around here. And my being still abroad, one constant I have to look forward to in my return to the states is the mega sound Euforia amp. It's the amp "that could", and did something astonishing with tubes in such a modest package.

Our all time friend UntilThen and one that I'd say really helped get Felix Audio into the limelight will be getting his Glenn amp after some time, and I for one would like to hear at least a by-memory comparison to his former Euforia, though it might be a bit 'apples to oranges'.

 

[aqsw]

Not sure if you guys have checked out the main page but Moedawg needs our help. All funds are needed to help our brother out.
He is truly one of the good ones.

 

[aqsw]

I'm not sure, but I think my Euforia sounds a lot better since the price increase!

 

[canthearyou]

My Elise is STILL stuck in customs! Henryk has been in touch with me on updates and document requests. What was started August 4th is still in progress. Hopefully someday I'll see my Elise.

Good news is I have a brand new 2018 Euforia on the way! Got it with the new upgrade tubes offered on Feliks website. Damned thing better sound freakin' amazing!

 

[hypnos1]

I'm not sure, but I think my Euforia sounds a lot better since the price increase!

You could just be right there aq!! ...and I'm sure @Burgerbassist and @sotto123 would also agree lol!!...(hope you latter guys are also beginning to see just what Euforia is really capable of!!).

And I'm sure you too @DecentLevi will be reminded of her virtues BIG time when you can manage that reunion lol!!

My Elise is STILL stuck in customs! Henryk has been in touch with me on updates and document requests. What was started August 4th is still in progress. Hopefully someday I'll see my Elise.

Good news is I have a brand new 2018 Euforia on the way! Got it with the new upgrade tubes offered on Feliks website. Damned thing better sound freakin' amazing!

Sorry to hear of such dreadful delays on your Elise, canthearyou...but that's great news indeed re. a nice new Euforia - she will not disappoint you, to be sure! ...


Now then all...on the subject of 'freakin' amazing!' - especially after recent apparent opinion in some quarters that this amp move from 'recommended to not recommended' - all I can say is that some folks are quite obviously NOT providing the right environment for her to shine to her full potential!!....viz :

For some time now, I've been describing the continued increases in Euforia's performance in line with upgrades to mains conditioning; media source; DAC. My latest target was my (already good!) cabling - thick, highly shielded mains cable and power cords, and pure silver interconnects.... Despite being somewhat skeptical at first, my initial trials with Neotech's single crystal UPOCC silver (and copper) cables that I terminated myself (both for interconnects and power cords) took Euforia to yet another level. Then, to my surprise, another pair of interconnects using better quality RCA plugs (KLEI 'Harmony') brought even better performance...which prompted me to bypass plug connections altogether and give poor ol' F-A yet another heart attack - they're used to me by now, however! - ie. by connecting the cable's wires direct to the signal wires inside the amp!!....Naturally, this is not for the faint-hearted as it will invalidate the warranty, but y'all know me by now lol!!!...(as does Lukasz, fortunately!). Anyway, along with modifying the plugs at the other end so that the wires make direct contact with the Hugo2's sockets (not even going to try getting inside that!), the result was way beyond expectation...almost like a totally different amp, in fact...absolutely amazing! And all the more surprising, given the extremely good quality RCA sockets used in Euforia.

Obviously, this last act was more for my own curiosity and cannot be a realistic basis for showcasing Euforia's potential...but is just the culmination of a progression from good cable with average plugs, thru UPOCC wire-based cable with high quality plugs, to the ultimate - NO plugs!!...and no sockets, if possible lol!!...

Anyway, folks, even without going to my own final extreme, I have proved that this amp is actually capable of performing to a level that probably can compete with amps in its new price category. It is limited only by the rest of the system!

My progressive upgrades have also highlighted two other elements within my system : firstly, that such upgrades bring exponential improvements to the performance of EL tubes in Euforia (specifically my mesh-plate EL11s driving TFK EL12 Spezial powers), even though not actually configured for them. They have continued to deliver more at every step...much more so than any other tubes I have ever used (and regarded as 'top flight') - especially after my latest cable and plug forays. And after many 100s of hours' sole use now, they have had NO detrimental effect whatsoever on the amp...the opposite, in fact - the added bonus being the amp runs with case and trafo housing running barely warm.

Secondly - again especially with UPOCC cable and better plugs - my Beyer T1s(Gen 1) now show none of the slight (sometimes harsh, even!) criticisms thrown at them. In fact, the 'retuning' of Gen 2 would probably do no favours at all to the sound I'm now getting from my originals. The overall presentation is now so smooth, perfectly balanced, clear and with impeccable control, that I never believed them capable of such performance. In fact, I now have no desire whatsoever to even think of getting the HD 800 lol! The difference is quite astonishing......

And so, to round off, I personally believe that although in many ways unfortunate, the recent price hikes of Elise and Euforia do in fact reflect more closely their true pedigree and potential. Those of us who acquired one (or both!) of these amps at much lower prices were indeed extremely fortunate, and did so with precious little profit going towards any kind of proper remuneration to the Feliks family...for either their R&D or dedicated efforts in producing these early units. I for one believe they deserve immense gratitude and respect for what they have done for us here...not ill-informed, unsympathetic criticism, which comes only too easily to some, I fear...

I wish all lucky Euforia (and Elise!) owners continued enjoyment of their wonderful amps...and hope you too manage to provide - as and when permissible! - the kind of environment in which they can truly shine to their fullest lol!! ...CHEERS! ...CJ

 

[Walderstorn]

I'm not sure, but I think my Euforia sounds a lot better since the price increase!

Lol that was a joke that made me chuckle because some fanboys are that blind/crazy/obsessed...like "i plugged In directly with xba cable, put a colar that a blind nun from Guadalajara made out of blessed seasheells, turned it 5 degrees at the moon where there's a holy mountain in which lives a goat descendent of the ancient god 123 and took it to another 30x4/2+quantum superiority level, 10x their price". It's pretty pathetic and sad.

 

[DecentLevi]

Insightful post above Hypnos1 how this great amp 'scales' with down/upstream gear and even custom connections so well. I don't suppose we'll be seeing a photo of your internal wire mod... save for 'image' issues, Lol.

Anyway I have a slightly rare topic to mention: many of us hi-fi hobbyists are actually hearing fidelity better than the studio engineer!! Granted this may get some chuckles, and indeed there are many multi-million $$ studios with speaker systems that rival SQ of most of our headphone rigs... but I say this after years of cinsideratiin and experience producing, collecting hi-fi rigs and seeing what is actually used inside some studios, which are often the likes of Beyer. DT-150, Sony MDR V6 and older Yahama models etc. All too often recently after upgrading my chain I realise after the fact how much better my songs now sound than when originally making them! So those owners of a well implemented Euforia... or even the Elise dine right for that matter - and especially even higher level systems, you can literally consider yourself to be luckier than many of the studio engineers (with some exceptions of course)!