[barontan2418]

You're not the only one bt, I have both too .

Yes I think they are both keepers for me. My journey I think! has come to an end.

 

[OctavianH]

One for the office and one for the bedroom!

If you are lucky enough to work in a place where open / semi-open headphones are not disturbing others. In my case this is out of the question.
I need to change my job, I know.

 

[Scutey]

One for the office and one for the bedroom!

Nice!

 

[Scutey]

Yes I think they are both keepers for me. My journey I think! has come to an end.

Good to hear bt, they're certainly great amps.

 

[aqsw]

I have both also,
Elise#28, and Euforia#7

 

[Johnnysound]

As is well known by now (I assume) the EL39s
do need a very extended burn in to sound best, or (perhaps) to even begin sounding up to their real capabilities. In Euforia as triodes, the voltages involved are quite low for those sturdy pro tubes, designed to withstand much higher voltages plus a lot of heat and punishment in cinema amps.

I subjected my quartet (intentionally) to some 80 hours (or more) of high power, “hot burn” on my power amp, then reinstalled a pair in Euforia...and yes, they sounded better, more open, detailed and with tighter bass. But with further 80 hours or so in Euforia the sound is even better and the tubes do not cease to surprise me with new subtle details, openness, precision (similar impressions as @hypnos1) that become evident only after many hours of burn-in.... and I feel that the tubes have not reached yet their full potential.

Apart from the EL32 (the notoriously “slow burning” champions) now I suspect that almost all “EL” tubes do need many hours of burn in to sound best. The EL38s have improved a whole lot after a good 120 hours, and the same can be said of the EL11s...

 

[hypnos1]

As is well known by now (I assume) the EL39s
do need a very extended burn in to sound best, or (perhaps) to even begin sounding up to their real capabilities. In Euforia as triodes, the voltages involved are quite low for those sturdy pro tubes, designed to withstand much higher voltages plus a lot of heat and punishment in cinema amps.

I subjected my quartet (intentionally) to some 80 hours (or more) of high power, “hot burn” on my power amp, then reinstalled a pair in Euforia...and yes, they sounded better, more open, detailed and with tighter bass. But with further 80 hours or so in Euforia the sound is even better and the tubes do not cease to surprise me with new subtle details, openness, precision (similar impressions as @hypnos1) that become evident only after many hours of burn-in.... and I feel that the tubes have not reached yet their full potential.

Apart from the EL32 (the notoriously “slow burning” champions) now I suspect that almost all “EL” tubes do need many hours of burn in to sound best. The EL38s have improved a whole lot after a good 120 hours, and the same can be said of the EL11s...

Hi J. Glad to hear I haven't been fooling myself with the continued improvement of the EL39s...the longest period of any other tubes, including other ELs, I have known (even the (in)famous Russian Reflector 6N30P DR lol! ). And given I must have been using my own 39s a good bit longer than yourself, I'm sure there's more yet to come for you too!

It's also nice to hear you've been pushing these tubes far harder in your power amp than will ever happen in Euforia. Which bodes especially well for both the tubes' and amp's longevity...NICE! All you need now is to slip even just one 'special' Mazda/Dario EL38 somewhere in the mix, light the fuse and stand well back!! ...CJ

ps. Although I've now been using the same mesh plate Valvo EL11s for a very long while, now you come to mention it, they too did keep on getting better and better over the long haul. Plus, their output is as strong now as it was over 2 years ago...can't be bad! And I can't repeat often enough that with the EL tubes running the amp so cool, this must mean a much longer life for all internal components...

 

[hypnos1]

Hi guys.

As an adjunct to what @Johnnysound was reminding us about re. the need for many hours' burn in of the EL38 and 39 power tubes for them to shine in all their glory, I'm currently being reminded of the (important) part also played by different types and quality of music passed through our glass wonders.

Although my 'special' MAZDA EL38 was obviously a used tube - even if not heavily - its continued improvement (partnering an EL39) is undoubtedly assisted by hours of repeated bass-heavy material, along with that of high treble and everything in between lol!... plus a good helping of hi-res pieces... all are essential for efficient burn-in. This I take as spoken, and all contribute to the usual terms referred to as "transient & dynamics handling/FR extension/soundstage/tonality/PRaT/cohesion" etc. etc.

But what today has hit me more than ever before is a system's ability to deliver all this as if there at a live performance. The performance in question is Loreena McKennitt's 'Nights from the Alhambra', on DVD with 24bit 48khz audio out. I have watched and listened to this many times before, and been surprised at just how well recorded this was, not to mention the actual performance itself by a wonderful, first class group of musicians as well as Loreena herself. Anyway, all previous occasions have been blown away by said Mazda/39 combo - most unexpectedly in fact, and in every aspect you care to name, not just the initially obvious area of bass and lower mids. But perhaps most impressive of all is how I was drawn into this, for me, very (over?!) familiar concert like never before...I was there in the audience, not just experiencing a very enjoyable performance on a TV screen (albeit with a nice headphone setup!). No other tube combination in my setup has ever come close to this delivery...and so for just this experience alone I give thanks to whichever Mighty Being may be up (or down!) there, helping me in this discovery. I now know the true meaning of Audio Nirvana...and am eternally grateful for it......CHEERS and HAPPY LISTENING! everyone...CJ

ps. This has also been helped of course by the superlative Meze Empyrean headphones lol!

 

[LoryWiv]

Hi guys.

I'm currently being reminded of the (important) part also played by different types and quality of music passed through our glass wonders....

@hypnos1 thank you for pointing out this important, IMO often overlooked factor in assessing our gear. I've been getting to know my Elise over the last few months, and at times when I find the bass a bit flabby or the mids showing smear, I return to a well-known track and recognize it is likely the recording that produced the issues. That's why I'm trying to be patient before considering a tube roll, as tempting as it is. I want to more fully assess what the Elise's strengths and weakness are with stock tubes before moving to my next effort to achieve musical bliss. To date, with ~ 200 hours on Elise, the amp is impressing me more and more, very musical, surprisingly quick and clean with complex musical passages. Areas for improvement may be to achieve a bit cleaner, punchier bass, and reduce the touch of grain / sibilance still present in the mids with female vocals. I would prefer cymbals and snares to be a little snappier, but I LOVE the way Elise handles the upper registers of classical piano, my preferred genre. It is incisive and well-extended but still smooth, non-fatiguing, and I wouldn't want to add any ear-piercing stridency to that just to render cymbals with more "ting." Any tube suggestions given the above are of course welcomed, and the journey continues...

 

[Johnnysound]

...

 

[andybo]

Hello. I have Euforia with stock tubes. What can i do to make the eurofira more open and resolution ( good for orchestral classical sound ) . With tube i should take ? I think to let the driver tubes on. And change to power tubes? But what for tubes and where i can them buy? Or should i change all 4 tubes?
Thanks

 

[hypnos1]

No doubt superlative headphones are precision instruments that will bring you closer to “Audio Nirvana” with Euforia...

On the other hand, Euforia is also a superb OTL preamplifier, and in this role I don’t know if its performace is close to ”nirvana” or not, because there are many other variables involved. With my current reference RFT EL11/EL39 setup, I put Euforia to the test against another preamp with “state of the art” tubes, doing extensive A/B comparisons.

This was (and still is) an absolutely fantastic experience, that offered a totally different perspective about Euforia sound...not depending on headphones. The other pre is a Jolida Fusion, highly refined unit fitted by me with jewels like the very rare (and great sounding) Mullard CV box plates, or legendary Sylvanias 5751 black plates, triple mica square getters. The drivers are top of the line Siemens ECC801S. Now this pre kicks ass, of course: the Mullards sounding big, organic, and the Sylvanias really rock & roll with tight bass, mids, detail..their fame is well deserved.

Entering Euforia “A/B”: the other one sounded super nice, yes, but it was kind of “front row”, inmediate, while Euforia sounded wide open, spacious, in which voices or instruments had their own spatial location. Refinement of sound was clearly evident, and the bass was as deep and tight as the other pre... save for the exceptionally tight bass definition of the Sylvanias in some music.
The highs and mids were extended, natural, musical and clearly more open sounding because of the Euforia relaxed, confident presentation. I mean, the other preamp sounded fantastic, is really hard to beat, but Euforia was certainly at another level of refinement. The experience reminds me when I replaced some supposedly “top notch” TS current production tubes in my power amp with a quartet of EL38s... like opening a window, allowing a breath of fresh air into the room...

My goodness J, that's one Hell-of-an endorsement for Euforia as pre-amp lol! With these latest EL tubes, she certainly mates well with your Jolida power amp....it's about time I checked out what mine with the 'special' MAZDA EL38/EL39 combo does for my Vincent SS integrated (if my poor little Dynaudio standmounts can handle the enhanced bass, that is!! ). Speaking of which, I suspect this MAZDA (or Dario) EL38 might well bring that extra bass definition of the Sylvanias you mentioned . This, along with all the other qualities you described in the A/B pre-amp shootout, is certainly what struck me more than ever with that Loreena McKennitt concert I raved about just prior...and which clearly contributed to that magical "there in the audience" experience I still can't get over!

 

[hypnos1]

Hello. I have Euforia with stock tubes. What can i do to make the eurofira more open and resolution ( good for orchestral classical sound ) . With tube i should take ? I think to let the driver tubes on. And change to power tubes? But what for tubes and where i can them buy? Or should i change all 4 tubes?
Thanks

Hi andybo, and welcome!... congrats on getting the Euforia, a wise choice IMHO .

As for tubes, how many hours have you put on both them and the amp? Stock tubes (and amp) will need a good 100+ hours before one can really begin to appreciate what they're all capable of. And good though the stock tubes are, Euforia's performance can be elevated a good deal by other, older versions. A quick flip through previous posts will give you an idea of what can be expected (but will still need a fair amount of time investment!).

Probably the biggest leap in performance - especially for Classical - would come from using EL38s as power tubes...drivers could wait a bit longer! Prices for the EL38s have risen since this discovery, and availability isn't as good either. But if you're interested, others here might have some spare tubes at reasonable prices, or I myself will probably soon be offering a few to folks here on the thread.

In the meantime, continue to enjoy your amp as it probably hasn't yet reached its full potential if still fairly new.

 

[OctavianH]

The inside of Euforia, posted yesterday by F.A on Facebook. I post here for those not using Facebook.

 

[hypnos1]

Thanks for that shot of Euforia's latest internals @OctavianH ...very interesting!

F-A would appear to have made quite a few changes to the original design, as can be seen compared to the photo similar to the one I showed on the very first post of this thread...ie.



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