[fuhransahis]

Great article and yes yes yes i agree 100%. IMO amping the H2 is essential and something i could never step back from. Cue the Feliks Audio Euforia with EL38/11 tubes and H2's DAC can really stretch its legs. The Euforia doesn't just moisten the H2, it has the most holographic transformative effect that i've heard from bringing two devices together. It doesn't stop there though, the separation and texture it brings without losing any of the H2's, just some of the raspy clinical-ness of its amp stage. 90s indie guitar music like My bloody valentine or Sonic Youth has never sounded so visceral, detailed and outright crunchy (thats a good thing i promise). My words cant do this machine justice, but just to say nothing has had a bigger impact on my enjoyment of digitally sourced music, since i first heard the Hugo1. Leave all preconceptions about valves at the door (you might be more enlightened then me, because i had plenty)this has an entirely modern sound... okay i'll come clean i'm a fan.. oh and by the way @fuhransahis i've never heard the Empyreans sound better than via this combo, not ive heard them sound bad with any amp

Ps apologies for crashing back into the thread and taking it even further off topic and down this very non-portable cul-de-sac

Sounds like an amazing setup for sure!

I ended up returning the Empyrean and purchased a ZMF Cocobolo Auteur instead Have heard great feedback on the Euforia... will be sure to save up for it!

 

[Wyville]

Agreed. Reviewing becomes a whole lot easier when the IEM vibes with you in some way. That was the case with the Lola for me. It almost encourages you to talk about it, whereas analysing an unattractive IEM really does feel like work sometimes.

This is the link I have, but it doesn't work on my browser for some reason: http://www.tingpodaudio.com/ They are a relatively new company, so maybe they're still working out the kinks. By the way, they accept digital impressions.

Exactly! My reviewing is a hobby and I want to keep it like that, so I am quite selective about what reviews I take on. Don't mind taking the occasional chance like with TP Audio, where I know nothing of the brand and the website does not even seem to be up yet (I had the same problem), but generally I just want to stay an audiophile and follow whatever impulse drives me at that particular moment. That makes the writing more natural and should also make for better reading.

Good catch Seems they are available at penon audio for $359 which seems expensive for a single ba? No custom option yet. That said just got notification that my blacks are ready to be shipped back so maybe won't need to get anything else (ha!).

CIEMs should become available, but I don't have details on how that will go. In terms of fit these have been the most custom-like universals I have tried to date and they get a really good seal and isolation. I would still advise you to wait for your Black and not spend too much "on the off chance", but I know the feeling when you depend on the isolation so much. Have you ever tried going with just Custom Art's earplugs? You won't have music, but perhaps they are good to have as a backup and I believe they are quite cheap (~ £30). I currently don't need the isolation, but I keep them in mind should I find myself needing it again.

Great article and yes yes yes i agree 100%. IMO amping the H2 is essential and something i could never step back from. Cue the Feliks Audio Euforia with EL38/11 tubes and H2's DAC can really stretch its legs. The Euforia doesn't just moisten the H2, it has the most holographic transformative effect that i've heard from bringing two devices together. It doesn't stop there though, the separation and texture it brings without losing any of the H2's, just some of the raspy clinical-ness of its amp stage. 90s indie guitar music like My bloody valentine or Sonic Youth has never sounded so visceral, detailed and outright crunchy (thats a good thing i promise). My words cant do this machine justice, but just to say nothing has had a bigger impact on my enjoyment of digitally sourced music, since i first heard the Hugo1. Leave all preconceptions about valves at the door (you might be more enlightened then me, because i had plenty)this has an entirely modern sound... okay i'll come clean i'm a fan.. oh and by the way @fuhransahis i've never heard the Empyreans sound better than via this combo, not ive heard them sound bad with any amp

Ps apologies for crashing back into the thread and taking it even further off topic and down this very non-portable cul-de-sac

Hey, with an amp and cans like that you are always welcome back here! I have been sneaking off and reading about the Euforia a little bit recently and was recommended the Espressivo mkII a while back. Those are on my tentative wish list should I plunge myself down that particular rabbit hole.

Question though. Rather than using Hugo 2, would it not give the same result to instead use the Qutest? Or does the effective double amping with the Hugo 2 make a difference as well? I'm a complete noob when it comes to desktop gear, so feel free to point out the stupidity of my question if I am being silly here.

 

[teknorob23]

Exactly! My reviewing is a hobby and I want to keep it like that, so I am quite selective about what reviews I take on. Don't mind taking the occasional chance like with TP Audio, where I know nothing of the brand and the website does not even seem to be up yet (I had the same problem), but generally I just want to stay an audiophile and follow whatever impulse drives me at that particular moment. That makes the writing more natural and should also make for better reading.

CIEMs should become available, but I don't have details on how that will go. In terms of fit these have been the most custom-like universals I have tried to date and they get a really good seal and isolation. I would still advise you to wait for your Black and not spend too much "on the off chance", but I know the feeling when you depend on the isolation so much. Have you ever tried going with just Custom Art's earplugs? You won't have music, but perhaps they are good to have as a backup and I believe they are quite cheap (~ £30). I currently don't need the isolation, but I keep them in mind should I find myself needing it again.

Hey, with an amp and cans like that you are always welcome back here! I have been sneaking off and reading about the Euforia a little bit recently and was recommended the Espressivo mkII a while back. Those are on my tentative wish list should I plunge myself down that particular rabbit hole.

Question though. Rather than using Hugo 2, would it not give the same result to instead use the Qutest? Or does the effective double amping with the Hugo 2 make a difference as well? I'm a complete noob when it comes to desktop gear, so feel free to point out the stupidity of my question if I am being silly here.

Thats very kind of you. I still enjoy reading this as its definitely the most insightful and open minded thread i've found on headfi, but sadly having tried fruitlessly to find that elusive IEM that would give me the SQ i wanted without residual negative effects on my hearing, i temporarily gave up on headfi altogether and returned to 2 channel. To cut along story short i really missed listenig on headphones, so my ever persistent local shop keeper suggested i try closed backs. Initially unimpressed by what was on offer (i must have demo'd 15 pairs) i tried and enjoyed the Elegia and then Focal kindly launched the pocket emptying Stellia, which did just that and i was back in the game.

First thing i have to say with Feliks Audio, is whatever you do dont listen to the model above the one you can afford, i did and ended up bending my credit card with the Euforia. I've listened to pretty much all of their models and they all hit well above their price tag, but the Euforia is just whole other level, Its better than the Elise in every area of performance and i would say its one of those rare products, like most of the Qutest or Hugo2, in that its peerless at its price or even twice its price point. I listened to the Auris HA2 SE, which is a beautiful thing, but ultimately sounded souless by comparison. From and IEM listening point of view the Euforia is almost completely silent. I have listened to the EE ESRs and Grado Gr10e (my last remaining in ears) quite a bit and they sound really good even though they're rated outside its sensitivity range.

Re your question on double amping with the H2, i initially ran it feeding the Euforia in line level mode by pressing the XPHD filter button as i start the Hugo up. You only need to do this once and it remembers it. Subsequently i experimenting running it normally with variable volume control, mainly because the Euforia doesnt have a remote and it lives quite high up so as to save burns on tiny fingers and me from marital strife, but also because i have found enabling the DSP volume control in roon has a detrimental effect on SQ. Anyway after comparison i could not hear any negative effect on the SQ from running the Hugo2 and supposedly double amping. Worried about this i spoke to Chord and they reassured me that it effectively still preamping but with variable level. I did try my brothers Qutest for a week, and the inconveniences of no remote, having to use DSP Roon Volume control and not being able to use it as a portable amp by far out weighed inconveniences inherent in the H2's design, ie, micro usb and relatively tiny RCA connectors.

Two other quick things to note on the Euforia, first you can improve its already spectacular performance, for relatively little expense (£100-200) by swapping stock tubes out for EL38/E11 and second i would suggest budgeting for a good mains cable. I went the DIY route with outstanding results versus cost as i have done with RCA interconnects too, but thats a whole different depth and complexity of off topic rabbit hole, that i wont test everyone heres patience with any further

 

[ezekiel77]

Sometimes you gotta procrastinate, step away from the keyboard and just enjoy what you have, take it all in yeah?

This chain is one of my absolute favourites on my non-reviewing (read: lazy) days. I could listen to this all day, slack-jawed and drooling.

Oh it's WM1A > Symbiote SP V3 > VE8. One ticket to endgame city.

 

[Jackpot77]

Absolutely, that is what it is about for me as well, that feeling of getting lost in the music and enjoying the sound more than analysing it. That was what brought me into this hobby and I don't want to lose that by getting too caught up in over-analysing things.

Really looking forward to hearing more about the Quandra. They are so curious, but since you are enjoying them so much there must be something in it.

Never heard the M20, but I too read a lot of positive comments about it. The sound of the M11 seems really good based on my first impression, but the reason I asked FiiO for a review unit is the Android platform they use. It gets really close to a phone, although the Google Play Store does not work on it and neither do apps that require Play Store functionality, but it still opens up a host of possibilities. Not sure if that is something you are interested in. I am really curious to see how the various apps will work out and whether or not it is something that I would like to use more.

Probably a bit early to tell, but when you say really good, is that really good for the price bracket (i.e. AK70 / Cayin N5IIS good), or really good full stop (i.e DX200 or better)? Everyone seems to be taking about the usability over on the dedicated thread, but very few people are actually talking about the SQ.

 

[Deezel177]

Sometimes you gotta procrastinate, step away from the keyboard and just enjoy what you have, take it all in yeah?

This chain is one of my absolute favourites on my non-reviewing (read: lazy) days. I could listen to this all day, slack-jawed and drooling.



Oh it's WM1A > Symbiote SP V3 > VE8. One ticket to endgame city.

Ay, when’d you get my most pined-after IEMs of all-time, man?

 

[papa_mia]

Sometimes you gotta procrastinate, step away from the keyboard and just enjoy what you have, take it all in yeah?

This chain is one of my absolute favourites on my non-reviewing (read: lazy) days. I could listen to this all day, slack-jawed and drooling.



Oh it's WM1A > Symbiote SP V3 > VE8. One ticket to endgame city.

When you submit your resume, do you usually say something like "Hello, I'm Lau and I've got all the good stuff"?

 

[Wyville]

Thats very kind of you. I still enjoy reading this as its definitely the most insightful and open minded thread i've found on headfi, but sadly having tried fruitlessly to find that elusive IEM that would give me the SQ i wanted without residual negative effects on my hearing, i temporarily gave up on headfi altogether and returned to 2 channel. To cut along story short i really missed listenig on headphones, so my ever persistent local shop keeper suggested i try closed backs. Initially unimpressed by what was on offer (i must have demo'd 15 pairs) i tried and enjoyed the Elegia and then Focal kindly launched the pocket emptying Stellia, which did just that and i was back in the game.

First thing i have to say with Feliks Audio, is whatever you do dont listen to the model above the one you can afford, i did and ended up bending my credit card with the Euforia. I've listened to pretty much all of their models and they all hit well above their price tag, but the Euforia is just whole other level, Its better than the Elise in every area of performance and i would say its one of those rare products, like most of the Qutest or Hugo2, in that its peerless at its price or even twice its price point. I listened to the Auris HA2 SE, which is a beautiful thing, but ultimately sounded souless by comparison. From and IEM listening point of view the Euforia is almost completely silent. I have listened to the EE ESRs and Grado Gr10e (my last remaining in ears) quite a bit and they sound really good even though they're rated outside its sensitivity range.

Re your question on double amping with the H2, i initially ran it feeding the Euforia in line level mode by pressing the XPHD filter button as i start the Hugo up. You only need to do this once and it remembers it. Subsequently i experimenting running it normally with variable volume control, mainly because the Euforia doesnt have a remote and it lives quite high up so as to save burns on tiny fingers and me from marital strife, but also because i have found enabling the DSP volume control in roon has a detrimental effect on SQ. Anyway after comparison i could not hear any negative effect on the SQ from running the Hugo2 and supposedly double amping. Worried about this i spoke to Chord and they reassured me that it effectively still preamping but with variable level. I did try my brothers Qutest for a week, and the inconveniences of no remote, having to use DSP Roon Volume control and not being able to use it as a portable amp by far out weighed inconveniences inherent in the H2's design, ie, micro usb and relatively tiny RCA connectors.

Two other quick things to note on the Euforia, first you can improve its already spectacular performance, for relatively little expense (£100-200) by swapping stock tubes out for EL38/E11 and second i would suggest budgeting for a good mains cable. I went the DIY route with outstanding results versus cost as i have done with RCA interconnects too, but thats a whole different depth and complexity of off topic rabbit hole, that i wont test everyone heres patience with any further

Thanks! I still need to decide if I want to go down the headphone rabbit hole and how much I am willing to spend if I do. The Elegia is among the first headphones I would like to try along with the Aeon Flow closed and the LCD-2C, but I am dreading dipping my toes in. Every time I think about it even a "basic" setup quickly becomes way more expensive than I would like. And yeah, knowing my tendency to enjoy rolling cables, I am all too aware of the concept of "tube rolling".

Probably a bit early to tell, but when you say really good, is that really good for the price bracket (i.e. AK70 / Cayin N5IIS good), or really good full stop (i.e DX200 or better)? Everyone seems to be taking about the usability over on the dedicated thread, but very few people are actually talking about the SQ.

Indeed still early days and I spent a lot of time lately with the Shanling M2X, which of course might have an influence on how I perceive the M11 right now. But I just did a very quick comparison with my AK70 and the M11 does fall a little short of the AK's transparency, so it might not be anything earth shattering in its price bracket. 'All to DSD' does offer an added boost for lower resolution files, but damn does it drain the battery fast.

 

[davidcotton]

CIEMs should become available, but I don't have details on how that will go. In terms of fit these have been the most custom-like universals I have tried to date and they get a really good seal and isolation. I would still advise you to wait for your Black and not spend too much "on the off chance", but I know the feeling when you depend on the isolation so much. Have you ever tried going with just Custom Art's earplugs? You won't have music, but perhaps they are good to have as a backup and I believe they are quite cheap (~ £30). I currently don't need the isolation, but I keep them in mind should I find myself needing it again.

Oh already got a pair of those, but they were made with the older not so good impressions. Think they along with the set of custom eartips I had done were amongst the first that CA 3d printed. I was actually quite happy (!) with the fibae 2 universal/custom ear tip combo until muggins here lost the left eartip at work

 

[KuroKitsu]

*grunt* reviewers
*waddles back to cave* cries in VE8

 

[ezekiel77]

Ay, when’d you get my most pined-after IEMs of all-time, man?

They came in March. Er how do I put this eloquently. I had it in my bag at Canjam the whole time.

When you submit your resume, do you usually say something like "Hello, I'm Lau and I've got all the good stuff"?

I'm trying to have companies approach me instead lol

 

[ezekiel77]

*grunt* reviewers
*waddles back to cave* cries in VE8

Gotta say though, the regular reviewer's route is trudging through entryfi and midfi for months before levelling up. Try to look for the Dodocool reviews in theheadphonelist for a goooood chuckle.

Nic is a rare breed who started at the top and basically stayed there. Genius.

 

[twister6]

Gotta say though, the regular reviewer's route is trudging through entryfi and midfi for months before levelling up. Try to look for the Dodocool reviews in theheadphonelist for a goooood chuckle.

Nic is a rare breed who started at the top and basically stayed there. Genius.

I think the real genius here is getting to that level, being on a roll after the enormous shootout, and... having the strength to walk away while focusing on your life priorities!

 

[subguy812]

Thanks! I still need to decide if I want to go down the headphone rabbit hole and how much I am willing to spend if I do. The Elegia is among the first headphones I would like to try along with the Aeon Flow closed and the LCD-2C, but I am dreading dipping my toes in. Every time I think about it even a "basic" setup quickly becomes way more expensive than I would like. And yeah, knowing my tendency to enjoy rolling cables, I am all too aware of the concept of "tube rolling"

Wyville, I am totally portable and enjoy dipping my toes in the headphone water from time to time. It just really requires more research to find the pairings. Here is my latest:

 

[Wyville]

Gotta say though, the regular reviewer's route is trudging through entryfi and midfi for months before levelling up. Try to look for the Dodocool reviews in theheadphonelist for a goooood chuckle.

Nic is a rare breed who started at the top and basically stayed there. Genius.

Oh, the Dodocool twin reviews are an absolute classic! I'll never forget reading those.

I think the real genius here is getting to that level, being on a roll after the enormous shootout, and... having the strength to walk away while focusing on your life priorities!

Yeah, and he also desperately needed it. The amount of time and effort that went into the shootout was insane and by the end it was wearing him out much like you see with PhDs by the time they are putting the final touches on their dissertation... and Nic was doing that as well.

Wyville, I am totally portable and enjoy dipping my toes in the headphone water from time to time. It just really requires more research to find the pairings. Here is my latest:

How are you liking the Aiva? I saw Pinky reviewed it a few weeks ago, but still need to read it.

I still have the Ollo HPS S4R that @Jackpot77 mentioned a while back on my wish list, as it looks like an affordable entry into headphones that should be okay to use with a DAP. But right now I am mainly waiting for a few things to settle job-wise, so I know whether I will have the time to enjoy them or could better stick to IEMs.