In search of a tube amp for my VO.
This track has been my best tool to finding the best vocal sound while doing some tube rolling on my dac. It was recommended to me as one of the best female vocals but when played through different SS dacs and amps, I was not impressed. So I tried a tube dac and it got better but still nothing special! Then I changed the stock tubes to nos Mazdas and suddenly her voice got Bigger, taller, more diffused. I could even hear the echo in the room she was singing.
So now this got me curious about tube amps. But not all will have this warm and forward vocals. One amp I tried that gave me a similar feeling was the feliks Evo. I would like to know if any of you had this experience and can recommend an amp that kind a does that.?
I invite you to try this track if you have different amps or dacs available to see if you hear a difference.
One other option for @Honeypot could be Ray Samuels Audio- like The Dark Star or (used as Ray can’t make them anymore due to chip shortages, I believe) The Apache.
The Apache, if available, is about $ 3K. I paid about $ 2K used and added a little money for a chip upgrade to the latest/greatest.
It’s truly an excellent, dual-mono amp. It’s also a phenomenal preamp, though the switch from pre-to-head-amp is noisy. That is the only flaw in an otherwise incredible amp, however.
Take a look at CFA3. Had one and, if you’re looking for SS amps with great technicalities, it should be on your shortlist. Extremely well resolving and open sounding. Fast and tight.
You can buy one from one of the custom builders (‘dukei’ I can warmly recommend), or wait for the upcoming commercial release by HeadAmp (essentially same amp).
Another one that looks really good. What class type is it? Anybody knows?
For the moment I skipped the Vio 550 and trying to build on cash.
I got in mind the Feliks envy. I didn't really want to go top tubes until I had a top SS. But since I am sure about the envy as my TOTL OTC am completely lost at this stage..
There is a good reason behind it... Wait for it...
But since I am sure about envy as my TOTL OTC tube, I will try to gather and get it.
God knows what happens next. Maybe I become a tube yonkee (it already begun with the echo) or I start piling up money for a SS. Or I die and my wife sells everything for.... Continues on my signature....
I've been using mine with Schiit Bifrost 2/64 and ZMF Homage. I find this to be a very nice pairing. Comes in at just over $2k (with tax and shipping).
I find separates to be better as over time I've found that my preferences have changed and separates gives flexibility to try out other dac/amps to fine tune ones preference.
Dedicated components are usually a better choice as long as you have room for them. They offer more flexibility to find a sound you like and most of the time you can achieve better sound quality for the same money compared to all-in-one units.
If you plan on keeping the same gear for a while I would go for separate units. The DAC section of my DAC/AMP just failed and since it didn't have a dedicated analog input, it's pretty much a doorstop now. Keep in mind that I haven't heard Calderas but I've found that with planars, they either make or break a pairing, not much in between. If you already own a DAC, then I would focus on whether you want tubes or solid state. I tend to prefer tubes with my LCD-2 because I feel that this headphone already possesses the desired traits from a SS chain all by itself. No one can tell you which you would like but subjective reviews will give you a decent idea.
If you don't have a DAC then I would start with something below $800 with a ESS chip. Odds are if you can't find good things about the sound of a well reviewed ESS DAC then most other chip based DACs won't be for you. If you value timbre, instrument separation, and naturalness, then I would look towards R2R. I recommend Audio-GD R-1 NOS; I've used it for 6 months and its been a real treat. I believe that Audio-GD is best for instrumental and orchestral music (of all flavors).
I would not blindly purchase anything above $1k unless it was on sale or used. A lot of gear (especially Amps) from the past 6-10 years is nicely discounted on the used market. IMHO Burson amps are greatly overpriced given their flat sound signature; your ears will tell you the truth.
To summarize, pick what fits your needs functionally and buy used if you can. Since you are new to the headphone as well, you will be in for some amazing listening sessions regardless of what gear you pick. I would focus a little more money on the AMP rather than the DAC at this price. The higher up you go, the more everything in the chain starts to matter. I've heard some really great things about the FLUXLABS Mentor, I bet it would give the Calderas great power.
I agree with the others who've suggested getting discrete units. Here are a few thoughts for you re. options, starting with more abstract and then moving towards more specific suggestions.
General:
buy used so you can experiment without taking too great a financial hit on the resale
consider the buying and selling of gear a kind of rental fee, until you land on the right system
overall system synergy matters, which means that an all-in-one unit will either work for you or it won't, whereas discrete items give you flexibility
discrete units also make it easier to mix and match - and replace
More specifically re. the Caldera
the Caldera seems to be a bit amp picky; I don't own one but got to hear it on a loaner tour with my Stratus and another amp, and I'm not sure either did the Caldera justice
I'd suggest finding a good amp first, to reduce the number of permutations and keep things from getting too complicated
also, finding a good amp will give you the best bang for buck when it comes to good sound
once you've got an amp that drives the Caldera well, then you can dial in an overall sound with a complementary DAC
Ways of allocating funds
you've got an end-game pair of headphones that will scale with better gear. Is $2.5k your final budget, for the long term, or just what you can manage now?
I ask just because it might be worth thinking about near- and long-term options
you could spend $2k+ on a killer amp that'll last you a good long time, and the remaining $200+ on a DAC that'll suffice for the time being, until you can upgrade it
you could divide the budget equally between DAC and amp
Specific suggestions: I've seen people recommend the Schiit Mjolnir 3 for the Caldera but read up carefully about it. Schiit does give you the option of trying out their gear, with a modest restocking fee, although I suspect shipping to Canada would be a problem, with taxes. Schiit also has good DACs with the Bifrost 2 and Gungnir - there's a new Gungnir DS coming, rumor has it. The Bifrost 2 has a warmer, thicker sound; the old, out-of-production Gungnir A2 is more neutral, and I could see it pairing nicely with the Caldera and a neutral/warm amp. You might also check out the Holo Cyan 2 DAC, which has been getting some praise, including from a friend of mine who really likes it. RME has good DACs, too, then there's the Chord Qutest, as well as Soekris DACs, and I should think a good many others in the sub $1.5k range.
Finally, keep in mind your own preferences, especially re. the qualities you like about the Caldera and the things you'd like to be improved, e.g. slam or soundstage, etc.. If you can give us more specific preferences, you might get more helpful replies. In any case, I hope this helps.
In search of a tube amp for my VO.
This track has been my best tool to finding the best vocal sound while doing some tube rolling on my dac. It was recommended to me as one of the best female vocals but when played through different SS dacs and amps, I was not impressed. So I tried a tube dac and it got better but still nothing special! Then I changed the stock tubes to nos Mazdas and suddenly her voice got Bigger, taller, more diffused. I could even hear the echo in the room she was singing.
So now this got me curious about tube amps. But not all will have this warm and forward vocals. One amp I tried that gave me a similar feeling was the feliks Evo. I would like to know if any of you had this experience and can recommend an amp that kind a does that.?
I invite you to try this track if you have different amps or dacs available to see if you hear a difference.
Hello,
I am selling my Feliks Euforia classic, if you live in a country with 230V mains supply this could be interesting for you.
We can talk about the price.
New toy #2 added to the stable, now just need for my GS-X MKII to get back from the Headamp doctor's, and I'll be able to compare my stable of amplifiers. Then, I might need to pull the trigger on the all mighty Atriums! But for now, I'm enjoying the random button on Roon, and my 3000 CD library.
New toy #2 added to the stable, now just need for my GS-X MKII to get back from the Headamp doctor's, and I'll be able to compare my stable of amplifiers. Then, I might need to pull the trigger on the all mighty Atriums! But for now, I'm enjoying the random button on Roon, and my 3000 CD library.
Hi! Newbie here to this forum. I'm itching to ascend into this hobby and plan on doing so this November with a Holo May, an Atrium and either a Holo Bliss or a Feliks Euforia Evo. I read a lot of praise for both of those amps, but demoing is difficult here in Sweden. I lean towards the Atrium for its timbre, body and sound stage.
My question is, out of the Bliss and the Euforia Evo, is there a superior amp choice for the Atrium? How big of a difference would there be? (I may opt to also go for a Caldera the next year to compliment the Atrium and from what I understand, SS is preferable with Caldera?)
I've not heard my Atrium from a Bliss. But I had a Vérité when I also had my Bliss and wasn't fond of the combination. I've heard a couple of friends state that the Bliss works best with planar headphones and less well with dynamic driver ones. That aligns with my experience too. This isn't to say the Bliss won't be good with the Atrium. Instead, it's just to advise you to proceed cautiously.
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. [I recommended this to you in December 2023 in the Icon Audio 'thread'.]
