[Deolum]

Which tube amps do you guys that live in Europe use? Around 90% of those amps mentioned and recommended in US forums aren't available here.

The only thing you can do is look at tests of paid magazines where every amp is very good.

 

[arar]

I've been wondering about this too - pretty much all audiophile forums I can find are very US-centric, so it's always the American stuff that gets recommended. Haven't found a ton of affordable tube amps around here, unfortunately. The ones I know about are:
- Feliks Audio (http://feliksaudio.pl/, Polish, amps start from 700 euros, folks seem to love them),
- Tor Audio (https://toraudio.com/main.html?v=49, Bulgaria I think, custom-made so expect looong waits, starting from around 440 euros, haven't been able to find a ton of opinions on these online)
- and for DIY stuff, Erik Konka's kit, sold by a Finnish store: https://en.uraltone.com/kits/hi-fi-...iminen-otl-kuulokevahvistinrakennussarja.html

I'm currently thinking about maybe giving the Konka kit a try at some point later in the spring. Can't find any reviews or opinions on it anywhere, though, so I have no idea what it's supposed to sound like,

 

[Tarttett]

I have not listened to any amplifier from UltraSonic Studios, but those amplifiers appear very interesting to me. Here is a link to the website for UltraSonic Studios: Ultrasonicstudios.org.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Octave Audio - german summit fi amps
Feliks Audio - nice affordable amps from poland.
Audion - High end amps from somewhere in Europe (not sure if british or french)
Ayon - made in Austria
White Bird Amplification - OTL amps from poland, look quite affordable

Those are a few that are from europe and get positive vibes.
I surely forgot about a few as well, might update if I remember

 

[Deolum]

Thanks the Feliks stuff actually looks good.

 

[incredulousity]

Auris Audio

I have a Feliks Euforia AE and love it.

 

[Deolum]

Ordered a Feliks Elise. Maybe it works better with the HE1000V2 than the Phonitor 2.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Audiovalve

 

[CJG888]

White Bird Amplification Tzar. All the OTL amp you’ll ever need (but those 6S41S get HOT)...

 

[Deolum]

Audiovalve

Had the Solaris. Was a good amp but i needed something that gets less warm as a preamp.

Matching was also important on the Solaris. While it can run all headphones without a problem it's really on the smoother side. Worked perfectly for something like the Utopia but on less detailed smoother headphones it can become a bit boring. I think it would be a good match for the HEKV2 though.

 

[kvik]

Clinamen Audio (Italy)
Estro Armonico (Italy)
Megahertz Audio (Italy)
Patos Acoustics (Italy)
Riviera Audio Labs (Italy)
Synthesis (Italy)
Tektron Audio (Italy)
Viva Audio (Italy/Latvia)
Ångstrom Audio Lab (Italy)
Pier Audio (France)
EAR Yoshino (UK)
EternalArts (Germany)
Mal Valve (Germany)
Röhrenschmiede (Germany)
VinylSavor (Germany)
Paltauf Audio (Austria)
Lab12 (Greece)
Lucarto Audio (Poland)

and probably more

 

[Deolum]

Clinamen Audio (Italy)
Estro Armonico (Italy)
Megahertz Audio (Italy)
Patos Acoustics (Italy)
Riviera Audio Labs (Italy)
Synthesis (Italy)
Tektron Audio (Italy)
Viva Audio (Italy/Latvia)
Ångstrom Audio Lab (Italy)
Pier Audio (France)
EAR Yoshino (UK)
EternalArts (Germany)
Mal Valve (Germany)
Röhrenschmiede (Germany)
VinylSavor (Germany)
Paltauf Audio (Austria)
Lab12 (Greece)
Lucarto Audio (Poland)

and probably more

The problem with those is that there are no reliable tests or anything about those things. Yes most are state of the art and cost a bunch but that doesn't mean anything.

 

[kvik]

Well, I don’t agree, with a few exceptions you will find user experiences online for these amps, or at least for the manufactureres. Whether these impressions appear reliable to you or not, is a different matter.

 

[Zack W]

I live in the US, but I have a Topping A90 and an Audiovalve Solaris. I think these should both be available in Europe? I use the A90 for gaming and every day stuff. Youtube, casual music listening etc. I plug in the Solaris when I'm ready to sit down and have a real listening session and not turn it off for a while. Sometimes it feels like a waste not to use it more, but it's really nice to have as a special treat and it surprises me every time I use it.

 

[schmalgausen]

DIY Belarus