Sound – Headphones
For the dynamic high impedance headphones (OTL magic) I have chosen the Sennheiser HD660 S2 (300Ohm), Sennheiser HD800S and the Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro. As the planar magnetic headphones, I have chosen the Hifiman HE-1000 Stealth, the Meze Elite and the DCA Expanse. The chosen harder to driver headphones are the orthodynamic Hifiman Susvara and the AMT HEDDphone. Unless mentioned differently, they were all connected in balanced mode, though as said before, this isn’t really a true balanced output, it’s more for convenience.
Sennheiser HD660 S2
One of the best HD6XX-series headphones Sennheiser has produced. The build quality isn’t as good as before, but the sound is spot on. A dedicated review will follow soon. This headphone has a dynamic driver with 300Ohm impedance, and it’s selling for $599 USD.
OTL amps perform best with high impedance headphones, and so this combo was destined to be one of the better ones. You get a highly musical, very defined, dynamic sound. The delivery is energetic, precise, and super clear. The technical strength of this combo is remarkable, with excellent spaciousness, air, and layering. Nothing bothers me with this combo. Everything is in perfect control and it’s one of those combos of which you can truly say it’s someone’s end game. Highly recommended setup.
The HD800 S is selling for $1,699 USD and has a dynamic driver of 300Ohm as well. The synergy with the Euforia evo also is excellent, and it’s playing at a very high technical level as you would expect. While the technical performance is excellent here, the combo doesn’t have the same magic as the HD660S. It’s not as present and full sounding, and it has a lighter impact in the delivery. That’s all to be expected however, knowing what the HD800 S stands for.
You do get the wide and deep soundstage, airy presentation, and highly revealing signature, but it’s more neutral and less exciting. This combo still is nice; it is musical and technically strong, but it isn’t as engaging as the HD660S2. I personally prefer listening to the HD800S with the Auris Audio Headonia and the LaFigaro 339, even if the latter combo isn’t as revealing.
The DT 1990 Pro still is one of my favorite Beyerdynamic headphones. For the moment it is selling for only $499 and that’s an absolute bargain. This Beyerdynamic of course uses a tesla dynamic driver and has an impedance of 250 Ohm. OTL material.
I really like this combo, almost as much as the HD660S2 & evo combo. You get a fast, precise, revealing, and super controlled sound, combined with a full and musical delivery. The energy level is sublime, as well as the extension on both ends. The bass section is controlled, powerful and well-layered. The top end, extended, clean and lively. If you like the Beyer sound and the DT 1990 PRO for that matter, this combo will impress.
Hifiman HE-1000 Stealth
This Hifiman headphone of course uses an orthodynamic driver and has an impedance of 32Ohm. It’s selling for $1,999 USD directly from Hifiman. A full review of this headphone will follow soon on Headfonia.
You do have to turn the volume up just a little to get to the same volume level, but there’s plenty of room still available. This headphone isn’t the very hardest to drive and it in general scales up nicely with higher-end amplifier. With the Euforia evo, the HE-1000 Stealth sounds fast, revealing, and energetic. You get a wide soundstage with a spacious/airy presentation, combined with a precise and musical delivery. The downsides here are that it’s a little lighter in body from top to bottom, and the layering and sub bass could be better. The parts that impress are the speed, clarity and detail retrieval. It’s a nice combo but tube amps like the Headonia, Envy or Nirvana make this high-end headphone sound even better.
The Elite is my personal favorite Meze headphone. It also uses a planar magnetic driver type, and it has an impedance of 32Ohm. It’s selling for $4K directly from Meze.
I personally prefer this combo over the HE-1000 Stealth & evo one. It’s easier to drive and it’s just as fast, dynamic, energetic, and precise, but it’s fuller sounding from top to bottom and it produces a better impact/kick. The layering here clearly is more refined, and the bass section reaches down lower. The Hifiman is lighter in general, but the top end is more refined. The HE-1000 Stealth is cleaner sounding than this combo, but I don’t feel there’s a lack of clarity here. Musical, easy to listen to a good technical level and an engaging character. What’s no to like? Recommended!
The DCA Expanse is rated at only 23Ohm and it’s selling for $3,999 USD like the Elite. To get to the same listening volume, the level on the evo must go up quite a bit, but again, there’s still plenty left.
The combo always sounds powerful, exciting, and full. There’s enough body from top to bottom, with an excellent low end. The technical level is good here and you get a natural, easy to listen to sound with a musical presentation. The Stereo imaging is lovely here. For some listeners this combo might come over as slower and darker. I could listen to this setup all day long, but it isn’t as refined and dynamic sounding as some of the previously described combos.
The Susvara (60Ohm) is one of my favorite high-end headphones, and it’s known to be harder to drive. The Susvara is selling for an impressive $6,000 USD.
The volume here must go up even more than on the Expanse. While the volume gets loader, I can’t really say this is the right amplifier for the Susvara. You get a slower, yet fuller, delivery but the liveliness, precision, energy, and dynamics are somewhat lacking here. The Susvara can perform a lot better, but with this amplifier it’s getting held back. This isn’t a surprise however, and I don’t think anyone expects an OTL amp to make the Susvara sound great.
This AMT-driven headphone is selling for $1,699 USD and has an impedance of 42Ohm. It’s also a headphone known for its driveability. From a sound point of view, I should really use this headphone more, but it’s just so awful when it comes to listening comfort.
Volume-wise the HEDDphone is more like the DCA stealth, but the synergy with the evo is better. I didn’t expect this combo to perform this well. The only part that’s lacking a bit for me here is the energy in the top end. For the rest you get a good amount of bass and overall body, combined with a good amount of detail and dynamics. It’s not the cleanest or fastest sounding combo, but it’s musically smooth. That said, I do find the HEDDphone to sound better with some other amplifiers, but the combo’s performance is more than just acceptable.
Headphone synergy Conclusion
The Feliks Audio Euforia evo is a real OTL amplifier and you can see that in its performance. High impedance headphones are a really good match, it’s as simple as that. When you also have a selection of planars in your collection, one might sound better than the other on the evo. If you only have orthodynamic driven headphones however, this probably isn’t the type of amplifier to look at.
The review continues on the fourth page with comparisons and conclusion . Click here or use the simple jumps below.
Page 1: Feliks Audio, Euforia evo, Tubes
Page 2: Box, Packaging & accessories, Design Lay-Out, Specifications, Sound Pt. 1
Page 3: Sound Headphone Synergy
Page 4: Comparisons, Conclusion
Mike I
Hello Lieven,
Nice review, again.
In Belgium and France, the Cayin HA-6A is selling at the same price as the Evo (2.500 Euro) and I think it is a better amp: could you give us a comparison?
The Cayin HA-3A is less expensive but indeed also a very nice amp.
Nice regards
Lieven
Thank you. Sorry but hat amp is not in my possession.