Review: Feliks Audio Euforia – Quality

Amp layout

 

As said the design is basic and as a result so is the lay-out. But it’s done in such a way that it all just fits in nicely and making the amp easy to use.

On the front panel you on the left have the engraved “Euforia” name with the white-yelloish LED right next to it. The 6.3mm headphone connector is right above. There is no “safety net” around the connector, so make sure you don’t scratch that beautiful case while plugging in headphones. In the middle we have the smooth and precise volume dial (no channel imbalance to be found) and on the right you only have the lightly engraved Feliks Audio logo.

On top as said you have the 6SN7 tubes upfront, behind it the power tubes and then the transfo “cage” which features a silver colored Feliks Audio logo in the middle. A nice touch. On the back of the unit you from left to right have the switch to activate the crossfeed-circuit, the power connector, the main power switch, the RCA-inputs and the RCA-outputs.

Underneath the amplifier you’ll find the 4 beautiful feet and a sufficiently big “hole” for aeration and that’s about it.

Model 2018 SPECS

  • Input Impedance: 100 kOhm
  • Frequency response: 8 Hz – 75 Khz +/- 3 dB (300 ohm)
  • Power output: 250mW
  • THD: 0.4 % (300 ohm, 20 mW)
  • Supported headphones impedance: 32 – 600 ohm including planar magnetics
  • Premium PsVane CV-181 Mk2 “Gold” /or “Silver” PsVane 6SN7 driver tubes *
  • Improved noise cancelling construction
  • High grade power transformer
  • 100% pure silver signal wiring in teflon jacket
  • Heavy duty teflon gold-plated tube sockets
  • High quality Mundorf and Nichicon capacitors
  • Dale and Caddock resistors
  • Preamp safety circuit
  • Gold plated RCA inputs
  • Headphones output: Jack 6.3mm
  • Dimensions: 310x205x175[mm]
  • Weight: 7kg
  • 3 years warranty

 Sound

The Analysis of sound is based on my aftermarket set of 7236 tubes, not the standard Russian power tubes.

According to Feliks Audio the Euforia delivers amazing dynamism, sound stage and level of details never heard of before in tube amplifiers, at the same time giving the unmistakably tube sound signature. They also say the Euforia has an unrivalled neutrality and sound stage and dynamic music scene.

Neutrality and tube sound combined in one, is that right? Let’s find out!

The Euforia indeed isn’t the warmest sounding of my amps, especially with the stock tubes. With the 7236 the amp got a bot richer sounding and it sounds a bit warmer as well. That is still limited however and the Euforia indeed a more neutral sounding amp. Not at the degree of the Auris Headonia, but still, to the more neutral side. The beauty however is that you get the precision and clarity of a high end sound but the delivery at the same time has the typical tube smoothness and just a tad of warmth to make the presentation oh so musical.

The Euforia is clean and clear at all times and the amp has great dynamics, but the 7236 tubes certainly help with that. The sound stage is wide and the sound spacious and there’s just that right amount of air to make the sound natural and engaging. At the same time the separation is really precise to keep that high end sound quality. As expected the positioning is great with an excellent left/right balance and stereo image.

I would say the stage is wider than it is deep, but there certainly is nothing to complain about either, it’s all at a high level. Another of its strong point is how much detail the Euforia gives you and it’s always dead silent with a pitch black background, so every single detail is very well audible. No matter what headphone or earphone you use with the Euforia, it’s always dead silent.

A third aspect it really shines with is the excellent PRaT it displays. You get a fast, tight sound where the Euforia is always in control but it’s mixed again with that tube smoothness and that bit of warmth to make it musical and realistic, yet precise and oh so engaging. That’s basically it: the Euforia is addictive and it makes you want to listen to another album, and then other and….

From vocally strong music, to classical to rock to Jazz, the Euforia tackles all genres with ease, no matter what headphone you hook up to it.

Bass is detailed, fast, tight and perfectly in balance. Impact and body-wise you don’t get the biggest bass but it’s in no way flat or absent. You get quality over quantity but it will depend on the headphone and even the tubes used. Differently said, the Euforia doesn’t really add any extra bass unless you’re pushing it but it will get the best possible bass to your headphone. Bass layering is very good as well. A clean, yet powerful bass, I certainly appreciate it.

The mids flow perfectly from the bass with the same characteristics body and impact-wise. The mids are always in-line and neutrality here also is a key characteristic. Nothing is being pushed forward or to the back and you get a clean, detailed and spacious sound which is realistic and engaging. The mid dynamics are exemplary and again you get just enough of that tube richness and smoothness to make the amp really shine in this area. The voices also are to dream away with. I read another review where they said the mids weren’t engaging, but if you don’t fond them engaging with the stock tubes, I can only advise to get a better set of tubes, cause they are very engaging with my setup.

The treble section is energetic, fast and precise and as expected it’s presented in a clean and vivid way. The Euforia is always in control though and as it is a well designed tube amp, the treble never goes to the shrill, harsh or overly accentuated side with a good set of tubes. It’s top class treble with a tube finish in my case, but the Russian 6AS7G tubes do have a bad reputation for sounding somewhat shrill up on top, so take that into account. I have amps in which they sound really good, and in others I can’t stand them. Trial and error, that’s the fun of tubes. It’s not good for your wallet though.

I’m very impressed with the performance of the Euforia amp, especially in combination with the better set up tubes. Yes I keep repeating that, but it just is very important to use good tubes. Is it as neutral and technically strong as the 2A3 based Headonia amplifier? No, it isn’t but that amp costs four times the Euforia as well and it’s an absolute beast.

I don’t get why someone would buy a TOTL amp and then not roll in better sounding tubes. And the good thing here is that better for you doesn’t even mean it has to be an expensive/rare pair. You can tune the sound to what you like exactly, isn’t that what tube amps are also about?

On page three you’ll find even more on the Euforia’s sound in combination with a series of headphones

4.1/5 - (81 votes)
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedin

Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

8 Comments

  • Reply October 11, 2018

    Krzysztof Maj

    Hello Lieven,
    Fantastic review and fantastic headamp from my country – Poland! I wish I had money to buy one, but because it has tubes, my questions are:
    1. How many producers of tubes for audiophiles we have already on the market and if those are easy obtainable?
    2. Do they provide the heat protective cover for the tubes – quite important if you have children playing around the house?

    • Reply October 11, 2018

      Lieven

      thanks. There are still new tubes being built in Russia and Asia and these are easily obtainable, but the really good tubes date back to the 50s-80s and you’ll have to source them via tube dealers. There are also other high end tube boutiques which are producing tubes at this time.

      The covers depend on the design, in most designs it’s not foreseen but you can build a custom cover yourself or buy one on the web

  • Reply October 11, 2018

    Piotr

    Hi Lieven,

    great review – as always. My question is, how would you rate Euphoria vs Auris HA2SE in terms of soundstage, technicalities etc.

    Thank you in advance for the reply, best, Peter

    • Reply December 12, 2018

      Booker

      Agree, I just read the Auris HA2 SE review too. They’re almost the same price and clear competition, both with very positive reviews here on Headfonia. Could you offer some thoughts on comparisons?

  • Reply February 7, 2019

    Jonathan

    Hey there, great review! I am definitely intrigued by this amp! I’m still quite new to tube amplifiers. If tubes are still being made in Russia and Asia, is there any particular reason why they wouldn’t be just as good as really old tubes? It doesn’t seem to be something that would get better with age.

    • Reply February 11, 2019

      Lieven

      It has to do with the technology used, the component quality and manual labor from back then.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.