Have not tried the Echo with and grado or hifiman. But my LCD2C is a good pairing, smooths something out in the freq response making them more euphonic. With even lower impedance headphones it will probably not be as good.
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The echo output impedance and the fact that it is an OTL design both suggest you might be better off with a different pairing.
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If you WANT bass bloat, using OTL with low impedance headphones is how to get bass bloat. Anything with a tube involves strategic distortion and tone/timbre modifications.
As some headphones have limited bass potential, theoretically bad pairings can actually sound fine. It depends on your taste and the interactions between particular components. Some pairings may sound fine without A/B testing, but odd if you do compare.
I typically prefer planars on amps with high current delivery. That comes before everything else with amp choice.
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Youāre not wrong, although ābloatā is perhaps a bit of a negative term to describe it. I love my Empyreans with my Euforia, and part of the reason why I love it is because it loosens up the bass just enough to sound fuller, more authoritative and impactful, but it doesnāt get muddy or bloated to my ears. Like you said, itās about finding a good balance where the looseness due to a lower damping factor and the distortion profile of the tubes/amp works in your favor, where the outcome is preferable for you without going too far that it feels like youāre sacrificing too much.
This is indeed the most important thing, and the very reason why I ended up with the Euforia. Still an OTL amp by heart, but optimized to have adequate current drive for low impedance planars. But I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to audition it among other options to find out what worked best for me, and what works for me wonāt work for everyone. So Iām not gonna say that youād need a Euforia if you want an OTL that works with planars.
What I essentially just mean to say is that while a certain pairing might not seem ideal on paper, it can still turn out to be worthwhile to get your ears on it to find out. Just a matter of making that consideration for yourself if you can allow yourself to take that risk blindly, and to be prepared for a course of action if the results turn out to be unfavorable.
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Echo 2 has landed! Currently giving the first play to my audio mistressā¦
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Welcome! I would listen to the Echo V2 I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised with your Clear Mg and Verite!l depending on your listening tastes. Itās to early for me to make any judgments but I have a big smile on my face currently listening to the Echo. Live stream first impressions coming soon!
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Iāve been using the echo since around December and has been my favorite amp to use since then, it makes for a great pairing with the dt880 600 ohm, hd800 and aeolus from my experience.
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On a side note, @RatRage I love your picture of the Rat. Yours? Iām a big Hamster lover myself.
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Hey guys! (TIME UPDATED) Live Stream will be on Saturday, April 17th at 1 pm PT (Los Angeles)
Feliks Audio Echo MKII OTL Tube Headphone Amplifier First Impressions Live Stream
Hope to see you all in the live chat!!!
Much Love,
Marcello @Resolve
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One of the 6N6P power tubes went bad on my new Echo MkII so Iām looking for a replacement tube. Does anyone have experience advice on where to buy a matched pair? Or what type of tube to buy? The documentation says it has to be another 6N6p or 6N6P-i.
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I used Photons that I bought on eBay in mine. Looking quickly, I saw VivaTubes has Soviet tubes that are probably pretty good.
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Looking forward to it sir!
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Thanks! I just sent for those.
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Looks like they combined the echo and the espressivo for echo 2.
I might just sell my lyr 3 and go full tube and a separate solid state.
My first post on headphones.com. Hello everyone. Never tried a tube AMP before and am torn between the Hagerman TUBA and Feliks Audio Echo MK II. Have a Jot 2 / Bifrost 2 running my Aeolus, Sundaraās and 6XX. Also was considering the BHC + Speedball, but donāt have much time to build one right now. Iāve been reading from many people on the forums that tubes is the way to go especially with my Aeolus and 6XX. What would you guys suggest? Thank you!
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I have a Verite. I read/watched several reviews of the Echo and almost all of them marvelled at the price vs. features/sound. I couldnāt find a negative review of the Echo. Before I purchased the Echo (first iteration), I asked Zac if the Echo would pair well with the Verite. He indicated the Echo worked well with all ZMFs and gave the Echo high marks. I was not sure if I wanted to go down the black hole of tube rolling and found that even the stock tubes sound awesome. When I switch between the Echo and the Soloist 3 XP, on the ZMFs, the sound is so much more alive on the Echo.
I have 57 yr old ears and for me, I canāt imagine the Verite sounding better.
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Hi. I have a Verite and Aeolus. With Bifrost 2 and Jot 2. I wasnāt a fan of the Tuba with these two headphones. A bit too neutral and sweet sounding. I have a BHC + Speedball and thatās more of what I was looking for out of a tube amp, Iād go with the Echo in your case. Enjoy!
Thank you @Bob and @stormcloud64 for your thoughts. I leaning towards getting the Echo MK II. I think it would fit my sound preferences as well.
Received my Echo MK II a few weeks ago to pair with my Aeolus and I am officially a Tube Amp convert. Music is just so much more full, alive, engaging, and fun. I canāt imagine my Aeolus sounding better than this. Want to get into tube rolling later on, but for now the stock tubes sound amazing to me.
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Glad you like. āTubingā is fun, but oh, it can definitely be a slippery slope in the wallet area!