Feliks Audio is a relatively small player in the audio equipment game, known for their extremely high-end, handcrafted offerings aimed solely at the top end of audiophiles. They have, however, built a strong reputation among this market, so we were glad to get a chance to check out their latest flagship offering: the new 2020 edition of their Feliks Euforia tube-based amplifier.
With an eye-watering price tag of starting at €1,799 for a tube-less model (~$2,130 USD) up to €1,999 for the golden-tube version (~$2,360 USD) the Euforia is already aimed at a slim group of buyers. But is it worth the money, even to those who can afford it?
The Euforia is certainly striking, once you take it out of the box and attach the separately-packed vacuum tubes. With a sleek aluminum chassis and those unmistakeable tubes sticking out of the top, it looks like 1960 and 2020 had a streamlined grey baby. Unlike many similar modern vac tube amps, the front panel is quite uncluttered, with only a volume knob and a 1/4" headphone jack. At the top of a hi-fi stack, it's definitely an eye-catcher.
It utilizes 6SN7 driver tubes and 6N13S power tubes, creating a single ended OTL tube amp. Noise and distortion reduction are key to the design. It features a dedicated noise reduction circuit, gold-plated sockets and inputs, silver wiring, and custom power supply focused on reducing signal noise.
- Input Impedance: 100 kOhm
- Frequency response: 8 Hz – 75 Khz +/- 3 dB (300 ohm)
- Power output: 250mW
- THD: 0.4 % (300 ohm, 20 mW)
- Dimensions: 310x205x175[mm]
- Weight: 7kg
As you'd expect for the price and the build quality, the Euforia sounds fantastic - if you aren't looking for a particularly warm sound. It's an exceptionally neutral amp, with just a hint of warmth, so it might not be for all tastes. However, it still delivers a wonderfully wide soundscape with plenty of stereo separation, and absolutely crisp precision.
The lack of background noise is immediately evident - when nothing is playing, this amp is silent. That significantly punches up the impact of high-dynamic tracks, with everything crisp and clear even at extremely low levels. Hearing a piece of music fade in from nothingness, or similarly fade out, is almost magical.
Bottom levels are fine. This isn't an amp aimed at bass lovers, but there's plenty of oomph none the less. Mids and treble are similarly clean, clear, lacking distortion, and nearly clinical in their precision. If what you're looking for is a pure presentation of your music, lacking in embellishment to focus on accuracy instead, it's going to be hard to do much better than the Euforia.
There are only a couple minus points: not everyone is a fan of the Russian-made 6AS7G tubes, which have a reputation for being a bit shrill at the high end. We didn't have much issue, but if you're truly looking for the best in sound reproduction, you might want to get the cheaper unit and supply whichever tubes you prefer.
The totality of inputs/outputs for this unit are one set of RCA ins/outs, and one 1/4" headphone jack. Many users of high end headphones prefer using an XLR connector, so Feliks may be missing a trend there.
Conclusion, the Euforia is very very good. Not perfect but certainly worth the price in the audiophile market.
