Not everyone can appreciate the deep emotion of listening to music through headphones. Some say it does not really deliver an 'audiophile' experience. I beg to differ. Although, I seldom review head-fi gears nowadays, I have been in the head-fi bandwagon eversince I got my first walkman back in the last 80s. From walkman to Discman to MDman to USB DAC to headphone amp as a source followed by over the ear headphones to on the ear headphones to IEM and wired to wireless as well. Along the way, a number of great headphone amps found a place in my den including from Musical Fidelity, Bryston, Oppo and SPL Audio. I also got my hands on a few tube headphone amps but none really could catch my fancy.
..................... Until now.
The Feliks Audio Echo2 have been in my den for a few months now and I must say, it is one of heck of tube headphone amp. Physically it looks like a simple and straight forward design with no frills but the musical experience it offers is unique and engaging even with some hard to drive headphones.
THE SPECIFICATIONS
The Echo 2 is designed to drive headphones up to 600 ohm impedance with a frequency response of 15 Hz to 45 KHz. The power output is 350mW with an amplification level of 20dB.
Depending on the headphones you use, you might need to crank up the volume a bit to get a really engaging experience.
It comes with only one headphone output with a 6.3 mm jack and a pair of RCA line out to connect it to a power amp if you want to use as a pre amp.
It offers 3 RCA line inputs which is sufficient for a basic hifi set up as well.
THE PERFORMANCE
To really test this Echo 2, I listened to a chosen track over an over again using various headphones that I have:
- Grado Hemp - 38 ohm
- Sennheiser HD800S - 300 ohm
- Beyerdynamic T1 - 600 ohm
- Audeze EL8 - 30 ohm
The chosen track for the review was my all time favourite Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman (16/44 WAV file).
Why this track? In short, it is one track that requires a certain engagement build up throughout the track. Play it on a flat-ish set up, it will sound monotonous.
Which headphones do you feel will match nicely with the Echo 2? Read on...
With the Grado Hemp, the Echo 2 managed to retain an open sounding which is a typical signature of a Grado. However, it does provide a more refined experience compared to my reference SPL Audio Phonitor 2 amp. Sarah's vocal sounded less clinical and Andrea's vocal sounded deep and extended with a nice touch bass. The musical engagement was there and I just had to crank up the volume to about 10 o'clock on the volume dial to really engage with the music delivery.
Playing the same song with the Senns HD800S gave quite a similar experience. I always had some challenges finding a suitable pairing amp for the Senns as I do feel this headphone is more on the bright side of things. The Echo 2 however managed to inject some warmth to it which elevated the listening experience of this track to another level. Sarah's vocal started to sound more melodious instead of a the technically clinical sound and also lest bright when she hits those high notes. Andrea's vocal also sounded fuller and more wholesome compared to when I pair the Senns to my Phonitor 2. The end note in which the track ends was also an overwhelming experience as it did give me that impact of musical climax.
Beyerdynamic T1 the oldest headphones I own (more than 10 years old now). However, even with the high impedance load, it is still my favourite pair of cans. It has gone through a series of headphones starting from Musical Fidelity XCan V1 to V3, Bryston BHA-1, Oppo HA-1 and SPL Audio Phonitor 2. It never fail to deliver the sound I like. Now, I am expecting the this Echo 2 tube amp will need to work extra hard to deliver the sound I like. I had to crank up the volume knob to about 12 o'clock but I must say the Echo 2 have given me a fresh new experience with the T1. Everything fell into place. Sarah and Andrea vocal were both melodically paired with the right lows and highs, giving the right engaging duet performance. The intensity build up of the track was phenomenal with the overall musical presentation sounded huge, alive and energized. Its like listening to them singing live. I love it.
Audeze EL8 Open Back headphones was the trickiest to listen to with the Echo 2. Somehow, it did not sound right overall with Sarah's vocal was leaning more towards flatness and Andrea's vocal just didn't go deep enough. At times, it started to sound a bit too bright which I did not experience that when paired with the Phonitor 2. I tried it with some other tracks as well but the experience was similar. Not sure why but I tried using the EL8 with other headphones amp again and it sounded good.
THE CONCLUSION
The Echo 2 is one fine performer at this price point of any tube headphone amps. Quite versatile as well as I did also listen to other musical genres with this amp paired to the T1. Metal, rock, jazz and ballad sounded great on this Echo 2 as well. No loss of energy to even Enter Sandman. If I am to describe the Echo 2 in 3 words, it would be - Engaging, Melodious, Soothing.
It might not be everyone's cup of tea especially if you are into a more solid hard thumping bass experience through you cans. It is more for the chillaxed listener whom are looking for an amp that can push your cans to deliver a more emotionally engaging listening session.
The Feliks Audio products can be audtioned at Audio Visual Designs Sdn. Bhd. Please contact them for a listening session.
