Background
I've owned many headphones and have heard many, mostly open backs. I currently have Susvara, HD800 and Grado RS1X. Headphones I have in the past were Audeze LCD2f, LCD3f, LCD4. HiFiMan Arya, He1000se. ZMF Atticus, Eikon, Verite LTD Open Pheasantwood. Senn HD650.

Build and comfort
Build quality is very good. On par with He1000se and Susvara. Comfort is good but Susvara is better. Perhaps on par with He1000se. The elongated shape doesn't suit me that well.

I am fine with the materials used in Audivina and the colour is rather unique. I rather like it.



Sound - treble, mid, bass, soundstage
Treble and midbass strikes me as prominent. Mid is good but I hear voices presented in a different way. Overall, I find it very enjoyable with vocals.

It is brighter compared to Susvara, the latter has better timbre and texture and a low extended bass. Susvara is definitely the better headphone but if I didn't compare, I can enjoy Audivina too.

Soundstage width is very good. Almost as wide as HD800 and He1000se. I'm impressed. 3D holographic image is presented well.

This is not a bass prominent headphone. Not in the same mold as LCD4. If that is what you're looking for then you've found the wrong headphone.

I like the tuning though and could accept it without change. It will compliment my existing headphones. If you look at my existing headphones you will know why I like Audivina.

With tube amps
I audition Audivina with my 4 tube amps. Odyssey, Oblivion, Destiny and Ultimate. In my opinion, Audivina is best sampled with a good tube amp and when driven with any of my tube amps, it sound heavenly.

The best pairing is with Oblivion. The soundstage from this pairing is the widest and with an airy feel. All the other 3 tube amps are also very good with Audivina. Destiny the 300b amp is incredible with Audivina. The surprise of them all is Ultimate - the synergy is incredible.

All my tube amps are very quiet and despite the specs of Audivina (20ohms and 97dB), there is zero noise. Very impressive.

With the other headphones


The tube amps used.







Conclusion
I said at the beginning when I first received Audivina that I love the headphone when I first heard it. That hasn't change after 2 weeks of audition. This is a headphone that has a place in my collection of headphones but just not now unfortunately. I've other tube amps purchase commitments.

Thanks to HiFiMan for the opportunity to audition Audivina.

Introduction

I was contacted by Burson Audio to conduct a review on the V5i a few months ago. The v5i op-amp took a long time to arrive from Hong Kong. I was provided with one Op amp to test them in my Topping D10 dac.

I bought the Topping D10 as a 2nd hand unit for AUD$100, to use as a spare. My main dac(s) are Yggdrasil and Bifrost 2. So why did I buy the cheap Topping D10? One, I could use it as a spare and it's cheap. Can just keep it in the drawer and forget about it. I have always view the D10 as clear but digital sounding - which is another way of saying I don't like it.

I like a dac that is neutral sounding and also have a soul to the tone and the Topping D10 in it's original form isn't it.

The V5i Op Amp
I did not know about this op-amp before it arrives. I did not read up much about it because I want to experience it without being tainted by others impressions.

This is the tiny bugger.



Installing it into the Topping D10 dac is straight forward. Open up the D10 and see the picture below on how to install it.

In the first picture is the dac in it's original form. The black chip 'circled' is the original. In the 2nd picture, you can see the Burson v5i op-amp installed 'circled - and it must be installed with the words facing left like you see it in the picture. This is important as installing it the wrong way will result in no sound and may damage both the op-amp and dac.



Test Setup.
My listening gear consists of :-

Source - PC, Schiit Wyrd > Topping D10 with v5i op-amp installed.
Amps - Ultrasonic Studios Oblivion and McChanson 300b amp for speakers and headphones.
Headphones - Audeze LCD4 ; HiFiMan He1000se

Music

• Fourplay - 101 Eastbound
• Dire Straits - Private Investigations
• Holly Cole - Hold On
• Jennifer Warnes - First We Take Manhattan

Lows
Lows goes deeper now. Quite a marked changed.

Mids
This where it stands out for me. Mid range and vocals are very engaging now and sound organic and natural. Love it !

Highs
Sound a bit rounded off but still very detailed. This makes for a non fatiguing listen especially for longer sessions.


Performance Closing thoughts:
I am used to Yggdrasil for 4 years and I won't lie when I say that the Topping D10 is so far from Yggdrasil's performance scale that it's not worth comparing.

However taken on it's own - Topping D10 with Burson v5i op-amp installed show a marked improvement that makes this cheap dac worthy as a spare dac in case I need one. In the company of my gear, it was still enjoyable and engaging enough. Recommended.


Value
Not knowing how much this v5i opamp cost, I can't comment on the value to performance ratio.

Oblivion

http://ultrasonicstudios.org/oblivion/

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/oblivion-ultrasonic-studios.902926/

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/modern-balanced-tube-amp-build.852879/

About 2 months ago I was approached by Sonic to review Oblivion. I had not known Sonic before neither did I hear about Oblivion.

I told him I’m not a professional reviewer and he said that’s ok. I’m not a technical person either so this is a layman’s review.

Oblivion is a hybrid amp with tube as preamp and solid state for the power amp duties. For more information on Oblivion, you can read it at the links above.

When I started, I view Oblivion only as a headphone amp but I soon found out that you can also have one configured as preamp and / or with speakers out.

After 2 months, I received the amp 2 days before Christmas. J It came in a very big box. Inside, it is very well padded and has another box – Oblivion is in there, again very well padded. It came with 2 x RCA 6AV6 driver tubes and 4 x Siemens EL81 power tubes. The amp that was send to me has an impedance switch, another switch to enable headphones or speakers / headphones and speakers binding posts that accept banana plugs. It also has xlr and rca inputs. The headphone out is xlr. Power switch is of the flick variety and it is very sturdy and feels good to the touch. The volume knob operates smoothly.

Visually, Oblivion looks very good. It comes in a large brush aluminium black powder coated chassis. It is slightly bigger than my Yggdrasil dac. There are 4 adjustable spike feets which makes levelling the amp on the table very easy. There is a big fan underneath to keep the amp cool and it is very quiet. The amp stays just moderately warm even under hours of usage.

I will start with the review of Oblivion as a headphone amp. My gears are as follows:-

Yggdrasil – dac ; Oblivion – amp ; ZMF Verite Open and HD800 – headphones.

Cables are Curious cable interconnects, Isotek EV03 Premier power cable, a generic power conditioner similar to the Isotek EV03 Polaris power conditioner.

Now how does it sound?

Oblivion strikes me as very clear with details galore. Stereo imaging is superb. You can hear instruments clearly and visualise where they are positioned. Soundstage depth, width and height are the best I’ve heard in all the amps that I’ve experienced. Treble is very well extended. Midrange is forward and engaging. Bass is well done without overpowering the other frequencies. Whilst it’s lighter in bass than some of my tube amps, it surprised me on bass heavy tracks. I soon discovered that Oblivion will reveal how your gear sound and perform. It is very transparent. There is a touch of tube tone and at no time did it sounded glaring or bright. Spacious, airy and articulate comes to mind. With Yggdrasil and Verite Open, it sounded like a perfect pairing to my ears.

My other 3 tube amps are ALO Audio Studio Six, Glenn OTL amplifier and Woo Audio WA22 and the preference are in that order.

Compared to Studio Six.

Studio Six has Mullard ECC33, Brimar CV511 (equivalent of 6V6gt), Mullard OB2 and GEC U52.

Studio Six or SS has rather pronounced bass. It’s solid. It’s also very detailed with a sweet midrange and accentuated bass. It’s great with classic rock.

On switching over to Oblivion, it’s obvious that Oblivion clarity and details are more in abundance and soundstage is wider, deeper and has more height. Oblivion imaging is also better. It is certainly airier and projected a holographic image. Studio Six is the best of my 3 amps ( – in my opinion J), so it came as a shocked that after a few days of comparison, I found myself preferring Oblivion tonally with my gear.

Compared to Glenn OTL amplifier.

I had GOTL for 2 years now and am very familiar with it’s tone. It’s a tube rollers amp but my preferred tubes are Sylvania 6sn7w metal with 6 x RCA 6bx7gt. GOTL has an upfront engaging midrange and it’s midbass is superb with Verite. Treble is well extended but a bit dial back compared to the other amps. It’s an organic, dynamic and lively amp. Compared to Oblivion, GOTL sounded less clear. Very good texture but clarity and details are not up to Oblivion class leading act. GOTL soundstage is also much narrower. Despite all this, I actually like the way GOTL sounded with classic rock.

The areas Oblivion trump over GOTL is in clarity, details, imaging, airiness and soundstage. They are quite different sounding tonally.

Again I find myself preferring how Oblivion sounded compared to GOTL.

For this exercise, I decided to skip Woo Audio WA22.

GOTL was my amp of the year for 2018. Studio Six is my amp of the year for 2019. Oblivion will be my amp of the year for 2020.

With the impressions of headphone duties out of the way, let’s get to how Oblivion fair with speakers. My first thought is that Oblivion will be suitable only for high efficiency speakers like the Zu Omens or Omegas. Well I was so surprised that Oblivion drives the following bookshelf speakers so well.

Axis LS28 – 88db, 100w max power handling, 8 ohms

Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 – 86db, 20 – 100w power, 6 ohms

Furthermore I was astounded that Oblivion could drive my Axis LS88 floorstanders (90db, 300w power, 4 ohms) to moderately loud level. I have to admit though that I much prefer my Sansui au-alpha 907mr and Redgum Rgi120enr for driving my large speakers in a fairly large room of 6 x 4 metres. There’s just that much more oomph. I was using my Rega RP8 turntable with Avid Pellar phono stage for this test.

The bookshelf speakers sounded excellent with Oblivion driving them. For near field listening, there is certainly enough power to drive them. There is no need for high efficiency speakers. I have not heard those speakers sounding so clear and bass was amply delivered with good solid impact.

Music selections for the listening test.

Telegraph Road – Dire Straits

Forever Autumn – War of the Worlds

1812 Overture – Tchaikovsky

Ride of the Valkyries – Richard Wagner

Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd

Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

Spanish Harlem – Rebecca Pidgeon

Stairways to heaven – Led Zeppelin

101 Eastbound – Fourplay

Summary

Oblivion performed superbly as both a headphone and speakers amp. I would be proud to own one.

If you value transparency and an articulate sound, you will love it.

@SonicTrance has created an amp that not only looks beautiful but also sounds great.

My prediction is that it will take off as more people come to know of it. Highly recommended !









Axis Voicebox S with Oblivion.

Elise by Feliks Audio
 
In the Spring of 2015, Elise came to Sydney Australia. It has been almost one year since Elise was born.
 
I have watched the video, read others impressions of it and followed the thread created by hypnos1. It was fascinating to see ideas discussed by the good folks in the thread and passed on to Feliks Audio, a small boutique Polish tube amplifiers business setup. Their website shows a few very nice looking stereo tube amplifiers. In the months of late Jun – Nov 2014, Feliks Audio started on the design that went through several iterations with feedback from the Head-Fi community. Eventually the 1^st prototype was shown and she was named Elise. hypnos1 received the 1^st Elise being build and was delivered to him on the night before Christmas. I bet he missed the Christmas turkeys and forget to open all his other presents.
 
In my hands now I have the box that contains Elise. Carefully I opened it to reveal a beautiful powder coated black steel enclosure of the highest quality I have ever seen.  The design is one of simplicity and grace. There’s not a screw on the upper part of the headamp. The front facia is simple with the large volume knob placed centrally and the headphone jack to the left. On top the sockets for the power and driver tubes are positioned symmetrically. At the back, the custom made stabilized toroidal transformer sits looking very big and purposeful.
 
I inserted the supplied Russian 6H13C power tubes and Tung Sol 6SN7GTB reissue driver tubes, flick the power switch on and let the tubes warm up. With the jack inserted I strap on my HD650. I chose to listen first with the HD650 because it’s a headphone that has gathered more attention than any other headphones I know. It’s also the headphone I love. I have with me the NAD D1050 DAC/Amp, which is use as a DAC for this purpose. My source is my dedicated iMac with Apple lossless file stored in iTunes. I have Audivarna Plus sitting on top of iTunes.
 
I started listening to Local Hero by Mark Knopfler. This is my favourite tune. It is timeless, a real classic. There’s a sense of sadness as well as joy just listening to it. The guitar works of Knopfler is just amazing. Elise portrayed that well. I could hear Mark positioned in the middle, the crowd clapping and whistling. The saxophone player sits to the left and slightly behind. The drums kicks in and gradually gaining impact and momentum. I finished the song breathless.
 
Next I listened to Preacherman by Melody Gardot. I sat transfixed as my ears got a good massage. My sensory organs were being tickled pink. I have listen to this song countless times but never as involving as I heard it through Elise now.
 
Not satisfied I needed to know how it sounded with hard rock. For Whom The Bells Toll by Metallica really rock my brains. Elise has the power and the guts to grab my HD650 with both hands and wring every ounce of sonic juice out of it.
 
I needed to listen to Nine Million Bicycles by Katie Melua. Nine million bicycles in Beijing and 6 billion people in the world. I fell in love with Katie Melua. The wordings and her voice, it’s just too beautiful to listen to.
 
Being a Jazz and vocals lover I have to listen to Diana Krall – California Dreamin’. I’ve never heard Diana so close and intimate. I was in for a sensory treat. Her voice is so husky and seductive. As the instruments sets in I look around me thinking I heard something. It was the song going in my head and Elise made it so real.
 
I finished off my listening with Fur Elise by Beethoven. The piano chords are crystal clear and struck with authority. This timeless classical song is a fitting tribute to Elise.
 
These are my 1^st impressions of Elise.  The tubes and amp aren’t even burn in.
 
Months before I have been raving about the sound I got out of my Darkvoice 336se and HD650. I felt at that time it sounded really good. Surely it would be hard to improve on that combo without spending a lot more. Well I was so wrong. Elise provides a totally immersive sonic experience. I’m at a lost for words on describing the music I’m hearing right now. It is fast, lively and dynamic for a tube amp while at the same time there’s no mistaking the tube sound so beloved of tube headphone amplifiers. Equally present are the glow, lushness and alluring warmness that draws you in for a long night of listening to music.
 
Just before finishing I swap my headphone to the Hifiman HE560. WOW. All that I dislike about this headphone being bright disappeared when paired with Elise. I get the warm and lush tones that I love in addition to the sparkling mid range and very clear high notes. It was a most linear presentation throughout the frequency spectrum. All my fears about Elise not being able to power a planar magnetic and difficult to drive headphone with low efficiency like the HE560 is gone on the very 1^st notes. My volume control was only at 9 o’clock. Elise has the power and finesse to drive the HE560 to perfections. I’m SOLD.
 
Wait …I’ve already bought Elise.  
 
My head-fi setup

 
Mazda 6N7G and Tung Sol 7236

 
ECC31 and Chatham 6AS7G

 
Mazda 6N7G and Chatham 6AS7G

 
Philips Miniwatt FDD20 and Tung Sol 5998

 
Philips Miniwatt FDD20 and Chatham 6520

 
FDD20 / ECC31 with Chatham 6AS7G

 
Lorenz C3G and Tung Sol 5998

 
Philips Miniwatt FDD20

 
6xEL3N