[BunnyNamedCraig]

The Elemental Watson is a Class-A Valve/Mosfet Hybrid headphone amplifier

 
                                                                                     
                                                       MY BACKGROUND
 
     Hi My name is Craig and I do freelance work as an Audio insider on headfi for the store Music To My Ear in Pittsburgh PA. I get to listen to whatever demo gear that they have at the store and recently they got some of these little amps in. Both Mark and I were impressed by them so I wanted to write a mini review about it. The whole review was done on demo equipment that any customer can come in and use during the store hours. 
 
                                                      THE TECHNICAL INFO and SPECIFICATIONS (Taken from the manufacturer) 

 
 
     "Elemental Amps is proudly to present the Watson, a class-A valve/Mosfet hybrid headphone amplifier.  
By trimming down unnecessary luxury and focusing on core competence, we are able to build Elemental Watson in a dual mono configuration, a highly touted feature in high-end gear."
 
     "Two military grade 6AK5 tubes are the center piece of each channel’s gain stage. They deliver rich harmonics, which are the charm of single-ended topology drawing countless audiophiles’ addiction. Followed by class-A power MOSFET output stage, it provides almost limitless driving current while preserving tube’s charming signature.
The configuration also guarantees best channel separation (stereo image), easy maintenance and adjustment on individual channel."
 
     "Developed by Bell Labs / Western Electric and used extensively as an I.F. amplifier in WWII radar systems, 6AK5 yields excellent high-frequency performance. On the other hand, a poorly designed 6AK5 tends to be unstable. We carefully characterize 6AK5 for audio amplification that delivers transparent and airy atmosphere rare to find in peer products. Another advantage is easy to find equivalent replacement at reasonable price for tube rolling."

1. Frequency Response : 10 Hz – 100 kHz (-3dB)
2. Output power :
   1. 250 mW + 250 mW (300 ohm)
   2. 2000 mW + 2000 mW (30 ohm)
3. Headphone impedance : 30 – 600 ohm
4. Power supply ; 26V/0.8A DC adaptor
5. Dimensions : 140 x 90 x 130 mm
6. Net weight : 320 gram

         Retails for $250                                            
                                                
 
                                                          WHAT I HEARD
           
     For my tests I used four different headphones and two different sources.  The four headphones that I chose were the Sony MDR-Z1R, Audeze LCD 3, Sennheiser HD 800 and the Beyerdynamic Amiron.  For source, I used the Rega Apollo R CD player and the DAC portion of the Questyle CMA 800i running Tidal. I will break this down by headphone to try and make my thoughts easier to digest ha.
 

Sony MDR-Z1R
    ​
     I listened to Fleetwood Mac's Rumors CD on the Rega for this can.  On the song "The Chain", I was surprised how crisp the acoustic guitar sounded.  It was very lively.  The separation of the instruments was very good, making the sounds very defined.  This headphone sounds very open for a closed back and I was curious to see how the amp would do in regards to headroom.  I felt like the space and depth was more then adequate. I own a tube amp that is slightly smaller then this unit and it doesn't give the headroom space that this amp can achieve. Mind you that my tube hybrid amp is about half the price of this one but the Watson beats it in spades in most if not all areas...  
     
     I also want to mention that the drums have very satisfying punch to them and the bass has good weight to it.  The Z1R's bass is excellent in other amps and I feel that the Watson is no slouch either.
 
Sennheiser HD 800
 
     I had to use this headphone since it is such a staple in the community. I also have heard it on different amps, and it's a good headphone to use to "hear the gear" if that makes any sense. After listening to "Gold dust woman" I set the volume pot to about 8-9 o clock. I felt like this was more then enough volume for me to enjoy classic rock .  
     
     With this amp I felt like Stevie Nicks voice was very fluid and analog sounding. I will say that her voice at times got to full heights and  that might be bothersome to very sensitive listeners of this amp.  Some tube amps that I have heard in the past can dampen the highs so they are not as sharp.  I didn't get the sense that this amp did that. This is totally a preference thing in regards to treble. It personally didn't hurt my ears nor did I find it "shreiky".  
 
     I also want to say that the bass of HD800 with this song really got me toe tapping. I have heard people feel like the HD800 is bass light but to me I felt like it was enough to get me really engaged with the song.


I chose this CD for the picture to not only show size of the amp, but also thought it was a really nice picture!
 
Audeze LCD 3
 
     I had to use this headphone (other then me liking it a lot) to see how well this amp could handle a planar magnetic. Planar's are known to be harder to drive, and need an amp strong enough to get the most out of them.  I listened to the song "The Chain" again for this can.  Right off the bat I could only turn the volume dial up to about 9 o clock again.  With this headphone I was actually surprised about it.  I have to say that the bass was very satisfying and it was driven well enough that I wasn't disappointed.  Also once again there was good separation between the bass and the rest of the sound. Sometimes bass can "bleed" into other frequencies and i didn't see this being the case. A downside that occurred when using this amp is that when I went to pull the headphone jack out of the unit it pulled the amp with it. at 320 grams this amp is very light. I highly recommend taking the time pulling the jack out using two hands so you don't take the amp with you! Minor gripe but its worth mentioning in my opinion. 
 

Beyerdynamic Amiron
 
     I only picked this headphone up to try because Mark said it was pretty popular in the shop.  I normally don't listen to Beyer's since I had a bad experience with the highs being too sharp with one of their cans.  I have to say that this is not the case with the new Amiron... 
 
     For this test I wanted to listen to Tidal and mix it up music wise from the CD player. The DAC used was the CMA 800i.  to try and keep some reference point with this can I listened to "The Chain" one more time!  (big Fleetwood fan).  This can is definitely a different flavor then the ones I have used in the past.  The Beyerdynamic T1 to my ears is very detail oriented and analytical. It really tried to pull everything out that happens in the recording.  The Amiron to my ears is a different twist and was very musical and fluid sounding.  I feel like the Watson was a good fit for it, since it didn't make the music sound too rich or syrupy sounding.  I heard great detail out of my left ear cup of the acoustic guitar strumming and the vocals were slightly forward. 
 
     I listened to one last song before I had to go and that was Black Sabbath's "Fluff".  You gotta hear this song by them, even if you don't like hard rock. Trust me it threw me off ha. Anyways once again it was very musical sounding and had good flow.
 
 
     I want to say that this tube hybrid is a great little amp for $250... It does incredibly well for the price and I will continue to use it when I am in the store running tests on cans, and to hear how it does with different genres. If anyone has any questions about the amp or about the headphones I will try my best to answer them here, or via PM. If you are curious about the store, the website is
 
Musictomyear.com
 
 I am surprised there is little to no info about this amp! I was happy to listen to it.
 
-Craig
 
 

 

[alphanumerix1]

I'm looking at the gen2 theres very lil info on these amps but appreciate the impressions.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

I can’t find much sonic differences between
The 2 either. Just that the RCA’s are in the back, there is a cut out for the tubes on the top plate. The line out is also in the front.

 

[alphanumerix1]

I can’t find much sonic differences between
The 2 either. Just that the RCA’s are in the back, there is a cut out for the tubes on the top plate. The line out is also in the front.

Yeah i might just get the gen1 to play with the gen2 seems to be double the price. Locally atleast.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Yeah i might just get the gen1 to play with the gen2 seems to be double the price. Locally atleast.

Sorry to hear that.... we (MTME) aren’t charging any more for the new version.

I think you will be happy with the first gen! Let us know your impressions if you get one!

-Craig

 

[PaganDL]

I'm looking at the gen2 theres very lil info on these amps but appreciate the impressions.

Hi Alphanumerix1,

I've had the Elemental Watson gen II for a good long while.

Basically the only real difference between the two is behind the volume pot, there are two adjustable gain swtches for better sound levelling though if one has sensitive IEM, this may be a problem hiss wise due to stock tubes used but that is the nature of those tubes. There may be other minor changes to the PCB but the adjustable gain the most apparent one.

My two cents.

 

[alphanumerix1]

Hi Alphanumerix1,

I've had the Elemental Watson gen II for a good long while.

Basically the only real difference between the two is behind the volume pot, there are two adjustable gain swtches for better sound levelling though if one has sensitive IEM, this may be a problem hiss wise due to stock tubes used but that is the nature of those tubes. There may be other minor changes to the PCB but the adjustable gain the most apparent one.

My two cents.

Thanks the info aporeciate it.

 

[Geezer Rock 001]

Based on this thread and what I have read about E W I decided to add one to my inventory. I had two Little Dots that used the E F 95 series of tubes. There are plenty of E F 95s out there that are affordable and they can produce some interesting and fun sound characteristics. I still had some GE s and Voshkods in my tube stash.

Props to Craig for putting the info on Elemental Watson out here for us mid fiers.

 

[Geezer Rock 001]

Update: After using my Watson for 2 days now, it drives my 300 ohm Sennheiser s and Audeze s with no problems. Crystal clear, excellent separation and sound stage. Very impressive and the tubes aren't even fully burned in yet.

At it's price point, IMO you can't beat it. And the the customer service at MTME is first class as well.

If you are on the fence, go for it.

 

[Geezer Rock 001]

Watson update after 2 weeks
1. Watson has plenty of power to drive planars or dynamic drivers. It really pairs well with 300 ohm Sennheisers.
2. It has Crystal clear clarity and separation. Perhaps because of the dual mono design.
3. The stock GE tube that it comes with is a perfect match to the Watson. I rolled in Voshkods and a pair of gold pin Sylvanias, they sounded good, but the GE s were best.
4. For the price point it really over performs. Great for anyone who is looking for power house hybrid amp.
5. It's compact foot print makes it easy to fit into a work desktop or in a home listening area.

 

[MundoHiFiOz]

Beautiful tubes, good sound, more than enough power and great price. It pairs really good with hd650 and dt150. I think it still worth the buy in 2021.

 

[ttran946]

Can anyone make a comparison to a darkvoice?