Review: Eufonika H5 OTL Valve Headphone Amplifier

Firstly I would like to thank Eufonika for sending me this sample to review.

*disclaimer: This sample was provided for the purpose of writing a review, no incentive was given to write a favourable review. All opinions expressed are my own subjective findings

Gear Used:
Yulong DA10 > H5 > Sennheiser HD650 / HD800s / Beyerdynamic T1 2nd Gen / Saturn One

Tech Specs:

• Tubes – 6N13S/6N5S/6AS7G/6080 + 6N8S/6SN7/6F8G
• Output power – 300 mW
• Optimal headphone impedance – 50-600 ohm
• Frequency response – 19hz-140kHz (-0.5dB) (this spec is measured for every unit)
• MSRP – £329

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/eufonika

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Eufonika

Packaging, Build Quality and Accessories:

The H5 arrived in a big cardboard box, the amp inside was heavily wrapped in bubble-wrap and the tubes were wrapped in cardboard and also bubblewrap. Everything was extremely well protected during shipping and it all arrived without any issues. This is not a product from a large manufacturer, so you don’t get fancy retail packaging, but you can tell they take pride in the amp arriving in one piece.

The build quality is really impressive, the wooden sides may not be the most refined but then again this is not a TOTL amp, it is designed to offer excellent OTL performance on a lot budget. The top and bottom plates are perfectly finished with no blemishes, the tube sockets are tight, the RCA sockets are also very high quality. The power cable input, on/off switch and headphone output also feel solid and the overall finish is excellent. I really like the more rustic look of the bare wood over a highly polished high end product. I also like how smooth the volume control is.

Accessory wise all you get is a power cable, not that this amp needs anything else.

Features:

The H5 has a similar layout to the bottlehead crack, I know many of you will notice this. However this amp uses different tubes and can be used as a pre-amp. The input RCA’s are towards the front of the chassis, near the volume control, the pre-amp outputs are at the back near the power cable input.

This amp supports a few different tubes which is great for those who like to roll their tubes, I personally am looking forward to trying out some different tubes when I have the funds. Stock you get some soviet tubes with it and they are a great starting point.

There is a neat little feature built in, which is linked to the power LED. The LED is red when you power it on, and will turn Green when ready to listen, this little protection circuit is really good, and a nice little feature.

Sound:

Well I will start off with saying I am a fan of OTL amps when paired with the right headphones, there is an effortless quality to their sound when paired with high impedance dynamic headphones that a lot of solid state amps can’t match. The H5 is no different, there is a fullness and fluidity to its sound that makes it one of those amps that you spend less time analysing and more time listening to. This amp has plenty of headroom when using it with high impedance headphones, I’m finding myself at around 9 O’clock with the HD800s.

I know tubes have a reputation for being slow, veiled and muddy but from my experience I have not found this to be the case. Comparing to my Feliks Audio Espressivo MKII, yes the H5 is a little fuller bodied and the Espressivo MKII does have more detail, however I would not class either as veiled, muddy or slow.

Using the H5 with the HD650 renders a wide and accurate soundstage with excellent separation yet pleasing sound signature that is detailed yet enjoyable. I have always found the HD650 to be a bit boring, until I tried them with a good OTL amp, and the H5 successfully brings out the best in them all for a modest cost. The Beyerdyanamic T1 2nd Gen are already a little on the warmer side, and the H5 just expands the soundstage and adds a slight sweetness to the sound that makes them ever so smooth and easy to listen to without getting rid of that superb tonal accuracy.

This amp only imparts a slight hint of warmth on the sound of your headphones, the HD800s don’t suddenly become a bass monster, instead they become articulate, dynamic and the edges of notes are ever so slightly smoother. This amp did a very respectable job at driving the low impedance Hyland Saturn One headphones, but you can tell there was slight impedance mismatch and this really is designed to be used with high impedance dynamic headphones.

It will drive easier to power planar headphones, but as I have said synergy comes in to play and this really does pair best with high impedance dynamic headphones.

At the end of the day, if you want to dip your toe into the world of OTL amps on a low budget, Eufonika amps and the Feliks Audio Echo are your best bets outside of the Darkvoice/Little Dot series of amps. Of course you could go down the route of building a Bottlehead Crack but I know that some people are not so inclined to build their own amp. This amp offers more tube rolling possibilities over the Feliks Audio Echo, but the Echo might look a little more professionally built.

Conclusion:

I see good things coming for Eufonika as a brand, they are offering well built, great sounding OTL amps at a low price and with excellent support from the manufacturer. These are not mass produced items, rather one mans passion to bring OTL amps to more people, and for that he deserves some praise. Don’t worry, the H5 definitely delivers when it comes to sonics too, with a smooth yet detailed sound, expansive soundstage and easy to listen to sound that leaves you listening more. If you are looking for an inexpensive OTL amp, be sure to check out Eufonikas offerings!

Sound Perfection Rating: 9/10 (Well built, excellent value OTL amp)