FELIKS AUDIO ENVY PERFORMANCE HEADPHONE AMP REVIEW

The Feliks Audio Envy Performance Edition 300B SET Headphone Amp is (in this guise) a headphone amp that costs €8599, a price that places it clearly in the high-end category.

Feliks Audio is a Polish brand that specialises in making SET valve headphone amplifiers with a wide range, from their entry-level Echo 2 right up to this flagship model costing a cool €6999 for the base model (this Performance Edition with Amazaque wood finish comes in at €8599). All their amplifiers are handmade and they also have an integrated speaker amp in their line-up. I first reviewed one of their amps way back in 2015 and they have grown substantially in those 9 years. 

It’s certainly not a budget amp for headphone listening and will be considered by many as an end game amp, so let’s dig in to see why.

BUILD QUALITY AND FEATURES OF THE ENVY

You really will not be disappointed when you receive this amp, there is no sense of buyer’s remorse as you lift this 15.1kg (without packaging) headphone amp out of its box. It’s a bit of a beast, in terms of size, and I had to substantially re-jig my desktop listening area to accommodate this amplifier for review purposes. The wooden chassis is gorgeous, it’s extremely well-finished and I believe it will age well too.

The large volume knob on the front is smooth in operation and the metal housing around the transformers has a slightly rough matte black finish that feels solid.

You have 2 headphone outputs, 4-pin balanced and 6.3mm single-ended, on the back you have 1 pair of XLR and 2 pairs of RCA inputs along with 1 pair of XLR and 1 pair of RCA outputs top use the Envy as a pre-amplifier too. Next to the volume knob on the front, you have a 3-way impedance knob along with the input selector knob.

The valve bases are well supported and there are small grilles you can fit to avoid burning yourself on the driver valves when the amp is in use (aesthetically, the amp looks better bare in my opinion). There is a power switch on the back next to the IEC cable input, the actual on/off button however is a touch button on top of the small metal piece with Feliks Audio written on it. It’s an elegant way of turning the amp on/off, but it can be accidentally switched on/off by pets (especially cats) so if you plan on not using the amp for a while, I would recommend turning it off at the back once powered down. 

Feature-wise, this is a Class-A SET headphone amplifier. It uses the legendary 300B power valves and commonly found 6SN7 driver valves – this performance edition comes with Full Music 300B valves and UPOCC internal wiring. The amp includes premium Psvane CV-181 mk2 (6SN7) driver valves too, so out of the box it already comes well-equipped in terms of the quality of the valves. Being a class-A SET design, this amp consumes quite a bit of power, and provides up to 8w of power into 16Ohms – this does allow you to also hook up sensitive speakers to the 6.3mm headphone output too (Feliks Audio suggests you use the mid-impedance setting for this use, and speakers with a sensitivity above 94dB). 

This amp runs warm, so ensure to place it in a well-ventilated area! it is transformer coupled meaning in low impedance mode the output impedance is only 3.8Ohms – allowing you to use it with a broad range of headphones, from dynamic to planar. Feliks Audio designed this amp to be able to handle pretty much any dynamic or planar headphone on the market. You can roll other 300B valves should you wish (this will empty your wallet quickly) or change the 6SN7 valves, which is a little more wallet-friendly to tweak the sound to your liking.  

SOUND QUALITY

I have been using the iFi NEO iDSD 2 as a pure DAC hooked up via XLR cables to the Envy, driving a wide range of headphones in my collection. Using the Envy with the HiFiMAN Susvara was my most used pairing, though, as this is a very logical setup in this segment of the high-end headphone market. 

With regards to general power output, the Envy is not going to struggle with any dynamic or planar headphones you throw at it! Using the balanced inputs of the Envy and the 4-pin balanced output, I could easily reach normal listening levels at the low-impedance setting with the Susvara. I did, however, mostly use the mid-impedance setting with these headphones, and would recommend using a slightly less hot source or an unbalanced source if you are planning to use this amp with more sensitive headphones. 

First up a bit of reggae, in the form of Black Uhuru – Darkness/Dubness. The Envy delivers such an effortless and smooth sound through the Susvara that allows the music to float around your head in a very natural way. There is so much space and air around the instruments, each occupying its own space with excellent accuracy. There is a huge amount of detail, but the sound is also full and articulate. This amp really does make the Susvara seem like an easy-to-drive headphone, but it’s not just about the power! The dynamics are also superb providing you with bouncing bass lines, a black background, and great depth to the sound. 

Blóðberg by Sigur Ros (with London Contemporary Orchestra) is hauntingly real with this combo! This is a clean and detailed amplifier that isn’t too warm and “tubey”. What it does have over some more linear solid-state designs is a sense of texture to the sound. The strings are beautifully rendered and vocals have a lifelike tonality, without coming across as being forced. The sound is immersive and flows so smoothly. This pairing has effortless dynamics with the orchestra sounding powerful and the bass digging deep, yet it always sounds controlled and no part of the frequency range is trying to grab your attention. 

Silverstein – Still Dreaming, a post-hardcore classic, is punchy and raw! This amp does, however, soften the edges a little, making it sound a little more laid back than a snappier pairing. For rock, it’s possibly not the rawest-sounding amplifier, but it still has great energy! Guitars sound fantastic and the separation is a real highlight of this combination. I think it might even be that this is such a spacious sound it doesn’t quite portray the more intimate energy of some heavier bands quite the same way as a cheaper pair of Grado’s might. It’s almost too refined and is an absolute joy to listen to with the right music, so choose your tracks wisely and you will have one of the best headphone setups on the market, in my opinion. 

On that note – let’s try the Grado SR80i with this overkill amp, being transformer coupled means this amp handles low-impedance headphones incredibly well. This is great news for those with Focal headphones (for example), and even with a lower-end headphone such as the SR80i you can still appreciate the sheer scale of sound from this amp. These headphones have a habit of coming across a little shrill with the wrong kit, not with the Envy, they have a full yet still crisp and snappy presentation that retains that Grado magic, yet enhances the experience. Taking Back Sunday – New American Classic has the vocals up front and centre as they should be, but the fingers across the acoustic guitar strings are perfectly presented and there is body and warmth without taking away the finer detail. 

This is one of those amps that seems to play well with most headphones you pair with it and it gets the best out of them, as its qualities shine through without taking away the core tuning of your headphone of choice. Most people would scoff at pairing a £100 headphone with an £8k amp (and it is absurd) but the SR80i have a very enjoyable sound with the Envy – and at the end of the day, we’re in this to enjoy the music. 

Another unlikely pairing due to cost is the DT880 600Ohm, but these are a headphone that scale up very well with good-quality amplification. Listening to The Appleseed Cast – On Reflection, whilst not as spacious as the Susvara, they still throw out a convincing stereo image and accurate instrument placement. If you are one of those who thinks the DT880 is a bright headphone, you have not heard them through a good system – they are well-balanced and have excellent detail retrieval, and, for an older design, they sure can hold their own. Snares are snappy, bass guitar lines articulate, kick drums controlled and vocals and guitars well separated and natural. Towards the middle of this song, the drums pick up and these have such a great hold on the music that you never miss a beat, the lightweight 600Ohm voice coil showing its prowess when fed with ample voltage.

This is a headphone amp that can handle pretty much anything you throw at it and will always deliver stunning audio quality. It’s also versatile and you can fine-tune the sound with different valves whilst also working well as a pre-amp in a stereo system. 

QUIBBLES

This amp does nothing wrong in my opinion, anyone looking to buy this knows what they are looking at and it’s not something you would buy on a whim.

CONCLUSION

The Feliks Audio Envy Performance Edition is a true high-end headphone amplifier, it is also an end-game amplifier for many of those who choose to purchase one.

It has all the qualities many will want in this segment of the market – exceptional power output for even the hardest-to-drive headphones paired with stunning build quality.

The sound quality doesn’t let it down and it is versatile and works with a plethora of headphones whilst outputting a dynamic, rich, and effortless sound that has excellent detail and just the right amount of valve magic. 

This is not an overly smooth or warm amp, it still has good grip on the music and the separation and sound staging are definite highlights of the sound of the Envy and there is a sense of texture to the sound that a few more linear amps seem to miss. The Envy is such an enjoyable listen that it really is hard not to love.

Ever since I first listened to this amp, I have wanted to spend more time with it, and I have enjoyed every moment of it – it does not disappoint and I highly recommend auditioning one if you get the chance. 

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality And Features:

A mixture of expertly crafted wood and metal

Point-to-point UPOCC wiring

A real statement piece and is built to last

Sound Quality:

Smooth and effortless

Dynamic and powerful

Spacious and natural without masking finer details

Value For Money:

Amps like this come with a price tag! It is expertly crafted using top-quality components and once you unbox it, I don’t think many would have buyer’s remorse – you can see where your money goes and for that I’d say it’s good value

We Loved:

The craftsmanship

Top-quality components equalling top-level sound quality

Versatility

We Didn’t Love So Much:

It’s big and heavy – not a problem once the amp is in situ, and it’s nothing compared to some mono block speaker amps

Elevator Pitch Review: If you have a collection of TOTL (Top Of The Line) headphones and are looking for an amp to do them justice, the Feliks Audio Envy is well worth your time to audition. It’s a powerhouse of a headphone amp and delivers up a smooth and effortless sound without coming across as overly warm. There’s tons of detail and space to the sound with just the right amount of valve magic. This is the end-game for many head-fiers. 

Price:

€6999 for the standard / €8599 for this performance edition with special wood finish (Amazaque) 

Oscar Stewart

SUPPLIED BY Feliks Audio

SUPPLIED SPECIFICATION

Class A Single-ended transformer coupled amplifier

• Power tubes: 300B
• Driver tubes: PsVane CV-181 mk2 (6SN7)
• 2x unbalanced RCA inputs (IN1, IN2)
• 1x balanced XLR input (IN3)
• Input sensitivity 1V RMS
• Input impedance:
  • For IN1 / IN2 (RCA) 100kΩ
  • For IN3 (XLR) 10kΩ
• 1x pair of pre-amplifier output as RCA
• 1x pair of pre-amplifier output as XLR

Maximum voltage on the above outputs is 5V (RMS) at output impedance of 600Ω and THD<0,5%

Impedance selector guidance:

• LO – up to 60Ω
• MID – up to 300Ω
• HI – up to 600Ω

Amplifier’s impedance:

• LO at 32Ω load is 3,8Ω
• MID at 100Ω load is 8,8Ω
• HI at 600Ω is 20Ω

Output powered measured at MID impedance setting at load of 16Ω is 5W with THD ⩽1% (maximum 8W at THD >5%)

Frequency response:

• 8Hz÷100kHz ±3dB
• 18Hz÷40kHz ±1dB

Headphone outputs: 6.3mm and XLR

AC voltage 50/60Hz:

• 230V version (±5%)
• 115V version (±5%)

Power consumption: 110VA

Weight: 15,1kg (without packaging)

Dimensions:

• 35x33x18,5cm (LxWxH) – without tubes
• 35x33x24,5cm (LxWxH) – with tubes