EF-1 hybrid amp any good?

[padam]

Anyone tried this amp? So far only positive opinions appeared on the other site and that it has great synergy with ATH-ESW10JPN. At the moment it is 299$ (excluding shipping) and comes with 12AU7 RCA Cleartop NOS tube. Should I give it a try? Thanks.

[Dusty Chalk]

Dew et.

[padam]

You always say that I actually want to give my ESW10s another chance because most people say it is better with an amp. If they do improve, I'll keep them even it is not very comfortable for me.

[hYdrociTy]

I thought it sounded great both times I heard it with my own headphones. Hate the etching though. Overall it was a really thick sound that never really failed to please (Maybe the thick sound came from his cd player that was always used). It would be a nice desktop amp for bedside or office to relax to as it really doesn't have any glaring sound signature to it. Not splashy, no hint of harshness and the unit itself was very solidly made with a heavy duty feel. The styling on it is more youthful and would probably fit in on a computer desk more than an audio system though. Kind of reminiscent of those computers for gamings.

The msrp of 399 turned me off a bit, but then when I remember most of the pieces of shits out there you can blow 400 on, this thing doesn't seem too bad. Not many commercial hybrids out there so if that's your thing then go for it. At 299 now I would probably get one if i didnt have like ten millet maxes..

[padam]

Thanks for the info. I don't care if it looks crap if it sounds good. The same is also true for my Aurvana Live! because I think besides the driver unit everything else looks and feels cheap. Sort of the product one buys at a hypermarket. At least it is cheap and sounds suprisingly good

[Sherwood]

I heard the EF-1 against a Millett Starving Student (built by -=***=-, no less) and vastly preferred the Millett. It's a better amp, for much less money.

If you want a commercial hybrid I suppose it's not a bad deal, but with Milletts popping up left and right why would you bother?

[padam]

Did it had the chinese tube or the new better one that are in the sell? Also is it easy to run one Millett from EU voltage?

[Sherwood]

I can't speak to what tube it had in it, unfortunately. I didn't inquire.

[spritzer]

Also is it easy to run one Millett from EU voltage?

Depends on the PSU used. Many use a universal switcher supply that should work on 230v.

[padam]

So should I look on these:

FS: Millett Hybrid w/ Discrete Diamond Buffer - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

FS: Maxxed Millet Max - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Or the Starving Student is different to these two?

[Sherwood]

The starving student is different from those, and if I recall it is not as good. Either of those should be able to best a starving student, which was itself designed to be an extremely low-cost tube amp and still sound great. The Hybrid and Max are designs with fewer compromises, and as such sound even better.