MAMORITAI Euphony HP Amp Review

[solderdude]

View attachment 404053
A solder-starved joint on that transistor leg?

It seems that the ground planes do not have thermal relief pads.
This is the way I do this:

The solder on the bottom side most likely looks nice but the through hole cooled too much in the solder wave machine.

 

[Joachim Herbert]

At that price point I would expect

- Exceptional performance. Exceptional performance. Exceptional performance.
- Balanced inputs
- Single ended and balanced output (6,3 and 4,4 mm plus Neutrik)
- Front selectable gain setting
- Close to zero output impedance. Make this selectable maybe.
- Perfectly matched channels
- Enough power for any headphone on the market

The Violectric line might be a reference point.

(The logo plate is just awful.)

 

[Pinkynator]

Why can't we get any audio gear in beautiful RAL 7016?

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

Im always assured that east companies just need to hire west designer/consultant to understand what people want.

A lot of the times I feel that there is a lot of work put into the product but without real understanding...
We are different, culturally, and if you want to aim west market you have to.understand the differences.
Anyway I root for fosi.

 

[kemmler3D]

Unneeded bait for audiophools.

I don't know, they publish measurements, and people spend more money on lamps and side tables because of how they look. I feel like the cost is justifiable in looks alone.

Of course that's 100% a matter of taste, but if someone said "I bought it because of the polished finish" I couldn't really reply "oh, you audiophool."

It doesn't pass the price/performance test but clearly that's not the whole point here.

 

[pma]

On a more serious note, this appears to be a "legit" IEC Class I device with all-unbalanced inputs - what happens what you connect it to a source that does not have galvanically isolated outputs like the AP, maybe a run-of-the-mill DAC on a (gasp!) ordinary PC?

That’s a pain of all these toys here. The chinese manufacturers have chosen the safety class I design to have the smallest possible safety regulations troubles and the cheapest possible solution. With all the consequences, like ground loop clicks and buzz. These are not serious devices.

 

[Mikig]

Fosi, Smsl, Topping, Gustard, Wiim, Eversolo…yes, exactly them. They have accustomed us too much.

They have dismantled the sacred monsters in 5 years, demonstrating that objective performances are obtained with well-executed projects, a lot of concreteness and few frills.

Now all our SINAD record darlings want to try to spoil us with high-end models and lines... but be careful not to fall into the trap of the ad hoc "tuned" sound, and imaginative constructions that pay more attention to the name of the components than to the solidity of the design...

we understand that it is tempting to go and attack the "high levels" of audiophilia, but please, maintain the objective quality that has made you central in the hi-fi world, do not get carried away excessively by cover fashions...

that said, the device seems beautiful, I am not convinced by the badge on the front so "shouted"... the performances are good but a small step backwards compared to what they can do...

Thanks Amirm for the test and for your time!

 

[Joe Smith]

The comparison above re the RME is a good one. While I play in the lower cost regions, the RME is certainly going to offer far more value at this price point for the money.

 

[RandomEar]

I have to be honest: I'm probably not the target audience for this kind product. And I would assume that most ASR users aren't. That being said, I couldn't resist making a quick comparison to the SMSL SH-9 on my desk:

	Euphony	SH-9
THD+N (1 kHz)	104 dB	120 dB
SNR @ 50 mV	67.6 dB	88.2 dB
Power @ 300 Ohm	339 mW	226 mW
Power @ 32 Ohm	689 mW	1700 mW
Output impedance	>>1 Ohm	<1 Ohm
Channel imbalance	>0.5 dB below -22 dB	Flat to at least -75 dB (resistor ladder)
Balanced input	No	Yes
Balanced output	No	Yes (but wired unbalanced)
Gain switch easly accessible	No	Yes
Shiny casing	Yes	No
Price	~1400 $	~250 $

I don't know. There's a lot more green (= good stuff) on the right side of this table. It doesn't really make sense to me to construct a flashy casing, only to fill it with sub-par electronics. The performance at 50 mV is egregiously bad for the price. Amir was very kind to not show the usual bar graph for performance comparisons at 50 mV - the Euphony would be in the lowest 20% of all devices tested to date. 67 dB is likely bad enough to actually hear noise when using IEMs or sensitive heaphones. That's probably not the main use case for an amp like this, but still very dissapointing.

 

[RayDunzl]

It sure is a Shiny Beast !!!

What will you do when the label comes off
And the plastic's all melted and the chrome is too soft?

 

[dzerig]

Is the threshold of hearing the same at all frequencies from 20 hz to 20kHz?

 

[dualazmak]

Im always assured that east companies just need to hire west designer/consultant to understand what people want.

Please "Except for those companies in Japan", I hope and believe...

Spoiler

Just for example...

 

[amirm]

Please "Except for those companies in Japan", I hope and believe...

Sadly they lost that advantage decades ago. Typical Apple product for example is worlds better than anything that comes out consumer electronics in Japan.

 

[RayDunzl]

Is the threshold of hearing the same at all frequencies from 20 hz to 20kHz?

No. Something like this:

 

[dualazmak]

Sadly they lost that advantage decades ago. Typical Apple product for example is worlds better than anything that comes out consumer electronics in Japan.

Yes, I essentially agree with you especially design, aesthetics, functionalities, GUI, and marketing-strategies of those smartphones as well as Mac PC and related consumer products...

 

[MAMORITAI Audio]

Thank you all for your valuable feedback. Although Euphony didn’t receive a high score, the abundance of fair and honest reviews we received is far more valuable to us than any rating.

MAMORITAI Euphony was born from the dream of a veteran audiophile who wanted to transform his years of experience into a product he could share with fellow enthusiasts worldwide. When he approached our company, we decided to help make that dream a reality. Over a year ago, we started building this brand and developing Euphony from scratch. The journey was filled with challenges, and we recognize that many aspects could have been better. We humbly accept all critiques. Euphony truly represents our team’s dedication, with our engineers pouring their hearts into ensuring it sounds just right.

To be honest, we anticipated that the measurements might not be remarkable before sending it to Amir for review, but we wanted to face the challenge anyway. We are eager to hear opinions from audiophiles across the globe and to have every aspect of our branding, product design, and features examined closely. Receiving so much feedback has been incredibly worthwhile!

We won’t pursue flashiness for its own sake. Beyond the specs, Euphony truly sounds wonderful, and we’re confident that its sound quality outshines its appearance. Moving forward, we’ll work to make it available on more channels so that more audiophiles can experience it firsthand.

 

[MAMORITAI Audio]

I have to be honest: I'm probably not the target audience for this kind product. And I would assume that most ASR users aren't. That being said, I couldn't resist making a quick comparison to the SMSL SH-9 on my desk:

	Euphony	SH-9
THD+N (1 kHz)	104 dB	120 dB
SNR @ 50 mV	67.6 dB	88.2 dB
Power @ 300 Ohm	339 mW	226 mW
Power @ 32 Ohm	689 mW	1700 mW
Output impedance	>>1 Ohm	<1 Ohm
Channel imbalance	>0.5 dB below -22 dB	Flat to at least -75 dB (resistor ladder)
Balanced input	No	Yes
Balanced output	No	Yes (but wired unbalanced)
Gain switch easly accessible	No	Yes
Shiny casing	Yes	No
Price	~1400 $	~250 $

I don't know. There's a lot more green (= good stuff) on the right side of this table. It doesn't really make sense to me to construct a flashy casing, only to fill it with sub-par electronics. The performance at 50 mV is egregiously bad for the price. Amir was very kind to not show the usual bar graph for performance comparisons at 50 mV - the Euphony would be in the lowest 20% of all devices tested to date. 67 dB is likely bad enough to actually hear noise when using IEMs or sensitive heaphones. That's probably not the main use case for an amp like this, but still very dissapointing.

When designing Euphony, our primary focus was to pair it with over-the-ear headphones. So it's true that it may not be the best fit for IEMs.

 

[staticV3]

When designing Euphony, our primary focus was to pair it with over-the-ear headphones. So it's true that it may not be the best fit for IEMs.

Out of curiosity, what was the thought process behind giving the Euphony high output impedance/low damping factor?

Also, could you share the internal measurement that resulted in the 2000mW at 32Ω spec?

 

[MAMORITAI Audio]

Regarding the measurement results, my colleague in the R&D department and I have reviewed the previous AP test report for Amir’s sample unit. We noticed a few significant discrepancies, and we would like to consult with @amirm to see if perhaps different testing parameters were used, which might explain the variations in results.

Here're some snapshots from our own report.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Out of curiosity, what was the thought process behind giving the Euphony high output impedance/low damping factor?

I wouldn't exactly call 10 ohms "high". Even some IEMs were designed for that. By the standards of full-sized cans, almost none bar 50 ohm Sennheisers care about this.