That’s a big advantage. The power and driver tubes are inexpensive. Generally around $5-20, rectifiers can get pricey. But even if you spent on a nice NOS rectifier you can still outfit it with excellent sounding glass for under 200 depending on rectifier.
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The only Starlett downside is its relatively reduced power output vs something like the Pendant which may limit your can options.
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Interestingly this would’ve been a non-issue 10-15 years back when dynamic drivers occupy most of the flagship space. Still a non issue for me but the market is trending towards more planar and will be for the foreseeable future. The fact that this is still considered one of the best value high end option in today’s market is testament to how well it is voiced.
P.S Found an interesting market research on Planar market presence (Planar Magnetic Headphones Market Report | Global Forecast To 2028). Will be interesting to see the figures but the paper is over 4 grand…
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It’s sure to be an excellent analysis - they manage to call Dan Clark Audio “Mr. Speakers” a year after the name change 
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These kinds of reports are often created by a single person or a small team. It’s published by a syndicated research firm (i.e., a business that dresses up a lot of reports and markets them improve credibility). I’ve never heard of this firm, and they could be tiny. Google News turns up a lot of Korean language citations…hmm…
Research vendors jack up the price because the only serious buyers are (1) headphone makers, or (2) investment firms/hedge funds. Purchases probably cover the labor hours to create the report (e.g., $50K to $100K), but maybe not much more. Land a whale for dinner or go home hungry.
Using old names like Mr. Speakers may be needed for historical comparisons to prior reports (i.e., continuity). Or just sloppy. Either one could be true.
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Great point… I’ve ended up “all ZMF” for the time being and they are perfect matches with the Starlett. I also really liked the HD-800s. I think you’re right, if someone needed more power that would seem to be the only limiting factor.
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I think you’re right about my preference for the Auteur. There’s something weird to me in the FR of the Verite, I think in the upper mids. Music with female vocalists, for example, sounds better to me on the Auteur.
I do find the Verite a bit better on some more bassy and more aggressive music. But that’s a relatively small part of my stable.
Unfortunately I can only keep one pair of headphones so I think I will have to choose the one that works better for more of my music (I think the Auteur). Then try to make sure the rest of my chain plays to its strengths. At the moment I’m using a Sonnet Morpheus (which is, I think, known to be a little dark) and the Pendant. I figure I can try the Auteur with that setup while I wait for the Starlett, but will probably try to replace at least the Morpheus in the meantime.
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You’re not alone on that preference. I preferred the staging and imaging odf the Verite, but the Autuer sounded “right” to me.
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getting some Telefunken or Siemens tubes can maybe help with the Sonnet being a little dark. Worth a shot. Also My Auteur is my least favorite with Ampsandsound amps but with the Stratus it is closer to my favorite. the stratus/Auteur is such a great synergistic combo I’m sure the Starlett/Auteur will be up the same alley in going well together imo.
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The Verite can do some weird and unpleasant things in the high mids to treble. Ive gotten some ringing/honking/resonance that was just plain awful. Its an unpredictable but repeatable offence. Autuer and Utopia never generated a similar issue.
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Thanks, I’m actually running Telefunken input and power tubes in the Pendant at the moment and still not doing it for me sadly. Guess the combo might just not work so well for my preferences.
No worries, for me tubes help a lot but not always the miracle makers some say they are. Maybe the Pendant is not your cup o tea… Good luck with the Starlett, definitely way different sound out of that one and hope you love it.
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There are a few things that you can probably do to tweak the sound a bit for verite but unfortunately nothing you can do to fix the nasal effect the verite tend to have with female vocals in particular. Having a darker source chain will do the verite no favors and your setup will most likely synergize better with a more neutral sounding driver then a warmer one like verite. I would suggest either sticking with your auteur or changing your headphone first before getting any amp.
As much as I like using my verite as my main driver, it is an acquired taste and if you don’t like it at 1st listen you’re unlikely to enjoy owning it in the long run. If you can do give the utopia listen for something more resolving then the auteur. It’s neutral, dynamic and won’t have the same barrel like subdued upper mid presentation you get from the verite.
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I really agree with this, I think a darker source would be stifling, especially with something like the Uni pads on the Verite. Might get away with it on the Verite pads but then you lose a lot of the cans staging and atmosphere with that selection.
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@BoardmanGetsPaid This is consistent with my experience with the VC. I changed to a less warm DAC, tubes, and pads.
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Thanks for the advice, which sounds very sensible. I had a Bifrost 2 before the Morpheus, which I guess is also not a super bright DAC, so would probably have been worth trying something brighter. Having said that I’ve just sold the Verite so will be moving on in any event!
I don’t actually own an Auteur, I just demo’d one against the Verite and preferred the Auteur for most things but was hoping to change up my chain to see if I could maintain the Verite’s technicalities while giving me more of what I liked from the Auteur (particularly the better mids to my ears). Unfortunately that didn’t work (and possibly I did go in the wrong direction with the source).
So I think I’ll just buy an Auteur and see how that goes while waiting for the Starlett.
I would like to try a Utopia if I can find one for a reasonable price here in Aus, but I do much prefer the aesthetics of the ZMFs.
I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy the autuer with starlett. Many jumped on the verite when it first release not understanding that Zach intended for it to be something completely different from previous offering. The tuning in particular is very hit or miss and most will either love it or eventually sell it for something else. Great thing about zmf is there’s probably something for everyone as their headphones do sound very different from one another and it’s aesthetically pleasing.
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I was reading through this thread last night and noticed that a few people had good experience with the low impedance output with ZMF headphones… I tried it last night and found something similar. The low impedance output feels a little more open/aggressive, with the high impedance being a little damped. For the most part with VO and VC, I prefer the switch set to low. It brightens up the sound just a hair. I like it on the high setting for the Auteur so far.
I’ve only had the amp for a few months, so I’m really still getting a handle on the sound and the options. I’m enjoying the hell out of it so far.
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I found the exact same. When I got the VO I initially didn’t change impedance but was a noticeable improvement when I did.
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Is the wait time on the DNA Starlett still 6 months?
And is the price still $2000? Happy New Year! 
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