I very much understand not being able to try before you buy. Having not heard tubes before and jumping to a Stratus is a bit of a lift. Also, the “better” tubes for it are on the more costly side if you want go past stock. So its a fairly steep hill to be starting on. Basically what @dncnexus said.
Stratus will drive the VC well, I think thats a given, what’s not a given is whether that will be your preference. DNA amps with good dynamic cans are an excellent match in general though,
DNA amps are excellent all around for SET amps, but there are many flavours of tube amps, OTL, hybrids, etc. Something else to consider
If you were really interested in tubes and DNA - Starlett may be the way to go. Its a nice balanced sounding amp, tube rolling isn’t too expensive for the most part and if you want to upgrade or bug out its resale value holds well (all DNA amps hold value well). You could buy it new and get good tubes for it for substantially less than a new stock Stratus.
New DNA amp are not available off the shelf. There’s a wait time involved that can be variable, 3-12 months depending upon a number of things.
1)if you blind buy a dna amp and don’t like it, whether it’s a starlett, stratus or Stellaris, it will be the easiest resale to recoup most and possibly damn near all your money back. Not the worst blindbuy in the world.
2) if you are very serious about an amp like the starlett, reach out to DNA and ask them if you can demo it for a couple weeks. That way you can get firsthand knowledge of whether you like it or not.
I wouldn’t read too much into there not being a Stratus thread. The Stratus was released years before the Starlett and Stellaris and DNA has sold more units of the Stratus.
The Stratus offers the versatility to power planars and uses 2A3 directly heated triode tubes.
If one needs to power dynamic cans only, the Starlett can be an appropriate selection.
Your best bet to get a feel if tubes are your thing is an inexpensive OTL amp, something as simple as a Bottlehead Crack would suffice.
Not trying to steer you away from DNA, if you a-have limitations on trying equipment due to where you live it would be best to know if a tube amp is suitable. Buying a DNA is a long wait, 7-11 months, and if you are outside the US it may be tougher to sell.
Thank you very much for all your responses; I truly appreciate it!
I’m not in the US, but just getting the vc here cost me $500 more in customs, and I can’t imagine the cost of shipping heavy amps back and forth haha.
Outside of hybrids, I’m open to other tube amps that play well with planars. maybe amp and sounds stuff ?
p.s. I’m pulling your leg @Solfi - the Stratus is awesome, but as with all things hi-fi, isn’t guaranteed to suit your tastes or current equipment. That said, like others have pointed out, resale on DNA amps is going to be closer to full value than most tube amps, so at least from that perspective, it’s a safer bet.
Yes, but if he’s based in the Middle East the resale value may take a bit of a hit to offset what may be high shipping costs. That applies to anything purchased from the US so maybe it evens out.
There is nothing wrong with Starting at the top. Mate your equipment well and spend your money wisely. Front to back, as the equipment goes higher in monetary value, usually quality, Extreme detail, and Sensitivity to all parts of your source chain will increase. Some of us take many years to experience this, others don’t care or will give you various arguments why this is not true. Whatever your opinion on the matter, the fact remains, it’s your money spend it however you want. I don’t like to make recommendations for Other brands on dedicated threads I personally find it a bit rude and distracting of the original topic and dedication so i will pm you an opinion and option to your question. Good luck on whatever you decide.
Have any of you Stratus or Stellaris owners ever run a Susvara or 1266 on it? I notice the max power @ 50ohms is rated at just 1.8W and I’m wondering if that’s enough to drive a 1266 or Sus? Seems a bit low, but I understand not all watts are created equal and at this price level I’m wondering if there’s some electrical voodoo going on here that I’m not taking into account?
I’m asking because I’ve started seriously considering which tube amp I want to get on the waitlist for and DNA is right up there at the top. But I also hope to buy a 1266 in the next couple of years and I feel like if I’m going to buy a summit-fi tube amp I want it to be able to drive anything I throw at it.
Thought you did not care for the Blue? I don’t have an answer on either of these headphones for you, conventional wisdom dictates that these headphones are better suited for solid state or hybrid amps. Like most conventional wisdom that really does not mean jack shite, DNA amps excel at dynamic driver headphones that much I can tell you.
Someone with far more experience than myself can elaborate on why planar headphones can be finicky bastards. What I can tell you is any DNA amp and a Utopia is wonderful match, several owners of both items in this forum would be able to confirm this.
lol it’s true, I do hate the blue. But I respect the branding and his commitment to it, and of all the compromises to make, the color of the chassis might be the least problematic. Still, my mind isn’t made up at all, but DNA has officially made it to the inquiry stage. And yes, I know tubes aren’t generally considered ideal for low sensitivity planars, but there are plenty of “endgame” tube amps out there that are designed to work perfectly with any headphone, dynamic or planar (i.e. Mogwai SE, Bigger Ben, Nautilus, Auris Nirvana, PrimaLuna, Eddie Current, etc). What I’m really looking for is that kind of compatibility along witth the sound signature that is perfect for me.
DNA will do better with harder to drive planars than EC would.
I am testing out a Susvara next weekend (28th) on my Stellaris. I will let people know how it is.
DNA and EC can drive more normal to drive planars, they just are not made to really drive the super hard to drive ones. And unfortunately A&S can drive both, but how good it will drive your dynamics? People in the know say A&S is a planar and speaker amp first, dynamics second. So I would instead of trying to find a master of everything, really figure out what you want and path you wanna take and make a decision based on that.
For Susvara/1266, I would also look into the Cayin HA300. I know people who own those combos and seem to be satisfied. Just something to consider.
I hesitate to declare that the ability to drive and work perfectly are synonymous. What @perogie said.
What may drive planars optimally may not drive dynamics optimally, and vice versa. Priorities likely must be determined and compromises may be unavoidable when selecting a single amp to drive planars and dynamics.
The chase for perfect may be ever elusive. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, right?!
People in the know say A&S is a planar and speaker amp first, dynamics second. So I would instead of trying to find a master of everything, really figure out what you want and path you wanna take and make a decision based on that.