While I’d like to say it is cheaper, uses quality parts and in no way inferior to those 3 especially with dynamic driver headphones, it’s really the blue that makes it superior 
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With Sus/Phi TC would your statement change?
The Stratus at least is not a good match IME with either of those headphones, it’ll make them loud enough, but I don’t enjoy either of them off it. A Stellaris is probably a fairer comparison from a price stand point, and I haven’t heard one, so I can’t talk from direct experience.
Your comparing very different amps, a WA33 doesn’t sound anything like a Stratus, for example I prefer the D8000Pro on my Stratus vs my WA33, the MySphere 3.1 is a different headphone on both amps.
The Stratus is a SET amp with 2A3’s, it’s not going to sound like the push pull WA33, the 810/11 based primavera or 845 based Egoista.
It’s a great amp, if you don’t use a Susvara or 1266 exclusively, the others you mention are also great, but while you might find some agreement on technicalities for people who’ve heard all of the amps, which “flavor” someone prefers probably depends on what they are looking for.
Used DNA amps go for a little below list, but I’ve seen exactly one Stellaris listed and two Stratus listed in 2+ years, so there is no sample size, and it’s very much going to depend on how much someone wants one at the time of the listing, which is very much dependent on queue sizes.
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It is easy to get into a mindset of “I need this in case of this”. Do you actually own, and use, or plan to own and use those two headphones?
Picking an amp because it can drive anything can easily lead to overlooking an amp that can drive your thing really really well.
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I’ll back up that statement. Used DNA doesnt come up often, they go at near list price and they go quick.
This too.
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Thank you very helpful @Polygonhell
No. It wouldn’t change. I have a Stellaris and Susvara and don’t think those other 3 would drive them any better than the Stellaris does.
However, yes it is better for dynamics such as ZMF/Focal/Sennheiser
Used DNA don’t hardly come up. Most time it is at or slightly below MSRP. Stellaris used is pretty much impossible to find.
For your cans I would probably not get Stellaris. I think if you really want a tube amp for 1266 and Susvara, get a speaker based tube amp and use the speaker taps. Would get your more power. You have pretty much only planars and one Clear. It would be a waste for you to get a DNA imo.
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No but I’d suggest to look for something else for your setup. DNA is perfect for zmf and utopia but power hungry planars there are better options for the money same goes for the other amps you’ve listed. Also you won’t find many owners who will be willing to part from their DNA amps and likely it won’t be that much cheaper.
Don’t have any experience with any of the amps listed apart from woo and cayin and they are all very different sounding. At least for zmf and utopia, I wouldn’t take either of them over the Starlett let alone a Stellaris.
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Why is A&S not for you? Seems like a perfect fit for the cans you want to run? And they pop up on the secondary market all the time.
I’ll refrain from providing the full answer and just say it’s not to my preference/taste.
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Picked up some Sylvania 2a3’s in place of the stock tubes and using a U52 rectifier. The Sylvania’s took away a little bit of harshness and added a little warmth without too much loss in transparency. Definitely my cup of tea over stock tubes.
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Sweet!
I am still breaking in the EMLs I got via the forum (and they were definitely a step up).
The best news is I got a Modwright PH 9/0 phono preamp and now listening to LPs, fed into the Stratus. The pre is brand new so it’s got some break-in time to come, but was really blown away last night listening to one of my favorite albums – Eric Dolphy’s Out to Lunch, in the new Blue Note reissue version (also have the Music Matters 45rpm) – through a pair of Dan Clark’s original Aeon Closed headphones. I have NEVER heard those headphones sound like that. When I get the Utopias repaired … can’t even imagine, or I can, but I don’t know if I can stand it, because this was drugs. (Even with low-level noise that can be fixed by proper grounding). People will always debate, but for me this forever confirms the validity of analog/tubes vs. digital/solid-state. I love my high-end Class D integrated (it can go head to head with those 10k DACs), but this was absolutely wild.
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What 2a3 tube is everyone using? I’m thinking about the psvane Acme but wonder if it will better the Sylvania’s I’m rockin right now! I’m just very surprised how good these sound over the stock and wonder if it an get even better. My goal is to get some RCA Mono plates but those are pretty expensive.
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Mines had PSVane 2a3’s, PSVane 2A3_T’s, PSVane Acme 2A3’s and currently has LinLai Elite 2A3’s.
The last change was because I physically broke one of the PSVane tubes when moving the amp.
I like the PSVane 2A3’s generally, the Acme’s were unsurprisingly my favorite of the PSVane’s, LinLai Elites are comparable, maybe a bit warmer.
Both the PSVane and LinLai have obscenely long burn in process’, before they settle down.
I have not tried the Sylvania’s.
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I’m definitely interested in the Linlai Elites. They are a tad cheaper than the Acme’s too.
AFAIK, the main Psvane engineers who did the ACME 2A3 moved to Linlai. My Stellaris is still being built, but Linlai A-2A3 on Eddie Current Aficionado are just a tad warmer but all-round even better defined than ACME. The only NOS 2A3 I’ve enjoyed before are RCA M-R black plates, but both Psvane ACME and Linlai Elite beat them, after their long burn-in.
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They are what I use in my Stratus. I like it. Clearer than stock Psvane, fast low end.
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I am like my newly acquired KR HP 2A3s, over performing re: measured mA current, and quad matched within 7% (close enough to margin of error in my test setup): Etracer (2x mod, HV1: 250V, NEGV: -43.80V):
current:85.82 mA, reference:60.00 mA, percent: 143.0 %
rp:642 ohms, reference:800 ohms, percent: 80.3 %
gm:5556 umhos, reference:5250 umhos, percent: 105.8 %
mu:3.6 V/V, reference:4.2 V/V, percent: 84.9 %