Yes, agreed. I have the Utopia paired with the Stellaris with a Studio B coming in (Have used many EC amps before though) and the Stellaris is the best combo with Utopia I have heard. I highly recommend.
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Looking forward to your impression between the two amps.
āWow! Thank you for all the quick replies. I wish I had asked earlier.
In reply to mfadio:
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I prefer solid state over tube.
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It must have balanced connections.
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I choose the dCS stack because the quality of the source is where it all begins, and anything after that canāt make it better, I can only hope to maintain the audio quality without corruption. The dCS Vivaldi stack delivers micro details that I have never noticed in my favorite recordings before. It has the lowest distortion I have ever heard. I am very sensitive to distortion. I was initially impressed with how effortlessly it handled any and every type of music I threw at it. I find the setup very easy to listen to and am repeatedly impressed at the clarity and dynamics.
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I havenāt decided what my budget should be, but the dCS source equipment sets a substantial precedent.
I forgot to mention that I listen to my Utopia headphones with a Chord Hugo2 when mobile.
āChris,
I am currently listening to the dCS stack with balanced cables into a DāAgostino Momentum HD Preamplifier with balanced cables into 2 Relentless Mono Amplifierās driving Wilson Audio XVX speakers. All the cables are Transparent Magnum Opus. My goal was to have the most resolving system while introducing the least distortion. I had hoped to create the entire sound system from US or even local components but the dCS Vivaldi stack was the best digital source Iāve ever heard and I couldnāt pass it up. I could have easily connected a headphone amp to the preamp because it has 2 balanced outputs but I have used the second output to drive a Wilson Audio Subsonic subwoofer system. I may just unplug the subwoofer balanced cables at the Wilson Audio ActivXO and plug that into whatever headphone amp I find.
āThank you Dimitris for the suggestion, I will research the MSB Select Headphone Amp. I see this solves my issue with no more available preamp outputs by having an internal switch to send the signal to my subwoofer system when I turn off the headphone amp.
Thank you David, I will investigate the Viva Egoista 845ā and the Riviera AIC-10ā headphone amps.ā
Thank you Blair for the suggestions. Iāll check out the Bakoon 13r which is interesting visually and the Niimbus amps.
āThanks Justin for the suggestion to look into the DNA Stellaris Silver edition.ā I may need to save up until I have the big boi monies LOL.
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Tāhank you BoardmanGetsPaid for mentioning your preference to use a tube amp with any dynamic headphone. That wasnāt an angle I have viewed the problem from. Iāll definitely check out āDonaldās flagship blue amp. and Studio B.
Thanks all,
Thyceā
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If you need more info on either let me know. I have both. Only thing is I believe Studio B is either in its final run or done and Craig is closing up Eddie Current and retiring
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In case you want to try out tubes, Iād suggest reading some of @andrisās posts such as this excellent DNA Stratus vs other tube amps comparison. Not only is he a good writer, but Andris has a Utopia and a very revealing DAC (Chord DAVE & M Scaler), and his posts will hopefully provide you with enough parallels to the gear that you either own or have listened to in the past.
Iāll also suggest adding the ampsandsound Nautilus to your list. I donāt have a Utopia, but I do own a Stellia and itās a wonderful pairing IMO. The one caveat with the Nautilus is that some have noticed noticed noise with super sensitive headphones, but Iāve never had that problem with mine.
Do you mean balanced inputs or outputs or both? I believe the boutique tube amp manufacturers such as DNA and ampsandsound will customize their amps to include balanced inputs and/or outputs if theyāre not already part of the amp, but you can always use an XLR-1/4 inch adapter for your headphones, without any degradation of the sound. I do use the XLR inputs on my Nautilus, but that is only to lower the noise floor, per the manufacturerās recommendation.
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Unfortunately the studio b doesnāt have balanced inputs.
You can always get an XLR to SE converter although that is one more thing to factor in to the chain.
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Just trying to rack and brainstorm ideas in my headā¦
Not purchasing anytime soon but budget will be around $2000 - $4000. Needs to be balanced all the way (because I use a balanced DAC). Tubes are a thing but I just want SS recs for now.
These are all the brands that I know of for SS amps:
- HeadAmp
- Violectric
- SPL
- Holo
- Sparkos
- Niimbus
Iām just looking for additional suggestions of brands/specific models. Thanks in advance!
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Bryston BHA-1
Raal Hsa-1b
Sony TA-ZH1ES
Luxman P-750 u
SimAudio Moon 430-HA
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Eleven Audio has gear in that price range. No idea if any good.
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Schiit Rag if you want to blow up your headphones 
Do you mean because it is so powerful, or are you saying it has blown up headphones due to being faulty?
Because of the power, 24W on the balanced headphone out. I am not familiar with any being faulty and blowing up headphones, but maybe it has happened.
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You may find that this is not the case after you have had more experience with setups.
I think you are on the right track with Headamp on your list. Solid amps with great track records. They sound amazing as if powered from the gods. I assume you will be going with the Headamp GS-X Mini if you go Headamp since it has received so much lavish praise. It is the solid state amp that I want the most.
The suggestion of the Bryston BHA-1 is also on the right track because it is comparable to the Headamp GS-X Mini. I have also never owned a Bryston, but one day it is going to be sitting on my desk next to a Headamp GS-X Mini.
I donāt know if I hit the right price range for you. But, you might as well go with something really good at the start or you will forever haunt the doldrums mid-fi alongside me.
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ā¦
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An awful lot of assumptions and praise for an amp you havenāt heard yet. I personally do not value hype as much as I do experience, and I find the majority of our forum members share that sentiment.
Iām sure that wasnāt intentional on your part. Iām sure you see the greater risk that is posed when a community starts to rely solely on anecdotal info and fourth and fifth hand experiences to make such firm statements like that.
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Iād give the Flux FA-10 a run too.
IFi pro-iCAN too for itās versatility
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Balanced isnāt always superior, but there are some DACs where SE performance is gimped.
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Yes, just to add and clarify when I said ābecause I use a balanced DACā I meant my DAC is best used and designed for balanced.
Apologies if that misled anyoneā¦
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Which statement of mine was an assumption?
- My Headamp amplifier sound amazing as if powered from the gods.
- These are the two amps that I have read as being comparable.
- These are the two amps that have received much hype and praise.
- Those are the two solid state amps that I want the most.
I think you are wrong. I believe that all of our anecdotal information is the most valuable in his purchasing decision and my purchasing decisions.
I have the SparkoS Aries. Any questions let me know 
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