Glad to hear you’re enjoying them! Also, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the EQ! 
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I have one that came with NOS EI el-84 and Hewlett-Packard 12ax7. Drives my Rad-0 and Elegia really well. Sounds really open with good dynamics. Plenty of power at 2w/ch.
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Oh man, I’m fighting with myself right now whether I should order the GRADO HEMP or better not.
Every time I see a GRADO headphone, I experience such an inner tremor 
.
Well, that’s how it is, probably always with the first true love 
.
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I’m using it with RAD-0 as well. So far surprised by how well it drives them.
The cables actually look cool. True ZMF quality perhaps?
I am a sucker form el-84 amps in general. The first tube amp I bought for 2 channel was an H.H. Scott 399. I still think it was one of the most beautiful amps I ever owned. And it was one of the sweetest sounding amps with the right speakers at 18w/ch. El-84 tubes are highly under rated for their sound signature.
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@ProfFalkin I just returned to listening to my still not broken in Stratus, the other night, after being distracted by other things this past month, and must’ve sat back in the office for a couple of hours straight just checking out stuff on Qobuz (and spinning a friend’s new CD). It felt (in my mind anyway) like freefalling through a cushion of stars (OK, I had enjoyed a gin or three by that point, and the crickets and frogs and owls were really going outside). It really is bliss, and brings out the qualities I love about the Utopias. I have a pair of EML 2A3s (thanks @BondDaBoom!) to roll in, but the stock Psvanes sound pretty sweet (although the general vibe I’m feeling is of a more subtle nature in terms of ‘tube sound’ than I experienced the last time I ran tubes – a pair of Manley monoblocks w/Sovtek 5881s, back in the '90s, and a C-J pre-amp.). I’m gonna hop on here and wax more in detail about my listening experience with the Stratus, but really just enjoying taking my time with it. Always eager to hear about your experience as well!
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Some of us have been waiting a while to hear your thoughts 
. Kidding, Take your time.
I’m lead to believe that that is intentional with DNA amps.
Glad you got a chance to kick back and enjoy the music. Trying to get back to that myself.
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Ha! Well, mostly, it’s been needing to set up for some long listening sessions and I just haven’t managed it yet. I also want to try hooking it into the analog front end in the living room, which also involves setting up/dusting off a phono stage that has been in a box for 10 years and running more wires and cables all about. It’s a process. But hopefully next month sometime I can share deeper thoughts!
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I set up my headphone setup last night with my linn LP12 turntable and boy can I hear a difference between that and digital! Talk about organic! In 2 channel I mostly like records and with headphones I stream and last night the comparison had more of a pros and cons to it not noticed in my 2 channel. I still really got some enjoyment out of comparing but can see people going either/or. I might have to set an amp out in the living room for good. I can also see it not favored by others as The vinyl really made everything natural and organic but went down in the detailed and crispness of digital. My digital front end had better separation but less natural/live sounding.
But boy was it some analog buttered maple syrup!! Have fun!!
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I think that’s one of the biggest strengths of the Stratus: Balance. It’s not too tubey, but not as razor sharp as something like the EC Aficionado. The bass doesn’t roll off like on many tube amps, but it’s not bloated or flabby. The depth and width are top tier, and artfully natural.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying yours! I’m loving mine as well. The stock Psvane 2a3 are very capable. I like the Linlai E series a bit more, and will be burning in these NOS tubes throughout the week to see how they perform.
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Linlai’s name has been popping up a bunch lately (probably having to do with Grant Fidelity drama) and am interested in a pair down the line.
I was going to go with the ACME, but getting them is a PITA and the E-series Linlai are supposedly 90+% of that kind of sound. For a lot less.
Add the Grant drama in, and yeah.
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How does it compare to the Pendant with the “Prof Special” tubes?
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So, I rolled a lot of tubes through the Pendant (shameless plug: Tubes for sale here). It took a bit of effort to find the tubes that brought the life and excitement out of the the Pendant I was looking for - the energetic dynamics and impact that the Stratus just seems to do naturally. I think they are both excellent amps, but the Stratus just fits me better.
Maybe most of the difference is between triode 2a3 and pentode el84? Could be the circuit? Caps? I dunno.
Even though the Pendant is a more neutral sounding Amps&Sound design, I think it still has the warmer toob roots, and a bit more needs to be done to get it the rest of the way there when you’re rolling tubes. I hope that made sense.
And… of course… that’s all my preferences showing through. ymmv
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I moved up to the more expensive PSVanes in mine, and there is a noticeable difference, notably more resolving, better treble extension, but the stock tubes are pretty good and it’s not night and day.
What did surprise me is the effect rolling the rectifier had.
I had Brent Jesse send me 3 reasonably priced (<$100) rectifiers to try and the difference was as big or bigger than swapping the 2A3’s. All of them were faster than the Winged C it shipped with. I ended up with an NOS RCA 5U4G in it, my preferences generally are on the dryer side. I thought the Tung-Sol was equally good and more “full bodied” if that’s what you are looking for.
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Yes - all makes sense. And the Stratus is definitely a level up from the Pendant, so it wasn’t so much a “better or worse” question as just getting a sense for what the general flavor difference is. I am trying to learn how their sound signatures compare to amps I know. 
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Rectifiers in the Starlett made big differences too so that doesnt surprise as I don’t think the topology/circuit varies too much between the DNA amps.
Definitely made me pro rectifier rolling.
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Yes I’ve generally just ignored them on music amps.
I knew they made a difference in guitar amps, so I’m not sure why I didn’t think they would.
I asked Brent to pick 3 so I could decide if I felt changing it was worth while.
It took a whopping 10 minutes of listening to one tube for me to decide it was.
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I’m not sure how these things sort out exactly, but my analog front end (table and cart) is much higher up the food chain than my digital in the headphone system. The old phono pre- is credible, but not sure it would be in the same league as the ones from PS Audio or Modwright or the Chinook, and its factory pre-set so there’s also doubt if it will match my low-output MC (the gain should be ok, just worried about the load). But there’s one way to find out! And since I used a digital integrated in the main system, which outputs only to speakers, I’ve never actually heard the latest upgrades to my analog set-up in actually analog. SHould be thrilling. I’d be happy to move the Stratus to the main system if it works out.
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