Donald North Audio — Owners Thread

This is just based on how my unconscious brain is responding and the level of excitement I get on music I’ve heard throughout my life. I would say that the Stratus V4 has convinced me that the HD800 is superior to the HD800s by a fair margin. I can't really explain it aside from the HD 800 is the example of something really going all out and really reaching for something and maybe failing while the HD800s is kind of a compromise where punches are pulled. I have the SDR Mod set aside but haven’t installed it and may not. Apparently Stellaris isn’t as wet sounding and a minority prefer Stratus over Stellaris for that reason - so maybe 800s is the way to go with Stellaris. I was thinking about an Atrium and suspect it may be the correct contrast to HD 800 with Stratus rather than modding HD 800.

 

any idea how long the waiting list is?

 

Awesome, but also so sad to see the Stratus go. I think it might be the best headphone amplifier ever made.

While the Supernaut might be a great amp, from what I have read, there's just no way a KT66 could offer the same refinement or detail of the 2a3.

 

Although, if there is some way to do it, I believe Donald would figure it out.

 

The KT66 and 2A3 are fundamentally different but sound great in their own ways

2A3 lives on in the Stellaris

 

I do think the stellaris is better though value wise, the stratus is king.

 

possible comma placement problem? Did you mean:

I do think the stellaris is better, though value wise the stratus is king.​

 

DNA Impressions
(Stellaris loaner + Supernaut at a meet vs my Stratus V3)

Earlier in this thread I didn't like the tone of Whitney's Stellaris, I found it too dry and a bit bright. I heard none of this at a local meet and decided to leave the Stellaris with stock tubes for the purposes of this loaner comparison. When I eventually get a Stellaris, I can worry about tubes at that point though it is REALLY good with the stock tubes. I know some recommend just sticking with stock tubes and making your life simpler/more affordable but with the Stratus I got a lot more resolution, refinement, clarity, separation, and fun by finding my favorite tubes so I don't agree with that recommendation.

Stellaris vs Stratus (V3)
Headphones used: RD-4, ZMF Auteur Classic, ZMF Atticus, HD 800 (with SDR).
Chain: Roon->Metrum Ambre-> SFD-2 MK II

The Stellaris is smoother and more resolving. I can get my Stratus smoother with different tubes so I wouldn't say that is a characteristic of the amps. I hear a little better separation and clarity with the Stratus but I'd also chalk those up to the tubes since they improved when I explored different tubes over the years. Tone, timbre, presentation, refinement, etc are all fabulous. The Stellaris mostly takes what I love about the Stratus and does more of it/does it better. The only drawback is I don't like the same tubes in the Stellaris as I do the Stratus (based on my previous impressions).

Supernaught vs Stratus/Stellaris
Please note this was at a meet with a DAC that I find a bit harsh in the upper mids (Yggdrasil A2). I've heard Whitney's A2 many times so I'm pretty familiar with the harshness that I hear from the DAC vs amp. The Supernaut didn't hide that harshness nor add to it, transparency is a good thing. In comparison to the Stratus/Stellaris, the Supernaut is less resolving but more lively. The Stratus/Stellaris are super refined and also beat the Supernaut in this way. This probably puts the Supernaut more in the "fun" category but I don't want to suggest that either the Stratus or Stellaris are not fun. Oh boy are they fun! But the Supernaut leans more heavily on that while those two have a superb refinement that I've never heard in any other headphone amp.

All three amps still have the DNA house sound which I'd summarize as superb. If you like high impedance headphones, I don't think you can do better than DNA.

Other Thoughts
The Stratus/Stellaris are my favorite headphone amps by a wide margin (when there is synergy of course). I find them neutral, transparent, and resolving with a presentation that is just right. I think refinement plays a big role in their presentation. I've read that others consider them a little wet and warm, to my ears they're neutral, keep in mind my neutral may be your wet. These amps have fabulous synergy with high impedance ZMF, Sennheisers, and the RD-4.

 

yeah same, i really wanted the stratus

 

As an update, I completed my tube rolling for the Stratus V4 - I followed through on Acme 2a3s and EML Mesh 5u4g. Stock 2a3s are as-advertised quite good with it - lush and sound right. I first rolled in the EML mesh 5u4g and the clarity and speed improved with notably better extension in the treble and control in the bass, and then a month or so later the Acme’s completely blew me away in terms of upgrading the 3-dimensionality and texture - it completely elevated this amp. HD 800 unmodded is crazy good on this amp, and all my 6x0s too.

If anyone has an opinion - would I be better off with a Kara or an XLR to RCA convertor / transformer (Cinemag) box into Stratus with an A2 Yggdrasil? I tend to be skeptical of pre-amping - maybe even more so with this amp and Yggdrasil (but understand the capacity for adding flavor), but curious about the XLR superiority as I'm using Yggdrasil's RCAs.

 

Yggdrasil A2’s SE is not held back. Its difference between XLR and RCA is not like that of Gungnir 1.

 

Just use a converter, I’d say, then A/B between that and SE. If you want to do a preamp, get a Khozmo or another passive, maybe.

 

The best reproduction of a large orchestral stage that I've so far got from my Stellaris Special. Ingredients:

Source: HQPlayer (poly-sinc-gauss-hires-lp/ASDM7EC-fast) at DSD256 > Holo May KTE
Rectifier: Ken-Rad 5U4G (courtesy @rhythmdevils)
Driver: Sylvania 6KB7B
Output: Takatsuki TA-2A3s
Headphones: @rhythmdevils special-sauce RD-4 mk2 planars
Recording: SACD remaster of Reiner/CSOs 1950s Living Stereo Rymsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade"

I had concluded that planars and Stellaris did not mix given my Caldera experience, but was I wrong! I normally would gravitate to my 2-channel system for orchestral music, but headphones finally give it serious competition.

@rhythmdevils has lent me some additional drivers and rectifiers that might take this setup even further, but the current combination has more space/precise localization, better instrument tonality and treble naturalness than anything I've experienced with headphones before. Not by a mile, but still quite evident.

 

thanks for the impressions

Just for clarification, I only have one version of my RD-4 now, the box I gave to @earnmyturns was labelled "mkii" but that was more for internal clarification, I've now just moved to the mkii version only because it's better.

 

Where can we buy this RD4?

 

Any DNA owners here pair Gungnir 2 yet? If so, besides native have you tried feeding it (in NOS mode) from HQPlayer?

The G2 seems like the first Schiit dac that can really take advantage of the stage (particularly depth) and detail a DNA amp is capable of. On the other hand, perhaps it is a touch too laid back (particularly in the FR extremes) and wet itself to really synergize with a DNA amp, though maybe with fast/dry tube selections it might?...just speculation based on reports, wondering if anyone has first hand experience.

 

Hey Clem!

My RD-4 is my modified Audeze LCD-4, though it sounds very different from a stock LCD-4 - it's tuned neutral with many technical improvements.

I do a waiting list so no one pays until I make their headphones

And you can sign up for my waiting list on my website (which I'm working on upgrading now)

https://www.rhythmdevilsaudio.com

Here's a direct link to my waiting list form

https://www.rhythmdevilsaudio.com/waitinglist

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the info. I just signed up on your waiting list.

 

Thank you!