I am sorry, I am not following you here. I don't own the Caldera, only tried two different units with inconsistent results.

Yes on the second unit I tried at home. 1) The first pair, it only had the stock pads as it was right before the official release and cowhide had not been available yet. 2) The loaner unit came with these pads: - Lambskin - Stock - Lambskin - Thick - Lambskin - Thin -...

Take a pic of the pads for us, may be able to help to see them

The first Caldera I heard, which my friend who kindly bought it at CanJam SoCal was a limited edition wood, sounded a lot better than the second Caldera which was sent around on a mini-tour. I had no idea about the mesh option until the second Caldera came through and had in the case, I was...

Yes, V3 is great, V4 is better, and Stellaris is awesome! An analogy, they are the Porsche 911: Stratus V3: 911 4S Stratus V4: 911 4 GTS Stellaris: 911 Turbo S

As @thehutch mentioned it’s a V4, AN indicates Audio Note, aka V4 as this is the first Stratus to receive the AN OPT

Certainly, look on the back and see if your serial looks like this:

You had already asked me this, and I responded here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dna-stratus-2a3-amplifier-first-impressions.609800/post-18082773

Yes, quite a few with mixed results. I tried it when the Caldera was first launched, then again about a year later and I swear the two Caldera sounded very different from one another. Without offending anyone, the Caldera was a better match than trying to use the Susvara off the Stratus. My DNA...

I have the V4, have heard the V3, Starlett, and Stellaris.

Understood, and no need for you to say sorry, It is only audio gear. Hope you find the answers you’re looking for, whatever they ultimately become. For what it’s worth, I run the Stratus and a 300B amp for separate chains as each amp respond differently, though that is of no interest to you as...

You have a Stratus in house, try the Susvara out with it so you can find out how you like the combo. This is pure theory on my part based on observations; you seem to base your opinions on what others have told you, it comes up often in this the DNA threads. I recall a time where you asked...

My bad, thought I read somewhere that it was. Apologies for derailing the thread around non-DNA related content

R Have you heard the Air Universe? The Woo WA23 Lina is interstage transformer coupled, it’s likely within your price range. My Radu 300B uses interstage transformers, there are options out there. I wouldn’t be fixated on @L0rdGwyn choosing to keep his amp development private, he’s put a lot...

What is behind the focus of an interstage design? If they are rarely made, are you chasing a dragon which you’ll never catch?

Sorry, I was referring to the amp he did share for others to build, the Ageis or whatever it’s called.

Did he make it as a one off? If so, then the IP is his and he was already generous enough to share and wrote a thorough build guide. You should talk to an amp builder, to commission what characteristics you are looking for, the good ones will ensure your goals are met.

@LarsMan That’s because they only made about a dozen or so, quite unobtainable as most owners know how rare they are have only seen one for sale and it was between friends. If one needs to mod that amp, to find their desired sound, might as well build something from scratch of they have the know...

You must have took my full of crap proclamation to heart. Yes I’m very well aware of this given I own a Stratus, which has the same power output as the Stellaris, and had a Susvara on long term loan to see how it worked with my amps. However, as @LarsMan Has shared and I have heard from other...

Oh jeez you are brave, I could not get the Susvara or any planar headphones to best my solid state amps over the Stratus. I tried really hard as it is a very special amp to me. They would get plenty loud but lacked the speed and had some high treble energy, which I fully admit is something that...

Ours ears are different, though the Studio B I had in house did not have WE 300Bs. So your experience with the DNA and EC follow what @smodtactical has been told? What headphones did you use on the Stratus and Studio B? For me it’s the Utopia and DNA, Studio B was dry, and on the Studio B was...

Obviously not, I enjoy making crap up to confuse you… I responded to your previous message about the V3 compared to V4. Then suggested an alternative DNA amp if one was looking for a richer warmer tone. I wouldn’t consider any of the DNA amps dry as that is more an Eddie Current trait on their...

No, this is not accurate. V4 is not dry, nor is it wet, it is rich and can be rolled warm if one chooses. The V4 is more vivid, and yes detailed is accurate. If one wants a warm/rich DNA amp, the Starlett is a good choice.

Excuse us, this fuse is what Donald recommends to use if we need to replace a blown fuse. It’s the right size and is a slow blow fuse which is the requirement for the amps he builds. Or are you referring to the use of more expensive fuses discussed? If one wants to roll fuses, let them try it...

No a Utopia costs $5k MSRP, obviously buying used it can be had for lower and have seen some go for $3k lately. Justified is a subjective term, one can justify anything they want as they are only accountable to themselves. Can I use a $3k cable with other headphones? I sure can with short...