Hi,   I am the OP on this thread.  While I appreciate people's suggestions, I have already made my decision and ordered a DNA Stratus 2A3.

Donald North Audio

Thanks Sean. I would like to read these studies. Do you have any links to them or can you direct me to the journal, author title(s) etc.? Also, is the analysis of variance that you are referring to on the data that the figure with unbalanced sample sizes or another study?

The trends of the means or individual data? Small differences in means require large sample size in order to reject a null. I would like to see if the groups were normally distributed or were they skewed or did outliers shift means. We're the groups block randomized in terms of the order of...

I really enjoy both types of transducers. I use both headphones and near field monitors. They definitely have different strengths and weaknesses. I am enjoying just how good small active monitors have become.

There are many excellent headphones in the <$500 category. Here are 5 headphones and IEMs that depending on your taste, your amplification capability that will provide enjoyable listening. AKG K702 Beyerdynamic DT-880 Etymotic ER-4S Hifiman H-400 Sennheiser HD600 Westone 4R I own both the...

You will notice the difference...10% isn't that subtle.

Don't look for logic here...selling HF and cables takes activation energy!

In principle, the fewer connections the better. In actual practice many would say that during a blind A/B comparison few could tell the difference. It also might matter how resolving your system was as to whether you noticed a difference. The only headphones that I leave that way are my IEMs...

What is truly interesting is that there are currently no more than 9 or 10 stratus owners in the World to share tube experiences (#11 and #12 are on order right now) with and most of them probably have read this posting on this website! Very Small World... :-)

I absolutely agree that those data are likely meaningless at establishing differences between the groups presented. To your point, the arms are not balanced in sample size nor are the individual results or the standard error around the means shown. I suspect, that even if there were truly...

Hi, I cannot speak to your amps, but I can speak to the switch that you're contemplating. I actually have kept both for now. The AKG K 702 are very good headphones and are in the same analytical, highly resolving camp as the Sennheiser HD800. The Sennheiser's in my opinion are indeed better...

Quote: Enjoy your new amp...

1) it is not a given that the HE90 was the "best" amplifier as you state. 2) Designing a large tube amp that you make a few hundred of is not remotely like designing a compact solid state amp/DAC that you make 10,000 a year 3) Having a >$10,000 retail target is different than a <$2,000 retail...

I of course will try it stock and allow the tubes and caps to break in before rolling tubes. I am thinking about a NOS RCA 5U4 and some EML 2A3 mesh. Might make a nice Christmas present!

I-IV-V gives me de blues every time...

iim7 V7 IM7 covers a lot of songs...

8 notes in an OCTave.... 7 notes in a SEPTave...:-)

In short...no No worries. I hope that you are correct. :-)

"If they are well managed and have the funds to invest in R&D, there is no reason they cannot create a great product even if they've never tried before." We simply disagree.

"Odd sentiment" = different opinion than yours? It is reasonable to arrive at differing conclusions based on our alternate knowledge or professional experience. Your sentiment is no more "odd" than mine. It is just different. I have been involved in engineering and product development for...

One doesn't need to be an audiophile to not want to listen to these two guys! :-)

I had one experience with them. I called them last summer to discuss headphones and associated equipment (amps, DACs, amplifiers). This was at the beginning of my recent headphone gear outfitting. I saw their website. I saw people speaking positively about them on Headfi and other sites. I...

I thought the Antelope Audio Zodiac 192 kHz DAC was not an asynchronous USB DAC but an adaptive USB DAC. Is this correct? In the ~$2,000ish range, I would look at asynchronous USB 2 24/192 DACs with balanced ins/outs. In this range, I would recommend that you evaluate the Grace Design m903 -...

While this is Sennheiser's supreme headphone knowledge is indeed true, their experience and knowledge in designing and manufacturing a DAC or a headphone amplifier is not on a par with many of the companies that you cite. I would be cautious in jumping into a generation 1, Sennheiser DAC/Amp. It...