[stuart1927]

I was thinking the same thing! I try to keep an open mind about gear. I only heard the Woo gear at last years CanJam SoCal....the WA5, for a limited time. It sounded pretty good to me, but I didn't have a great deal of time with it. The WA33 caught my eye recently though....would like to hear it for sure.

With the DNA product line, there s a massive price differential between the Stratus and Stellaris and like most gear I'm sure the incremental difference in sound doesn't scale with the price difference. I know that the components are upgraded and very costly, but there is definitely a sweet spot in terms of price/performance. IMHO there is likely to be a placebo effect when spending such a large some of money on gear! I'm speaking from experience here too, as I am guilty of that sometimes!

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Haha - Okay, next time I won't hold back

Sorry, I have a habit of being unmercifully direct.

Keep in mind, I am criticizing it, but I am also contrasting it to other very high level stuff. Compared to 99% of world, it is absolutely top shelf. And at this level, differences are smaller than what most would expect.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

Changing the subject, I have made HUGE improvements in sonic quality by reducing electronic noise associated with transmission of music to my DAC. I have just reached the endpoint of that process, and the background is now extremely black. For me, the benefits from electrical isolation have been far more significant than from physical isolation and power conditioning (which were relative subtle in comparison). Recordings are now much more transparent and revealing.

Here is what I have done:

NAS => switch => Blue Jeans cat 6a cable => TP-Link fast media converter MC100CM => Duplex Multimode 62.5/125 Fiber Patch Cable => TP-Link fast media converter MC100CM =>microRendu => Blue Jeans cat 6a cable => Venom USB cable => DAC

I power the microRendu and second TP-Link (closest to the DAC) with the Uptone Audio JS-2 linear power supply.

You can read about more about the key components at the links below:

microRendu reviews: http://sonore.us/reviews.html

TP-Link electrical isolation: https://www.audiostream.com/content/electrically-isolate-your-networked-audio

JS-2 LPS: https://uptoneaudio.com/products/js-2-linear-power-supply

Edit: If you aren't focusing on this issue, you're leaving a lot of performance on the table.

 

[m17xr2b]

I wouldn't want to own the WA33. Two 2A3 is hard enough but 4 would be impossible.
I've done some more listening tonight on the WE275 and it's a great tube for more ambient listening but it's a bit soft in the end. The KR 2A3 remains my favourite so far and I will try to get the Sophia carbon 2.5V 300B at some point.
My current setup is BeePre with 6B4G dual plate -> Stratus with Sylvania 6BQ7A BG, 422A and KR 2A3. The Sylvania gold branded is my favourite out of over 20 different input 6N1P and 6BQ7A I currently have. From the posts above I have ordered a single wire 6N1P but I don't think it will surpass the triple mica 6N1P(my favorite 6N1P) but I'm curios to hear it.

I have owned the Stratus for about 10 months now and it continues to impress me. I'm eager to get the Stellaris but sometimes it's hard to image anything better than the Stratus.
I'm postponing the Dave for now until I've fully learned my current setup. There are still so many combinations left to try and the Yggy still does a great job when not using it's USB input.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I thought you preferred your 600i to the Stratus - or am I losing my mind?

 

[Frihed89]

Auricgoldfinger: What do you hear before cleaning up the computer to Dac noise? I have played my Stratus on my computer audio system and my main system, and I do hear a difference, but I always thought it was due to the "better" Dac in my audio system. I didn't hear any "noise" of any kind in either case, but I didn't know what I was looking for.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

I didn't really hear noise, per se. There was nothing in particular that stood out as a problem or bothered me. After settling on my power tubes and rectifier, I was happy with the way the system sounded. Nevertheless, I wanted to find other ways to improve it.

I have always conditioned the power to my audio and video systems, and in this case, I heard subtle improvements when I added a power conditioner and upgraded the power cables for the conditioner, amp, and DAC. Adding high end (and overpriced) physical isolation to the amp and DAC made further subtle improvements. The improvements were audible, but at the same time, their value was questionable. By the time I got around to the microRendu and linear power supply, I honestly thought that I was just throwing away a lot of money. To my great surprise, the improvement from the microRendu easily surpassed all of the other tweaks combined. The sound was so much more transparent and revealing, it was like I had a new system. In addition to providing electrical isolation, the microRendu also re-clocks the audio stream, thereby improving the signal to your DAC. (You can read more about it in the reviews and on their website.) Upgrading the USB cable from a Kimber Cu to the Venom was a relatively inexpensive, yet worthwhile refinement. I just added the TP-Links, and found they reduce noise to the microRendu, essentially rendering it more effective.

I like to think of the change in terms of peeling an onion. Each layer of onion removed equates to a layer of transparency and resolution revealed. The combined power tweaks removed 2-3 layers of the onion. The physical isolation removed 1-2 layers of the onion. The microRendu removed 5-6 layers of the onion. The TP-Links removed 2-3 layers of the onion. Hopefully, the onion analogy illustrates why I believe there is so much performance to be gained.

Another way of thinking about it is with power tubes and rectifiers. I started with Sophia 2a3 mesh plates and a GEC u52, and I was like 'eh.' Then I bought some KR 2a3's and a 422a, and thought 'that's more like it.' Then I tried the Sophia Carbon Princess 300b with the WE274b (NOS) and that was perfect. It was like a completely different system from where I started. You can make that same magnitude of change (or more, depending on your situation) by reducing electrical noise. I feel like I am listening to an entirely new, improved system. The qualities of the Stratus and DAC remain, but their strengths are much more evident.

You can buy an inexpensive LPS ($50) when you order the the microRendu, and if you find it worthwhile, then you could upgrade to the JS-2 or similar LPS later. The better the power supply, the better your results from the microRendu. The TP-Links tweak is inexpensive (<$100), but you need to have to a microRendu in place first.

To reiterate, the 'quiet' resulting from electrical noise reduction (and re-clocking) is really about making the system more transparent. It's as if electrical static noise that you never knew existed is gone. It opens up the sound and reveals details that I never knew were present. Music and vocals are much clearer and more refined. Separation is better.

I hope that answers your question.

 

[Peti]

That's a great post, thank you! I am putting together a pretty much end-game (considering my wallet) rig consisting of Gumby, Stratus, HD800SDR. Everything is already at my desk yet, except the Gumby is on its way. I am planning to use my old Fiio X3 through coax as a digital source. I exclusively listen to my Flac files on SD card and I have zero interest in streaming music. In that case, would I experience any changes from getting the MicroRendu, a router, etc.?

Would not that money be better spent to, let's say, upgrade to Yggy?

 

[auricgoldfinger]

I'm not familiar with the Gumby. Is that your DAC? Can you tell me a little more about it? Will the Fiio connect to the Gumby through coax?

The only input on the microRendu is an RJ45 (network cable) connector. If I understand your setup correctly, there is no way to connect the Fiio to the microRendu.

 

[Peti]

Schiit Gungnir Multibit, a.k.a. Gumby, as folks tend to call it usually around here. A very fine dac. And correct, through coax I will connect the Fiio and Gumby. So if I want to use th microrendu, I'd need an NAS or something with ethernet output.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

Correct, you would need a NAS or a computer with a free ethernet port.

Personally, I would spend the money on a DAC that can output PCM 384/32 and native DSD 256 or preferably DSD 512. Those will give you flexibility down the road if you want to move away from the Fiio in order to upsample your music. Others DACs to consider in your price range are the Mytek Brooklyn, Chord Hugo, and a used Auralic Vega. It will be superseded by the Vega 2 any day now, but the original Vega is a very fine DAC.

Here are a couple of Vegas for sale now at Audiogon. At these prices, it is a bargain.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/d...tal-92673-san-clemente-ca?refsource=hifishark

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/d...ital-93536-quartz-hill-ca?refsource=hifishark

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Schiit Gungnir Multibit, a.k.a. Gumby, as folks tend to call it usually around here. A very fine dac. And correct, through coax I will connect the Fiio and Gumby. So if I want to use th microrendu, I'd need an NAS or something with ethernet output.

With a Gumby, you are better off with a different option than the mR, like a Lynx.

 

[Peti]

Lynx, is that an NAS? Can you provide me with a link?

 

[bigfatpaulie]

https://www.lynxstudio.com/products/aes16e/

You are better off with something like than than an mR for the Gumby. This way you can avoid the USB port all together on it. You'll need a computer (which is also basically the only reason you would use a mR).

If you are strictly looking for a streamer to work off a network drive something like an Auralic Aries is going to likely be a better fit. It all depends on your setup, but I would advise not using the USB port on the Gumby.

 

[Peti]

Thank you, I will investigate this once I get home. I just want to get the most out of my rig. It's not that the fiio x3 is noisy or anything though via coax.