Sorry for taking so long to reply, the Stellaris was lended to a friend and arrived today at my home. Volume is between 7 and 8 (stepped attenuator), balanced input.

Just came here to say that the Susvara + Stellaris pairing was the most impressive thing I've listened to since the HE90. Tube selection was U52, Ruby Tiger's 6N1P and AVVTs. Sold my Utopia the same day.

What an amazing collection of gear that you have, congrats! In due time, please share your thoughts on the Stellaris versus Studio listening impressions.

It has sentimental value.

Number 12 checking in. Where's my mug?

Sorry, I sold the HE1000 before I got a chance to drive ir with the Zana. But I bet it sounds awful. The HEK needs a great deal of current.

The harshness is on a relative scale compared to the Zana. I wouldn't call the Vio+Stella harsh, but the Zana sounds smoother.

I'm listening to the Stellia as I write. The Stellia has a lot of energy on the treble. The V281 sounds a bit harsh, a bit rough. The Zana is more enjoyable, but I don't hear a night and day difference. Regarding the Utopia, I don't even pair it with the Vioelectric. I bought the V281...

The Empyrean arrived today and joined the club! Extraordinary imaging and positional accuracy. I can finally perceive instruments clearly at different heights, before the Empyrean they were mostly horizontally aligned. I confess it didn't impress me right off the bat, as the Utopia did, but it's...

Sorry if this has been answered before. Th Empyrean uses mini XLR connectors on the cups. Is the pin layout the same as on the ZMF headphones? In other words, can I use a cable designed for the Auteur/Vérité with the Empyrean?

A feast for the eyes and the ears. What a pairing!

Yep.

Thank you for the tip, I bought a pair a few minutes ago. And you were right about the cost.

According to HeadAmp's website, yes.

Anxiously awaiting for the GS-X Mini. It'll replace my iFi Pro iCAN, the form factor and dimensions being very similar. To me, the LCD-4 sounds veiled on the iCAN, and considering the praise the GS-X MK2 gets in the LCD-4 thread, I bet the Mini will make for a terrific pairing.

Thank you! I currently have the ZDS and the iFi Pro iCAN. I ordered a Stellaris, but will only ship in October. Yes, power does not equal quality, the quest for synergy is one of the things that make this hobby so interesting (and expensive).

The ZDS is 3 Ohms on low gain, so theoretically the 8:1 rule is respected. Low impedance Denons (25 Ohms) sound pretty good with the ZDS, but then again they're dynamic and not planar, constant-impedance cans.

Did you get a chance to hear the Empyrean out of your WA3? I have a ZDS, and wonder how the Empyrean will sound paired to it. My experience with planars and the Zana was mostly negative, but the Empyrean is supposedly very easy to drive.

Hi all! I'll hopefully getting the Empyrean, and wonder if any tube lovers out there paired it with amps such as the ZDS, Stratus or even Stellaris. I own the ZDS, and I'm aware that high impedance dynamics benefit greatly from it, but some lower impedance cans also sound great. Anyone?

And the rolling begins. PS: an ECC35 is on the way.

I'm very thankful for your advice, and others`. My Stellaris is due to October, and this is what I have ordered/received so far: Rectifiers: U52 (from my now gone WA22); Sylvania 5U4GB black plates; WU 5U4G black plates; WU JAN 5U4G with what appears to be gray plates; Ken-Rad black plates...

You guys are discussing mainly SS amps, but what about tubes? I have a Stellaris on order, but wonder if it'll be enough for the power hungry LCD-4. My ZDS just didn't work well with the the Audeze, and prefer the WA22 over the iFi Pro iCAN, but I feel the bass in underpowered in both. My DAC is...

Roon is great, isn't it? A whole new way to consume music. As my FLAC library is relatively small (~500 CDs), my Core runs on my Synology DS718+, and I don't have any system other than my headphones setup, so performance out of the NAS is great. It streams to my Directstream Junior via its...

I'm not the original owner, bought it from Jason from Boston. It was delivered to him in April. There's a "136" painted on the back in silver, is it the serial number?

New and proud member joining the club!