[vc1187]

  vc1187 can you did a depth comparasion beetween the 4 amps? most important for me to know if glenn is really good like the stratus people can save here some big $$. is it really that good?
the stratus cost 4 times more!! if it 95% SQ like stratus sure i am jump on it and conclusion that stratus is just waste of more $$$, what really i want to know how stratus compare to ZDSE

Need more time with the Stratus before I can do a more in depth comparison since I just received it this past Friday.  To answer some of your questions, here are my thoughts.
 
The Glenn OTL, ZD, and Stratus are in their own league above the BHC w/speedball as far as technicalities go, so I will not include it in this brief comparison
 
So far, the Glenn seems to be the most responsive to tube rolling.  This is great for those that love to have a certain tube pairing with each individual pair of headphones and for those that just enjoy being able to constantly tweak things.  
 
I would never say that high quality gear is a 'waste of more $$$', I would only state that high quality gear that is cheaper than other high quality gear has a much better price to performance ratio... and if we are judging these amps based on that, then the Glenn OTL blows the other two amps out of the water.  I am able to receive a similar amount of satisfaction from the Glenn as I am from the other amps and for a far lower price.
 
I also don't like judging any type of audio equipment by percentages of Sound Quality against one another because my definition of SQ may be vastly different from yours, not to mention that each piece of equipment imparts its own sound signature or flavor that is subjectively pleasing or not pleasing to the listener.  That said, each amp falls into what I would categorize as 'End-game amps', so if we must give a percentage to each one, the percentage is within the range you are hoping for.
 
I don't know what the ZDSE or ZDS sounds like, but I hands down prefer the Stratus and Glenn as a headphone amp over the ZD original.  I find that the ZD makes a superb pre-amp but is simply too bright for my tastes when it comes to headphone listening.  The ZD most closely resembles a neutral SS amp with a huge soundstage width.  I generally prefer amps that lean towards the warm side rather than neutral or bright.  While none of the amps would be categorized as dark sounding, the Glenn is warmer than the Stratus, and the Stratus is warmer than the ZD.  
 
The bottom line is no matter what choice you make you will have an excellent amp, but with its great reputation, many tube rolling choices, excellent sound quality, and low price, it would never be a mistake to buy a Glenn OTL.  Due to its reputation, value on the secondhand market is pretty much what a new one would cost (minus the wait time), so it's really a win-win situation whether its the amp for you or not since you could just sell it back out and have minimal to no losses.

 

[listen4joy]

thax for an answer, take your time for depth comparasion beetween them, by the way which of the 3 amps is the most musical?

 

[Clayton SF]

I just opened the KING CRIMSON 40th Anniversary Series CD, THRAK. The photo on the CD is of a broken tube. It looks like a 5Y3G.
 
It is probably a spent tube from one of King Crimson's almighty amps. Kewel.
 

 

[2359glenn]

Definitely a 5Y3

 

[Neogeo333]

Moving's a PIA.  Got most of the tubes in five boxes and now I have to deal with media.  500 movies mostly dvd and some blu ray.  

 

[2359glenn]

Do you have to ship all that stuff to NY?

 

[Neogeo333]

The media's going in cd sleeves, theres no place in the tiny apt to fit all that.  The tubes are staying in PR until I find a bigger place.  I don't know how I'm going to survive the initial phase but temporarily staying with the in laws it's giving nightmares already.  

 

[Groundzero]

Recent addition to the setup. Something new for the OTL to feed off of. 

 

[RAZRr1275]

 
Recent addition to the setup. Something new for the OTL to feed off of. 

How are you liking your Yggy? I'm looking at one to pair with my OTL when it comes around. 

 

[Xcalibur255]

I forgot how good the OTL looked on that wood chassis.
 
Jelly of your Yggy btw...... I'm pretty close to ordering mine.  I almost have enough pennies saved.

 

[Groundzero]

  How are you liking your Yggy? I'm looking at one to pair with my OTL when it comes around. 

It's great so far. The change in sound signature is instantly noticeable. The biggest problem is the R2R sound messing with my impressions of my tubes. With the more natural sound I'm having to revisit various tube combos that I previously discounted for one reason or another. First on the list is the Tung Sol mouse ears that I've had forever and normally found way too analytic and bass lite for my taste. I'm also keeping an eye out for a B36 of some sort to try. My high end output tube collection is severely lacking. 
 

  I forgot how good the OTL looked on that wood chassis.
 
Jelly of your Yggy btw...... I'm pretty close to ordering mine.  I almost have enough pennies saved.

I was originally going for a Gungnir, but while browsing one afternoon I saw that Yggy B-stock were available and jumped on it. Without the 10% off it would have been an impossibility at the moment. Emptied the piggy bank and then some, but worth it in my opinion as now I have no urge to upgrade in the future. This one must have been a customer return on the 15 day money-back guarantee as I can't find a mark on it anywhere.

 

[whirlwind]

Glenn, I hope you and Lucy are alright....this weather is playing havoc on many people. Lots of people without power.
 
Hope everybody else here are doing fine also....so far so good here in central Ohio.
 
I hope you all stay safe through this hard weather.
 
Only an inch of snow here this morning, but pretty cold.
 
I started the fire place this morning and rolled in my favorite tubes, brewed some coffee and am enjoying some blue's.
 

 

 

[gibosi]

Yes, central Ohio certainly seems to have dodged the bullet, just a few flurries here, cold but not exceptionally so (27F, about -3C), not at all bad for January. And likewise. on this cold Saturday morning, I am enjoying a hot cup of coffee with a gooey cinnamon bun and listening to the seductive voice of Alexis Cole, "as smooth and dark as the richest espresso.” (Jazz Times, November 2007).
 
To those of you in the storms way, I sure hope you are staying safe and warm.
 

 

[2359glenn]

We still have power for some reason. 149,000 with out power. Worm and toasty built a fire in the fireplace still snowing though.
Let it snow!

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

  Yes, central Ohio certainly seems to have dodged the bullet, just a few flurries here, cold but not not exceptionally so (27F, about -3C), not at all bad for January. And likewise. on this cold Saturday morning, I am enjoying a hot cup of coffee with a gooey cinnamon bun and listening to the seductive voice of Alexis Cole, "as smooth and dark as the richest espresso.” (Jazz Times, November 2007).
 
To those of you in the storms way, I sure hope you are staying safe and warm.
 

 
 
deep contralto as smooth and dark as the richest espresso” (Jazz Times, November 2007,) “a deep contralto as smooth and dark as the richest espresso” (Jazz Times, November 2007,) 

 
Do you and @whirlwind have the same OTL configuration?