There has not been a Starlett thread so I guess no one here has heard. Last month, DNA started shipping the Starlett amp. Its $2000 and you do not have to wait a year to get it like Stratus. It is made in California like Stratus and Stellaris. There are owner reviews on other forums and more info on the DNA website,http://dnaudio.com
Such a beautiful amp and a great price too. I have a Stratus and I can see getting one of these two for the office, I doubt this will give up that much in sound quality to the Stratus (which is my endgame headphone amp).
There has not been a Starlett thread so I guess no one here has heard. Last month, DNA started shipping the Starlett amp. Its $2000 and you do not have to wait a year to get it like Stratus. It is made in California like Stratus and Stellaris. There are owner reviews on other forums and more info on the DNA website,http://dnaudio.com
Had the pleasure of demoing a DNA Starlett for a month. Wonderful sounding headphone amplifier that does everything quite well. Is it worth $2000? Well, it's built like the proverbial tank, is beautifully finished, and with proper care and maintenance, will outlast its owner. IMHO, based on many other headphone amplifiers in this price range, the Starlett is underpriced.
And it has the coolest blue color I have ever seen.
I've been using it with ZMF and Senns for several months and it's a great match. Tonally it's sounds a denser when compared to some of the THX solid state amps I tried but maintains a neutral sound signature and doesn't color the sound as much as say the feliks euphoria which to me presents more tube lushness and warmth. It's built like a tank and it sounds great definitely one of my favorites. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is looking to build a system for dynamic driver headphones.
Spoke with Donald North last week in regard to the DNA Starlett. He said that the price for the Starlett remains at $2000, however,
the wait time to have one built has increased from 6 months to 10 months. Donald also said that he has several
orders for the Starlett. Ordering mine next week so now the wait begins.
Wishing everyone a Happy & Healthy 2022!
UPDATE 6/22/2022 - Spoke with Donald North a few weeks ago about the timeline of my DNA Starlett, and was told that due to - Covid related parts delays - the wait time for a DNA headphone amplifier is at least for the near future, a year or more.
The delivery time on my Starlett has been pushed back at least two months - from November of 2022 to January 2023.
So, at present and for the forseeable future, the wait time for a DNA headphone amplifier is at least a year or more.
While this delay is understandable, common sense indicates that anyone who is interested in purchasing a DNA Starlett (or Stratus or Stellaris) should consider getting on Donald's waiting list as soon as possible.
On a side note, I was curious to know how many Starletts have been built to date. Donald said that 38 Starletts have been delivered since 2020, with at least 22 more orders for one at present.
Second that! Using my Starlett with ZMF Verite Closed and to me, this is the top of the line. Ordered mine on Mar 2021, received in December; so as of today have ~ 8 months using this setup.
Similar take as @helljudgement -- I'd describe the music as being lush, smooth, but with incredible articulation too. It's just magical. Smile inducing, foot tapping, musical joy...
When I used the same source, dac, VC's with a Schiit Jotunheim; I thought things were great -- but the Startlett takes everything to completely better level.
Second that! Using my Starlett with ZMF Verite Closed and to me, this is the top of the line. Ordered mine on Mar 2021, received in December; so as of today have ~ 8 months using this setup.
Similar take as @helljudgement -- I'd describe the music as being lush, smooth, but with incredible articulation too. It's just magical. Smile inducing, foot tapping, musical joy...
When I used the same source, dac, VC's with a Schiit Jotunheim; I thought things were great -- but the Startlett takes everything to completely better level.
Glad that you are enjoying your Starlett! I probably won't see one until early to mid 2023, but have already waited six months and know of
other enthusiasts who waited two years for a Stellaris. So patience is the watch word here.
Any opinions on dacs that synergize well (or poorly) with the Starlett? I'm considering different tube amps and trying to get a sense of what to pair them with. Specifically, any opinions on the Soekris 2541 or other R2R's?
Any opinions on dacs that synergize well (or poorly) with the Starlett? I'm considering different tube amps and trying to get a sense of what to pair them with. Specifically, any opinions on the Soekris 2541 or other R2R's?
I've used a few different dac's with the demo Starlett I had access to. A Schiit Modius AKM 4493, Schiit Modi 2 Uber, Audio By Van Alstine Insight Multibit.
They were all good but I preferred the AVA Insight as it just seemed a better synergy. I can tell you that the Starlett does very well with high impedance dynamics
and was very pleased with how it sounded with my HD600 and HD6XX. It also sounded very nice with my Fostex T50RP MK 3 and Hifiman HE4XX planars.
Any opinions on dacs that synergize well (or poorly) with the Starlett? I'm considering different tube amps and trying to get a sense of what to pair them with. Specifically, any opinions on the Soekris 2541 or other R2R's?
Tonally neutral dacs works best with the starlett and DNA amps in general. The soekris dac from what I've heard a while back does fit the bill and is probably the best at that price point. I would advice against darker sounding dacs but I do use mine with a Bifrost 2 for awhile before upgrading and know of a few that uses Yggy A2 with theirs so it really depends on your preferences. It is not overly picky on dacs but does synergizes best with dacs that are neutral and more dynamic.
Tonally neutral dacs works best with the starlett and DNA amps in general. The soekris dac from what I've heard a while back does fit the bill and is probably the best at that price point. I would advice against darker sounding dacs but I do use mine with a Bifrost 2 for awhile before upgrading and know of a few that uses Yggy A2 with theirs so it really depends on your preferences. It is not overly picky on dacs but does synergizes best with dacs that are neutral and more dynamic.
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