[m17xr2b]

Congrats, just finished a 4 hour session with mine. 1+ years later I still can't get enough of it.

 

[Thenewguy007]

My Eddie Current sentimentality shelf

I noticed you have the RAAL SR1A in your sold category.
So you like your Stax/dynamic driver headphones with tube amps over it?

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Number 12 checking in. Where's my mug?

Gosh that's a good lookin' amp. Photo's like this make me miss mine. DNA really is the absolute summit for me. Congrats on a fantastic amp!

 

[bgcports]

Hi folks - felt like this post was way overdue. Longtime lurker, first time poster. DNA Stellaris number 0010 checking in - have had it several months now and haven't had time to tear myself away from it long enough to write a post...kidding. Though in all seriousness, this incredible piece of equipment has been known to induce sleep deprivation on occasion. Time just seems to stand still while enjoying music of all genres piped through Donald's work of sonic perfection.

As a previous owner of a Woo Audio WA6-SE and someone who seriously considered the WA33 while looking for my "pinnacle" headphone amplifier, I can confidently say that the Stellaris is a cut above. I actually took the plunge without auditioning - Donald's reputation preceded him and, after a short email volley during the course of a few days I decided to pull the trigger. His laid back demeanor and willingness to answer any and all questions thoroughly gave me the confidence I needed to make a deposit. It's clear Donald is passionate about his designs and it shines through in his execution.

I'll check in again soon with more details, etc but for now here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to being part of and contributing to this community!

 

[koven]

Hi folks - felt like this post was way overdue. Longtime lurker, first time poster. DNA Stellaris number 0010 checking in - have had it several months now and haven't had time to tear myself away from it long enough to write a post...kidding. Though in all seriousness, this incredible piece of equipment has been known to induce sleep deprivation on occasion. Time just seems to stand still while enjoying music of all genres piped through Donald's work of sonic perfection.

As a previous owner of a Woo Audio WA6-SE and someone who seriously considered the WA33 while looking for my "pinnacle" headphone amplifier, I can confidently say that the Stellaris is a cut above. I actually took the plunge without auditioning - Donald's reputation preceded him and, after a short email volley during the course of a few days I decided to pull the trigger. His laid back demeanor and willingness to answer any and all questions thoroughly gave me the confidence I needed to make a deposit. It's clear Donald is passionate about his designs and it shines through in his execution.

I'll check in again soon with more details, etc but for now here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to being part of and contributing to this community!

Welcome! Really nice setup.

 

[saint.panda]

Hi folks - felt like this post was way overdue. Longtime lurker, first time poster. DNA Stellaris number 0010 checking in - have had it several months now and haven't had time to tear myself away from it long enough to write a post...kidding. Though in all seriousness, this incredible piece of equipment has been known to induce sleep deprivation on occasion. Time just seems to stand still while enjoying music of all genres piped through Donald's work of sonic perfection.

Welcome the club and have fun diving into tubes next

 

[bgcports]

Welcome the club and have fun diving into tubes next

Oh believe me, I've already started . Currently running a pair of Psvane Acme Supreme 2A3's for power tubes and jumping between an RCA 5U4G (1950s vintage I believe) and 1950s U52. Can't decide which I like best...the U52 pairs better with more power tubes...think EML 2A3 mesh plate, KR Audio 2A3, etc but there's something magical about the RCA and Psvane combo...exploring drivers next .

 

[bgcports]

Welcome! Really nice setup.

Thanks! Really been enjoying the M SCALER + DAVE / Stellaris combo. You get the exacting technicalities and sharp transients of DAVE mixed with a bit of tube character. What I love about Stellaris is its uncanny ability to remain so incredibly accurate and quick while delivering that tube taste all at the same time. Using this combo with Utopia, Abyss Phi TC, HD650, and HE1000v2 and it hasn't fallen short once. For Utopia, using the EML mesh 5U4G and EML 2A3 mesh plates transforms the headphone into something I never thought possible with Utopia. Tight and most surprisingly *very* present bass along with Utopia's hallmark accuracy and imaging. It's really quite a treat .

 

[RubyTiger]

Oh believe me, I've already started . Currently running a pair of Psvane Acme Supreme 2A3's for power tubes and jumping between an RCA 5U4G (1950s vintage I believe) and 1950s U52. Can't decide which I like best...the U52 pairs better with more power tubes...think EML 2A3 mesh plate, KR Audio 2A3, etc but there's something magical about the RCA and Psvane combo...exploring drivers next .

So you really like the Acme Supreme's. I think they're fantastic looking tubes and the sound quality is superb. They get the tone especially right and have a great way of communicating the music's emotional content. Vocals are vivid and the noise floor is literally non existent.

I have not tried the RCA 5u4g but between the KR RK and EML I found the EML to my liking. The KR is more accurate but also more analytical sounding. I also found the Acme's to be revealing of my system's shortcomings and needed to upgrade my interconnects. It's still an on going process.

Did you experience a long break in time? I wasn't really sure if it was the break in time or a need to make some system changes. I felt they needed at least 400 hours before they began to sound their best. I now have 700 plus hour's and they show no sign's of slowing down. Some might find the price steep but I believe they're worth every penny.

 

[RubyTiger]

Sorry, double post. Moderator please remove.

 

[bgcports]

So you really like the Acme Supreme's. I think they're fantastic looking tubes and the sound quality is superb. They get the tone especially right and have a great way of communicating the music's emotional content. Vocals are vivid and the noise floor is literally non existent.

I have not tried the RCA 5u4g but between the KR RK and EML I found the EML to my liking. The KR is more accurate but also more analytical sounding. I also found the Acme's to be revealing of my system's shortcomings and needed to upgrade my interconnects. It's still an on going process.

Did you experience a long break in time? I wasn't really sure if it was the break in time or a need to make some system changes. I felt they needed at least 400 hours before they began to sound their best. I now have 700 plus hour's and they show no sign's of slowing down. Some might find the price steep but I believe they're worth every penny.

I absolutely like the Acme Supreme's. It took me a while to actually take the plunge, since I've heard mixed impressions about the overall QA on Psvane's tubes. The bulk of the negative feedback seemed to end around the 2017 timeframe with a few exceptions (notably the WR2A3 - some folks seem to be continuing to have issues with those) and per their website (I chose to believe them) QA has been tightened up considerably. My experience so far seems to validate their claims, as they've been perfect for about 100 hours. So you've definitely got more time on yours than I do, but as you've said - they only continue to improve with time. Not to say they didn't sound fantastic out of the box - they absolutely did. Vocals and mids are phenomenal with these, and they seem to really make my HD650s sing.

The RCA 5U4G has a very unassuming look but damn - I'm very impressed with what it delivers. I too have an EML 5U4G mesh and, while it's fantastic, I almost like the RCA's signature more. It's very forceful and present, but never "in your face" so to speak. Somehow it seems to draw out detail I haven't heard with other rectifiers, but covers that detail in a perfect layer of lushness. Hard to describe, easier to hear . It also runs much hotter and definitely draws more current than the EML or U52.

I've also just obtained the KR RK 5U4G and agree with you that it does seem a bit more analytical, though still enjoyable. Waiting to see how it develops over time. This one seems to run as hot as the RCA and draws nearly the same current but ever-so-slightly less. For me, the RCA rectifier and Acme 2A3 combo is pretty damn close to nirvana, but I'm still having fun messing around. The U52 in combo with the EML 2A3 mesh plates is pretty great too.

The Acme's are very revealing of shortcomings, and I really can't believe I'm about to say this because I've never believed in cable voodoo (flame alert, lol) but I'm a believer now. The single biggest sound quality change I've experienced in my current system (sans tubes) is when I swapped the stock coax cables (connecting my M SCALER and DAVE) with a pair of Moon Audio Silver Dragon digital coax cables. There had been a grating harshness and sibilance in some of the higher treble frequencies that I just couldn't eliminate, no matter what I tried. I threw in the Silver Dragons and in that very moment, I became a cable believer. It still frustrates me to say, but the difference was night and day. All harshness and sibilance was gone. Completely gone. I may upgrade the USB cable going from my Aurender N100 to M SCALER next. I've played with various lower-end USB cables and have noticed differences, but the Acme's seem to bring out the weakness in that cable that other tubes seem to mask.

I've ordered some different driver tubes (all being shipped as we speak) and can't wait to try them out:

- Westinghouse 6BQ7A '62 date code
- 6N1P-V NOS NEVZ from the Novosibirsk factory - large pentagon shaped shields with '60 date code
- Mullard 6BQ7A '52 date code
- Sylvania 6BQ7A '67 date code
- RCA 6BQ7A black plates '60s date code
- AND...with your help, I'm hoping to get my hands on one of those infamous RubyTiger 6N1P-EV's ...PM sent

 

[bigfatpaulie]

- AND...with your help, I'm hoping to get my hands on one of those infamous RubyTiger 6N1P-EV's ...PM sent

Hahaha! Knowing what he goes though to "produce" them, I can only imagine the results!!

 

[claud W]

Its good to see the Stellaris owners doing some posting. Acme Supreme experience is much appreciated as well. Ruby Tiger has been trying to convert me for months. I have just had a hard time switching from my KR 2A3 and WE 422a combo that is so nice.
How many Stellaris have been sold?

 

[RubyTiger]

Its good to see the Stellaris owners doing some posting. Acme Supreme experience is much appreciated as well. Ruby Tiger has been trying to convert me for months. I have just had a hard time switching from my KR 2A3 and WE 422a combo that is so nice.
How many Stellaris have been sold?

As far as the KR2A3's or EML2A3's go I really can't say. I'm a firm believer in getting what you pay for so Acme's competitive range would be around $600. Perhaps they would compete with something like the Sophia Carbon 300b''s. The Carbon's are big, open sounding tubes that improve a great deal as they break in. I don't know what happened to my Carbon's but with only about 500 hour's their sound quality began to fall off. The Acme's likewise are big and open sounding although the soundstage is deeper than wide. They have the best tone and with 700 plus hour's I'm more satisfied. I like the Sophia 2a3's with the KR RK as a synergistic match,

 

[bgcports]

Its good to see the Stellaris owners doing some posting. Acme Supreme experience is much appreciated as well. Ruby Tiger has been trying to convert me for months. I have just had a hard time switching from my KR 2A3 and WE 422a combo that is so nice.
How many Stellaris have been sold?

Though I don't have nearly as much mindshare on these forums as RubyTiger, I can confirm that the Acme Supreme's are something to behold. As it has been noted a couple of times they're certainly not cheap - but to give you an idea of how taken I am with their performance I've since ordered a backup set. I don't see my power tubes changing for a long time to come. Of course, I have some 40's vintage spring-top Philco 2A3's and 50's vintage RCA double black plate 2A3's headed in my direction so I'll have to see how I feel about those as well, but unless they're absolutely magical I'm certain the Acme's will be a fixture.

I've also played with some KR 2A3's and, while I find them delightful, they just don't have that jaw-dropping *wow* factor I get from the Acme's. Not sure Stellaris would work well with a WE 422a from a circuitry perspective, would need to check with Donald...though it doesn't much matter since they're unobtanium at this point. For rectifiers, the GEC U52 and 50's RCA 5U4G have nailed it for me. The KR RK is good but there's just something so liquid about the GEC and RCA that keeps bringing me back.