[magiccabbage]

Here is the Shuguang double-plate 2A3 for auction on Ebay, which I am purely speculating is the same as the Golden Dragon double-plate 2A3 I recently acquired. Very solid midcentric sound and good synergy with the HD800. Sounds great with other headphones but a little less bass and flatter soundstage compared to the 2A3B.

Have you heard the KR 2A3?

 

[drheadphone]

Nope. But Frank I gave his brief impressions sandwiched somewhere in this thread. He liked the EML'S more.

 

[magiccabbage]

Nope. But Frank I gave his brief impressions sandwiched somewhere in this thread. He liked the EML'S more.

Thanks, just read through there. Do you really prefer the HE500 to HD800 with Stratus? - I see that comment there on that page.

 

[drheadphone]

Thanks, just read through there. Do you really prefer the HE500 to HD800 with Stratus? - I see that comment there on that page.

For certain music like jazz vocal and modern stuff, the forward midrange and weightier lows of the HE500 can sound better to my ears than the HD800. That's personal taste. I have the HE560 now which I prefer over the 500.

 

[froger]

The HD800 loves this rectifier on the Stratus...



The Raytheon VT-244 5U4G with the "H" shaped top plate. Super warm mids with full bottom end and just enough treble detail to produce a lovely 3D soundstage. Pair it with some NOS Sylvania 2A3 grey biplates and you have a very pleasant musical fit for the HD800 without breaking the bank. It also sounds nice with the W3000ANV but I feel the ultra-refined Brimar 5R4GY brings out more of the 3000's top end detail and sharpens up the imaging. Another great combo!

Really loving rolling tubes on the Stratus right now.

Just received this Raytheon 5U4G, not too sure if it sounds different from the VT244 version, certainly looks different. I do like it very much sound wise. Compared to the Ken Rad CKR, it is not as detailed and does not have as deep a soundstage, but it has a weightier sound, which is very nice for vocal and the soundstage is still quite 3-D. Overall, it steers my HD800 a bit towards the LCD-3 signature, which is good because I just sold my LCD-3F. After changing to Ken rad CKR and upgrading some components in my chain, I found the LCD-3 just couldn't keep up with the improvement I obtained from HD800. HD800 just keeps scaling and music became more and more realistic with it with better imaging, transparency, musicality and details, not to mention more comfortable on the head. In the end, I just couldn't justify keeping the LCD-3 just for its seductive mid.

 

[froger]

Spent another 3 hours with the Raytheon 5U4G before switching back to Ken Rad CKR today. Just made me realize how good the Ken Rad CKR is again, being more refined, more detailed and having that borderless soundstage. The texture and details of the bass produced by the Ken Rad makes music so musical and toe-tapping. I am done with tube-rolling for the time being.
Side note, I had a chance to listen to Chord Hugo and LCD-3 combo on the day I sold it. The Hugo was brought along by the buyer to test the headphone and he let me listen to it. All I can say is that I was really grateful that he enjoyed the sound and thus bought the LCD-3. Definitely made me appreciate my set-up a lot more after that experience

 

[frankrondaniel]

Spent another 3 hours with the Raytheon 5U4G before switching back to Ken Rad CKR today. Just made me realize how good the Ken Rad CKR is again, being more refined, more detailed and having that borderless soundstage. The texture and details of the bass produced by the Ken Rad makes music so musical and toe-tapping. I am done with tube-rolling for the time being.
Side note, I had a chance to listen to Chord Hugo and LCD-3 combo on the day I sold it. The Hugo was brought along by the buyer to test the headphone and he let me listen to it. All I can say is that I was really grateful that he enjoyed the sound and thus bought the LCD-3. Definitely made me appreciate my set-up a lot more after that experience

 
I take it that you didn't like the Hugo?

 

[kensonic]

Can somebody describe the difference between the Hugo and the Stratus (with HD800) ?
This would really help me to understand how the Stratus sounds.

 

[magiccabbage]

Can somebody describe the difference between the Hugo and the Stratus (with HD800) ?
This would really help me to understand how the Stratus sounds.

ThirdEye should be able I think he has both

 

[third_eye]

I'm running the Hugo as a DAC only with my Stratus/HD800; if running Hugo as a DAC/AMP I prefer the HE560 to the HD800. The Hugo's real strength IMO, is as a DAC only with the portable thing being a bonus.

 

[third_eye]

Can somebody describe the difference between the Hugo and the Stratus (with HD800) ?
This would really help me to understand how the Stratus sounds.

Stratus sounds bigger and wider, more refined, more balanced, very detailed but non-fatiguing.........Hugo sounds punchy, very detailed, smaller soundstage, can sound a little lean or bright with certain recordings. I think most people would prefer adding the amp with the HD800 but with certain cans, the HE560 being one of them, the Hugo has REALLY good synergy.

 

[frankrondaniel]

  Stratus sounds bigger and wider, more refined, more balanced, very detailed but non-fatiguing.........Hugo sounds punchy, very detailed, smaller soundstage, can sound a little lean or bright with certain recordings. I think most people would prefer adding the amp with the HD800 but with certain cans, the HE560 being one of them, the Hugo has REALLY good synergy.

 
Thanks for the comparison, as I've been considering the Stratus.  I've been running my HD800's directly amped by the Hugo and have found it generally to be on the brighter side.  I find that I get fatigued fairly quickly.  It sounds like the Status may be a good way to go.

 

[kensonic]

Stratus sounds bigger and wider, more refined, more balanced, very detailed but non-fatiguing.........Hugo sounds punchy, very detailed, smaller soundstage, can sound a little lean or bright with certain recordings. I think most people would prefer adding the amp with the HD800 but with certain cans, the HE560 being one of them, the Hugo has REALLY good synergy.

.
A big "thank you"!
I use the Hugo often with my Singlepower MPX (and HD800) to avoid lean or bright sound - especially with classics (source: dCS Puccini). So, the Stratus would be ONE way to go ... The other way would be the Stax direction (because I am not sure whether I like the HD800 really).

 

[Rossymusic4]

Nice.  I have a pair of Sylvania dual flat plates as well and I now prefer them to my RCA mono plates with the HD800.  Along with the military Ken Rad dual box plates, they are the pinnacle of the 2A3.  The Sylvanias, as you rightly point out, are for more refined phones, and the Ken Rads are to stomp all over orthos...

Do you like the HE500 better than the HE6 with the Stratus?

Third Eye, alas, I sold my HE500s!  But I liked that combo a lot.  Better perhaps than the HE-6, although the HE-6 are sounding very nice on my Stratus right now - especially with the Ken Rads.  Better than EMLs.  The EMLs enhance the HE-6's already sibilant-tending treble.  But with the Ken Rads and even the Sylvanias, I was getting a very even, powerful,  voluptuous sound from the HE-6s today.  That being said, the HE-5s trounce them both!  If you can find an old pair somewhere they are even more highly recommended.

I have the HE-5 ( Code -X ) and share similar musical interests as yourself , fejnomit . They are my favorite cans. Forgive me if I missed something , but what did you find was the ideal tube combo with the Stratus? Thanks!

 

[qingjingyaxuan]

hello everybody!
If anyone wants to sale a used dna stratus please pm me, can not wait so long to buy a new one...