[LarsMan]

Just gave the Stratus a listen for a few hours - fed from an MSB 'Analog DAC' and into Susvara. That's a pretty exciting amp, that is! It really does look and sound wonderful and it was worth the wait. This sucker has some mojo. It will compliment the Eddie Current nicely as the 2A3's have a different character from the 300B's, and it's fun listening to the same piece of music through both, which I'll do in a week or so after the Stratus' tubes have had some burn-in time.

 

[helljudgement]

Just gave the Stratus a listen for a few hours - fed from an MSB 'Analog DAC' and into Susvara. That's a pretty exciting amp, that is! It really does look and sound wonderful and it was worth the wait. This sucker has some mojo. It will compliment the Eddie Current nicely as the 2A3's have a different character from the 300B's, and it's fun listening to the same piece of music through both, which I'll do in a week or so after the Stratus' tubes have had some burn-in time.

DNA and EC amps contrast nicely against each other. DNA is a wetter, lusher and gentler presentation and the EC being drier, grander and heftier sound. Looking forward to reading more impressions once you've settled in.

 

[LarsMan]

DNA and EC amps contrast nicely against each other. DNA is a wetter, lusher and gentler presentation and the EC being drier, grander and heftier sound. Looking forward to reading more impressions once you've settled in.

... and I'm using WE 300B tubes, which are a different kettle of fish altogether from the JJ and Gold Lions I had been using. Much more expensive fish, but a lot tastier....

 

[LarsMan]

OK - I've given the Stratus and its tubes over 100 hours so have just done an initial comparison between that using Utopia and Susvara and the EC using the same headphones. DAC for both is the MSB.

My first conclusion was also the end of any valid comparison, because I realized that this was not a fair fight.

With the EC, there had been such a difference between the 'low-cost' JJ and Gold Lion 300B's and the WE from their new plant in Georgia (state, not country), that they may as well have been different amps in the EC line.

So regardless of general sonic differences, a Western Electric (or whatever the equivalent in 2a3-land is), an expensive tube like will be a large noticeable improvement over a budget PsVane (which sounds perfectly fine), in this case. Never thought I'd feel like that, but I felt that laying out $1300/pair for those WE tubes was well worth it; I'd have bought the next highest amp in the EC line, but he's just got one model, so this is the equivalent.

As for sound of what I heard with what I had, the winner out of all combinations for me was the EC with Susvara, but again, this means nothing; I've just driven the Stratus Ferrari downtown, need to upgrade the fuel; the Autobahn still awaits. An email to Brent Jessee is in order..

I'll also say that all 4 combinations sounded stunning - look at what amps and cans I'm comparing! This is real minutiae here.

The Stratus provided more visceral kick-in-the-face (ambient is not my preferred genre), and really laid all the instruments clear as a bell with a lovely tube sound, whereas the EC had a more big, wide, expansive feel at the expense of a bit of the visceral I got from the Stratus; it reveals so much without pushing it at you.

 

[Rhodey]

I have a DNA Stratus v3 I may list in the classifieds section soon. Want to give anyone waiting on one or thinking about buying one an opportunity first. It’ll come with all stock tubes and upgraded tubes. As well as a custom dust cover I had made. I can provide pictures if you’re interested.
Stock tubes: Psvane 2A3s, 5U4G Winged C, 6N1P
Upgraded tubes: LinLai Elite 2A3s, EML 5U4G Mesh rectifier tube, a couple NOS 6N1Ps.
Free Shipping CONUS (I’ll ship insured and cover shipping)

 

[LarsMan]

Well, I'm listening to an 8500-song playlist on Shuffle through the new Stratus and the Utopias, and what should shuffle dish up?

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[erics75]

Finally getting some new tubes in to start rolling on the Stratus. So far swapped out the stock input tube for a NOS Russian 6n1p, and got a few rectifiers in, including an EML and NOS RCA blackplates. I didn't notice much of a difference just swapping out the input tube. But man what a difference the rectifier makes!

I found with the stock rectifier the overall sound was a bit slow and warm. It sounds good on my brighter headphones, but with my warmer sets like the HD650, Atrium, Atticus it was a bit too slow and warm. It made them a bit bloated and thick. The EML is much much faster, with stronger transients and an overall more controlled sound to it. The bass hits hard and tight. I also notice the upper frequencies are more present as well. My Atrium is pretty tame up top, and the stock tube just made it too dark, lacking any proper treble/upper mids presence. That's changes completely with the EML. If there's any complaints on the EML, it's not the smoothest sounding tube I've tried. It's a bit aggressive at times, but still a huge improvement over stock.

The RCA IMO sounds like a more refined EML. It's faster and more controlled than the stock unit, but smoother than the EML, and less aggressive. The treble region really stands out on the RCA as being well extended and present, but not aggressive at all. Bass response is tight and controlled, but a bit more reserved than the EML. Overall the top to bottom response from the RCA is more balanced and refined sounding. The EML is a more fun listen, but can tire me out just a bit for longer sessions. Both though are a marked improvement over the stock tube. I think I like the RCA a bit more, but it's too early to say for sure.

Today I have a set of RCA 2a3 coming in, I can't wait to give those a listen. If the Stratus is even half as responsive to power tubes as it is rectifiers, i'll be more than happy. Even with the stock power tubes, running the NOS rectifier and input tubes really transforms the Stratus from great to amazing.

 

[LarsMan]

Finally getting some new tubes in to start rolling on the Stratus. So far swapped out the stock input tube for a NOS Russian 6n1p, and got a few rectifiers in, including an EML and NOS RCA blackplates. I didn't notice much of a difference just swapping out the input tube. But man what a difference the rectifier makes!

I found with the stock rectifier the overall sound was a bit slow and warm. It sounds good on my brighter headphones, but with my warmer sets like the HD650, Atrium, Atticus it was a bit too slow and warm. It made them a bit bloated and thick. The EML is much much faster, with stronger transients and an overall more controlled sound to it. The bass hits hard and tight. I also notice the upper frequencies are more present as well. My Atrium is pretty tame up top, and the stock tube just made it too dark, lacking any proper treble/upper mids presence. That's changes completely with the EML. If there's any complaints on the EML, it's not the smoothest sounding tube I've tried. It's a bit aggressive at times, but still a huge improvement over stock.

The RCA IMO sounds like a more refined EML. It's faster and more controlled than the stock unit, but smoother than the EML, and less aggressive. The treble region really stands out on the RCA as being well extended and present, but not aggressive at all. Bass response is tight and controlled, but a bit more reserved than the EML. Overall the top to bottom response from the RCA is more balanced and refined sounding. The EML is a more fun listen, but can tire me out just a bit for longer sessions. Both though are a marked improvement over the stock tube. I think I like the RCA a bit more, but it's too early to say for sure.

Today I have a set of RCA 2a3 coming in, I can't wait to give those a listen. If the Stratus is even half as responsive to power tubes as it is rectifiers, i'll be more than happy. Even with the stock power tubes, running the NOS rectifier and input tubes really transforms the Stratus from great to amazing.

I ordered some upgrade tubes from Brent Jessee last week that should be showing up later this week. One thing about the stock tubes; I think they sure improve after a few hundred hours. At first my Susvara's sounded rather thin, and on some recordings, it still does, but that's on the recording. Now they sound a lot more muscular and while I know the upgrades will be an improvement, these are no slouches anymore.

 

[erics75]

I ordered some upgrade tubes from Brent Jessee last week that should be showing up later this week. One thing about the stock tubes; I think they sure improve after a few hundred hours. At first my Susvara's sounded rather thin, and on some recordings, it still does, but that's on the recording. Now they sound a lot more muscular and while I know the upgrades will be an improvement, these are no slouches anymore.

I might need more hours on the stock tubes then, i'm not sure I hit 100 hours yet. Which tubes did you get from Brent? I like Brent, his prices are competitive and he's always helpful. I love the fact that he won't just push the most expensive tubes at you.

 

[thehutch]

Finally getting some new tubes in to start rolling on the Stratus. So far swapped out the stock input tube for a NOS Russian 6n1p, and got a few rectifiers in, including an EML and NOS RCA blackplates. I didn't notice much of a difference just swapping out the input tube. But man what a difference the rectifier makes!

I found with the stock rectifier the overall sound was a bit slow and warm. It sounds good on my brighter headphones, but with my warmer sets like the HD650, Atrium, Atticus it was a bit too slow and warm. It made them a bit bloated and thick. The EML is much much faster, with stronger transients and an overall more controlled sound to it. The bass hits hard and tight. I also notice the upper frequencies are more present as well. My Atrium is pretty tame up top, and the stock tube just made it too dark, lacking any proper treble/upper mids presence. That's changes completely with the EML. If there's any complaints on the EML, it's not the smoothest sounding tube I've tried. It's a bit aggressive at times, but still a huge improvement over stock.

The RCA IMO sounds like a more refined EML. It's faster and more controlled than the stock unit, but smoother than the EML, and less aggressive. The treble region really stands out on the RCA as being well extended and present, but not aggressive at all. Bass response is tight and controlled, but a bit more reserved than the EML. Overall the top to bottom response from the RCA is more balanced and refined sounding. The EML is a more fun listen, but can tire me out just a bit for longer sessions. Both though are a marked improvement over the stock tube. I think I like the RCA a bit more, but it's too early to say for sure.

Today I have a set of RCA 2a3 coming in, I can't wait to give those a listen. If the Stratus is even half as responsive to power tubes as it is rectifiers, i'll be more than happy. Even with the stock power tubes, running the NOS rectifier and input tubes really transforms the Stratus from great to amazing.

Look forward to hearing how things go with the power tubes. Thanks for these great impressions.

I got some 1940s RCA 2A3s in a little while ago. They were really noisy at first but had a much richer sound than stock tubes. Guy I bought from had just put 10 hours on them, so weren’t burned in at first. I just got a new line conditioner – the EQUI=CORE 1000 – and that dropped noise floor pretty low. I was still hearing some noise and was actually close to selling the tubes. I switched back to stock tubes and did not like them by comparison. Much dryer, didn’t have as much life to them. Switched back to the RCAs and the noise is gone now. Really glad I stuck with them.

 

[erics75]

Look forward to hearing how things go with the power tubes. Thanks for these great impressions.

I got some 1940s RCA 2A3s in a little while ago. They were really noisy at first but had a much richer sound than stock tubes. Guy I bought from had just put 10 hours on them, so weren’t burned in at first. I just got a new line conditioner – the EQUI=CORE 1000 – and that dropped noise floor pretty low. I was still hearing some noise and was actually close to selling the tubes. I switched back to stock tubes and did not like them by comparison. Much dryer, didn’t have as much life to them. Switched back to the RCAs and the noise is gone now. Really glad I stuck with them.

Thanks for the noise heads up! If mine have some noise I'll ride that out. Do you have any idea how many hours it took roughly to settle them down? I got these from Brent Jesse

JAN CRC-2A3 VT-95 military RCA label blackplate, dual plate. MATCHED PAIR​

NOS in white boxes. 1940s manufacture vintage, these are military surplus. Rare dual black S-shape plates, clear glass bottle. Vintage blackplate quality at an attractive price. Some made for other brands but all are RCA made​

 

[LarsMan]

I might need more hours on the stock tubes then, i'm not sure I hit 100 hours yet. Which tubes did you get from Brent? I like Brent, his prices are competitive and he's always helpful. I love the fact that he won't just push the most expensive tubes at you.

I've been buying tubes from Brent, going with his suggestions, for years, and the results have always been good, and I trust him. This time, he recommended the NOS RCA-made dual black-plates for the 2A3, NOS RCA-made 5U4G, and after we checked with Donald to see what we should or shouldn't use, we're going with a 6BQ7 - he says he's got various US brands of these for $10 each or $20/matched pair - as you say, he doesn't try to push the most expensive tubes, but the most appropriate ones based on the gear you tell him about. Repeat customers are the best kind.

 

[LarsMan]

Thanks for the noise heads up! If mine have some noise I'll ride that out. Do you have any idea how many hours it took roughly to settle them down? I got these from Brent Jesse

JAN CRC-2A3 VT-95 military RCA label blackplate, dual plate. MATCHED PAIR​

NOS in white boxes. 1940s manufacture vintage, these are military surplus. Rare dual black S-shape plates, clear glass bottle. Vintage blackplate quality at an attractive price. Some made for other brands but all are RCA made​

You got the same ones from Brent that I did....

 

[erics75]

I've been buying tubes from Brent, going with his suggestions, for years, and the results have always been good, and I trust him. This time, he recommended the NOS RCA-made dual black-plates for the 2A3, NOS RCA-made 5U4G, and after we checked with Donald to see what we should or shouldn't use, we're going with a 6BQ7 - he says he's got various US brands of these for $10 each or $20/matched pair - as you say, he doesn't try to push the most expensive tubes, but the most appropriate ones based on the gear you tell him about. Repeat customers are the best kind.

Do you need to run any adapters to use a 6BQ7? I have a bunch of them from another amp sitting around good to know they’re an alternative. I got the same rectifier as you I believe. Looks like other than the input tube we’re running the same tubes.

 

[LarsMan]

Do you need to run any adapters to use a 6BQ7? I have a bunch of them from another amp sitting around good to know they’re an alternative. I got the same rectifier as you I believe. Looks like other than the input tube we’re running the same tubes.

I don't think so - either Donald or Brent would have mentioned any required adapters...