[bigfatpaulie]

Haha... I get it. I've found myself having a greater appreciation for the HD800 after spending time with another enjoyable phone with a different signature as well. I'm just a little shocked because you're the one that influenced me most into getting the Utopia.

 
Sorry about your wallet 

 
Don't get me wrong, I love the Utopia and it isn't going anywhere.  I have a SuperDupont Resonation en route thanks to @Sorrodje.  I just think the HD800's still have a lot to offer.  The Utopia's are excellent in their own right, but that doesn't diminish what the 800's are in any way.
 
To me, I think the Focals are king of the castle.  But other headphones do offer something - the 800's sound stage, the Abyss' bass, etc.  The Focals just do the most right and more transparent than anything else I've heard (though I imagine a big 009 rig would rival it there).  
 
How are you liking them?

 

[stuart1927]

of Course....Western Electric 422a! It was jet lag!
 
 
Stuart

 

[auricgoldfinger]

  The Sophia 2a3 globes are the best sounding tubes I've heard with the Stratus, by quite a margin. And that includes the KR audio tubes. They have a fantastic balance and for me, they are just "right" with the Stratus. I had been using a U52 rectifier but swapped in a Western Electric (edit!) 422a and things got even better. 
 
I know the 422a is not supposed to be optimized for the Stratus, but hell, it sounds amazing to me. 
 
I don't see myself changing this tube combo anytime soon. (I'm currently using the Westinghouse input tube)
 
I also just recently got a Norne audio Solve X balanced cable for the hd800 and it's a great match, seems to bring out even more detail and a bit more warmth.
 
I think I have close to perfection with my set up currently.....whatever that means!
 
Stuart

 
Which input tube are you using?

 

[stuart1927]

   
Which input tube are you using?

Westinghouse 6BQ7A.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

  Westinghouse 6BQ7A.

 
Thanks!

 

[froger]

As another data point, I am currently using RCA grey plates 2A3s with my Focal Utopia. Smoother and provides a bit more body than the KR audio 2a3. Tried Psvane WE275 (too warm to my liking) and EML Solids (too forward).

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I would have guessed that the EML's would be a good match with the he1000's.
 
It is also interesting to hear you like the RCA's - it's a tube that I thought would be pretty popular with the Stratus!  It's just an all around very good 2A3.  What I find interesting that most people seem to use new production 2A3's with their DNA amp versus vintage ones.

 

[vc1187]

  I would have guessed that the EML's would be a good match with the he1000's.
 
It is also interesting to hear you like the RCA's - it's a tube that I thought would be pretty popular with the Stratus!  It's just an all around very good 2A3.  What I find interesting that most people seem to use new production 2A3's with their DNA amp versus vintage ones.

Not sure about the EML solids, but my 'go-to' 2A3 tubes for the HEK V1 is the AVVT 2A3 Solid.  A lovely vintage tube.
 

 
 
Here's a pic of the AVVT tube in comparison to other more popular tubes.  While the picture doesn't do it justice, it's certainly the largest tube I have ever seen!
 

(AVVT Mesh shown in pic, but it's the same size as the solid)

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Too bad they are unobtanium

 

[m17xr2b]

The 2A3 tubes I would rate as great in my collection are the Sylvania dual flat plate, KR, EML Solid and Ken Rad black glass. They are all very nice tubes for different headphones and music and it's more about preference and mood.
To break them down for headphones would be 
HEK: KR,Ken Rad, EML,
HD800: Sylvania,KR
Abyss: Ken Rad
I tried to match the rectifiers and input for a particular power tube. The one I like best is the National Unition VT-244 with the foil getter. The Ken Rad VT244 and U52 are also nice  but I find the NU better. The low end is the most controlled and tight, mids are similar to the Ken Rad, high end is better almost as good as the U52. Other rectifiers that I have are: Sylvania VT244, Fivre 5U4G, GEC U52(different construction than the common one), MWT 5U4G.
For input tubes my favorite is the Tungsram 6BQ7A as I find it very detailed, engaging and musical. The triple mica 6N1P-E is also great but it's hard to get. These are my favorite from Sylvania,Mazda,CBS,Philips,Fivre,GE,Brimar,Cossor 6BQ7A. I also have all the 6N1P variants including gold grid 62 novosibirsk but not cryo.
 
I often rolled tubes in different combinations and I am always pleased with the results. Just goes to show how good the Stratus is. Even the plain Sylvania S plate sound great just not as good as the others.
I don't listen to the Stratus much as my primary headphone now is the Abyss and while the Stratus does an excellent job the Moon 600i is better. I will do some listening in the next weeks to see if there is an area where the Stratus is better otherwise I will have to let it go unfortunately. Too bad as I already have a good tube collection.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

  Too bad they are unobtanium

 
Keep an eye on ebay.  I have seen 1 or 2 pair of AVVT sell there.

 

[vc1187]

Keep an eye on ebay.  I have seen 1 or 2 pair of AVVT sell there.

Yep, they are rare but they pop up from time to time. drheadphone, a previous owner of the Stratus had a pair of the AVVT tubes for sale some time earlier this year.
The price for AVVT Tubes is generally on the high side, but they're supposed to have an extremely long lifespan and the sound quality is second to none.

 

[Frihed89]

I have AVVT mesh plates.  I have some RCA tubes to back them up, but have hardly used them.  My tube rolling days are long over, and currently I listen most to a 0.8W 1626 Larry Moore Darling SET speaker amp through an adapter.  There is a bit of low-level hum, but I find the amp to beguiling. It also uses 12V6 tubes which have a bit more presence, probably just due to higher power. Both the Stratus and the Darling re connected directly to a Wavelength Brick V2 (NOS) Dac and all my files were ripped from CDs using ALAC, AIFF and WAV.  Everything is played at 44.1/16 with the Brick.
 
Recently, I heard the Sugden Masterclass HA-4 with the HE1000 headphones with an AN(UK) CD Zero/II CDP.  For my tastes, this is the best SS combination i have heard, even considering the AN(UK) Zero level CDP.  Very accurate and not at all fatiguing.  
 
I keep being tantalized by SS transistor amps, but just can't get my head there.

 

[songmic]

Anyone looking for a matched pair of Shuguang Nature Sound 2A3C-T for your Stratus, let me know. 

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Don't like them with The Studio?