[DMck2000]

Really appreciate the comments guys! I cannot contain the excitement

 

[m17xr2b]

As someone previously said if you have the Stratus you owe it to yourself to get the HD800. I never thought I would buy a headphone twice but I'm glad I did with the HD800. I'm not sure if it's the P5, the better tubes or cables but the HD800 sounds like a real masterpiece now with the single plate tubes. This time I'm also going to hardwire them.

 

[UntilThen]

As someone previously said if you have the Stratus you owe it to yourself to get the HD800. I never thought I would buy a headphone twice but I'm glad I did with the HD800. I'm not sure if it's the P5, the better tubes or cables but the HD800 sounds like a real masterpiece now with the single plate tubes. This time I'm also going to hardwire them.

Ok you got my attention. I love HD800.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

As someone previously said if you have the Stratus you owe it to yourself to get the HD800. I never thought I would buy a headphone twice but I'm glad I did with the HD800. I'm not sure if it's the P5, the better tubes or cables but the HD800 sounds like a real masterpiece now with the single plate tubes. This time I'm also going to hardwire them.

Likely both. At least, that was the case for me. Do you have a Gen5 USB board on your Yggy?

 

[m17xr2b]

Yes I do. I'm about an hour away from the UK dealer so I couldn't resist. I have to admit it's a lot better than Gen3 but I'm not going back to USB. With gen3/5 the high end of the HD800 is a bit sharp, just enough to be a problem. On some songs cymbals have a tendency to become one note almost like generated frequencies which takes away from the listening pleasure. The lynx card is completely natural and I'm never distracted by such artefacts. My other headphones don't seem so affected as I perceive just a slight increase in brightness without being bothersome.

 

[blackrain139]

Has anyone owned the Stratus and the ZDS and compared both with the HD800s?

Looking to purchase either amp for the HD800s.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I've heard both pretty extensively: I owned the Stratus for years and had the ZDS at home for a month or so. Both are very, very good options. Arguably the best two amps out there for the HD800's in my eyes less the Stellaris and *possibly* the Aficionado.

They are both excellent, just a matter of preference. I could easily live with either.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

At the risk of speaking out of turn, I would add that at the beginning of this year, Donald started building the Stratus with new materials and techniques adopted from the Stellaris. This newer version is closer in performance to the Stellaris than when Paul owned his Stratus. Maybe that would give the Stratus a slight edge over the ZDS???

 

[blackrain139]

I've heard both pretty extensively: I owned the Stratus for years and had the ZDS at home for a month or so. Both are very, very good options. Arguably the best two amps out there for the HD800's in my eyes less the Stellaris and *possibly* the Aficionado.

They are both excellent, just a matter of preference. I could easily live with either.

Thanks! Could you elaborate on "preference"? What are the differences between the ZDS and the Stratus? And if you have to take one with you to a remote island with a HD800s. Which one would you bring?

 

[bigfatpaulie]

The Status.

The ZDS is thicker and more sultry. It's a more romantic amp. The mids are thicker. It is also a slower, more rounded sounding amp.

The Stratus has been through at least three versions. The first I have not heard, the second (with the added chokes, etc) is the one I owned. I have not heard the latest iteration (the one that @auricgoldfinger is talking about) but I do own a Stellaris. The Stellaris is faster, cleaner and more resolving. It is a very resolving, responsive amp. The mids pull you in like everyone dreams tubes should. The Stellaris is an amp that gets your head bobbing and turns an early evening into a near all nighter of "just one more track". The Stellaris is, without a doubt, head and shoulders ahead of either the ZDS or the Stratus (2nd revision). If the lastest Stratus is at all like the Stellaris that is the amp I would take to an island. I'm also a DNA guy; Donald's amps draw me in. They grab me personally in a way that EC doesn't. I've spent a lot of time with the ZDS, BA and Studio, but I've owned the Stratus and Stellaris. Heck, my Stellaris is SN#2.

I have enormous respect for both Craig and Donald. Both men make world class audio products and offer no compromise options. I can't recommend listening to both enough and truly there isn't a bad option here.

That said, you are considering a Stratus: an amp that is less than half the price of the Stellaris. The Stratus is faster, cleaner and more precise. The ZDS is soupier, more romantic and thicker so it really is up to preference.

 

[blackrain139]

Thank you. Appreciate the detailed write up. Gonna send Donald an email!

 

[RedBull]

What's the waiting time for Stratus? Still one year?

 

[mysticstryk]

What's the waiting time for Stratus? Still one year?

Yes, as of my inquiry last week. Made to order hand built products can obviously fluctuate in build time if Donald has gotten a bunch of orders over the past week or two.

 

[RedBull]

It's a pity, I imagine my preference might have changed in a year time.

 

[Bigsecret]

Some things are worth waiting for.