[helljudgement]

Not sure, to be honest. I would consider dropping 2-3x as much if it is the right DAC. That having been said, which ones where you thinking of?

I was thinking the Wavelight but that might be a bit outside your range.

 

[vulup]

I was thinking the Wavelight but that might be a bit outside your range.

Thank you for the suggestion - maybe on the used market.

 

[bigjako]

Many here use an Yggy and while I wouldn't call it neutral, it is detailed and maybe a MIL model might be your cup of tea. But I do recommend the Yggy with the Stratus and you can find that in the $2k range these days, used.

 

[thehutch]

I haven’t explored DAC options that much since getting Stratus. I use with Chord Hugo 2 and am happy with that for now.

I was using my BorderPatrol initially, and while it’s certainly a musical combo, the bass was too soft.

Somewhere in this thread I read that Stratus can’t deliver all the detail/resolution that TOTL DACs like Chord Dave are capable of (Stellaris a better match). Not sure if the v4 updates changed that at all.

I’ve also been thinking about where to go from here on the DAC front. I like the idea of something that also provides a solid-state amp like Hugo TT2.

 

[P+D-MI]

I realize the DCA Expanse is a low impedance headphone but has anyone tried it with the Stratus?

 

[vulup]

@thehutch, @bigjako, and @helljudgement: Thank you for the feedback.

 

[erics75]

Got a note from Donald my Stratus is assembled and being tested man I’m excited! Hopefully the testing phase isn’t too long, I want my blue! For those with ZMFs how far on the volume dial do you go to get to your preferred volume? On my Kenzie and MZ2 I barely get to 8 o’clock before it’s loud. Happens on both the Atticus and Atrium. I’m hoping the volume doesn’t ramp up as fast with the TKD pot.

 

[RestoredSparda]

Got a note from Donald my Stratus is assembled and being tested man I’m excited! Hopefully the testing phase isn’t too long, I want my blue! For those with ZMFs how far on the volume dial do you go to get to your preferred volume? On my Kenzie and MZ2 I barely get to 8 o’clock before it’s loud. Happens on both the Atticus and Atrium. I’m hoping the volume doesn’t ramp up as fast with the TKD pot.

Pretty low on the pot with balanced or high gain. Around 1, maybe 2 on the dial. A bit higher if single-ended on low gain. Still plenty of adjustment as the TKD pot is very accurate. Just need to be delicate when adjusting.

Edit: To be clear this is the number 1 or 2 out of 10 on the dial. Not 1 or 2 o clock.

 

[erics75]

Blue in the house! Donald was awesome and delivered my amp in person today!!! Thankfully I’m local enough to facilitate that Super friendly and helpful guy. He answered all my questions and talked with me for some time. It’s nice to know the man behind the brand is as awesome as the product itself. As for the new stratus, I couldn’t wait and hooked it up at work. Only listen was enough to tell me this amp is special. I’ll give more meaningful impressions as I learn the amp. But even on my budget dac at work with my Atticus it sounded amazing. Here’s done proof of purchase

 

[tedacura1]

Blue in the house! Donald was awesome and delivered my amp in person today!!! Thankfully I’m local enough to facilitate that Super friendly and helpful guy. He answered all my questions and talked with me for some time. It’s nice to know the man behind the brand is as awesome as the product itself. As for the new stratus, I couldn’t wait and hooked it up at work. Only listen was enough to tell me this amp is special. I’ll give more meaningful impressions as I learn the amp. But even on my budget dac at work with my Atticus it sounded amazing. Here’s done proof of purchase

Congrats... Waiting patiently for mine. Donald said around April - May it should be ready. Placed my order on December 14, 2021.

 

[erics75]

Congrats... Waiting patiently for mine. Donald said around April - May it should be ready. Placed my order on December 14, 2021.

The wait is pretty brutal, as hard as i tried, i could not stop thinking about it as the months went by. hopefully he can get yours out earlier for you. it's worth the wait for sure. i've spent the last 4 hours straight trying all my headphones and test tracks, and loving every minute of it.

 

[P+D-MI]

What serial number is he up to now? Are those the stock 2a3's?

Blue in the house! Donald was awesome and delivered my amp in person today!!! Thankfully I’m local enough to facilitate that Super friendly and helpful guy. He answered all my questions and talked with me for some time. It’s nice to know the man behind the brand is as awesome as the product itself. As for the new stratus, I couldn’t wait and hooked it up at work. Only listen was enough to tell me this amp is special. I’ll give more meaningful impressions as I learn the amp. But even on my budget dac at work with my Atticus it sounded amazing. Here’s done proof of purchase

 

[erics75]

What serial number is he up to now? Are those the stock 2a3's?

It’s at home so I’ll have to double check after work, but I believe it was sn100. Yes stock tubes. I want to learn how it sounds stock then roll tubes to taste.

 

[levinhatz]

Been almost a year since Donald showed up at my door and personally dropped off a Status V4. And I'm ashamed to say I'm still not doing it justice; my firstborn arrived shortly thereafter and he's been my main focus asides from a very challenging job assignment.

I've been using the Stratus with just the stock tubes and an LCD2 pre-fazor. I love the LCD2, and I think even just with the stock tubes there's a holographic quality that I never thought I'd get with these cans. I get though why a lot of folks will say that the talents of the Stratus are a bit wasted on a dark headphone like the LCD2.

I'm going to reward myself in a few weeks when my job is done, and I'm thinking I'll spring for either an HD800 (not the S, and I'll SDR-mod it) or an Arya Stealth. Heck I might even get them both used and sell whichever one loses that head to head. Wondering if anyone can comment on a comparison between those two, as a complement to the darker LCD2. Or maybe would it be better to skip that for now and focus on feeding it some better tubes?

 

[thehutch]

Been almost a year since Donald showed up at my door and personally dropped off a Status V4. And I'm ashamed to say I'm still not doing it justice; my firstborn arrived shortly thereafter and he's been my main focus asides from a very challenging job assignment.

I've been using the Stratus with just the stock tubes and an LCD2 pre-fazor. I love the LCD2, and I think even just with the stock tubes there's a holographic quality that I never thought I'd get with these cans. I get though why a lot of folks will say that the talents of the Stratus are a bit wasted on a dark headphone like the LCD2.

I'm going to reward myself in a few weeks when my job is done, and I'm thinking I'll spring for either an HD800 (not the S, and I'll SDR-mod it) or an Arya Stealth. Heck I might even get them both used and sell whichever one loses that head to head. Wondering if anyone can comment on a comparison between those two, as a complement to the darker LCD2. Or maybe would it be better to skip that for now and focus on feeding it some better tubes?

I sold Arya and LCD-2 long before getting Stratus. But I’d highly, highly recommend you go with the HD800 (or both). Stratus works very well with planars but is at its best with a dynamic like HD800. So far only tube change I’ve made is adding 1940s RCA 2A3. Nice upgrade but definitely invest in a new headphone before that.