WTB: DNA Stellaris, EC Af, or surprise me

Discussion in 'Closed (Archived) Sales' started by earnmyturns, Oct 8, 2020.

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  1. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    I own an EC Af (no feedback) and I'm looking for a another sonically comparable amp for a second location. Unfortunately I was not ready to pull the trigger with a Stellaris showed up FS a while ago, but I'm now. If not, a second Af would be very worthy. Or if there's another possibility that I'm missing in the same general sonic neighborhood, I'd be happy to consider it. Other things being equal, 2A3 since I own a good complement of those tubes. Main headphones: ZMF Verité Closed monkeypod, ZMF Verité Open silkwood. Soekris dac1541 is the current DAC at the second location, I may replace it eventually. Not in a hurry, just putting this out here in case someone is considering a sale in the next few months.
     
  2. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    Good luck finding something! I think used Stellaris is going to be a tough find. Maybe contact @Donald North and see if you guys can work something out?
     
  3. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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  4. Elysian

    Elysian Friend

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  5. gridmaster

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    I do have the Jr. , but with 300b, I think @earnmyturns wants 2a3.
    Buut, if you do want to explore 300b amp @earnmyturns , PM me.
     
  6. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    Sonically I would take Elrog 300B over 2A3, and the Jr is definitely a far better amp than the Af.
     
  7. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Better along what dimensions? What I like about the Af is the increased depth & layering without overdoing bass or lower mids. Since I've never listened to a 300B-based amp and I'm unlikely to be able to any time soon, the only information that I can go on is A) what I've experienced already, and B) commentary here that implied 300B amps might go a bit too far — for my taste — in tubey-ness. When I got the Af, it was easy because it was a local sale and I could immediately decide whether it was what I hoped for. This is different, a bit of a lottery obviously. But I'm still curious...
     
  8. gridmaster

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    I also owned the Af, but it had tertiary feedback, unlike yours. I sold it to get the Jr. 300b, which also has tertiary feedback.
    You're correct to think 300b is going to have more bloom than 2a3 (no feedback). I also own a more traditional 300b no feedback amp for my speakers. With the Jr. 300b, the tertiary feedback really synergizes well with the weaknesses of 300b, cuts out the majority of any bloom or looseness. For the opposite reasons I didn't like the tertiary feedback on the Af 2a3. So while 300b tertiary isn't as tight as 2a3, it's quite a bit tighter and controlled than a no feedback 300b setup.

    Anyway, 300b as a tube roles the last 1/2 octave of treble, unlike 2a3, which fully extends. 300b has better midrange, but go figure, you can read 100's of posts on this concept, probably the most reviewed tube in existence, except maybe 6sn7.

    What Famish talks about with the Elrog, it's basically a 300b "fixed" if you want to describe it like that. The Elrog 300b isn't technically even a 300b tube, it's a scaled down 845 tube, made to run at 300b specifications. Having heard the Elrog 300b myself, it's like 2a3, fully extended FR.

    Is the Jr. 300b tertiary going to sound like Af no feedback? I doubt it. But, I do agree with Famish, overall the tonal balance and sound of the Jr. 300b is better than the Af. The biggest weakness of the Af was the OPT, giving it a very thin (some might say harsh) tonal signature. Although, if you like that, than you wouldn't like Jr. 300b.

    Jr. 300b is very easy on the ears, all days listening type of amp. It doesn't jam details into your face, while it still maintains great technical attributes (as good as Af). Just presents them differently.

    Hope that helps a bit understanding the differences between the two.
     
  9. famish99

    famish99 Friend

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    I would say that when I heard the Jr with Elrogs, it reminded me of the Af, but with a bit more refinement in the upper mids and treble. However if you aren't willing to run Elrogs, I personally wouldn't recommend it because the rolloff and the flabby bass of the 300B are noticeable to fans of the 2A3 sound.
     
  10. Elysian

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    @gridmaster / @famish99: Have you had a chance to compare the Studio Jr 300B and the BA 300B? I was wondering how the two designs and sound signature differ. I was a big fan of the BA 300B with EML tubes and it sent me on a several year long journey experimenting with 300B gear and tubes, but like you said, getting the low-end under control was challenging.

    Most 2A3 designs are a bit too direct for me and lose the tube character I like but I really want to hear a Studio with the Tribute transformers.
     
  11. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Admins, please close this thread, I went for a 2nd Af for the 2nd location. Thanks everybody for the advice and suggested deals.
     
  12. Carlos CPA

    Carlos CPA Friend

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  13. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Wrong thread, sorry, I had a different WTB thread, now closed.
     
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