At volume zero there is still sound coming out (input 5). Normal?
Also, from time to time the unit crashes when switching inputs (flashing blue logo). Must reboot with rocker switch. Cannot reliably reproduce; seems random for now.
Waitā¦Amazon HD has BlueOS compatibility ? Meanimg it will playback BitPerfect results (i.e 96/24 shows as 384/24 from my PCās USB into the DSD Sr.).
I thought there was 0 third party support. I only stream AmazonHD cause I canāt hear the difference when compared Qobuz.
Yes, BlueOS is the only one compatible with Amazon HD. NAD equipment already has BlueOS built-in. Hopefully, there will be others.
One of the issues I do have is with the remote. Surprised that there were no batteries included. More importantly the volume buttons are small for someone with large fingers. I find myself hitting the In buttons with the volume up or down. It would be nice that the volume buttons were larger and had a raised + and - on them so one can feel them without having to look at the remote. Itās also quite small and can easily be lost or carried by a cat who loves to hide things.
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Yes I am with Magnepan 3.7is and Dual REL Subs. Itās early days for me as I just got my Strata yesterday, but so far Iām very impressed. The Strata is filling in for my much loved Mark Levinson 585.5. Iām a big vinyl fan and Iām still waiting on my Stellar Phono so final listening will need to wait. What I can say is there is plenty of power out of the Strata. Canāt weigh in on the more nuanced aspects as the unit isnāt broken in yet and I donāt really listen to digital critically. Iām very encouraged and have experienced none of the networking problems or manual issues other folks have posted. The Strata clearly punches well above itās weight class.
Sumiko was the distribution company for REL subs so it is the same. Go here: https://rel.net/how-to-connect-a-rel-to-a-balanced-amp/
I finally got to spend some quality time with the Strata yesterday.
My system:
PS Audio Direct Stream DAC
PS Audio BHK Preamp
PS Audio BHK 250 Amp
Rega P7 TT
Dynavector DV20XH cart
Channel Islands Audio PEQ 1 phono stage with upgrade power supply
Von Schweikert VR-35 MK II speakers (90db @ 8 ohms)
Speakers are bi wired with:
Audience au24 SX Speaker cables (High & mid)
Audience Conductor Speaker cables (low)
Synergistic Research PowerCell 8 UEF SE power conditioner
Audience powerChord SE i power cords
Audience au24 SX XLR interconnects
Compared to the BHK the Strata has a family resemblance to the big boys in overall sound.
One area it differs in is in scale and detail.
The soundstage isnāt as big or deep, but itās close. Itās less detailed, but in trade, the Strata is nice & relaxed, very musical, and easy to listen to. A pretty chill little amp.
However, the biggest difference is when the music gets bass heavy and loud. 120 watts @ 8 ohms compared to 250 watts @ 8 ohms? Well thatās to be expected.
The slam and deep gut rumbling bass arenāt as strong, almost like a fighter pulling his punches. Even though my speakers are fairly easy to drive, it still shows.
If I hadnāt previously heard these speakers with the BHK gear I probably wouldnāt have noticed.
I donāt think I would normally see anyone pairing this amp with revealing speakers at this price point, so later on in the next week or so, Iām going to hook up a pair of bookshelf speakers and a sub I have to see how that works out. This might click as a good second system, or my retirement downsize system.
I think if someone was building a system from the ground up, Iād pair this amp with a pair of the larger speakers from Elac.
Now the most surprising thing I heard from the Strata; was how good the DAC is.
In JRiver (which I HATE) I linked the DSD and the Strata to the same zone so they were playing the same music at the same time. I was then able to switch between Analog input 1 and input 9, the Bridge to compare them. I did have to turn Analog 1 down 3db with the volume trim so the volumes matched.
Wow! I really had to pay close attention to pick out the differences. The DSD is more natural and relaxed sounding with a little bigger sound but it wasnāt a huge difference. Iām sure the DSD (which costs twice as much as the Strata) was losing some of its edge after being filtered through the Strata, but if I decide to downsize the system, I think the only reason for me to keep the DSD would be so I can still use Roon.
The 3 different filters on the Strata, were fairly close to each other. I had to listen very closely to tell them apart. Since I couldnāt see what number I was on from my seat, I would compare for a while then get up and see which one I landed on. It was usually 1 or 2, but it seemed to depend on the type of music I was listening to. It was a little easier to sort out on simply recorded music like on Dave Brubeckās Time out.
Iāll report more later once I get the other speakers set up.
As I get close to retirement, I am seriously thinking about selling all the expensive gear and setting up a nice simple system with the Stellar Strata.
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Iāll be very interested to hear what you think as it breaks in. I shouldnāt be, but I am!
I have Magnepan .7ās in the main part of my house, but the Cambridge Audio CXA80 Iām using also distributes the music to three other pairs of speakers through an impedance-matching Niles SSVC-4 speaker selector. Pseudo-open floor plan, with living room, dining room, tv room and kitchen all getting music.
Need to think about whether an āaudiophileā upgrade to the amp would be worth it in this situation.
Thanks for this thoughtful and in depth review! Much appreciated.
I have a dedicated 2 channel system and a separate whole house system via (3) Bluesound Power Nodes. I should think youād start to really appreciate what the .7s can deliver if you were to continue servicing the house with the Cambridge Audio and dedicate the Strata to the listening room.
Just a thought. One of the things youāll notice with this proposed integrated upgrade is how reveling the .7s are and the Strata has proven to be a great match so far for that attribute.
Definitely thought about thatā¦ On the ālistening roomā thing, itās less of a listening room than it is the living room. I donāt really have a proper listening room that could accommodate the Magnepans.
I love those little Chromecast audio units, and I use them to combine other systems. (Like if Iām having a larger party, and then all rooms in the house can have the same music playing. I assume larger parties will be a thing again someday!)
I could use a Strata (or similar) with the Maggies, and the Cambridge with the other speakers, and if I wanted to play all at the same time (for non-critical general listening), use two Chromecast Audio dongles to group the zones.
Complete overkill, but what are we here for if not overkill 
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Wait, wait, wait ā¦ I thought when we retire was when we were supposed to up our audio game? Whatās this talk about scaling down? : )
Good morning! I just started beta testing the Strata yesterday and am logging in to make sure I can post feedback here. Test 1, 2, 3.
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Just fired mine up this AM. Dang! This puppy is FUN! : )
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Can anyone pls tell me where I can get PS Audio Strata App? Thanks in advance. Phil.
The QR code worked on my tablet but the link does not work on Mac computers.
You may need to select hi-res streaming within the Qobuz sub-menu. There will be a menu in there that will allow you to set higher rates.
Anyone able to directly compare Strata to SGCD+m700 stack? How close can it get in sound quality performance? Or does SGCD+m700 trounce it?
Networking observation. I am running Ethernet only and I am able to use PS Connect and stream Tidal. Upon rebooting the unit using the rear switch it takes a long time for the Bridge to show āconnectedā when just using Ethernet (although it does have an IP). Last night I did this and it was not connected for maybe an hour. This morning it was connected. Is there any way to speed up this connection process?
To clarify, when bridge shows ānot connectedā PS Connect cannot connect to internet and no streaming for Tidal. Audirvana streams fine regardless.