Hi,
I see there is no GCD availability on the website. I also saw on one of Poul’s recent videos that there is a new preamp in “alpha” phase. Is this the new successor to GCD? When will it appear on the market? 
And is it worth the wait?
At the 2:30 mark in one of Paul’s recent videos he held up what he referred to as a new Stellar preamp. Unless I’m missing something it looks like they’re moving on from the gain cell?
I’ve not come across anything about a new DAC to pair it with.
No DAC, to bad. I started out with a Stella GCD. My ears say that the price was a bargain. It was good, might still have it; but for having been bitten by the upgrade bug which has cost a lot, a lot!
In March of '23, I had to send my GDAC in for warranty repair. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be repaired, but I was given the assurance that they would help me get it replaced with one of the two new products from the Stellar line. These included a new Stellar Pre and a Stellar DAC (separates), with an estimated time of arrival of “late summer”. However, I haven’t received any updates since then. I hope that there were no issues with production/supplies as they had with the Airlens.
Any news?
It would be a good idea to move on from the SGC with a new Stellar Pre. The SGC is a flawed product and has consistent issues if you want to use the HT bypass. Mine took a poo twice because of the HT bypass. After the second time, I decided to go a different route. Thankfully PS Audio took care of me. I’m interested to see what comes next for the Stellar line.
We’ll “announce” two new Stellar products this week…
Stay tuned. Not sure how they are going to be announced.
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Paul, that’s great news. You made my day 
That’s great! Can’t wait to see what comes next!
Looks like new StellarGold products are up on the Stellar page. New DAC and separate Pre.
Nice, thanks for posting.
Some more goodies in the manuals, looks like the new SGD and Pre got a bump to an updated aluminum remote (with new buttons for other devices, and it can control the PowerPlant, nice!). But wow, $4K puts SGD over twice the price of the launch price of SGCD. I think I’m more excited for the updated remote…
I also noticed some PS Link ports hiding in the back, just like on DS MK2. No mention of them in any manual, wonder what they are for? 
Once again disappointed to see those awful display screen covers still in action, should be glass for the price! 
(from page 5 of the DAC manual)
Wow - that’s quite a shift in market focus from a combination product that cost less than $2k to separates that are $4k each. I had hoped for something that was reachable by trading my SGCD and DSD Jr, but these won’t be it. While I applaud seeking better performance, it seems to me that the whole “attainable” point of the Stellar line has been lost with these two devices. (Others apparently disagree, given the “sold out” tags on both units’ product pages.)
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Hey Craig. This is indeed a different direction. Not sure how this thread got to be a replacement for the GCD. That was not our intention.
What we wanted (want) to do is deliver two new separates with performance levels that have not been produced at anywhere near their pricing. These are Stellar products but at the top end of the Stellar line—which is why we differentiated them as StellarGold.
StellarGold products are more expensive than Stellar, but less than PerfectWave.
I hope you get a chance to hear these two gems. They are remarkable performers.
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I appreciate the feedback, Paul. Whether these units were or were not intended to be like-for-like “replacements” for the GCD, when they perform the same functions, and the old unit is no longer made, they become the de facto replacements. If the Stellar Gold line is intended to be different from the Stellar line, this leaves the latter without a preamp or DAC.
I don’t mean to second-guess the company marketing decisions, but simply to make an observation from the viewpoint of a recent retiree learning to live with a 75% pay cut. 
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Yikes! I gottcha, Craig. Thanks for this. I appreciate the feedback.
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Happy Cake Day!!
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Will there be a new StellarGold amplifier to go with these two new components? It seems like the existing m1200, which includes different technology than the cheaper m700 and s-whatever (I forget what it’s called), pricewise fits perfectly with this new preamp, perhaps just make m1200 the StellarGold amp retroactively?
I can relate to that. Seems as though the market is shifting, not all that surprised.
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I understand where you’re coming from. The M1200’s are fantastic.
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