The rumor mill’s been rife with speculation and hints as to our latest product, Stellar Strata. Since Strata will be the next product to launch (before the Stellar M1200 monoblock amplifiers), I thought I’d give you a taste of what it’ll be like.
Strata combines a stereo 200 watt per channel power amplifier with an updated version of our analog Gain Cell preamplifier, an all new killer ESS 9016 high-performance DAC, a high-resolution internal streaming module that handles Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, and all the likely suspects, WiFi built in, and our own PS Connect iPhone and Android app to control it.
Sonically? This is just nothing short of amazing. I can tell you that I’ve been enjoying the hell out of this product and am mightily impressed. So too will you when you get a chance. Target list price is $2,995.
We’ll be offering a chance to beta test Strata Amplifier sometime soon, so stay tuned. I’ll keep you informed as we move forward. Shouldn’t be too long.
Thanks, a wonderful product I can recommend to folks who want an all in one hifi unit. Wish it has XLR outputs though to offer upgrade paths to balanced system.
Pausing all purchases until there is more info on this!
Been trying to identify what to pair a set of Tribe III’s that were hung in the family room about a year ago. Since it’s family room, an integrated is my preferred over separates. The Tribe’s are a bit pickier than I expected which is why I’ve not bought anything yet. This checks most all of my boxes and the price is right.
Is Roon on the roadmap by chance?
Congrats on a killer integrated. Look forward to hearing more about this as they start to circulate.
A fabulous looking product at a good price. The most direct competition I can think of would be the Hegel 190, 2 x 150w into 8 ohms, but costs $4,000. Surely this must be a winner.
I thought it might have a sub-out like the Sprout, plus a phono stage, toaster and coffee machine built in. Not that I’m demanding …
Actually, what I don’t like is the name. Calling it an amplifier really undersells what it does. Why not just Stellar Strata? Get rid of amplefire.
I demo’d a Stellar Stack (when I beta’d the Stellar Phono), and four matched components was just too much equipment in my den. (Feel free to call that a euphemism if you want.)
Granted, I now have a bunch of Schiit separates in the same place, but their sizes are different so it feels less imposing.
Anyway, at some point here I want to get back to an integrated vs separates. The Strata might be just the ticket. (But I also might want to get the Stellar Phono back, and add a Stellar P3, and then it’s looking like a stack again!)
I hope you can afford it. Do you get a staff discount? The nice thing about it is that it is low profile and can sit on the top of a sideboard in most homes without being offensive.
All of these types of product - Linn Selekt, Naim Muso, Bluesound Powernode, NAD M10, Quad Solus, Devialet Expert - I’m convinced the styling is as important as the sound. Hegel still looks like a black box, although wins on performance.
I’m happy to beta. can’t wait.