For those of us who use REL woofers, I would like to see PS Audio include a ground lug on all power amplifiers so to avoid running an RCA cable just to ground the woofer when using the high level connectors.
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Welcome! Shoot me an email and I’ll put you on my list for beta. jamesh@psaudio.com
Hmmm, I have four REL subs and I have never used an RCA to them. Should I? None of them connect to anything but my various power amps. In my best system these are monoblocks.
Depends. Using the high level outputs (speaker terminals) to connect a REL to a truly balanced, or a class D amplifier, the negative speaker terminal is not a true ground. So, connecting the ground wire of the REL to the negative speaker terminal on the amp can cause damage to the REL or the amp.
REL suggests floating the ground wire, or connecting it to a chassis ground on the amp. If the amp does not have a chassis ground lug, one can use an RCA cable running from an unused preamp or amp input to provide an alternate ground for the REL.
If not grounded, it is likely that one will get hum from the REL.
A quick check of a REL owners manual can explain the process better than I. At any rate, a chassis ground lug on the amp could save running an extra wire to the REL.
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The photos here are from the prototype, but the Beta and production units of Strata already have a ground stud added!
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Awesome!
That will make life easier for folks. Ground lugs on my M700s would have saved me a long run of cheap RCA cables to a couple of woofs.
Should be a great product and mate well with speakers such as KEF LS50s and Magnepan LRSs. The streaming capability sounds like it will be pretty neat.
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So, question on this… does this preclude the need for something like Roon (using a mac/NUC/similar)? (I mean, i know the Strata doesn’t have storage, so if you have a library, I’m assuming that means you need another component.)
Yes sir, I am aware of those things. Oddly enough I have no trouble with the two positive wires twisted together and connected to the positive terminal on each amp, and the negative connected to the negative terminal. No hum, no damage, just sweet bass.
Hmmm…my SGCD is having DAC chip envy again…
Strata looks nice, the thought of an all in one unit (from a mfr like PSA…) is quite intriguing. Not sure I could give up my separates though.
(I’d be glad to Beta test this with my new Wharfedale EVO 4.2’s Paul… 
)
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Will there be an upgrade path for current Gain Cell Dac owners to the new chip?
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The ESS 9016 chip has been around for years. With ESS the higher the number the newer the chip. Now at 9038.
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Agreed. The 9016 chip is low on totem pole these days. That, and as PSA knows, so much more to a DAC than just the chip.
Now that you guys put emphasis on this. I rolled eyes when I read it. Marketing speak at its best. Agreed too that there is more to a DAC than just the chip, except when its the DSD DAC 
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The ESS 9016 chip was introduced commercially in the OPPO BDP-83SE universal player during late 2009 with “four of the DAC’s of an eight-channel Ultra ESS9016 DAC chip for each stereo channel” according to Kal Rubinson’s Stereophile review. The '83SE arguably was OPPO’s first “audiophile” player and the direct ancestor of the flagship '95, '105 and ultimate '205 spinners…the latter using the current generation ESS9038Pro chip.
any more in the way of specs? You mention 200wpc (at 8 ohms, I assume), but what about at 4 ohms?
I’m guessing it’s 200wpc at 4 ohms. This is how PS usually rate power
sooo then half that (100wpc) at 8 ohms? (Sorry, unless it’s spelled out, I’m a dunce.)
I believe so
No, they rate into 8 ohms like everyone else.
sooo then as before, is it 400 wpc @ 4 ohms? Or no? (I know not all amps provide this kind of power, hence my query.)