Hi drewmb1,
Is this the first time you are running balanced to an amplifier? What is your source and preamp?
Is the XLR cable the same brand as the RCA?
Hello Darren,
Yes, this is the first time I’ve owned equipment at this quality level:
Marantz AV8802A processor/ pre-amp
Stellar S300 Amp
MIT single ended cables ($600 for comparison purposes)
Mogami XLT $80 which are the only balanced cables I own.
Sincerely,
Drew
So far so good! I’m only 75 hours in and I’m absolutely loving my Stellar Gain Cell Dac!! Expansive soundstage, beautiful dynamics, crisp and warm, musical sounding, detailed, sharp looking in black with a gorgeous display, and able to expertly handle everything I’ve thrown at it. From Seal to Chopin, Hebie Hancock to Bach Solo Cello Suites, Adel to the Beatles, and the Who to Frank Sinatra, it all sounds amazing. Voicing of every source is equally well implemented. Streaming, cds and vinyl each sound, well in a word, “Stellar”. Did I mention I love it!!!
My system:
PS Audio Cell Gain Dac
KEF R700’s
Rega Apollo R CD Transport
VPI Scout Jr. Turntable/Ortophon 2M Cartridge
PS Audio CGPH Phono Preamplifier
Parasound A21 Amplifier
Auralic Aries Music Streamer
Anticables 3.1 Interconnects & Speaker Wire
PS Audio AC5 Power Cables
PS Audio Dectet (coming soon)
Hi Drew,
Unfortunately, I can’t give you an answer to why the balanced cables are sounding better in your system.
Does it boil down to noise rejection? The preamp that is used? A different harmonic distortion profile? These are all possibilities but not necessarily the correct questions.
In the end, it’s so important to trust your ears. When you’re enjoying the music more, you can be confident that you’ve gone in the right direction
Hi Folks… Craig from Boulder here with a preliminary setup and early listening review of my new Stellar Gain Cell DAC. I picked it up from Kevin Jackson Monday at PS Audio here in Boulder. Kevin gave me a gracious tour of the shop, introduced me to many folks including Paul, and I was impressed with busy, happy, involved and open atmosphere. The PS museum includes samples of my well used and great sounding PS Audio 200C amp.
I am in the process of bringing my old analog stereo system into the digital age and moving away from a large vinyl collection with all the attendant futsing around and storage issues. But I still want to hear great music for music’s sake. I’m particularly interested in SACD sources. My current listening room is just our large living room with high ceilings, no walls behind the speakers, a window wall 2 ft from the right side and the left side opening into an open dining room. Listening position is mid room and mid between the speakers. Carpeting, high ceilings and openness can give a good experience without excessive room resonances. There is some high frequency reinforcement from the right side window wall, but, the listening position obscures much of this. The system before the Stellar GCD was:
Dunlavy Audio SCIV.A speakers
PS Audio 200C amplifier
Sonic Frontiers Line 1 tube preamp
Oppo 103 transport for CDs, SACDs, Tidal streaming, etc
Sonos Connect for internet sources
Essence HDACC DAC
SOTA Saphire turntable with Meridian arm and nondescript Ortofon cartridge. Little to not at all used in last 15 years.
Yes…it’s all antique, but it can still rock the house.
Setup included experimenting with all the ways to get all the sources best connected to the GCD. All digital sources are now into the GCD except SACD output from the Oppo which must still rely on the Essence DAC for D to A given Sony/Philips licensing…(and that I don’t have a PS Audio Direct Stream Memory Player). Currently the non-SACD output of the Oppo player is spdif coax to GCD input 5 and the Sonos is coax to i/p 6. SACD input is balanced analog 1 via the Essence. So all digital inputs are using the GCD DAC and preamp…SACD only the GCD preamp.
My first impression is that the GCD is notably better than my old Essence/Sonic Frontiers combo. When the old pre and the Essence are out of the system the image is more precise, less veiled (cliche, I know but absolutely true!), detail is more right in front of me, less smeared. What that does to the soundstage is impressive, not necessarily wider, but placement is more precise and the front to back depth is enhanced. The second big first impression is of the bass…fullness and extension with precise placement of, especially, acoustic, stand up bass. I listened to Holly Cole Trio/Don’t Smoke In Bed, both CD and SACD(through the Essence DAC into GCD analog). (this CD sold me some Thiel CS3.5 speakers 20 year ago). Piltch’s acoustic bass showed that balanced bass extension and presence in spades! Holly’s voice was sweet, defined with no sign of digital screech/grundge. The piano was as close to “in the room” as I have heard here. The SACD version of the same album was very good…but, missing some of the clarity that the GCD imparted to the plain old red book CD. The difference, I think, is which DAC is doing the DACing here. The Essence is upsampling LPCM 88.2 to 192K, then pushing it through whatever DAC is in there. The analog preamp part of the GCD is doing a great job with what it is getting from the Essence, but, I have to say, the red book CD version using the GCD DAC and preamp sounds better than the SACD through the Essence DAC thence to the GCD preamp section. This is depressing, given what I had hoped for from SACDs…but, gives me inspiration to, someday, get a transport that will feed native DSD to my GCD.
That experience with improved sound from the GCD DAC vs the Essence is upheld with internet digital sources: Crisper, more precise soundstage with front to back depth. It’s harder to know what you are really getting from Tidal and internet radio, but, the observations based on CD/SACD sources seemed to hold up.
That’s all I have for initial listening tests. More to come with further listening.
The more hours I spend with my system with the S300 in it, the more I realize what was missing. This amp has depth, and clarity my previous one, I truly believe, never had. Every listening session is more revealing than the last, it’s breaking in nicely. The S300 has yet to sound strained, or compressed. Good stuff!
[ I apologize for the length…I'm paid by the word]
I received shipment of the Stellar Gain Cell DAC yesterday and want to share a few impressions. More detailed listening and usability notes will come later.
Packaging was of high quality, though the remote and batteries were out of their bag and wandering free in the box. Given that the box was outside for a few hours in February in Minnesota, I gave the unpacked GCDAC an hour or so to acclimate before hooking it up.
Hookup was uneventful, apart from my perennial struggle to see and navigate behind my equipment stand.
I connected the Oppo (see The HARDWARE Store at bottom) to the GCDAC by both TOSLINK and coax. I don’t presently have a way to use USB (my PC is a distance away; I only have Ethernet near my audio system). I connected the GCDAC to the SP3 using an Audioquest Jaguar IC, in this case RCA terminated, using 2 channel bypass. At some point I will try XLR/balanced, but will have to scavenge to do that. I plugged the GCDAC into a regenerated power outlet on the P500, using the cable provided. When everything is on, the P500 indicates a draw of 130W, which is well below the capacity.
I let a recording that I’m not overly familiar with play for a few hours, paying little attention to the sound.
My primary point of comparison is the DAC in the SP3 as fed by the Oppo. I seldom use the Oppo’s DAC, for no particular reason (haven’t compared them). I haven’t had an outboard DAC since a Bel Canto DAC 1.5, years ago. Until recently, my primary digital source was a Bel Canto PL-1a.
LISTENING parameters:
I’m going to use the word “voice” when I mean both human voices and instruments, for brevity (despite my pay structure). Direct comparisons with my reference (SP3 decoding) are a bit challenging in that switching from the GCDAC analog input in 2 channel bypass to the HDMI input takes a few seconds. I think the challenge is less the few seconds, and more the drama of HDMI handshaking and the distinct mechanical clicking sounds.
If I hear a difference, I will report it. If that difference strikes me as better, I’ll note that too. Since I’m not comparing the GCDAC with a Close’n Play, I expect differences to be subtle. I don’t expect to report a lot of night and day differences. This is all well engineered, soundly performing equipment.
It’s also set up well and in a good sounding room. I’m not claiming that I adhere to every tenet of Jim Smith’s “Get Better Sound”, but I have a copy and I am not violating any major principals.
Initial LISTENING impressions:
Playing some familiar recordings and favorite pieces, I found the GCDAC slightly laid-back compared to the SP3, enhancing the sense of depth and taking a bit of glare away. This didn’t come from a lack of detail or sparkle, rather a more relaxed presentation, and a more pronounced sense of space. Imagine the music coming from a 3D space with individual voices suspended by layers of fabric. Compared to my reference, the GCDAC removed glare from the voices, and the fabric was both stronger, anchoring the voices more firmly and distinctly in place, and more transparent. The sense of transparency manifested as a sharper focus of each voice. The “fuzzier” fabric of my reference gives voices an artificial glow, as you might see from a street light on a foggy night. When the fuzzy fabric is replaced with the transparent, it reveals more of the true nature of the voice. A fuzzy glow may look/sound “nice”, but it’s not real (unless added in the recording or mastering process).
I have a few Reference Recordings CDs of the Minnesota Orchestra playing in Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. I was a subscriber for several seasons and still attend occasional symphony concerts there. I am very familiar with the superb acoustics. Over several iterations of hardware, I’ve been able to clearly discern the sense of space in Orchestra Hall through playback of these exceptional recordings. I expected to hear the same with the GCDAC. I did, but it was a more open hall with a more relaxed sound. It didn’t make me want to struggle to hear what was recorded; it let me listen.
Overall, my initial impressions over a few hours are of a clearer sense of space, a more transparent presentation of the voices and a more relaxed setting with a reduction in fatigue causing glare. I haven’t happened across an abysmal recording suddenly rendered magical…yet.
More to come. CV
The HARDWARE Store:
Oppo BDP-105d (latest firmware) / disc + Tidal HiFi
Bryston SP3
Bryston 6B SST2 (front Left, Center, Right)
Bel Canto S300 (surround amplifier)
Revel Ultima Studio, Voice, Embrace, Sub30
PS Audio P500 Power Plant for Oppo, SP3, Stellar GCDAC
Audioquest cables (Jaguar, Pike’s Peak, other)
Pangea power cables
Another good review… very insightful !
I received my S300 about a week ago now and have about 50 hours of operation on it now. For the break-in I’ve set up a playlist of Blues, Rock, Jazz, and Alternative music. I’ve left in on the whole time even when not playing music. No noise/hum issues at all, it’s been dead quiet.
My system consists of: MacMini/Jriver MC22 setup, going through LanRover to utilize an ethernet network from my home office to listening room. LanRover Receiver connects to a Cardas Clear USB to an iFi Micro USB-Spdif converter to a Dodson 217 DAC mk2 that feeds my Ayre K-3x with phono. Cables are all XLR. Auditorium 23 speaker cables to my Speakers: Unity Signature 1’s.
I’ve stepped in to check on the s300 progress after each day and have found it’s still improving. It’s gone through a couple of major changes especially around the 30 hour mark. It’s tonal balance has gone from lean sounding to being about perfect to my ears. Voices sound full and natural, pianos, well they sound like pianos, with great tone, decay and texture. Very natural sounding, no straining or over exaggeration. The sound stage is impressive, being wider than the speakers yet focused and non-wavering. The sound stage height stretches just above the height of the speakers. Depth is about average (my speakers have always brought the venue/musicians to me, but never from deep behind the speakers, I call it a more “live” presentation). Bass is really improving to the point of being the best I’ve heard from my speakers, real bass with texture! As of now, I’m mightily impressed yet still hoping it continues to improve.
A few weeks ago I was viewing the PS Audio web page and noticed the new Stellar products. I noticed the Beta Tester page as well. I was one of the original five beta testers of the HCA-2 about 15 years ago. I still have it. It is my only amp. I was excited about a new generation of PSA class D amps. My current system is about 15 to 17 years old, so I decided now was the time for an upgrade. I decided to participate as a beta tester of the Stellar S300 and the Stellar Gain Cell DAC. I would have chosen the M700 but there were none available. I was interested in the S300 as a replacement for the HCA-2 and the GCDAC as a replacement for my preamp. I purchased a Direct Stream Junior DAC from PSA and found a dealer with a ‘new in box’ Perfect Wave Transport that I also purchased.
The DSJ arrived first. Even though I am 64, I was like a kid at Christmas. I opened the outer brown cardboard box and removed the inner white cardboard box. I opened this white box and looked in. There was the DSJ wrapped in a plastic bag. It was suspended in the center of the box between two plastic sheets each fastened at the perimeter to a cardboard border. The remote was sealed in bubble wrap with the batteries which were sealed separately. There was a plastic bag with the owner’s manual, a couple sheets of some other info, and a pair of white gloves. A power cord was also included. It was an excellent job of packaging and an excellent presentation of the DSJ. I removed the DSJ from the box and then from the plastic and set it on the table. It is a great looking component. A quality look that is expected from a fine piece of audio gear. A few days later the PWT arrived. The experience with it was the same as with the DSJ. Well done PSA!
Two days ago the GCDAC arrived. I was as excited for this as I had been for the DSJ and the PWT. As before, I opened the outer brown box and then the inner white box and looked in. I was very surprised. The packaging/presentation was not what I expected. There was no owner’s manual, no white gloves, no power cord. The remote was not sealed in the bubble wrap and had almost worked itself free. The batteries had been rolling around in the box. The emotional excitement I had felt with the DSJ and the PWT was replaced with disappointment.
I removed the GCDAC from the box and then from the plastic. This was not the same quality look as the DSJ or the PWT nor the HCA-2. The top of the unit had a significant scratch. The flat-head screws did not fit flush with the top of the unit. The screws were not vertical and therefore the heads were angled and protruded from the top of the unit. The beveling for the screw heads to recess into was too shallow. Some of the black screws on the back of the unit around the inputs and outputs were not screwed in all the way. The edges of the frame were not evenly polished and there were blemishes in the finish (similar to what I’ve seen in other posts). Disappointment and surprise art two good words to sum up my feelings.
For me listening to good music can be an intensely emotional experience. That is why I love it so much. The interaction with high quality components that reproduce the music can have its emotional aspect as well. The emotional experience with the GCDAC was as low as the experience with the DSJ & PWT was high. Based on my experience with PSA products to this point, it is my expectation/opinion that the GCDAC contains high quality parts and will provide excellent, enjoyable performance. If that is the case, then these components deserve and customers deserve a nicer house for them to live in.
Kurt said I received my S300 about a week ago now and have about 50 hours of operation on it now. For the break-in I've set up a playlist of Blues, Rock, Jazz, and Alternative music. I've left in on the whole time even when not playing music. No noise/hum issues at all, it's been dead quiet.
Kurt, what amp were you using ?
Rogerdn, I have had a few amps through, but the ones I enjoy the most are PSE Studio 5 monos and a Museatex STR 55 (upgraded). I’ve also tried Krell, Plinius, VTL, AudioMat and Ayre amps.
Kurtkwk, I’d be interested in your S300 impressions.
Just a quick note.
Sitting here listening to the 72-hour-old GCD playing Fragile from the Kenny Barron Trio. Served up via Roon and upsampled to DSD128.
There is a lot going on in this track between the piano, bass, and drum kit. I can hear and differentiate it all. Precise, deep soundstage. I can hear drummer Victor Lewis’ light cymbal and snare taps clearly, and they are coming from the right place. Awesome.
More later.
Old setup–Belcanto dac 1.5, Belcano ref500s,
remaining setup
psaudio nuwave phone convertor
VPI classic-with
using the xlr analog output to the xlr analog input on the gain cell
Dynaudio Focus 260 Dynaudio powered sub running off of the line out from the gain cell
win10 based all solid state pc w/jriver
all cables and power cords are excellent quality
most of my files are FLAC
1st impressions
with in a few moments the bass was more controlled and seemed deeper–not only from lp but digital as well.
I find music I am familiar w/ significant improvement all aspects of the sound, instrument separation is better, i am not setting the volume so high (I believe the Gain Cell is responsible for this) The VPI is the star of the system. There are sounds in the grooves of my lp’s that have suddenly emerged. Dave Brubeck, Robert Glaspher, Donald Fagen, Steely Dan, Snarky Puppy, Stan Getz, Chuck Mangione, Allman Brothers are being rediscovered.
When running netflix or amazon prime video I find that I can here what is being said better. Gun fire during a movie was startling at first it was so real
When using youtube for music i am just blown away at the improvement in the sound. As stated above the percussion and low notes are deeper and more full than with the belcanto setup.
Update February 11
As things start to burn in I continue to be pleased w/ the detail of the sound. Both Duncan and Jeremy suggested I hook up the NuWave to the gcd w/ the digital hdmi connection (proprietary to psaudio) as other customers report liking this digital setup. IMO it did not sound as good as the xlr analog connection. Low notes and percussion were not as detailed. This deficit was even more noticeable w/ headphones (Sennheiser HD-400 Very Very Very old). The ability to run straight analog is brilliant by combining the best of the past and present. I have been hard pressed to here a digital recording that sounds better than the 60lb VPI.
I have also noticed all the same improvements running Jriver. The gcd is reveling more than the belcanto dac 1.5.
Fit and finish is not as solid as the NuWave. Some of the screws were not seated well on the amp and when in sunlight it looks inconsistent. Although the sound is great it seems to missing that feel by hitting the lower price point.
All in all i am very pleased
Cheers all,
Stephen
Craig in Boulder here again. My beta experience with the Stellar GCD is going very well. Overall, I’m pleased with the performance in my particular system. See previous post for hardware. I am glad to say that my unit is well put together and is not exhibiting the construction issues that others have noted. The screws are straight and properly seated. The display fits well in the front panel. The case is certainly not fancy nor highly engineered, but what’s inside is performing Very Well indeed. One comment on the black case of my GCD, (it’s serial 48, I think). The case is brushed aluminum with the brush grain front to back. The brushing is a bit deep which results in the roughness that others have noted. Wiping the surface right-left-right can have the effect of a nail file. So, when dusting the top I swipe front to back with the grain.
As for current listening, it is still Sonos Connect for internet radio, the Oppo transport for CDs and SACDs and for Tidal online streaming. I am using filter #1 primarily. I find myself digging further back in my CD collection and finding renewed enjoyment in old favorites. Many are digitally mastered (or 20 bit remastered) from the time when that was a new thing. Many selections from Sheffield Labs, DMP, ECM, Telarc and GRP make for good critical listening. My previous impressions (vs my previous preamp and DAC) are reinforced: excellent bass extension, deeper front to back soundstage, more precise placement and crisp percussion. On some older and less well recorded/mastered AnalogAnalogDigital jazz, that kind of precise imaging may never be there but my listening enjoyment is still enhanced: improved dynamic range, crisper transients and that extended bass.
More to come with further listening.
That’s a BIG Ten Four and an AMEN!
S300 Stereo Amp never ceases to amaze & enlighten me. I hear greater clarity & detail from all the cd’s I’ve played through it. Dynamics, detail, and accuracy. I am very well pleased.
Part of the fun of being an audiophile has involved discovering the leaps in quality that trickle down from the most expensive, barrier-breaking gear to the more affordable (alas, rarely cheap) products that manage to convey 90% of what the best has to offer. PS Audio has a history of providing high-value gear that challenges products costing significantly more. In the last few years especially, I've been amazed at what this team has put out, especially since the break-through Direct Stream DAC. I've had the privilege of beta-testing their BHK Signature pre-amp, the more recent Direct Stream Memory Player (yikes, what a performer that is!), and now the new Stellar S300 amp. I've also got the Stellar Gain Cell DAC/Pre on hand, and will have some comments on that unit soon.
For now, though, some observations on the new stereo amp.
Packing: The amp arrives in the standard double box, but PS Audio has found a method of packing that uses interlocking cardboard to suspend the amp inside. It arrived perfectly intact. Getting it back in (should the need arise) would seem a bit tricky, though.
Fit and Finish: As PS Audio's website suggests, the casework has been designed with high design efficiency in mind. Two aluminum panels (mine are black) make up the top/front and bottom/front. The sides and rear are powder-coated steel. The simple industrial design is appealing, and it's simplicity conveys that the real goods are inside.
The rear panel includes 2 speaker taps for each channel. The speaker taps are high-quality metal, as nice as I've seen on a high-end amp, allowing spade, bare wire, or banana terminations. Inputs are supplied in single-ended and balanced configurations. There’s a power switch, and a warning sticker: connect the power cord FIRST, THEN flip the rear switch. As is typical of all recent PS Audio gear, the front logo is the On/Standby switch.
Connections: I've done most of my listening with single-ended Audioquest (about $200 the pair) interconnects from the preamp, mimicking the kind of set-up most buyers will use for this amp. However, I have to mention that the Stellar S300 performed a bit better when I used Cardas Golden Reference balanced cables. Just the same, all my comments on sound quality are based on sessions with the single-ended cables in play.
Break-in: Out of the box, one notices a fair amount of grain, even a slight shrillness in the lower treble. This improves within several hours, and nearly disappears after about 100 hours. I played digital content on repeat for several days before doing any serious listening. An additional 50 hours or so yielded a subtle but noticeable improvement in sound quality. At the time of this review, I've had the Stellar S300 in my main listening room for almost 2 weeks.
I've been through a number of amps in the last 25 years, especially so in the last 7. Most recently I obtained a pair of PS Audio BHK Signature 300 monoblocks, which are the finest (and most expensive) amps I've ever owned. I still have on hand a beloved pair of Quicksilver V4 tube monoblocks, and a pair of Mark Levinson No. 434 monoblocks. Prior to these, I've owned stereo amps by Parasound, Sonic Frontiers and Mark Levinson. I remember well their sonic qualities and shortcomings.
When it comes to amps, I'm ever in search of certain traits: macro- and micro-dynamics, a sense of space around the instruments (what some refer to as "air"), depth of sound-stage as well as width and height, and tight, solid bass. I've learned over the years that this is a tall order for an amp, and compromises of one or more of these characteristics are common.
Although I'm clear that compromises were made to produce great sound at the price point of the Stellar S300, it takes a bit of work to focus on them, so musical is this amp! The bass is as tight as I've heard in any of the other amps I've owned with the exception of the BHK Sig. The soundstage is as dimensional as I've heard from any amp, and better than the other stereo amps I've owned. The definition of voices is very good, with plenty of space around the instruments of a jazz combo, and accurate characterization of grouped instruments in an orchestra. The Stellar S300 is so good at these feats that most of my listening sessions with it have found me lost in the music, and not wondering if I was missing out on some quality that my more expensive amps might provide. OK, so there's no happy glow of those beautiful Golden Lion KT88s in my Quicksilver amps with their tube warmth and midrange purity; and the delicacy and thunder of the BHK Signatures aren't there. But, 2 minutes into whatever is playing, I quit thinking about all that!
So, where are the drawbacks? Well, minor as they are, they're where you'd expect them to be. The upper midrange and lower treble aren't quite as effortless and smooth as with either the Quicksilvers or the BHK Signatures. There's just a little bit of grain left, though, quite honestly, it's hard to distinguish when you start listening to the music. The Stellar S300 does not provide the ultimate in macro-dynamics, though, again, it's not all that obvious. Finally, I don't know just how good the bass really is. My Quad 2905s provide high quality bass down to about 35 Hz, and the Stellar S300 gives them all the support they need. So, in my room, the bass is nearly as good as I've heard (again, the BHK Sigs provide a bit more). I can't know, however, how more bass-proficient speakers might sound with this amp. For that, I await comments from other users.
A word on value. About 8 years ago I bought the Mark Levinson No. 434 monoblocks. They went for $8000 the pair, and they looked and sounded as good as I'd come to expect for that kind of money. I was happy! They are still very good amps by today's standards. When I think about how much performance PS Audio has managed to put into a stereo amp that costs less than 20% of what the Mark Levinson's cost, however, I'm simply amazed. It doesn’t look as expensive, but it’s performance leaves little to forgive.
Most of what I've always searched for in an amp is there in the Stellar S300. Although I'm very happy with the BHK Signature 300s—and I still sometimes miss the colorations and dimensionality that go with my tube amps—I can't help thinking that, if I'd happened upon this amp earlier, I might not have sought out the much more expensive amps.
I guess that's how this game goes! We audiophiles are ever looking for the next meaningful improvement in our systems, or are dangerously curious about the magic in a component that’s captured our attention. When I'm listening to the Stellar S300, I’ve found myself not thinking about any of that—just the music.
Another excellent review:
““When I’m listening to the Stellar S300, I’ve found myself not thinking about any of that—just the music””.
That last line says it all about P S Audio equipment !