I ordered a Stellar GCD a few weeks back and waiting impatiently for it to arrive, there seems to be some kind of a backlogue of orders for them in the UK (where the dealer i ordered from is based).
My system is currently built around some old Sony kit that I got for my 21st (nearly 15 years ago ) and a turntable I got for my 30th. Last year I decided to begin to up my game and started with a Musical Fidelity Phono Pre which made a huge difference to my sytem, I would never have believed how much clearer and wider everything would become.
So as we stand I am running
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M Blue
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB
Phono Stage: Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL
SACD/CD: Sony SCD-XB790
Tuner: Sony ST-SD900
Network: Volumio & Raspberry Pi3B+ & HiFiBerry DAC+ Pro
Amplifier: Sony TA-FB940R
Speakers: Tannoy Mercury MX3-M
I decided this year that I was going to upgrade my amplification and fancied going in a vacuum.tube direction, but without loosing the connectivity and convenience of a solid state system. After testing a few things and after several long chats with my dealer I ended up getting the Stellar GCD and a pair of Quad QII Fourty Mono Block Tube amplifiers. I am really excited for these to arrive!
In the meantime I have got myself some nice new van den hul analogue and digital interconnects, a DIGI+ Pro HAT for the pi to replace the DAC+ Pro HAT so i can take advantage of the Stellars DAC and a couple of extra shelves for my rack to take the new gear (look at it here with all the empty shelves waiting lol).
I can assure you, the wait on your Stellar GCD is well worth it. I just got mine a month or so ago, and it was a major step up from the already very good Parasound Halo P5 that it replaced. I’m sure the Stellar GCD will be a great match to your new Quad monoblock amps.
Enjoy and keep us updated on when the Stellar GCD arrives!
Yeah I’m impatiently awaiting their arrival! Can’t wait to get them here and set up so I can get some of my favourite records spinning to see how much better they will sound!
And a couple of the new system up and running, just listening to Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea by PJ Harvey on CD and it sounds magnificent, very impressed!
Thank you! My collection is about 50/50 CD/vinyl but my listening is probably skewed 80/20 in favour of vinyl. The pi isn’t used all that often, just occasionally to demo new artists on Spotify before investing in a physical copy.
My analogue set up has always been ahead of my digital one but by bypassing the DAC on my old CD player and using the one in the stellar has made a huge difference and brought the two much closer together.
If you think your setup sounds good now, you should seriously consider moving those speakers out away from the rack and back wall, and play a little bit with toe-in/out.
Trust me, you can achieve better sound for free playing around with speaker placement than what you’re getting already.
Unfortunately that’s not a realistic prospect where I’m living. If the right one came out I couldn’t get past the dining table and into the living room and the left one likewise from the back door out onto the balcony. The joys of apartment living!
+1
every weekend when I move my speakers into the room and toe them in I got surprised how the image and sound stage getting better. like hearing entry level system vs mid level.
) and a turntable I got for my 30th. Last year I decided to begin to up my game and started with a Musical Fidelity Phono Pre which made a huge difference to my sytem, I would never have believed how much clearer and wider everything would become.
