Stellar Phono Pre Proto Pics

Ah, no apologies, instead lets have some more coffee. That is where I am headed.
Are you able to add some insight to the list of PSA projects. It certainly sounds like they are experiencing exciting times, especially when one considers their move and new music rooms. I envy the idea of cruising down to Music Room 2 for a few hours of listening. (I would undoubtedly over stay my welcome) :smile:

Great Darren, we electronical engineering dummies when looking at such boards can only imagine what you engineers achieve with sophisticated designs behind it!

As someone who has no clue about electronic design, I can just look at such boards and wonder, what really plays a role

Therefore today I crawled back in my high end history a bit, looking at the pictures I made of the boards of my last three pre/phono amps (excluded those I just shortly tried).

Starting about 15-20 years ago it looked like this (the following three pictures belonging to one 2-chassis double stacked pre/phono amp of which the latest versions of this amp don’t look that much different):


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Then this one box design (pre/phono/power supply) was the next one:

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The pre/phono I’m currently using then this one (it has an add. power supply housing), but half of what can be seen here is phono:


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Here just an alternative solid state phono amp I currently have available which also has an add. power supply housing.

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Then here the best or at least most transparent and soundstaging pre/phono I ever heard, which has all in this one box design.

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I hope I could illustrate how someone who’s not into circuit design looks at it and wonders how all this can sound so different or similar in spite of very different approaches…:wink:

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BHK Phono, yes. Not sure when. Otherwise the list is what I know about at the moment. It’s enough to be getting on with ; )

One thing that was always interesting to know is:
Due to the lower signals within a phono amp and the variability of cartridges electronic parameters and behavior…is it more demanding to make a good phono amp than a good preamp?

Listening to music at Darren‘s house. I showed him your post. He says absolutely yes, a phono amp is way harder. Long story.

Yeah…also what to take as reference source… which of the very different sounding and often picking up vibrations vinyl setups…but if it’s just neutrally amplifying a presumed accurate signal it might be easier than it seems…but vinyl setups in the Stellar range often are not that accurate…

…and what’s also interesting: how is an amp voiced when the circuit is developed? Using other parts or values differing from the theoretical optimum?

I’ll leave that one to Darren - up in the mountains to see Jerry Douglas and the Earls of Leicester :ok_hand:t2:

Local opening act 300 Days:

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Oh, gosh yes. A phono preamp with its gain and noise demands is tough engineering. Darren’t been working hard on this for quite some time. A real challenge. In my earlier days it was the hardest thing I ever had to engineer.

No, nothing even close. In the Harvester the LED is used to convert noise energy into light. In the phono stage they are more used as diodes for biasing and voltage drops.

So which will be better? This one or the new Stellar phono pre?

I kid of course. :yum:

I can’t discuss everything we’re working on but you did forget the Octave server and the new transport. We’re also into the BHK Phono and have noodled on plans for a new BHK 500 amplifier.

BHK 500?? Stereo or mono? I assume in the P20 case. That’s big news.

Hi Paul,
My memory, I have read much about Octave and a new transport-surprised I omitted. The BHK 500 talk will definitely excite many people.
My original point remains, folks at PSA have a lot on their development plates. Busy little beavers.
Thank you,
Chas

Any estimates of release date for this phono preamp and price range?

I think I remember in the video the release date was mentioned to be somewhere mid-summer and at a price range between $2k - $2.2k.

Where can I find the video? Thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIj18dh60SY

Curiously, Mark, that looks like a Clearaudio Unify unipivot tonearm. I had one of those until about 5 years ago, but for reasons I ever worked out it drifted badly outwards when lowering it. I finally had enough and sold it together with the absurdly over-engineered Champion Level II turntable.

Curiously Steve (my deceased brother’s name BTW)…not sure, but if you’re referring to the photo at the top of the thread, you are looking at Paul’s TT in MR2.

Yes, was referring to Paul’s TT, at least the arm on it.

A bit of searching and it seems it’s a Clearaudio Master Solution turntable.