PS Audio Stellar Phono Preamplifier
Available from
Our finest phono preamplifier in the company’s 45-year history. All analog from input to output, this stunning addition to the Stellar line will bring new life to your vinyl in ways you never dreamt possible.
PS engineer Darren Myers wiped the tradition slate clean by hand-fashioning a new approach to capturing all the magic trapped in the grooves of our records. The results are breathtaking. Music that might once have been locked into the confines of our loudspeakers is suddenly free. Stellar phono features dual inputs that can support either a moving coil or moving magnet cartridge. Cartridge loading and gain options are easily adjusted from your listening position via the supplied remote control. Input to output, Stellar is a fully discrete FET design with extraordinarily low noise and high overload capabilities so even the wildest dynamics from the punchiest cartridges sail through Stellar with no limitations or compromise whatsoever. If yaou love vinyl you’ll love Stellar.
DESIGN
Phono preamplifiers at anywhere near this price range are almost always integrated circuit based, but not Stellar. Input to output, Stellar is a fully discrete FET design with extraordinarily low noise and high overload capabilities so even the wildest dynamics from the punchiest cartridges sail through Stellar with no limitations or compromise whatsoever. Stellar Phono stands out in a crowded field of conventional IC designs. Its sound is rich, warm and enticing as only vinyl through hand-tuned class-A circuitry can be.
APPLICATION
Stellar is the perfect phono preamplifier for any resolution system or cartridge type. From the lowest output moving coil to the most dynamic and punchy moving magnet, Stellar Phono will deliver incredible performance, low noise, and world class sonics. Use Stellar as your reference preamplifier in the highest end systems in the world. Stellar comes complete with remote control so users can select between two turntables, or adjust cartridge loading and gain settings from the comfort of their chairs.
Technology
OVERVIEW
PS Audio’s first product was a phono preamplifier that took the Hi-Fi world by storm in 1975. Its designers, Paul and Stan, labored for years over every circuit detail with one goal in mind—making musical magic. Stellar Phono shares that same ethos. Stellar Phono is the finest preamplifier PS Audio has ever built in its 45 year history and sets a new standard within the industry. It is a triumph of performance and value that you’ll instantly recognize from that first needle drop, as music emerges from a velvet blackness, filling the room as if there were no speakers. Stellar handles all cartridge types and employs no ICs in the signal path. Its all discrete, class A analog design produces over 20V rms output for unparalleled headroom and dynamics.
THE INSIDE SCOOP
The art of design is a careful balance between the measurement lab and the listening room. The hundreds of hours of design and audition resulted in a unique amalgam of time honored technology coupled with daring innovation. Stellar Phono is an all discrete FET design that uses a passive RIAA curve, hand selected premium components, and is direct coupled from input to output. Its ultra low noise discrete pre and post voltage regulation stages, coupled with low internal feedback, offer increased transparency and openness rarely found in instruments anywhere near this price.
CONSTRUCTION
When you first pick up Stellar Phono Preamplifier you’ll notice its solid build and heft. Every inch of Stellar suggests quality: from its rear panel connectors, cartridge loading facilities, to its internal high current oversized power transformer. The internal shielding and build quality provide Stellar with up to 70dB of ultra low noise gain for MC cartridges as low as 0.15mv. On its rear panel find facilities for two inputs for two tonearms selectable from remote control, as well as both single ended and balanced outputs to match any preamplifier.
Features
- MOVING MAGNET AND COIL
- FIXED AND VARIABLE LOADING
- 70dB ULTRA LOW NOISE GAIN .15mv CARTRIDGES
- 2x INPUTS FOR 2x TONEARMS
- SINGLE-ENDED BALANCED INPUTS
- DISCRETE FET DESIGN
- CLASS ‘A’ ANALOG CIRCUITRY
- NO ICs IN SIGNAL PATH
- 20v RMS OUTPUT
- PASSIVE RIAA CURVE
- HAND SELECTED DISCRETE COMPONENTS
- DC COUPLED FROM INPUT TO OUTPUT
- LOW NOISE PRE + POST VOLTAGE REGULATION
- NO COMPLIMENTARY FET TRANSISTORS
- OVERSIZED POWER TRANSFORMER
- REMOTE CONTROL
Reviews
The midrange on this phono preamp is as open, uncongested, transparent, and revealing as that of any phono preamp I’ve heard at any price.
I recommend a listen to the Stellar to anyone in the market for a new phono preamp, regardless of price. I don’t think I’ve ever written that before.
Michael Fremer Stereophile
The Stellar Phono preamplifier projects an expansive sound stage, with the ability to extend wall to wall and create the illusion of the venue imagined by the artist.
John Hoffman Positive Feedback
Stellar offers the best performance for price, often outshining some far more expensive competitors. This preamp should be welcomed by experienced vinyl fans as well as newcomers to this marvelous medium. You would have to spend a lot more to seriously challenge what this affordable and great-looking component delivers; its ability to change critical settings from your easy chair is a real bonus. Highly recommended.
Lawrence Devoe Tone Audio
The PS Audio Stellar phono preamplifier, once again, offers an incredible amount of features for the money–just like the PS Audio phono preamplifiers of yore. It’s also incredibly neutral, which makes it the perfect phono stage for evaluating cartridges. I found myself continually swapping out the ZYX Bloom 3, the Hana ML and the Sumiko Starling I reviewed for The Occasional No. 6 because the Stellar was so adept at revealing the differences between them.
Marc Phillips Part Time Audiophile
Product Specifications
Physical
Unit Weight
21.6 lbs (9.8 kg)
Unit Dimensions
17 × 13 × 3.25 in (43 × 33.02 × 8.26 cm)
Shipping Weight
25.1 lbs (11.4 kg)
Shipping Dimensions
22 × 8 × 17 in (55.88 × 20.32 × 43.18 cm)
Color Options
Black, Silver
Power Requirements
Voltage Options (Factory Set)
Japan
100V
North America
120V
Europe / Asia / Australia / New Zealand
230V
Mains Power Input
IEC C14
Power Consumption
26W (Idle)
Fuses
100V
T250V-2.0AH (2A Slow-Blow)
120V
T250V-1.6AH (1.6A Slow-Blow)
230V
T250V-1AH (1A Slow-Blow)
Included Accessories
Power Cord
US (NEMA 5-15P) for 100V/120V versions
Schuko (CEE 7/7) for 230V version
UK (BS 1363) for 230V version
Remote Control
Audio Connections
Inputs
RCA (Unbalanced) for MM and MC cartridges
Outputs
1 × RCA stereo pair (Unbalanced)
1 × XLR stereo pair (Balanced)
DC Trigger
2 × 3.5mm 12VDC
Performance
Gain Settings
MM
44dB, 50dB, 56dB
MC
60dB, 66dB, 72dB
Input Loading
MM
47kΩ (100pF)
MC
60Ω, 100Ω, 200Ω, 47kΩ, or custom 1–1,000Ω
Output Impedance
<200Ω (Unbalanced)
<200Ω per leg (Balanced)
Frequency Response
20Hz–20kHz (±0.25dB)
THD
<0.01% @ 0.5Vrms output, 1kHz
Maximum Output Level
24Vrms @ 1% THD
Overload Margin
>22dB @ 1kHz
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
MM
>82dB (A-weighted)
MC
>74dB (A-weighted)
Interchannel Crosstalk
>74dB
Choose options