Ps audio stellargold dac digital to analog converter - silver

StellarGold DAC

Every now and then, an exciting new design direction emerges that sets a new performance standard in a given price range. Such is the case with the all-new StellarGold DAC, a product that will raise the bar for any digital-to-analog converter in its price range.

What makes the new StellarGold DAC unique is its use of multiple DACs in parallel. Each channel of the StellarGold is built by connecting four high-resolution digital-to-analog converters in parallel, and the combined output of these DACs is then fed into a brand-new discrete Class-A analog output stage. The results are nothing short of extraordinary.

Using multiple high-precision DACs to form a single ultra-linear channel offers the benefit of reducing noise and crosstalk between channels, while increasing linearity, dynamic range, and resolution far beyond what any single DAC technology could achieve. Just one listen to this incredible new DAC will make you understand why it easily outperforms single-DAC designs.

Design

The new StellarGold DAC, with its advanced parallel DAC architecture, exploits performance standards not available to single-DAC designs. By using multiple DACs in parallel, the individual nonlinearities of each DAC tend to offset each other. This is because the probability of all DACs exhibiting the same nonlinearity error at the same digital input level is virtually zero. The results are nothing short of extraordinary. Just one listen to this DAC and you'll realize it's in a completely different league than any other DAC in the same price range.

Application

The StellarGold DAC from PS Audio can become the centerpiece of a high-resolution 2-channel audio system. Using StellarGold's balanced or unbalanced outputs with our matching StellarGold preamplifier, or via the integrated lossless volume control, the StellarGold DAC can become the heart of a cutting-edge, high-performance audio system at an affordable price.

Parallel DAC Technology

In high-performance audio DACs, using four DACs in parallel per channel offers numerous sonic benefits. First, it reduces noise through averaging, achieving an impressive signal-to-noise ratio of over 127 dB below the DAC's maximum output of 4 volts (balanced). When noise is reduced and the individual nonlinearities of each of the four DACs are averaged, the result is an increase in effective dynamic range (from the loudest to the quietest sounds) and an audible improvement in linearity and distortion. The combined resolution virtually surpasses that of any single DAC of similar design on the market, creating an extraordinary audio experience that only a select few have been fortunate enough to experience. We can't wait for you to hear StellarGold in your own system.

Perfectionist Build Quality

The StellarGold DAC was designed by Darren Myers, whose mission was to discover how far he could extend the already extraordinary capabilities of the latest technologies in ESS's high-end DAC platforms. To achieve this, he needed to use multiple DACs, a brand-new directly coupled balanced hybrid output stage with a slew rate high enough to do justice to the circuit's capabilities, and power the entire circuit with multi-stage linear regulators. A daunting challenge considering StellarGold's affordable price. One look inside this beautifully handcrafted device is enough to understand how the team at PS Engineering has honored Darren's original vision, using only the highest quality components and ultra-low noise designs. StellarGold is a true work of art that deserves your attention.

Cutting-Edge Performance

For the vast majority of audiophiles, the DAC is the cornerstone of their system. Streaming with a network AirLens, a PerfectWave SACD transport, connecting to a computer via USB, or playing music from any digital source are the fundamentals of bringing music home. The quality of this music is directly influenced by the device that converts digital bits into analog audio that we can use to power our speakers. This is the job of the DAC. And DACs are sensitive and highly sophisticated electronic circuits that can be affected by a variety of issues, including jitter, noise, distortion, resolution, and quantization errors, to name just a few. When it comes to finding the perfect DAC for your system, it makes sense to turn to a company like PS Audio that puts sonic performance and the pleasure of musicality above all else. If you really want the next step up in your high-end audio system, consider StellarGold for digital playback. We believe you won't find anything like it at such an affordable price.

SPECIFICATIONS

Fully balanced digital-to-analog converter (DAC);

Designed, built and tested in the USA at PS Audio's Boulder, Colorado facility;

Multiple parallel-driven DAC architecture with 8x top-of-the-line ESS Sabre ES9038PRO DACs (4x dedicated to each channel) delivering astonishing performance in terms of noise, distortion, channel separation, linearity, dynamic range, accuracy and resolution;

Proprietary I2S interfaces with HDMI connectors for handling raw digital streams from sources, with separate clock and signal data; impeccable timing with a clock featuring infinitesimal jitter values;

Lossless digital volume attenuator;

Analog output stage balanced, direct-coupled, discrete Class A amplifier with combined JFET and bipolar BJT transistors;

Power supply with multiple low-impedance linear voltage regulators;

Frequency response 20 Hz - 20 kHz (+/- 0.1 dB) / 10 Hz - 70 kHz (- 1 dB);

Signal-to-noise ratio greater than 127 dB (4 VRMS);

Total harmonic distortion + noise, at maximum output level, less than 0.002% (THD+N, 1 kHz, Full Scale);

Decoding of native DSD formats up to DSD256 (11.2 MHz) and PCM up to 24 bit / 768 kHz;

Digital inputs: 2x I2S via HDMI, 1x USB Type-B asynchronous, 2x S/PDIF RCA electric coaxial, 1x Toslink optical;

L/R stereo analog outputs: 1x balanced XLR, 1x unbalanced RCA;

Remote control included;

Black finish;

Dimensions (W x H x D) 432 x 76 x 305 mm;

Weight 10.2 kg.