Ps audio stellar phono phono preamplifier MM / MC - black

Stellar Phono Preamplifier

The best phono preamplifier in 45 years of Ps audio. Completely analog from input to output, this extraordinary member of the Stellar line will breathe new life into your vinyl in ways you never imagined possible.

PS engineer Darren Myers has shaken up tradition, creating a new approach to capturing all the magic locked in the grooves of our records.

The results are breathtaking. Music that may once have been confined to speakers is suddenly free. The Stellar phono preamplifier features two inputs compatible with either moving coil or moving magnet cartridges. Cartridge loading and gain options are easily adjusted from the listening position using the included remote control. From input to output, the Stellar is an all-discrete FET design with exceptionally low noise and high overload capability, ensuring that even the most extreme dynamics of the most powerful cartridges are reproduced without limitation or compromise.

If you love vinyl, you'll love the Stellar.

Design

Phono preamplifiers in this price range are almost always based on integrated circuits, but not the Stellar. From input to output, the Stellar is an all-discrete FET design with exceptionally low noise and high overload capability, ensuring that even the most extreme dynamics of the most powerful cartridges are reproduced without limitation or compromise of any kind. The Stellar Phono stands out in a crowded landscape of conventional integrated circuit-based designs. Its sound is rich, warm, and immersive like only vinyl reproduced through hand-calibrated Class A circuitry can be.

Application

Stellar is the perfect phono preamplifier for any high-resolution system or cartridge type. From the lowest-output moving coil to the most dynamic and punchy moving magnet, Stellar Phono delivers incredible performance, low noise, and world-class sound quality. Use Stellar as the reference preamplifier in the world's most prestigious high-end audio systems. Stellar comes with a remote control, allowing you to select between two turntables or adjust cartridge loading and gain settings from the comfort of your seat.

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, spent years working on every detail of the circuit with one goal: to create musical magic. Stellar Phono shares this same philosophy. Stellar Phono is the finest preamplifier PS Audio has ever made in its 45-year history and sets a new standard in the industry. It's a triumph of performance and value that you'll recognize immediately from the first listen, when the music emerges from velvety silence, filling the room as if there were no speakers. Stellar handles all types of cartridges and uses no integrated circuits in the signal path. Its all-discrete, Class-A analog design produces over 20 V rms output for unparalleled headroom and dynamics.

Background

The art of design is a delicate balance between the measurement lab and the listening room. Hundreds of hours of design and listening have resulted in a unique fusion of proven technology and bold innovation. Stellar Phono is an all-discrete FET design that uses a passive RIAA curve, hand-selected high-quality components, and is directly coupled from input to output. Its ultra-low-noise discrete voltage pre- and post-regulation stages, combined with low internal feedback, deliver a transparency and openness rarely found in equipment in this price range.

Construction

From the moment you first use it, the Stellar phono preamplifier feels solid and robust. Every detail exudes quality: from the rear panel connectors to the cartridge loading system to the oversized, high-current internal power transformer. Internal shielding and quality construction ensure Stellar delivers ultra-low noise gain of up to 70 dB for MC cartridges with a noise level of just 0.15 mV. On the rear panel there are two inputs for two tonearms, selectable by remote control, and both single-ended and balanced outputs, compatible with any preamplifier.

SPECIFICATIONS

MM / MC Phono Preamplifier with Class A circuitry;

Design and construction completely Made in USA (Boulder, Colorado);

Design entirely with discrete components, hand-selected, with latest generation MOSFET and JFET semiconductors with very low noise and very high overload capacity;

Passive RIAA equalization curve;

Power supply stage with oversized high-current transformer and with discrete voltage regulation circuits;

Direct current (DC) coupled from input to output;

Support for low voltage MC cartridges (0.15 mV);

6x gain levels, 3x MM: 44 dB (Low), 50 dB (Medium), 56 dB (High) / 3x MC: 60dB (Low), 66dB (Medium), 72dB (High);

Fixed and variable load settings, controllable by remote control: MC configurable at 60 Ohm, 100 Ohm, 200 Ohm, 47 kOhm or customizable via potentiometer between 1 and 1000 Ohm / MM 47 kOhm;

2x independent unbalanced RCA inputs, 1x MM and 1x MC, with the possibility of connecting 2 tonearms / cartridges;

Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs;

Trigger In / Out ports;

Remote control included;

Dimensions (W x H x D) D) 430 x 83 x 330 mm;

Weight 9.8 Kg.