PS AUDIO STELLAR GAIN CELL

Ex-demo from distributor. Comes with original packaging, remote and manual.

The Stellar GainCell DAC represents a perfect fusion between a top-level analog preamplifier and a cutting-edge DAC, offering accessible excellence that enhances every musical detail. At the core of this device is the analog preamplifier, a crucial element in any quality audio system, capable of preserving the magic of music. With over forty years of experience designing preamplifiers, PS Audio continues this tradition with the Stellar GainCell, which features a fully balanced Class A analog circuit from input to output, combined with a state-of-the-art DAC that ensures perfect symmetry between analog and digital. This combination allows you to rediscover every nuance and richness in your recordings, delivering a sound that is rich, sweet, and always a pleasure to listen to.

The heart of the Stellar GainCell is an exclusive technology that revolutionizes volume control: instead of inserting elements that degrade the signal along the path, the GainCell directly varies the gain of the amplifier circuit in response to user adjustments, thus eliminating any sonic loss caused by additional components. This variable gain amplifier operates without any added circuitry in the signal path, offering rare sonic purity with impressive dynamics in both the quietest and the most energetic passages. The sound is full, engaging, and faithful, available through both balanced and unbalanced outputs, as well as a high-quality Class A headphone amplifier.

The integrated DAC is based on the renowned ESS Sabre 32-bit Hyperstream architecture, known for its ability to reproduce music with extreme fidelity while eliminating any digital harshness. The digital signal is passively filtered to reduce transient distortion, while the output is handled by a unique, fully balanced Class A analog stage with an extended bandwidth up to 60 kHz, which feeds directly into the GainCell preamplifier. Advanced features include high-resolution USB inputs based on XMOS technology, asynchronous I²S inputs with separate clock signals, and I²S outputs via HDMI, allowing connection to high-end sources and consistently ensuring maximum signal quality.

The Stellar GainCell DAC thus serves as a complete analog control center, capable of handling any digital or analog source with reference-level performance, both as a preamplifier and as a standalone DAC. Anyone listening, even with a simple CD, will immediately notice the magic of a rich, transparent, and extraordinarily natural sound. With this device, high-resolution streaming, PCM, and DSD reach new levels of sonic excellence, confirming the Stellar GainCell DAC as an outstanding solution for those seeking quality and value in a single piece of equipment.

Technical specifications:

• Analog inputs: RCA 3 stereo pairs; XLR 1 stereo pair
• Digital audio inputs: I2S 1 (PCM up to 384kHz; DSD64, DSD128; compatible with DirectStream Transport SACD handshake for DSD playback); Coaxial 2 (PCM up to 192kHz); Optical 1 (PCM up to 96kHz); USB (PCM up to 384kHz; DSD64 DoP, DSD128 DoP)
• Supported formats: PCM, DSD
• Analog audio outputs: RCA 1 stereo pair; XLR 1 stereo pair
• Headphone output: analog unbalanced 1 stereo pair; analog balanced 1 stereo pair; 1/4" headphone jack on front panel
• Volume control: 0–100 (½ and 1 dB steps; total range 80 dB)
• Balance control: ±24 dB in ½ dB steps
• Home Theater mode: assignable to any analog input; adjustable in setup to any level
• Polarity (phase) control: digital sources only
• Filter control: 3 selectable digital filters (PCM digital sources only)
• Trigger outputs: 2 (3.5 mm, 5–15 V DC)
• Unit weight: 6.1 kg
• Unit dimensions: 43.2 x 30.5 x 7.6 cm