Review and Measurements of the PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC

[BostonJack]

Countless is highly suspect FWIW. Yes after 40+ years you might not hear some of the issues that show up in measurements, but this one isn't good at all. Imagine pairing this with extremely high sensitivity speakers, I'm guessing you would notice then when compared to another more competent unit ‍. If you're happy that's all that matters, right?

I'm late to the thread, but I used to be a test engineer (decades ago) at Analog Devices and had their analog multipliers as one of my product lines. (essentially a Gilbert cell in a configuration that allowed the product of two +/- 10 V signals to be produced. Termed a "four quadrant" multiplier.) The Gilbert cell was a great innovation and is really best implemented in a single IC where, as Amir said, matching is inherently quite close.

So, I haven't looked at a AD534 data sheet in a while, but there is no way they are going to support linearities that will result in >100 db SINAD. Their main use was in analog control and computation circuits of various types.

Exceeding that device's specs with discrete transistors is a fool's mission.

I have hacked with them and produced a simple modulator/demodulator similar to a super heterodyne receiver (in the audio and near ultrasonic band) and it was a fun demonstration but essentially useless.

Barry Gilbert was/is a down to earth and very smart guy.

 

[anmpr1]

Yet another, "The measurements suck, not recommended" review that fails to correspond to what is heard (Umm, he was too busy to actually listen to the SGC, but went ahead and published the review? That's totally irresponsible.). I have several AudioScienceReview "Not Recommended" components, and guess what, they sound stellar. I've been at this hobby for 45+ years, and if there's one thing I've learned it's ignore those graphs and charts. They serve as nothing more than rough indicators, and certainly not predicators of what you will hear, and enjoy. I can cite countless audio components that measure horribly, yet sound heavenly. The PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell is one of them.

Listen Paul, I need to ask... I have one of your phono modules with matching LCC, and the pots and switches are starting to act up like those old Dyna build-it-yourself components. Is it still possible to get new parts? Is there an upgrade path? Like Ezra Pound use to say, "Make it new!"

But seriously, specs just tell you who is doing engineering correctly. Who is getting the most value out of their designs. At this late stage of the game, any gear that is not downright horrendous in the distortion/power department will be OK to use. So in that respect you are right. You can pretty much ignore the numbers. Loudspeakers show sonic differences. So that's still an argument. But for the most part, the electronic stuff is just fooling around.

That said, I personally wouldn't want to spend top dollar for poorly engineered gear. But that's just me. And I certainly don't think Paul injects his latest and greatest gear with some kind of audio magic. That's idiotic thinking.

PS (nice play on words, eh?): I've been in the hobby as long as you, and I did own their phono module and LCC. And they did fall apart like the old Dyna stuff. At their price point, it was expected. But unlike Dyna gear, there doesn't seem to be any healthy second hand market for old PS kit. My god... Dyna gear from the late fifties through the mid seventies is selling for as much now as new..., and you can fully upgrade most of the designs. And have fun doing it. Now that's what I call long-term value.

 

[beefkabob]

Yet another, "The measurements suck, not recommended" review that fails to correspond to what is heard (Umm, he was too busy to actually listen to the SGC, but went ahead and published the review? That's totally irresponsible.). I have several AudioScienceReview "Not Recommended" components, and guess what, they sound stellar. I've been at this hobby for 45+ years, and if there's one thing I've learned it's ignore those graphs and charts. They serve as nothing more than rough indicators, and certainly not predicators of what you will hear, and enjoy. I can cite countless audio components that measure horribly, yet sound heavenly. The PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell is one of them.

There is no magic. There is no magic. There is no magic. Sound just is not an incredibly complex signal.

 

[Killingbeans]

I've been at this hobby for 45+ years, and if there's one thing I've learned it's ignore those graphs and charts. They serve as nothing more than rough indicators, and certainly not predicators of what you will hear, and enjoy.

Funny thing is, most users in here will agree with you on that to some extent. What we disagree on is what you are hearing and why you are hearing it.

There's a good chance that the "sucky" measurements aren't actually bad enough to audibly differentiate the Stellar Gain Cell from any other non-broken DAC in any practical application.

On the other hand, there's a high risk that the "stellar" sound is caused by perceptual bias. There's a million factors that can contribute to that. That's probably the main reason why Amir has his "totally irresponsible" stance on doing listening impressions of audio electronics.

And even if the Stellar Gain Cell does color the sound in an audible way, what's the point of adding that bit of coloring in such a cumbersome way?

That's talking about DACs. If we shift the focus to transducers, you'll probably get a massive increase in agreement.

 

[Bruce Morgen]

Yet another, "The measurements suck, not recommended" review that fails to correspond to what is heard (Umm, he was too busy to actually listen to the SGC, but went ahead and published the review? That's totally irresponsible.). I have several AudioScienceReview "Not Recommended" components, and guess what, they sound stellar. I've been at this hobby for 45+ years, and if there's one thing I've learned it's ignore those graphs and charts. They serve as nothing more than rough indicators, and certainly not predicators of what you will hear, and enjoy. I can cite countless audio components that measure horribly, yet sound heavenly. The PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell is one of them.

Thus did the desperate little "high end" segment of the audio industry, for which the ever-cordial Paul McGowan is the poster boy, abandon the foundational idea of "high fidelity" -- which means "great faithfulness" to the source material -- for some sort of vague, entirely subjective notion of what sounds "heavenly" (or "musical" or "euphonic") to folks with more money than they know WTF to do with. BTW and FWIW, I've been around both pro and home stereo audio gear for over 50 years, well over a decade of that in a professional capacity -- so I know how the marketing sausage is made!

 

[Everett T]

Thus did the desperate little "high end" segment of the audio industry, for which the ever-cordial Paul McGowan is the poster boy, abandon the foundational idea of "high fidelity" -- which means "great faithfulness" to the source material -- for some sort of vague, entirely subjective notion of what sounds "heavenly" (or "musical" or "euphonic") to folks with more money than they know WTF to do with. BTW and FWIW, I've been around both pro and home stereo audio gear for over 50 years, well over a decade of that in a professional capacity -- so I know how the marketing sausage is made!

They could just follow the Benchmark philosophy and all would be well, and financially justified...but I digress.

 

[HammerSandwich]

I can cite countless audio components that measure horribly, yet sound heavenly. The PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell is one of them.

Few here would argue against that. We would ask if it sounds significantly different than a DAC with better measurements at 90% lower cost, and if any audible difference is actually an improvement.

 

[MarcT]

Yet another, "The measurements suck, not recommended" review that fails to correspond to what is heard (Umm, he was too busy to actually listen to the SGC, but went ahead and published the review? That's totally irresponsible.). I have several AudioScienceReview "Not Recommended" components, and guess what, they sound stellar. I've been at this hobby for 45+ years, and if there's one thing I've learned it's ignore those graphs and charts. They serve as nothing more than rough indicators, and certainly not predicators of what you will hear, and enjoy. I can cite countless audio components that measure horribly, yet sound heavenly. The PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell is one of them.

Well, I didn't think mine sounded "heavenly", which is partly why I sold it and got an Anthem STR Preamplifier. I also just didn't want to own a component that measures as badly as Amir found. I do think the STR sounds smoother and less hashy on complex vocals, and I don't think it's expectation bias because I make a conscious effort to avoid that.

 

[SIY]

... and I don't think it's expectation bias because I make a conscious effort to avoid that.

It doesn't work that way.

 

[MarcT]

It doesn't work that way.

Why? Because since I spent more money on the STR I can't be objective about the sound of it? I was fully prepared to sell the STR and keep the Stellar Gain if I couldn't perceive that the STR sounded better. Even in some of the comments on Amir's review, it was suggested that the distortion level of the Stellar Gain could be high enough to be audible. So, why would it be shocking if someone could detect it?

 

[pozz]

Why? Because since I spent more money on the STR I can't be objective about the sound of it? I was fully prepared to sell the STR and keep the Stellar Gain if I couldn't perceive that the STR sounded better. Even in some of the comments on Amir's review, it was suggested that the distortion level of the Stellar Gain could be high enough to be audible. So, why would it be shocking if someone could detect it?

Sure, it's possible the STR sounded better. But whether it did or not has no bearing on expectation bias, which is a permanent psychological feature. No getting rid of it. It is fundamentally human.

 

[SIY]

Why?

Because you're (presumably) human. You can't turn that stuff off.

 

[MarcT]

Because you're (presumably) human. You can't turn that stuff off.

Well, then you might say that, because of expectation bias, the Stellar Gain should have sounded better to me than my previous preamp(which was inside my Denon AVR), but it didn't turn out that way. Even before I read Amir's negative review of the Stellar Gain, I just didn't find it to sound very good. I don't get why you are so convinced that a skeptical person cannot be objective about purchased items.

 

[Trell]

Well, then you might say that, because of expectation bias, the Stellar Gain should have sounded better to me than my previous preamp(which was inside my Denon AVR), but it didn't turn out that way. Even before I read Amir's negative review of the Stellar Gain, I just didn't find it to sound very good. I don't get why you are so convinced that a skeptical person cannot be objective about purchased items.

Since we’re human it’s real difficult to account for bias, and in research in many fields one has different methods/protocols to try avoid it.

An example:

NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms provides easy-to-understand definitions for words and phrases related to cancer and medicine.

www.cancer.gov

 

[EB1000]

Yet another, "The measurements suck, not recommended" review that fails to correspond to what is heard (Umm, he was too busy to actually listen to the SGC, but went ahead and published the review? That's totally irresponsible.). I have several AudioScienceReview "Not Recommended" components, and guess what, they sound stellar. I've been at this hobby for 45+ years, and if there's one thing I've learned it's ignore those graphs and charts. They serve as nothing more than rough indicators, and certainly not predicators of what you will hear, and enjoy. I can cite countless audio components that measure horribly, yet sound heavenly. The PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell is one of them.

If high harmonic content makes the sound appealing, why pay so much for a snake oil DAC as this one? Just get a cheap Topping DAC and use some analog emulation plug ins to get the exact same effect by DSP for a fraction of the price. Do they even have measurement gear at BS Audio? And why no contact Amir and try to understand what BS Audio engineers are doing so wrong to end up with a 58dB of SINAD, instead of whining about it anonymously w/o making any sense?

 

[Killingbeans]

Do they even have measurement gear at BS Audio?

They do. Lots of it. Doesn't exactly make the situation less sad.

 

[SIY]

Well, then you might say that, because of expectation bias, the Stellar Gain should have sounded better to me than my previous preamp(which was inside my Denon AVR), but it didn't turn out that way. Even before I read Amir's negative review of the Stellar Gain, I just didn't find it to sound very good. I don't get why you are so convinced that a skeptical person cannot be objective about purchased items.

The key word is “person.” That invalidates all the preceding words.

 

[MarcT]

The key word is “person.” That invalidates all the preceding words.

Okay....

 

[WRWSTD]

Well, then you might say that, because of expectation bias, the Stellar Gain should have sounded better to me than my previous preamp(which was inside my Denon AVR), but it didn't turn out that way. Even before I read Amir's negative review of the Stellar Gain, I just didn't find it to sound very good. I don't get why you are so convinced that a skeptical person cannot be objective about purchased items.

MarcT, Did you find that the Stellar Gain pre had a sound that drew your attention to the music at first? Then as you listened for a while, you actually wanted to turn down the volume because you may have felt irritated or agitated? Reason I ask is that when I listen to a component with higher distortion ratings compared to others, I kind of feel that way as well.

 

[MarcT]

MarcT, Did you find that the Stellar Gain pre had a sound that drew your attention to the music at first? Then as you listened for a while, you actually wanted to turn down the volume because you may have felt irritated or agitated? Reason I ask is that when I listen to a component with higher distortion ratings compared to others, I kind of feel that way as well.

No, I just never found it to sound all that good in general. It seemed like my Denon AVR sounded better. And it seemed like the Stellar Gain sounded better with higher res material than with 16/44.1 tracks, which I understand from ASR is not supposed to happen. With my Anthem STR preamp that replaced it, 16/44.1 sounds great.

And, please folks, I'm tired of arguing over expectation bias because, as I have explained, my expectation, if any, for the Stellar Gain was that it would sound better than my AVR. And, also, I already was not impressed with its sound before I read Amir's review with the poor measurements, so that did not bias me either.