PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC Instructions For Use Manual - page 3
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Introduction
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Introduction
®
Owner’s Reference
Stellar Gain Cell DAC
iii
Thank you for your purchase of the PS Audio
®
Stellar Gain Cell DAC, a high-performance instrument combining the best of
two worlds: bit-perfect, high-resolution digital audio, with the purity and perfection of analog control and output.
The Stellar Gain Cell DAC (GCD) is first and foremost a full function, standalone, high-resolution Digital to Analog Converter
(DAC). Couple that with its built-in class A, pure analog preamplifier, and the beauty of the GCD as the center of a high-end
music system becomes clear.
Stellar earns its name when it comes to performance
The low jitter, high-performance DAC built into the GCD is the work of our chief engineer, Bob Stadtherr, inventor of PS
Audio’s core digital technology, the Digital Lens. Stadtherr has been designing and building high-end digital to analog
converters for more than a quarter century. Elements of his design innovations have been incorporated in many of the best
DACs on the market today. Stellar, his latest creation, is pure PS all the way: DSD, PCM, Digital Lens, passive analog filtering,
analog output stage.
Use the DAC in fixed mode, or enjoy the added benefits of analog control
At the heart of Stellar’s pure analog preamplifier circuitry is the Gain Cell, invented by PS Audio’s founder, Paul McGowan.
The Gain Cell is a variable gain analog stage that removes the limitations inherent in volume controls of all kinds, including
potentiometers, stepped attentuators, light dependent resistors, etc. Instead of routing the pure musical signal through one of
these many devices to control output volume levels, the Gain Cell takes a different approach. The actual gain of the amplifier
is varied, thus preserving all the musical nuances.
Your PS Audio Stellar GCD represents a major advancement in the art of recreating the musical event without breaking the
bank. The sense of being “there” at the original performance, hearing the warmth and immediacy of the live performance is
unmatched at anywhere near its price level. From the elegant physical appearance to its superb construction, your PS Audio
GCD will provide you with years of musical enjoyment and pleasure.
The Stellar series is a system designed to be used together for best benefit - although each of the components within that
system can be used as standalone pieces.
We trust your new Stellar component will bring you many years of musical pleasure.