I said "Record Hall" turntable after saying I listen to records, but I misspoke! It is a Music Hall mmf 3.3. musichallaudio.com/product/mmf-3-3-turntable/
Have one, and LG OLED 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ But OK My question is , I have one connected to Sonodyne monitors, Its so sharp, its very good but not for long listenings, I would like to warm it up a bit, do you have some advice how to soft it up just a bit ? I put bluetooth small station, connected it, IPhone , Spotify mostly, just simple Thank you
Great review, I've had the Stellar Strata now for (2+) years and I absolutely loved it - paired now with a pair Zu Audio DW's. It seems the some of the LG remote issues were corrected with the latest update. My real issue is the clipping I get from the LG optical output to the Stellar. I'm currently looking for a new option to extract directly form my Apple TV.
I bought this unit not that long ago. I also bought new KEF bookshelf speakers to go along with the Strata so there isn't enough hours on anything to really have an opinion yet but I hope when everything breaks in I will be as happy with my Stellar Strata as you are. Thank you for that in-depth review.
@@DNL470 Yes. I can only listen to my system for an hour or 2 every few weeks so everything is still breaking in. There has been some improvement in the soundstage although I wish it were more defined and bigger. I added a subwoofer a few weeks ago and that made a huge difference. I knew the system was lacking in the low end but when I added the sub it changed the whole presentation. Wish I had my Krell separates again but this current configuration gives me about 80% of what I had.
@@DNL470 I am using the sub from my old HT system and luckily it integrated beautifully. It's a 10" bottom-firing sub. It was made by Paradigm (model SE). I needed a small sub because my living room is small (14x13) and this is working perfectly. If I didn't have that sub I would've bought the KEF KC62. From what I know it's a very impressive sub with a very small footprint.
Thanks for the review. Yours is the only Strata review on TH-cam and there are few reviews of this amp available. I have owned the Strata since the beginning. I like it overall. I agree with the criticisms. Sound is very good, volume control is not good, PS audio streaming app very bad( use WiiM instead), screen interface terrible, user manual poorly done. Like the IS2 input for my CD transport. I am currently dealing with upgrade itch. Overall very good integrated amp for money
I have a similar issue with the remote. The “In2” selection turns on my Vizio TV. Not a big deal for me as I generally select the desired input from the front panel instead of the remote before I sit down for a listening session. Thanks for the review.
Strata is for people who want sound without compromise , easy to drive , easy to listen . They make it like Mercedes make cars .. more you listen more you like it. I have a lot of gear and all have good and bad sides . It's music for ears and listening all day without jump to volume down ❤ This is not toy.. it's seriously good when play piano ...
Yeah I can see that. PS Audio certainly has their own signature look so it's nice to see and experience it in person. I like the clean design language.
The PS Audio Stellar Strata all-in-one paired with KEF LS50 meta streaming Qobuz (or Tidal) is a winning combination. Add a PS Audio Powerplant Stellar P3 for greater sound quality and surge protection, along with high quality speaker and power cables, and you will have a first rate modern audiophile system below $10 thousand dollars. The WiiM iPhone/iPad app is a better companion to the Strata than PS Connect for streaming. Fantastic!
Ah , miss my Carver magnetic field power amp and Polk speakers each size of a person , and Velodyne 15inch powered sub with Sony servo-tracking turntable. Yikes my TT from over 25 yrs ago going for $1000
This is a real dud of an amplifier. I own the Stellar Gaincell DAC, and I have friends that owned the Strata, and they quickly returned or sold them. I think the PS Audio S300 with the Gaincell DAC/Preamp is a better way to go.
Can anyone tell me if Stella Strata is any better than the Cambridge Audio CXA 81 amp? I have the Cambridge and I was thinking of trying the PS audio Stella Strata. I've noticed that both amps use the same DAC
Cambridge CXA 81 vs PS Audio Stellar Strata. The only way to know in your particular case is to buy each and take advantage of the try at home return policy. Audiophiles would concur. Good luck.
Just because an amp isn't balanced doesn't mean it can't be bridged. There are a lot of balanced power amps on the market that can be bridged. That said, you really don't want to bridge an amp unless you have to. You get more power, but you usually take a hit on sound quality. And its hard on the amp. A bridged stereo amp is not a mono amp. Its a bridged stereo amp. When you combine the 2 channels to bridge into one, it changes the way the amp sees the speaker. Resistance is halved, If you have speakers that average 8 ohms, that same exact speaker now averages 4 ohms. The more you lower resistance, the harder the amp has to work. A lot of speakers can drop down below 4 ohms normally. Bridged can make it 1 or 2 ohms. 0 ohms is a dead short. You're only one or two ohms away from literally disconnecting the speaker wires and touching them together.
The BEST moment of PS Audio Strata ownership is the moment you sell it. Why? Because the built-in streamer is underdeveloped. There are no software updates, and the unit consistently crashes, and the Boulder guys are unresponsive. Save yourself the money and hassle and look elsewhere for an all-in-one unit.
I have come to love the streamer on the Strata once I started using the iEAST Play app on my iPhone rather than the PS-Connect software. The streamer is much more stable after making that change. LOVE my Strata!!
PS Audio puts so much "overtly jingoistic expensive" product out there that when they release an integrated D Class amp for a mere US$3,300.00, it is deemed a bargain? Nope. PS Audio is a "tiny" tiny niche electronics manufacturer and as a matter of course I have always steered clear of these and stuck with the big Japanese brands. Never let me down yet.
I disagree with your assessment on class D. Today, Class D is highly evolved, renders quality sound, and is space and cost saving. The PS Audio Stellar Strata proves my point. Listenable for the entire day, its non-fatiguing sound quality is captivating and engrossing at this price point.
I have one connected to Sonodyne monitors, Its so sharp, its very good but not for long listening, I would like to warm it up a bit, do you have some advice how to soft it put just a bit ? I put bluetooth small station, connected it, IPhone , Spotify mostly, just simple Thank you
I said "Record Hall" turntable after saying I listen to records, but I misspoke! It is a Music Hall mmf 3.3. musichallaudio.com/product/mmf-3-3-turntable/
Have one, and LG OLED 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
But OK
My question is ,
I have one connected to Sonodyne monitors,
Its so sharp, its very good but not for long listenings, I would like to warm it up a bit, do you have some advice how to soft it up just a bit ?
I put bluetooth small station, connected it, IPhone , Spotify mostly, just simple
Thank you
Great review, I've had the Stellar Strata now for (2+) years and I absolutely loved it - paired now with a pair Zu Audio DW's. It seems the some of the LG remote issues were corrected with the latest update. My real issue is the clipping I get from the LG optical output to the Stellar. I'm currently looking for a new option to extract directly form my Apple TV.
I bought this unit not that long ago. I also bought new KEF bookshelf speakers to go along with the Strata so there isn't enough hours on anything to really have an opinion yet but I hope when everything breaks in I will be as happy with my Stellar Strata as you are. Thank you for that in-depth review.
Hey David, any updates on this ? Thanks!
@@DNL470 Yes.
I can only listen to my system for an hour or 2 every few weeks so everything is still breaking in.
There has been some improvement in the soundstage although I wish it were more defined and bigger. I added a subwoofer a few weeks ago and that made a huge difference. I knew the system was lacking in the low end but when I added the sub it changed the whole presentation.
Wish I had my Krell separates again but this current configuration gives me about 80% of what I had.
Thank you David ! Two more questions, what subwoofer did you get for your system? And any recommendations for speaker cables ?
@@DNL470 I am using the sub from my old HT system and luckily it integrated beautifully. It's a 10" bottom-firing sub. It was made by Paradigm (model SE). I needed a small sub because my living room is small (14x13) and this is working perfectly.
If I didn't have that sub I would've bought the KEF KC62. From what I know it's a very impressive sub with a very small footprint.
Thanks for the review. Yours is the only Strata review on TH-cam and there are few reviews of this amp available. I have owned the Strata since the beginning. I like it overall. I agree with the criticisms. Sound is very good, volume control is not good, PS audio streaming app very bad( use WiiM instead), screen interface terrible, user manual poorly done. Like the IS2 input for my CD transport. I am currently dealing with upgrade itch. Overall very good integrated amp for money
I have a similar issue with the remote. The “In2” selection turns on my Vizio TV. Not a big deal for me as I generally select the desired input from the front panel instead of the remote before I sit down for a listening session. Thanks for the review.
Same here with LG OLED TV
Strata is for people who want sound without compromise , easy to drive , easy to listen . They make it like Mercedes make cars .. more you listen more you like it. I have a lot of gear and all have good and bad sides . It's music for ears and listening all day without jump to volume down ❤
This is not toy.. it's seriously good when play piano ...
One of the best things about PS Audio is they stand behind what they build some of the best service in the country
Reminds me of NAD style amps. very nice.
Yeah I can see that. PS Audio certainly has their own signature look so it's nice to see and experience it in person. I like the clean design language.
Would this pair well with a Klipsch LaScala?
The PS Audio Stellar Strata all-in-one paired with KEF LS50 meta streaming Qobuz (or Tidal) is a winning combination. Add a PS Audio Powerplant Stellar P3 for greater sound quality and surge protection, along with high quality speaker and power cables, and you will have a first rate modern audiophile system below $10 thousand dollars. The WiiM iPhone/iPad app is a better companion to the Strata than PS Connect for streaming. Fantastic!
Ah , miss my Carver magnetic field power amp and Polk speakers each size of a person , and Velodyne 15inch powered sub with Sony servo-tracking turntable.
Yikes my TT from over 25 yrs ago going for $1000
Those are some legendary products!
This is a real dud of an amplifier. I own the Stellar Gaincell DAC, and I have friends that owned the Strata, and they quickly returned or sold them. I think the PS Audio S300 with the Gaincell DAC/Preamp is a better way to go.
May you please do a arctis 9x review love the vids
At first I thought you were reviewing a VCR or a cable box.
Lol. I'm bringing it back!
In all seriousness, this is the same width as a standard home receiver. It looks a bit wider due to how short it is.
Can anyone tell me if Stella Strata is any better than the Cambridge Audio CXA 81 amp? I have the Cambridge and I was thinking of trying the PS audio Stella Strata. I've noticed that both amps use the same DAC
Cambridge CXA 81 vs PS Audio Stellar Strata. The only way to know in your particular case is to buy each and take advantage of the try at home return policy. Audiophiles would concur. Good luck.
Just because an amp isn't balanced doesn't mean it can't be bridged. There are a lot of balanced power amps on the market that can be bridged. That said, you really don't want to bridge an amp unless you have to. You get more power, but you usually take a hit on sound quality. And its hard on the amp.
A bridged stereo amp is not a mono amp. Its a bridged stereo amp. When you combine the 2 channels to bridge into one, it changes the way the amp sees the speaker. Resistance is halved, If you have speakers that average 8 ohms, that same exact speaker now averages 4 ohms. The more you lower resistance, the harder the amp has to work. A lot of speakers can drop down below 4 ohms normally. Bridged can make it 1 or 2 ohms. 0 ohms is a dead short. You're only one or two ohms away from literally disconnecting the speaker wires and touching them together.
Hi,
Do you have any advice how to warm up the sound a bit?
I have it on active monitors, iPhone, Spotify, its good but not for long listenings
The BEST moment of PS Audio Strata ownership is the moment you sell it. Why? Because the built-in streamer is underdeveloped. There are no software updates, and the unit consistently crashes, and the Boulder guys are unresponsive. Save yourself the money and hassle and look elsewhere for an all-in-one unit.
I have come to love the streamer on the Strata once I started using the iEAST Play app on my iPhone rather than the PS-Connect software. The streamer is much more stable after making that change. LOVE my Strata!!
PS Audio puts so much "overtly jingoistic expensive" product out there that when they release an integrated D Class amp for a mere US$3,300.00, it is deemed a bargain? Nope. PS Audio is a "tiny" tiny niche electronics manufacturer and as a matter of course I have always steered clear of these and stuck with the big Japanese brands. Never let me down yet.
Wow so huge :O
That's what she said!
@@MJordanisGod23 GOT 'EMMMM!
Ps audio has some cult i understand but d class is not high as it can be in future
I disagree with your assessment on class D. Today, Class D is highly evolved, renders quality sound, and is space and cost saving. The PS Audio Stellar Strata proves my point. Listenable for the entire day, its non-fatiguing sound quality is captivating and engrossing at this price point.
Disagree.@@kishmirtuches2312
I have one connected to Sonodyne monitors,
Its so sharp, its very good but not for long listening, I would like to warm it up a bit, do you have some advice how to soft it put just a bit ?
I put bluetooth small station, connected it, IPhone , Spotify mostly, just simple
Thank you
I would try an R2R DAC or maybe the PS Audio Stellar Gaincell DAC. A good EQ helps too.
I have LG OLED
And Stellar
And its true, gets on your nerves
🤦🏻♂️😂