I'd also like to hear your review on the Stellar. I've been running the PS Audio NuWave Phono for a while, which I really like. But I've been looking at other things. For a while I was sold on the Sutherland 20/20. Then I actually decided, screw it, I'll get the Sutherland DUO - which I believe
@HiFi Guy recently purchased.
Anyway, that was mostly me spewing out my inner shopping logic to really just say, again, that I'd love to see your impressions of the Stellar.
Hi
@TheMythOfSisyphus,
Yes, been meaning to post my impressions but have been so busy with my son's distance learning (it's kicking my butt and he's only in Kindergarten...don't know how other parents are doing it). If I'm lucky, I get about 15 minutes in between hearing "I'm bored" or "what next"?
Anyways, I've only had my PS Audio Stellar Phono for about 2.5 weeks. My
upgrade path (including stylus/cartridge changes), for some context, has been the following:
- Started with a Pro-ject Debut Carbon SB w/stock Ortofon Red
- Built-in phono of the Parasound HINT 6 (awful with the Ortofon Red that came with my Pro-ject Debut)
- MoFi StudioPhono (really good for the price; tamed a lot of the sibilance of the Ortofon Red)
- Upgraded to the Ortfon Blue (way less sibiliance and overall was a worthwhile upgrade)
- Upgraded to the Grado Gold2 (lower output so required more gain, didn't pick up as much "bad sounds" from my records, warmer, better than the Ortofons...swore off Ortofons at this point)
- Parasound JC3 Jr. (wow, HUGE improvement over the MoFi. It sounded less strained and everything just sounded smoother and more detailed at the same time). I was very happy with this combo until....
- I upgraded my turntable to a MoFi Ultradeck. Transferred the Grado Gold2 and wow again, didn't know turntables could have such a huge impact on the sound. Same kind of improvements, where things just sounded smoother and more detailed, quieter backgrounds, less surface noise, etc.
- Then found a great deal on a brand new Hana SL. The Hana gave me a huge soundstage, detailed, so much smoother, an even blacker background. There was a track on a Com Truise album where it sounded like sounds were coming from behind my head!
- Started wondering if my JC3 Jr. was holding back the turntable & cartridge, so of course made the mistake of not staying away from forums and somehow ended up on the PS Audio website. And as fate would have it, they were having a 20% sale. So, with some trade-ins and the sale, I ended up getting the PS Audio Stellar Phono for $1500 (pretty much the same price as my JC3 Jr).
My Impressions of the PS Audio Phono
So keep in mind I'm still relatively new to all of this (HiFi)...I can't say how much confirmation bias there is and when I bought the PS Audio, my attitude was that I'll just return it if I didn't like it since they have a 30-day trial. I wasn't really sure what to expect out of it.
Build Quality
Since you have a PS Audio piece, I'm sure you're familiar with their build quality. This new phono stage is surprisingly heavy and the casework is really nice. The remote control, however, is a piece of crap. Remotes are really expensive to design/manufacture and in a piece of consumer electronics, is usually the first place a company will cut costs. The buttons are a type of mushy rubber and feels like really cheap plastic. If I dropped it, it feels like it'd shatter. I've been too lazy to program my Logitech Harmony to work with it, but will eventually.
A super super small thing to nitpick, but the user manual looks like it was printed at home and stapled together by a 13-yeard-old intern. For a company that positions itself as high-end, this kind of ruins it a tiny bit. I like to read manuals first, so if you think about that first experience with a brand/product and it's something where they obviously cut costs....
My Setup
I'm using Audioquest Yukons (XLR & RCA) between the Ultradeck/HINT 6/Stellar Phono. I'm also using an Audioquest NRG-Y3 power cord with the Stellar Phono. Maybe I'll try upgrading the power cord in the future since the manual specifically states power cord swap will improve things (but keep in mind they also make/sell power cords).
I've listened with both my KEF Q350s and Buchard S400s. It's interesting that with the KEFs, even bad recordings aren't too bad. With the Buchardts (and this new Stellar Phono), bad recordings sound really bad (but then decent to good recordings sound ridiculously good). I guess that's just what happens with more resolving systems? Or are the KEFs just tilted up enough in the treble to be able to cover up bad recordings, not sure.
Ergonomics/Using it
The indicator lights are kind of annoying and the front panel looks a little cheesy. I'm a UI/Product designer though so maybe being a little too critical. The LEDs are super bright, and you see 4 pretty prominent blue lights on the front of the unit. If you mute it, there's a bright red LED. That front panel doesn't quite work with their established design language.
The mute button though, I initially thought was kind of a gimmick or some type of workaround for something, but I love it! I get quite a bit of static building up after a while and it'd always be annoying when I'd hear the various knocks and pops when changing records. There were also times when I'd want to clean my stylus in between sides. I suppose one could just mute their amp/preamp, but I love the mute (and so do they, 'cause it's massive in relation to the other buttons).
If you lose the remote, you're kind of screwed and will need to buy another remote, because switching between the MC/MM inputs and the loadings presets can't be done w/o the remote. It does remember your last settings (unless you turn off the main power), but would've been nice if there was some alternative way just in case. I also wish they had memory for your own custom presets (I know in reality, it's probably harder/more expensive than is reasonable). I should note though, if you're using an MM cartridge, probably not a big deal.
For me, the presets were fun to play with and let me understand how they change the sound. For me though, I'd only change these presets while setup or if I'd want to buy a different cartridge.
BTW, there's two sets of inputs...one for MC and one for MM. The custom loading for the MC, you can change per channel. And I'm guessing one could have two turntables hooked up a single Stellar Phono (one with an MC cartridge, one with an MM cartridge).
Sound
I've been blown away by this new phono stage. I haven't compared it to other phono stages at this price point (or above for that matter), and I haven't heard any Sutherlands, but man, this PS Audio Stellar Phono sounds amazing. The mid-range has this authority and weight to it and just makes everything sound much more grounded. There's more detail, better instrument separation, and things sound even smoother, while still having than I've ever heard in my system and I really really like it! I don't know that there's anything it doesn't do better than my JC3 Jr.
I'm not a supercritical listener, but something I noticed right away was that woodwinds and strings all sound better where I can hear things like string plucks more clearly and can get a better sense of the volume of air going into a tenor sax. It's not something I seek out (this sense of realism) but it was noticeable w/o me listening for it. I've really started enjoying my music even more; I've suddenly come down with stupid uncontrollable foot-tapping syndrome (SUFTS).
Conclusion
Sorry, this ended up being a much longer post than is probably readable, but I love the Stellar Phono. I'm also not one to compare a million audio components trying to suss out which component lets me hear the acoustics of the recording studio or what has more realistic vocalist's spit reproduction. I do my research and try to make an informed decision and then buy it. I either like something or don't (except with speakers). If I like something, I'll just make the most use of my time and enjoy it. It might also be because I'm still new at this and still developing my HiFi taste buds, but just want to include that since again, I haven't really compared to others so can't say "this is the best mousetrap in the world".
Lastly, this new Stellar Phono makes me appreciate how good the JC3 Jr. performs. I also get a much better understand of the whole diminishing returns thing. The Stellar Phono is definitely better, but I think if I had to stick with my JC3 Jr., I wouldn't really feel like I'd be missing out. Full MSRP for the PS Audio Stellar Phono is $2,500, and the MSRP of the JC3 Jr. is $1,500. I started wondering how much of the cost difference is in manufacturing cost savings (made in USA vs. Asia, respectively), 'cause I'm not so sure it's $1,000 better. However, given that I pretty much paid the same price for both, the Stellar Phono is noticeably better and I'm keeping it (and will list my JC3 Jr. for sale if anyone's interested).
Also, I think someone else pointed it out further down this thread, but the PS Audio trade-in thing, there's a cap of a 30% discount off the price of the new thing.
Hope this helped and sorry again it was so long. Good luck with it...I'd say give it a try. You don't even need to send in your old gear for at least 30 days. And I've even seen people send in their old gear, decide they don't want to keep the new thing, and PS Audio will send your old gear back. I'd also suggest seeing if you have other old equipment that can add up to the exact amount of the trade-in and either sell your stuff on your own or save it for trading in for something else later. I traded in my MoFi Studio Phono and a Sonos Connect.
-Thomas
happiness levels:
