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PS Audio Stellar Strata Integrated Amplifier Review

The PS Audio Stellar Strata stumbles slightly with a wonky app but there is no question that it delivers a “Stellar” musical performance.

PS Audio Stellar Strata Integrated Amplifier

Fellow former herb enthusiast, Paul McGowan, and his merry band of audio wizards at PS Audio have released a new integrated amplifier. No, not a new Sprout; their overachieving, entry-level integrated amplifier that only requires a pair of speakers. This time it is a more refined product, the PS Audio Stellar Strata. An integrated amplifier which is still overachieving, and ripe with features. You still only need to provide a pair of loudspeakers but there is nothing entry-level about its sound quality. 

PS Audio Stellar Strata Silver Right Angle

The Stellar Strata is slim and elegant. Like all the PS Audio products I’ve spent time with, it is functional in its appearance – which is how I like it. Slim it may be, but this is one heavy and solidly built component. 

It is also very powerful. The PS Audio Stellar Strata outputs 200 watts/channel (4 ohms), or 100 watts/channel (8 ohms) and is stable into 2 ohms. In short, in can drive most loudspeakers with ease. The power amplifier uses an ICEpower Class D module in the output stage. 

A Class A balanced analog preamplifier controls volume. This volume control, the “Gain Cell,” was developed by McGowan and according to PS Audio, it is superior to most other such implementations. The Strata is fully balanced throughout.

PS Audio Stellar Strata Silver Integrated Amplifier Back

The DAC inside the Strata receives all incoming digital signals in native mode into its Digital Lens, then reclocks the signal, thus reducing jitter. The DAC can decode PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD128. The Stellar Strata connects to the new PS Audio PerfectWave SACD transport via the I2S input.

The new kid on the block here is the streaming board. It supports UPnP, Tidal, Qobuz, and Spotify Connect. 

Support for Roon is unfortunately not available right now. 

Digital inputs are aplenty; USB (384kHz, DSD128), I2S (384kHz, DSD128), TOSLINK (96kHz), and coaxial (192kHz). There are three RCA stereo inputs and one balanced XLR. Lastly, there’s an RCA output to connect to another power amplifier or powered subwoofer.

Headphone listeners will notice that there is a single ¼’ headphone jack on the front panel and I was pleased to see that McGowan has designed a Class A headphone amplifier for the Stellar Strata that is no afterthought.

Listening  

Currently, my loudspeakers in our living room are a pair of Larsen 8.2 ($9,400) from Larsen HiFi. They’re ortho-acoustic speakers that project sound into our living room in a delightfully peculiar way. I have enjoyed them with several relatively modest setups: The Croft Acoustics Micro 25 and the Series 7 were the most transparent; the Exposure 2510 the most neutral; and the Schiit Vidar and Hugo2go the most fun. 

But it wasn’t until I plugged in the PS Audio Stellar Strata that I found the one I liked the most. The Larsen 8.2 were given an immediate dose of sumptuous wetness, liquidity, and full-fat milk. With no hit to either resolution or drive, and absolutely no muddy water in the midrange. The Stellar Strata made the Larsen 8.2 sound fuller, fatter, more transparent, and more engaging than through either of the other amps at my disposal.

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Besting my Croft Acoustics set-up was no small feat. The PS Audio Stellar Strata is more expensive but not significantly so. 

It is difficult to make the Larsen 8.2 sound bad. But it can also be difficult to make them come truly alive. Before the Stellar Strata joined the party, I struggled with getting them to sound just right. The bass could sound dry, then the treble would annoy me, then the bass would be too fat and slow, and then there would be issues with vocals. I’m being very picky here, but these things matter. Music reproduction encompasses so many different variables and it’s not enough to do only a few things really well. 

PS Audio Stellar Strata Silver Left Angle

The Strata solved all of that. Deep bass that extended down in the 20Hz range. A very smooth treble that was perfectly balanced between detail, energy, and friendliness. The midrange took on an open, full, and, somehow, lush character. With the Strata, the Larsen 8.2 now sound bigger than before, more open, more transparent, more dynamic, and certainly fuller. 

The Strata did all that in one take. That is the sign of a superb amplifier.

We need to talk about the DAC and internal streamer. With most music I preferred the onboard DAC to my Chord Hugo 2. That’s saying something. 

PS Audio Stellar Strata Black Right Angle

The Hugo 2 with the 2Go streaming module is highly detailed and a terrific and super convenient battery powered Roon Endpoint. Points to Chord for offering Roon compatibility. 

But it can also sound a bit thin compared to the DAC inside the PS Audio Stellar Strata. And it wasn’t one of those hair-splitting subtle differences. Floating Points’ Crush sounded more organically full; Björk’s Post also sounded better — less hard, more fluid. Her voice was smoother and more liquid. Also, the Hugo2go can be ruthless to crappy recordings; the Stellar Strata make them more palatable. 

However, on something like Selected Ambient Dub Works 06-09 by Blamstrain the difference between the two DACs become less obvious, and I actually seem to prefer the Hugo2go. The Stellar DAC is a smidgen more unfocused making the pulsing, breathing bass too wobbly. But these are small differences. Listening to ambient dub or other throbbing, hazy music, would I be able to consistently tell the two DACs apart if I didn’t know which one was playing? Doubtful.

My only gripe with the Strata is its streaming capabilities. This integrated amplifier is supposed to be a one-box solution. But the PS Connect app is not up to the task. It is not an app I would consider using daily. PS Audio have said that their streaming board doesn’t have the bandwidth to handle Roon. 

PS Audio Stellar Strata Black Front

In my opinion that is a mistake – especially if the app you offer is hobbled. I tried the Strata with the app, and it was not ideal. Most of my listening was done with the Node 2i from Bluesound acting as streamer and Roon Endpoint. I’ll put it like this: if the Strata did Roon I would buy it instantly.

I move the PS Audio Stellar Strata into my smaller listening den. I connect the F-302 from Fyne Audio. A spectacular pair of budget speakers (review here). A go-to track of mine, Stretch Your Eyes by Agnes Obel, has a smooth presence. Obel’s voice is silky and thrust into the room. The instrumentation takes on a reverberant quality that I don’t usually get through these speakers.  

A switch to my Omega speakers shed further light on the Strata. It keeps its rich sounding character; and still avoids any treble shenanigans. But when I compare it to my separates setup – a 300B power amp from Audio Classic and the MZ2 from Linear Tube Audio – it does not sound quite as open. 

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There’s less space within the recording. To add, the Strata lacks the über-saturated tone of my 300B setup. The Strata counters this with more effortless dynamic swings and much tighter and deeper bass. Anyway, it’s not a fair fight. My 300B setup is assembled specifically with my Omega in mind. Further, Omega speakers are built and tested to work with tubes.

Conclusion

The PS Audio Stellar Strata is a one-box solution that made every other speaker I have sound as good as I’ve heard. It offers almost effortless dynamics and a rich tonal balance that worked with almost every recording that I placed in its path. 

The streamer section falls down because the app does not deliver a commensurate experience in comparison to the rest of the product. Having to use the $549 Bluesound Node 2i to have access to Roon, MQA, and a better interface was disappointing. 

The Stellar Strata delivers an exceptional musical performance even with my misgivings about the app. If you are in the market for a one-box solution between $2,500 and $3,500 – it belongs near the top of your audition list. 

For more information: PS Audio Stellar Strata (psaudio.com)

12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. James

    April 19, 2021 at 7:55 pm

    Man, it doesn’t sound anywhere near the top of what my list would be. And comparing it to tube gear is just wrong. There’s no way it can compete, musically. It’s Class D for Christ’s sake!

    • Ian White

      April 19, 2021 at 8:28 pm

      Mads owns both tube, solid-state (class AB) and Class D amplifiers and unless you’ve listened to it in the context of his system, I’m not sure how you can make that statement. I happen to own Croft Acoustics amplifiers as well and I’m very intrigued to hear this PS Audio piece now.

      “There’s no way it can compete, musically” is a rather blanket statement don’t you think?

      Best,
      Ian White

      • MrSatyre

        April 22, 2021 at 11:44 pm

        That’s an argument you’ll never win. In my vast experience as a manufacturer, I’ve learned that most people who criticize Class D have either never actually listened to any Class D amps, and are merely parroting their favorite audiophile reviewers, or they have listened to one and one only, without trying to mix and match components and speakers before passing judgment.

        • Ian White

          April 23, 2021 at 11:37 am

          Completely agree.

          I’ve listened to the new NAD Master Series products and come away very impressed. Same experience with other brands.

          Audiophiles don’t like thinking or listening for themselves. They don’t want to get kicked out of the “cool kids” club.

          Ian

  2. MadMex

    August 5, 2021 at 10:36 am

    Who me? As an analog man living in a digital world, and while it may not be in current fashion, I’d like to read more about valves on this here fine website. Little offense to PS Audio.

    • Ian White

      August 5, 2021 at 12:08 pm

      Tubes are coming. Croft, Decware, Audible Illusions, Audio Research, Fisher and much more…

      Ian White

  3. B

    December 22, 2021 at 5:46 am

    I own the Strata. To be blunt, the streaming software does not work.

    The unit repeatedly locks-up despite a few half hearted firmware updates released in 2020.

    Even PS Audio customer support no longer responds as they have no clue on how to resolve this issue.

    Despite a decent SQ, I strongly advise avoiding the PS Audio Strata.

    It’s clearly not ready for primetime and is cynically released to the public.

    *As a follow-up – I ended up purchasing a $400 iFi streamer to bypass that of a $3000 machine.

    Just a complete waste of time and money. If you’re an international customer, good luck with after-sales support.

    • Ian White

      December 22, 2021 at 4:02 pm

      That is very disappointing to hear.

      No excuse for that lack of customer support.

      Ian White

    • Bob

      October 26, 2022 at 1:29 am

      I too own a PS Audio Stellar Strata, mated to KEF LS50 meta speakers on stands, and running a PS Stellar Power Plant regenerator/surge protector that improves sound quality along with WireWorld speaker cable. It is a powerful, full throated hi-end system yielding goose bumps by the minute. YOU ARE THERE…IN THE STUDIO RECORDING SESSION OR SITTING IN A LIVE CONCERT. For just $121 per year, Qobuz hi-res streaming makes it happen without any local inventory. A true hi-end bargain for under $8500. Top out at $10,000 by adding the KEF compact subwoofer.

      • Bob

        October 26, 2022 at 1:39 am

        One additional comment. I wholeheartedly suggest using the WiiM app with the Stellar Strata to stream your favorite music service instead of the PS Audio PS Connect app. Why? The WiiM and PS Connect are essentially the same, however WiiM provides continuous app updates, and can be viewed horizontally or vertically with an iPad, iPhone, etc. (the PS Connect can only be viewed and used vertically)

  4. Dan

    September 28, 2022 at 1:25 am

    I have a Roon Nucleus, so I didn’t need a streamer, but wanted a nice integrated amp. I’ve owned the PS Audio Stellar Strata for over a year and am continuously impressed with the quality of sound I get.

    As far as I’m concerned, this is a steal for the musical quality you get. But a cheap streamer, or an expensive one, whichever you like. The price of the amp is worth it.

    btw – I’ve gotten stellar customer support from PS Audio (pun intended).

  5. Leif

    December 14, 2022 at 1:53 pm

    Have been owning a Strata for a couple of weeks now (replacing the “old” version of Naim Uniti). Speakers are a pair of Larsen 6.2 and the sound is on a new level compared with the Naim. Extremely happy with the bass and general presentation. The only downside is, as mentioned, the streamer. It works but feels like “we through something in” solution. I will probably invest in a separate streamer – Innuos Puls mini looks very interesting.
    But as an integrated amplifier/dac/headphone device, this is a very fine product!

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