According to Merseyside rockers, Half Man Half Biscuit, “Time flies by when you're the driver of a train” - Just as it does when you're a Hi-Fi retailer! Unbelievably it has been more than three weeks since our very welcome store visit from Signature Systems, who kindly brought all manner of lovely stuff for us to play with. As the UK distributors for a plethora of quality brands, we were furnished with a dazzling array of equipment from Matrix Audio, Sbooster, Ferrum and PS Audio. And, as you would expect, these past weeks have flown-by while we get to grips with some really interesting and exciting electronics.

I briefly alluded to the startling quality delivered by Matrix Audio's X - Sabre 3 in a recent Facebook post and this DAC has quickly become our preferred digital source since it was first installed. It will be the subject of a properly formulated blog entry at some point shortly as it has proved to be a very welcome addition to Audio T Oxford’s recently refurbished listening room. However, on this occasion I would like to draw your attention to the wonderful world of PS Audio, who offer a distinctly different approach to design and were the principal reason we were so keen to speak to Signature.

My interest was captured following a regular customer's wholehearted endorsement of PS Audio, and their Stellar range a few years ago. As any Hi-Fi hobbyist can relate, a carefully auditioned amplifier upgrade, can inevitably lead to the quest for a new pair of speakers within a matter of a months! Frustratingly though, the new speakers appeared to require, or possibly deserve, a little more current and control than my customer felt the new amp' could muster; enter PS Audio and one of the most effusive and unequivocal endorsements of any brand. Unfortunately the Pandemic prohibited me from enjoying the offered home visit, but I haven't forgotten that positive feedback and consequently we all have been very keen to hear the distinct sound that PS Audio electronics deliver.

The Signature team's visit was fun and informative and they have also been very generous, leaving us with a comprehensive selection of PS Audio products to play with that included the PerfectWave Power Plant 12 and it's Stellar range equivalent, the Power Plant 3.

Unlike traditional mains conditioning units, the two Power Plants aim is to completely reconstruct the mains feed received from your wall socket. The AC feed delivered is converted to DC and then back to AC and at this point the sine wave is completely reconstructed ensuring that any deleterious effects from your mains won't affect playback. For the electrically uninitiated, like myself, this is eminently repeatable concept but ultimately one lost in the lack of an absolute technical understanding. However, the benefits are clear and obvious to hear when the Power Plants are included in a system and while we have had an awful lot of equipment to play with recently, I couldn’t resist taking the Power Plant 3 home to try with my current system, again delivering the same superb results. It worked beautifully with my Naim Pre/Power and gave a substantial up-step to both my streamer and DAC. Very impressive and definitely worth investigating as the improvement can be substantial.

Power regenerators aside, we were also furnished with the Stellar GainCell DAC, a very capable Pre-Amp designed to work with either the Stellar S300 Stereo Power Amplifier or the Mono M700's - more news to come on all three products. But the subject of this missive….is the Stellar Strata, an integrated amplifier that includes a Sabre chipset based DAC with a Streaming Platform built-in and some potent amplification.

The DAC offers multiple inputs including two coaxial inputs - PCM up to 192kHz with a single optical connection - PCM up to 96kHz, USB socket - PCM 384kHz and DSD128 and the less prevalent I2S connection resolving PCM 384kHz and DSD128, which PS use to great effect in their more exotic standalone DACs and the PerfectWave SACD Transport. The streamer is easily controlled via PS Connect, a free to download app for phone or tablet that is eminently useable. The Strata is priced at £3150*.

How does it sound?

PS Audio's Stellar range is built exclusively around ICEPower Digital Amplification modules. In the Strata they deliver a "minimum" of 100 watts into a 8 Ohm load, doubling 200 watts into 4 Ohms. Far from an inconsiderable amount of power gave us the impetus to really push the Strata’s limits and while we tried quite a few speakers, one of the more exotic employed were Dali Epicon 6, which at 4x the Stellar’s price point might have proved a tall order, but were driven to great effect. The Strata has a distinct sonic character that is unlike any other electronics brand we currently stock. And no matter the speaker the Strata was paired with its signature was clearly audible.

PS' often describe the sound they sought to achieve with the Strata range as valve or tube like, and there is a definite sense of warmth in amongst the proceedings but the Strata's sound is in no way cloying or even reserved. The Strata is dynamic, propulsive even, and you can’t help but be engaged. And while timing is tight, the soundstage is wide, vocals step forward in the mix and fine detail is beautifully resolved. Now I have had plenty of time to really get to grips with the Strata and I have listened to many of my favourites and then some, but the best illustration I can give of the Strata's abilities was while listening to Tookah by Emiliana Torrini, just as I was putting the finishing touches to this blog post.

This is the opening and title track from her last solo outing and it's a track I am very familiar with. It also seemed to demonstrate the character of the Strata. From the outset there is a real sense of pace. A tight drum pattern, is intermittently punctuated by an echoing finger click which, with the Strata, always appears precisely in place, while a slightly recessed guitar not helps the songs progress but adds to the layers and while this element is sometimes lost to other electronics, it is clear to hear and the shades within the element of the mix aren’t lost.

Throughout these opening bars there are subtle changes of character within each strand as this seemingly simple track starts to show its depth. Pleasingly the Strata was easily able to expose all of these nuances and as the vocal begins to take your focus, nothing is lost in translation, the rhythm and flow remain constant, while the vocal sits forward in the mix, sparkling with each and every inflection. It’s an effortless performance and indicates the discrete yet impressive nature of the Strata, this is a single box that offers true hi-fidelity sound in the way that not so long ago, only multiple boxes and dedicated power supplies could.

The Strata’s sound is immediate and impressive but you quickly understand this is an accomplished component offering a clean, unforced and naturally musical sound. The Strata is fantastic but it also gives a clue to the improvements to be had within the rest of the Stellar range and without wishing to give too much away, things only get better and better as you climb that PS Audio ladder. So far, a thoroughly enjoyable journey.

Thank you for reading.

Andrew, Jon and Rob - Audio T Oxford.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on our social media channels below…