PS Audio Stellar Gold Quick start guide

Owner’s Reference
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Instructions for Use
StellarTM Gold Digital to Analog Converter

©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
ii
Read these instructions
Heed all warnings
Follow all instructions
WARNING. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS
APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
Clean only with a dry cloth. For the Piano Finish Top refer to the instructions on page 8 of the
Quick Start Guide.
Do not place ammable material on top of or beneath the component.
All PS Audio components require adequate ventilation at all times during operation. Rack
mounting is acceptable where appropriate.
Do not remove or bypass the ground pin on the end of the AC cord unless absolutely necessary
to reduce hum from ground loops of connected equipment. This may cause RFI (radio frequency
interference) to be induced into your playback setup. Removing or bypassing the ground pin on
any electrical component is potentially dangerous and should be avoided for safety reasons. A
polarized plug has two blades, one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades
and a third grounding prong. All PS products ship with a grounding type plug. If the provided
plug does not t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. Unplug this apparatus during
lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
When making connections to this or any other component, make sure all components are o. Turn
o all systems’ power before connecting the PS Audio component to any other component. Make
sure all cable terminations are of the highest quality.
THERE ARE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE ANY PS AUDIO PRODUCT. REFER ALL
SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL
This device contains FCC ID: 2AC7Z-ESP32WROVER(B/E).
Please contact your authorized dealer, distributor, or PS Audio if you have any questions not
addressed in this reference manual.
This product is manufactured in the United States of America. PS Audio® is a registered trademark of PS Audio International Inc., and is
restricted for use by PS Audio International, Inc., its subsidiaries, and authorized agents.
Rev. 5E
Safety Instructions

©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
iii
Welcome

Table Of Contents
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
iv
Safety Instructions ii
Welcome iii
Installation Considerations 1
Unpacking and Connections 2
Connecting Stellar Gold DAC 2
Control and Operation 3
Front Panel Logo Button 4
Menu Display System 4
Main Display 4
Volume 4-5
Inputs 5
Main Menu 5
Main Menu: Balance 5-6
Main Menu: Filter 6
Main Menu: Phase 6
Main Menu: Versions 6
Main Menu: Access 6
Sub-Menus 6
Sub-Menu: Audio 7
Sub-Menu: System 8
Sub-Menu: Network 9
Remote Control 10
Stellar Gold DAC Product Specications 11-12
Menu Operations 13-15
Troubleshooting 16
Warranty Information 17-18
Service Information 19
International Warranty & Service 19

Getting Started
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
1
A good location for Stellar Gold DAC is in a cabinet or on a shelf at an easily accessible
height. Care should be taken to keep it away from power ampliers or large, potentially
hum-inducing products. The IR (infrared) receiver for the remote is located to the left of the
display screen. A direct line of sight will help with Stellar Gold DAC's IR sensor.
Stellar Gold DAC and the PerfectWave SACD Transport were designed to stack on top of
each other if they are not placed on separate shelves. To do this, remove the feet from the
unit you wish to place on top of the stack. Carefully place the top unit so it rests on the
bottom unit.
Stellar Gold DAC oers multiple digital input choices including: two I2S, two RCA (coax),
one optical (S/PDIF), and one USB. All inputs, including USB, are capable of accepting high-
denition digital audio signals. The Optical input is capable of 96kHz, 24 bit audio. I2S handles
up to 705.6 kHz PCM and up to DSD256 while USB is capable of handling up to 352.8 kHz PCM
and up to DSD128.
Stellar Gold DAC uses an HDMI cable to transfer I2S data. This data can only be used with
another compatible component, such as the PerfectWave SACD transport, and will not work
in other HDMI equipment as the I2S format incorporated does not comply with the HDMI
standards. PS Audio freely publishes its I2S standard and it has been adopted by multiple other
manufacturers as well.
DoP (DSD over PCM) is a standard allowing single rate DSD to travel over S/PDIF (the RCA,
and optical inputs are S/PDIF compatible) as well as over USB and I2S. It is not currently
possible to send DSD directly over S/PDIF and the DSD les must rst be converted to
DoP standards to travel this route.
It is possible to send DSD les (without conversion to DoP) over Stellar Gold DAC's I2S
inputs as well as USB. Most programs, such as Roon, Audirvana, JRiver Media Center
and Foobar 2000, will automatically convert DSD les to the DoP standards on the y if the
appropriate check box has been enabled. There are no sonic penalties for conversion to
DoP as the raw DSD data is unaected by the process.
Your new PS Audio DAC is supplied with a removable AC Power cord. While the supplied
cord is of good quality, it is recommended that you replace it with a high-end power cord for
optimum performance. It is also recommended that you connect your new Stellar Gold DAC to
one of PS Audio’s award-winning AC power products such as the P12, P15 or P20 Power Plants.
Installation
Considerations
DoP
Digital Inputs
Available
Power Cables

Quick Start Guide
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
2
• Carefully unpack the unit and place in the chosen location.
• Connect Stellar Gold DAC to your digital sources using the appropriate connections.
• Connect the AC cable into the receptacle in back and plug the unit into your Power
Plant or into the wall.
PS Audio products come from the factory with a 3-year warranty. Please register your
new Stellar Gold DAC. Registration takes just a few minutes, helps us inform you about
future upgrades, keeps track of your serial number and allows us to maintain the highest
standards of product quality of any company.
To register your new unit, look on the back panel of Stellar Gold DAC and note the serial
number. Using any web browser, go to www.psaudio.com, click on Support and select
Product Registration from the drop down menu. Once you have completed the registration
process, you can go to the PS website and look at the My Registered Products page. The
link to this page is located at the top right hand corner of the website once you are logged
in. If you do not have web access, you may register the unit via mail or phone. Notication
of software upgrades to this product will be available only to registered owners via the web
and email.
There are multiple methods of connecting the digital inputs of Stellar Gold DAC: Through the
S/PDIF based Optical and Coax inputs, USB, and I2S. S/PDIF is a serial digital interface available
as an optical source (Optical) or coaxial source (RCA). Connect to your digital sources with any
of these cable types.
USB is the preferred method of connection for a direct-to-computer connection and
Stellar Gold DAC is capable of processing up to 352.8 kHz 24 bit PCM data as well
as DSD 64 through DSD256. Connect Stellar Gold DAC to your computer using a well
regarded USB cable and make sure to set the output of your computer to the highest 24
bit standard. Once connected, your computer should automatically install Stellar Gold DAC
as a new device if you have a Mac. If you have a Windows operating system, you will need
to download the driver from our website and install it on your Windows computer.
I2S is available through several manufacturers as well PS Audio equipment, such as the
Register the Unit
Connecting
Stellar Gold DAC
Unpacking and
Connections

Quick Start Guide
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
3
PerfectWave SACD Transport. I2S is a parallel data connection with separate clocks and
data and transferred via an HDMI cable. I2S will typically provide a better performance
standard than USB or any serial data stream such as S/PDIF or XLR/EBU.
You can connect one or all ve inputs at the same time. For instance, you can connect the
USB input to your computer and the coax input to your CD player. Then you can simply
choose which one to listen to from the front panel (or the remote) that selects the input. If
you are using USB, make sure both the computer and Stellar Gold DAC are connected and
powered up. USB also requires a driver to operate properly. Mac computers running OSX
have the driver built in. Windows based computers require the PS Audio USB driver to be
installed. Download the driver from our website https://www.psaudio.com/downloads/;
Stellar Gold DAC will show up under Device Manager.
Stellar Gold DAC is designed to drive a power amplier directly or as another input on a
preamplier. The outputs of Stellar Gold DAC are high-performance, high current outputs
that can drive long lengths of interconnect cable without degradation.
Stellar Gold DAC has two types of analog outputs, balanced XLR or single ended RCA. Both can
be used at the same time. Be aware that most ampliers and preampliers will produce 6dB
higher level with the balanced outputs relative to the single ended outputs. If you are using
both outputs be advised they will be at dierent levels. Our preference for connection to a
power amplier or preamplier is through the balanced XLR outputs of Stellar Gold DAC.
RCA or single ended outputs will be the typical outputs as many preampliers, surround
processors receivers, integrated ampliers, and power ampliers have only this standard
type of input.
Plug either the RCA or the XLR outputs of Stellar Gold DAC into a line level input on the
preamp, integrated, amplier, or subwoofer. Do NOT plug the output of Stellar Gold DAC into a
phono or equalized input of any type.
Turn the AC power switch in the rear of Stellar Gold DAC to the ON position. The power switch
is located just above the AC inlet.
As soon as the switch is activated the front panel screen will display the initializing screen.
This screen shows when DirectStream’s internal “engine” is being loaded with the rmware
that runs Stellar Gold DAC.
After the initializing screen, you will see the main screen of Stellar Gold DAC.
USB
I2S Input
Connecting the
Output
Control and
Operation

Quick Start Guide
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
4
The front panel PS logo button, located on the upper left hand corner of the unit, is the Ready/
Operational Mode control for Stellar Gold DAC. This control has two modes: Ready Mode and
Operational Mode. Ready Mode (Idle) is designed to keep power on to critical internal circuitry,
including power supply capacitors, thermally sensitive semiconductors and integrated circuits.
Press this front panel button to activate the Ready Mode or to place Stellar Gold DAC in
Operational Mode. When pressed to activate the Ready Mode, the display as well as the
outputs are turned o, but all the unit’s critical internal circuitry remains active.
If you wish to conserve energy consumed by Stellar Gold DAC, it will be necessary to use
the rear panel power switch. Using this rear panel switch will remove power from critical
components. In order to gain maximum performance levels, you will need to turn DirectStream’s
power on at least 1 hour before use.
Should Stellar Gold DAC need to be rebooted, use the rear panel power switch to power cycle
the instrument. It's best to wait 30 seconds before powering back on.
The Stellar Gold DAC features a menu display system that is accessible using the control
ring. To access the menu, execute a long press of the menu button to the left of the
display. A gear icon will appear in the upper right corner
showing that you are in the Settings menu.
Once in the menus, a long press of the menu button
(holding for more than two seconds) will also exit the
menus and return the unit to the Home screen. The menu screen will also time out after 15
seconds of inactivity. Note that changes to settings are typically saved in real time as the
changes are made.
The main display defaults to show the current input. Pressing the right or left buttons
on the control ring lets you select a new input. Pressing the center button shows the
volume. Pressing the up and down buttons changes the volume. The changes take eect
immediately.
Front Panel Logo
Button
Reboot
Menu Display
System
Main Display
Gear Icon
Volume

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PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
5
Operating Manual
A quick press of the Menu button toggles mute on or o. (You will hear a soft click.) This
button works whether the Volume or Input display is up. If you are on the volume screen,
“MUTE” will appear in big letters. If you are on input, a smaller "MUTE" will appear in red on
the top right of the screen.
In new units, xed volume is on and volume will come up at 100. Once you turn xed
volume o, the volume will come up at 25 when you turn it on. If the user has Fixed Volume
set to a dierent value, the unit will come up at that value.
Inputs can be selected from either the Stellar Gold DAC front panel display or the included
remote control.
From the front panel display press either the right arrow on the control ring to scroll forward
through the inputs or the left arrow on the control ring to scroll in the opposite direction. If
the display is on volume, do a short press of the center button to return to inputs rst.
The round red or green light on the right corner of the main display indicates whether the
current input is connected or not. A green light means the connection is good.
• For USB, a green light indicates that a USB cable is connected to a USB host. A red
light indicates that there's no
connection to a USB host.
• For S/PDIF and Optical, a green
light means there's an active
signal on that input with a valid
sampling rate.
• For I2S, a green light means that
there's a PS Audio I2S source
connected. It indicates a valid
signal is present.
The main menu has the below features.
• Balance
• Filter
• Phase
• Versions
• Audio (sub-menu)
• System (sub-menu)
• Network (sub-menu)
The Balance feature allows you to adjust the center location of the stereo image. Press
down on the control ring to reduce the gain of the right channel, thus making the image
come more from the left channel, and press up to reduce the gain of the left channel, thus
Inputs
Volume choices
Mute
Filter
Selected
Current Input Sample Rate
Red = Input not connected
Green=Input connected
Balance >0
Main Menu
Main Menu:
Balance

©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
6
Operating Manual
making the image come more from the right channel. The balance steps are each 1/4dB
and the range is 48 steps each way for a maximum shift of 12dB.
When the balance is set to anything other than the center position (0), there will be an icon
on the Home screen to indicate this state (see picture on page 5).
The Stellar Gold DAC has 7 lter options that can tailor the sound of digital sources to the
listener’s preference. The unit comes with our recommended default lter (F1) selected but
we encourage you to experiment with lters during listening sessions. Use the up arrow
to scroll from 1-7 and the down arrow to scroll from 7-1. Leave the screen on the one you
want.
Filter 1 - MinSlow (minimum phase, slow roll o)
Filter 2 - MinFast (minimum phase, fast roll o)
Filter 3 - Hybrid
Filter 4 - LinSlow (linear phase, slow roll o)
Filter 5 - LinFast (linear phase, fast roll o)
Filter 6 - Apodize (apodizing)
Filter 7 - Brkwall (Brickwall)
The phase feature allows you to invert the signal from the digital inputs. Use up or down
buttons on thecontrol ring to change the absolute polarity of the signal from "Norm"
(Normal) to "Inv" (Inverted). This can be useful when listening to certain source material that
may have inverted absolute polarity.
Note: Some listeners are more sensitive to absolute polarity than others.
This menu display shows the versions of the Stellar Gold DAC's operating rmware. If
you need to contact our customer service team for help with your unit, please have this
information ready.
There are 3 sub-menus that can be accessed from the main menu. They are:
• Audio
• System
• Network
Once you land on one of the above sub-menus, click once on the center of the control ring
to enter it. Then use the left and right arrow to scroll through the sub-menu items. If you
need to go back one level to the previous menu, do two quick presses of the center of the
control ring.
Main Menu:
Filter
Main Menu:
Versions
Main Menu:
Access
Sub-Menus
Main Menu:
Phase

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PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
7
Operating Manual
The Audio sub-menu allows you to change the below:
• Input Names (sub-menu)
• Transport Input
• Fixed Volume
• Max Volume
Input Names (sub-menu)
This feature allows you to rename the inputs (I2S 1, I2S 2, Coax 1, Coax 2, Optical, USB)
using a preset list with items like Bridge, CD, DVD, PC, Phono, etc. This option has a sub-
menu, so click on the center button to enter the menu. To use this feature:
• Use the up and down arrows until you land on the input you want to rename. Press the
center button to select it.
• Use the up and down arrows until you land on the name you want. Press the center
button to select it.
• A pop up will appear to ask if you want to rename it. Click the center button to choose
okay or use the right arrow to navigate to cancel rst if you change your mind.
• The input has now been renamed. Do a long press of the menu button (or the center
button) to return to the main display.
Transport Input
Use the Up and Down arrows to select the input you are using for the PS Audio Transport.
Once selected whenever you press Play, Pause, Open or Close on the remote, the DAC
will automatically switch to the input you specied. If you don't have a Transport or don't
want to use this feature, leave the screen on O from this menu.
Fixed Volume
Fixed volume means the volume cannot be changed and all inputs are aected by this
setting. This is useful when feeding the Stellar Gold DAC into a pre-amplier. As a reminder,
new DACs have a xed volume of 100. If you want to change the Fixed Volume, use the
up and down arrows until you nd the volume you want and leave it there. (Press and hold
to move quickly through the numbers.) If you don't want to leave the Stellar Gold DAC on
xed volume, use the down arrow until you get to 0 or "O" to disable it.
Max Volume
Setting this value limits the maximum volume when using the up volume control. This value
is ignored if the Fixed Volume setting is enabled.
Use the up/ down arrow keys to set the max volume you desire. Set to 100 to disable this
feature.
Sub-Menu:
Audio

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PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
8
Operating Manual
The System sub-menu allows you to change the below:
• Backlight
• Display Mode
• Trigger Timeout
• IR Enable
• Factory Reset (sub-menu)
Backlight
The brightness of the display and logo button can be adjusted to suit your room. The range
is from 1 to 10.
Trigger Timeout
This feature allows the trigger output to be delayed a period of time after the Stellar Gold
DAC is activated. You can adjust the time it takes for any other units plugged into the
trigger output of the Stellar Gold DAC to turn on once the Stellar Gold DAC is powered up.
The time delay can be adjusted in increments from 0 to 60 seconds.
Display Mode
This menu provides three options for the main desplay:
• Auto: This is the default for the main display. It shows the volume and includes icons for
balance, lter, etc.
• Sample Rate: This option shows you the current sample rate and includes icons for
balance, lter, etc.
• Minimal: This option shows the sample rate and no icons.
Note : You can also toggle through these three options from the main display by pressing
the center button. However, you cannot choose a dierent screen without going to the
Display Mode menu item.
IR Enable
There are 3 options - O, IR1, and IR2. If you experience interference with your other
devices and your Stellar Gold DAC when using the remote, you can change this setting.
• O: This makes it so that no remote works with the Stellar Gold DAC.
• IR1: This is the default setting. If you are not experiencing interference with your other
devices, leave this setting.
• IR2: This changes the remote to a dierent code set. If your remote is interfering with
other devices, for example, turning o your television, change to this setting.
Sub-Menu:
System

Operating Guide
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
9
Factory Reset
This feature allows you to reset all of the conguration settings back to what they were
when the Stellar Gold DAC was shipped from the factory. Any input names and other
settings you have changed will be erased.
To start the factory reset, press the center button when you get to this menu item. It
will ask "Factory Reset System?" Use the left arrow key to highlight reset and press the
center button. After a few seconds, your unit will automatically restart with factory settings
restored.
The Network sub-menu allows you to view the following:
• Network Status
• Available Networks
• Wi-Fi Power
• WPS
Network Status
This menu item will show you information about your network connection. This menu is
informational only - there are no settings you can change.
Available Networks
This menu you shows you what Networks are avaialble along with their signal strength. You
can also use this menu to connect to a network.
• Use the up and down arrows to highlight the network you want.
• Press the center button to select it.
• A window will pop up asking if you want to "Connect to" the network. Press the center
button to select OK and conrm your choice. If you've changed your mind, highlight
Cancel rst and then press the center button
Wi-Fi Power
Use the up and down arrows to set Wi to O or On.
WPS
Use the up and down arrow to turn WPS On or O.
Sub-Menu:
Network

©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
10
Operating Manual
Your Stellar Gold DAC comes with
a full-function remote control.
In addition to operating your
Stellar Gold DAC, this remote
works with all Stellar products
and most functions will translate
to the PerfectWave line.
Remote Code Settings:
Your Stellar Gold DAC comes
with a default code set. If your
remote is interfering with other
devices, you can switch to the
second code set. To do so, press
the Light Bulb button (bottom of
the remote) and the circular O
button (top center of the remote)
at the same time. If the remote
backlight ashes green once, you
are on code set 1. If it ashes
green twice, you are on code set
2.
Button Guide
On: Takes the DAC out of
Ready (Idle) mode and puts it in
Operational mode. In addition, it
undoes the Dim function.
O: Puts the DAC in Ready (idle)
mode.
Dim: Dims the logo button and
turns o the screen and control
navigation backlight. Press On to
undo it.
DAC Input Select: Lets you
select the desired input.
DAC Filter: Switch between the
7 lters.
Remote
Control

Reference
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
11
Stellar Gold
DAC Product
Specications
Physical:
Unit Weight 22.5 lbs [10.2 kg]
Unit Dimensions 17"W x 3"H x 12" D
[43.18 cm x 7.62 cm x 30.48 cm]
Shipping Weight 26 lbs [11.8 kg]
Shipping Dimensions 22"W x 8"H x 17"D
[55.88 cm x 20.32 cm x 43.18 cm]
Color Options Black
Silver
Power Requirements:
Input Power Model specic 100VAC, 120VAC, or 230VAC 50 or
60Hz
Power Consumption 40W
Digital Audio Inputs 12S (2), Coax (2), Optical, USB
Sample Rates Optical (TOSLink): PCM 16 and 24 bits at 44.1kHz,
48kHz, 88.2kHz and 96kHz
S/PDIF (Coax): PCM 16 and 24 bits at 44.1kHz,
48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz and 192kHz; DoP64
I2S: PCM 16 and 24 bits at 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz,
96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, 705.6kHz, and
768kHz; DoP64, DoP128, DoP256, DSD64, DSD128,
and DSD256
USB: PCM 16 and 24 bits at 44.1kHz, 48kHz,
88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, and
384kHz; DoP64, DoP128, DSD64, and DSD128
Analog Audio Output
Output Stage Discrete Op-Amp
Connector RCA single ended, XLR balanced
Output Level High,
Maximum
4 VRMS Balanced
2 VRMS Single Ended

Reference
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
12
Output Impedence 100 Ω / 200Ω
Frequency Response 20Hz-20kHz, +/- 0.1dB; 10Hz-70kHz, -1dB
Max Output 4V RMS Balanced, 2V RMS single-ended
THD+N @ 1KHx (full scale) <0.002% at full output
IMD <0.002%, CCIF, at full output
SNR >127dB, referenced to 4V RMS
Data Handling:
Format PCM or DSD
Sample Rate (PCM) 44.1kHz, 48.0kHz, 88.2kHz, 96.0kHz, 176.4kHz,
192kHz, 352.8kHz, 384kHz, 705.6kHz, 768kHz
Word Lenght (PCM) 16-32-bit
Data Rate (DSD) Up to DSD256 (11.2MHz) via DoP and Native
DSD1024
Digital Volume Control Yes
Analog Conversion
Method
ES9038PRO DAC Chip
I2S Digital Input:
Connector HDMI
Format PCM or DSD. DoP on all inputs as well as native DSD on
12S inputs
USB Digital Input:
Connector USB "B" Type
Format PCM, DoP v1.1 (DSD over PCM), or Native DSD
Transfer Mode Asynchronous

Reference
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PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
13
Navigating the Menus:
• To enter the menus, do a long press of the menu button. A gear icon will appear in the
right corner of the screen to show you are in the menus. Do another long press to leave
the menus. Note: Menus time out after 15 seconds of inactivity.
• Scroll through menu and sub menu items using the right and left arrows. Use the up
and down arrows to change values for specic items.
• Unless otherwise specied, scrolling to your choice and leaving it on the screen updates
your settings.
• Menu items with sub-menus are indicated by a right arrow. Press center button to enter
them.
• Two quick presses of the
center button take you back
one menu level. For example,
if you are in the Audio sub-
menu and press the center
key twice, you will return to the
main menu.
Top Level Menu
Use to scroll through menu and sub-menu items.
Balance Reduce the gain of the left channel
Reduce the gain of the right channel
Filter Scroll lters 1-7
Scroll lters 7-1
Filter 1 - MinSlow
Filter 2 - MinFast
Filter 3 - Hybrid
Filter 4 - LinSlow
Filter 5 - LinFast
Filter 6 - Apodize
Filter 7 - Brkwall
Phase Scroll to change absolute polarity
from "Norm" (Normal to "Inv" (Inverted).
Versions
(Informational Only)
Scroll information
Audio (Sub-Menu) Enter Menu
System (Sub-Menu) Enter Menu
Network (Sub-Menu) Enter Menu
Menu
Operations
Top Level Menu

Reference
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
14
Audio Sub-Menu
From the main menu, nd Audio then press to enter the Audio sub-menu.
Input Names
(Sub-Menu) Enter Input Name Sub-Menu
Scroll through input list
Select input you want to rename
Scroll through name until you nd the one you want.
Select your name. Press again to conrm.
Transport Input Scroll to nd the input you are using for a PS Audio (if
applicable). The Stellar DAC will now automatically switch to this
input when Play, Pause, Open or Close are pressed on the remote.
Select O to disable.
Fixed Volume Scroll to select a xed volume. If undesired, go down to 0 or O.
Max Volume Scroll to select a max volume. If undesired, select 100 to disable.
System Sub-Menu
From the main menu, nd System then press to enter the System sub-menu.
Backlight Scroll to select 1-10. 10 is brightest.
Trigger Timeout
(delay output to other
devices for short period after
Stellar DAC activated)
Scroll to select 0 seconds to 1 minute for trigger
timeout. Select o to disable.
IR Enable Choose O (no remote works), IR1 (default) or
IR2 (if remote is interfering with other devices).
Factory Reset To select factory reset. Use right arrow to select reset
and press it again.
Audio
Sub-Menu
System
Sub-Menu

Reference
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
15
Network
Sub-Menu Network Sub-Menu
From the main menu, nd network then press to enter the Network sub-menu.
Network Status
(Informational Only)
Find information on your network connection,
including Wired/Wi-Fi, IP address, and connection
status.

Troubleshooting
©2023 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Owner’s Reference Stellar Gold DAC
PS Audio® Inc. 800-PSAUDIO 4865 Sterling Drive Boulder, Colorado 80301
16
USB – Stellar Gold DAC not recognized, or no sound via USB
To play music from your computer into the Stellar Gold DAC via USB you must have a driver
installed that communicates with the DAC. On a Mac computer with OSX or Monterey
the drivers are already available and the unit should be automatically recognized. You can
then go and choose the PS Audio USB driver to play to by going to System Preferences-
>Sound and select the Stellar Gold DAC. You can also go to Applications->Utilities->Audio
Midi and select the driver as well as set the same rate.
On Windows the drivers are not yet available for automatic recognition. You will need to
download the PS Audio USB driver which can be downloaded from our website.
You can also contact our support team via email or phone or simply go to
www.psaudio.com and click on the Downloads page for the download. You must then
unzip the driver and install it on your Windows machine. Once installed, Windows will
recognize the Stellar Gold DAC and allow you to select it for playback from any program on
your computer.
If you are unable to obtain sound via USB on a Windows based device it is most likely the
result of a partial or incorrect driver installation.
You may have also experienced a pop-up window asking you to provide the correct driver.
In any of these cases the remedy is quite simple. Remove the device and force Windows to
reinstall the driver and the device.
Stellar Gold DAC will
show up under device
manager as “PS
Audio High Resolution
DAC” The entry under
“Sound video and
game controllers” is
the USB1.0 fallback
driver.
USB not
connecting