PS Audio Stellar Gold User manual

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
i
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 flammable 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. If the provided plug does not fit 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).
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment o and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
—Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
—Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
—Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit dierent from that to which the receiver is connected.
—Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment under FCC rules.
Please contact your authorized dealer, distributor, or PS Audio if you have any questions not addressed in this
reference manual.
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. A2
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
The Stellar Gold DAC is an extraordinary performer that punches way above its weight.
Compared to other DACs at anywhere near its price, the Stellar Gold proves itself as a
standalone performer.
Inside Stellar Gold is a remarkable new architecture for high performance DACs. Instead of
a single digital to analog converter per channel, PS Audio engineers have combined four
state-of-the-art ESS modules into a single channel for a total of 8 DACs. By combining
multiple DACs into one, noise and distortion levels reach near theoretical limits.
The Octo-DAC architecture of Stellar Gold is only half the story. In order to maximize
performance, engineer Darren Meyers completed the Stellar Gold by designing an all new
class A analog output stage. In any D to A converter, once the digital architecture has been
perfected, it is up to the analog output stage to wring every last morsel of musical magic
out of the data stream.
The vast majority of DACs in the price range of Stellar Gold place an o-the-shelf high-
performance chip op amp at the output of the DAC. While these devices deliver highly
respectable performance specications, they almost never compete sonically with hand-
designed discrete hybrids like that found in Stellar Gold .
From its Octo-DAC architecture to its hybrid-discrete high-slew rate class A analog output
stage, Stellar Gold is in a class by itself.
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
Installation Considerations 1
Unpacking and Connections 2
Connecting Stellar Gold DAC 2-3
Power On and Set Up 3
Front Panel Logo Button 4
Main Display 4
Input 5
Volume and Mute 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-Menu: Audio 6-7
Sub-Menu: System 7-10
Remote Control 11
Stellar Gold DAC Product Specifications 12-13
Menu Operations 14-16
Troubleshooting 17
Warranty Information 18-19
Service Information 20
International Warranty & Service 20

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
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 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