Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Instructions for Use Stellar Gain Cell DAC™ 4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 PH: 720.406.8946 support@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com 15-083-01-1 ©2017 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Owner’s Reference ® Important Safety Instructions Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC 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. 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.
Introduction ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Thank you for your purchase of the PS Audio® Stellar Gain Cell DAC, a high-performance instrument combining the best of two worlds: bit-perfect, high-resolution digital audio, with the purity and perfection of analog control and output. The Stellar Gain Cell DAC (GCD) is first and foremost a full function, standalone, high-resolution Digital to Analog Converter (DAC).
Getting Started ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Stellar Gain Cell DAC Front Panel View 1 2 3 1 2 3 PS Audio Logo Button Input Selector and Setup Menu Button Infared Remote Sensor 4 5 6 4 5 6 OLED Display Volume Control 1/4” Headphone Jack 4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 Getting Started 1 PH: 720.406.8946 support@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com 15-083-01-1 ©2017 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Getting Started ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Stellar Gain Cell DAC Rear Panel View 17 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 Main Power Switch AC Power Input USB Input TOSLINK Optical Input RCA COAXIAL inputs I2S Input Balanced Right Output Single Ended Right Output 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 12 Volt Trigger Output Single Ended Left Output Balanced Left Output Single Ended Analog Input #3 13 Single Ended Analog Input #2 14 Single Ended Analog Input #1 15 Balanced Right
Owner’s Reference ® Location Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC A good location for the Stellar Gain Cell DAC is in a cabinet or on a shelf at an easily accessible height. 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 Gain Cell DAC’s IR sensor. The Stellar Gain Cell DAC and the Stellar S300 or M700’s were designed to stack on top of each other if they are not placed on separate shelves.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Selecting an Input Press the menu select button directly to the left of the Display to select an Input. There are 8 inputs. Analog 1, 2 and 3 The Analog inputs 1, 2, and 3 are individually selectable. Selecting Analog 1 will enable the Balanced Analog input. I2S Input Input 4 is the I2S input. I2S is available through several manufacturers as well PS Audio equipment such as the DirectStream Memory Player.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Menu Settings It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the different functions in the Stellar Gain Cell DAC’s menu. To access the Menu, simply long press the menu selector button to the left of the Display. When the word Setup appears, release the button and the first menu will appear. The menu will display for 7 seconds if no input is registered. After this the Stellar will default to the volume screen saving your settings.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Filter 1 Filter 1: Slow Roll-off Linear Phase Filter 2 Filter 2: Fast Roll-off Minimum Phase Filter 3 Filter 3: Fast Roll-off Linear Phase Display Brightness The next menu setting is the Display Brightness. Rotating the volume knob selects Bright, Normal, Dim, or Auto. Auto will detect outgoing signal from the DAC and turn on. This filter is the least sharp and has the least amount of ringing.
Owner’s Reference ® Display Time Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC The next menu setting is the Display Time setting screen. This is the amount of time the Display is on. Rotating the volume knob selects times from 10 seconds to 1 hour. Auto will turn off the display if no signal is detected. Max Volume The next menu setting is the Max Volume setting screen. Rotating the volume knob adjusts the maximum volume level from the Stellar Gain Cell DAC.
Owner’s Reference ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Home Theater Setup Long press the setting button to enter the edit screen. Here you can adjust the output by rotating the volume knob. Remember that 76 is line level and 100 is +12dB DAC Mode Next up is the DAC Mode screen. This menu allows the user to enable just the line level output of the DAC by bypassing the Preamp. Rotate the Volume knob to enable or disable this setting. With this mode enabled you will not be able to adjust the volume.
Troubleshooting ® Unit Will Not Turn On Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC If the front panel lights and display are not functional, check to make sure you have the unit plugged into an AC outlet. Check to make sure the rear panel master power switch is in the UP and ON position. Press the front panel PS Audio Logo button, located on the far left corner of the preamplifier’s front panel. Press the master ON button on the remote control.
Troubleshooting ® USB Not Connecting Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC USB – Stellar Gain Cell DAC not recognized, or no sound via USB To play music from your computer into the Stellar Gain Cell DAC via USB you must have a driver installed that communicates with the Stellar Gain Cell DAC. On a Mac computer with OS X Yosemite the drivers are already available and the unit should be automatically recognized.
Specifications ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Stellar Gain Cell DAC Specifications Color Options Black, Silver Voltage Options Japan 100V (+/- 10%) US 120V (+/- 10%) Europe/Asia 230V (+/- 10%) IEC C14 Mains Power Input Fuses Accessories Included 100V T250V-2.0AH (2A Slow Blow) 120V T250V-1.6AH (2A Slow Blow) 230V T250V-1.
Specifications ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Stellar Gain Cell DAC Specifications Performance Unless otherwise noted, all measurements balanced with both channels operating, Volume set to 76 (unity gain), 1VRMS input. Gain 12dB +/- 0.5dB (1% THD) Maximum Output Sensitivity for Maximum Output 20VRMS Input Impedance Output Impedance 5.3VRMS RCA (Unbalanced) 47kΩ XLR (Balanced) 100kΩ RCA (Unbalanced) 100Ω XLR (Balanced) 200Ω 20Hz – 20KHz +/- 0.
Specifications ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Stellar Gain Cell DAC Specifications Performance - Headphones Output Power (1% THD) 300Ω 300mW 16Ω 3.25W S/N Ratio Noise 1KHz >95dB (max output) THD 1 VRMS Out 1KHz Output Impedance Spacer <-80dBV 300Ω < 0.05% 16Ω < 0.06% < 4Ω 4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 Specifications 13 PH: 720.406.8946 support@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com 15-083-01-1 ©2017 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Specifications ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Mechanical Specifications Width 17.0” Height 2.8” (not including feet) 3.25” (including feet) Depth 12.0” (chassis only) 13.0” (including connectors and knobs) Weight 13.5 lbs Shipping Width 22” Shipping Height 8” Shipping Depth 17” Shipping Weight 17lbs 4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 Specifications 14 PH: 720.406.8946 support@psaudio.com www.psaudio.com 15-083-01-1 ©2017 PS Audio Inc.
Warranty ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Limited Three Year Warranty Should I Register My Product? • • • • • Registering your product validates the warranty start date. If you do not register your product within 30 days of service, a copy of your purchase receipt from an authorized PS Audio dealer may be used as a proof of purchase to establish the warranty start date.
Warranty ® • • • Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC Fire, lightning, flood, “acts of God,” or other contingencies beyond the control of PS Audio Products purchased through an unauthorized source (if you have questions as to whether or not a dealer is authorized, please contact customer support at psaudio.
Warranty ® Owner’s Reference Stellar Gain Cell DAC How State Law Applies This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Warranty Service Outside of the US PS Audio has authorized distribution in many countries of the world. In each country, the authorized importing distributor has accepted the responsibility for warranty of products sold by that distributor. Warranty service should be obtained where the product was purchased.
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