PS Audio Stellar S300 Stereo Amplifier

PS Audio Stellar S300 Stereo AmplifierS300 Amplifier From the deepest bass to the warmest, sweetest highs, the Stellar S300 makes any loudspeaker sing and is our most affordable stereo power amplifier ever. Breathe new life into your loudspeakers with the Stellar S300, a full sized, affordable stereo power amplifier that honors the music and controls your loudspeakers better than you ever imagined possible. The S300 combines the slam, linearity, and toe tapping pacing of a Class D output

S300 Amplifier

From the deepest bass to the warmest, sweetest highs, the Stellar S300 makes any loudspeaker sing and is our most affordable stereo power amplifier ever.

Breathe new life into your loudspeakers with the Stellar S300, a full-sized, affordable stereo power amplifier that honors the music and controls your loudspeakers better than you ever imagined possible. The S300 combines the slam, linearity, and toe-tapping pacing of a Class D output stage with the warmth, grace, and rich inner detail of Stellar’s Class A Analog Cell. The results are nothing short of ground breaking. Liberate a wealth of untapped energy trapped in your media library. Plumb music’s subterranean depths and finally hear the bass your speakers were capable of. Revel in rich layers of fine, full detail. Marvel at the deep, extraordinary, wall-to-wall soundstage. Effortless. Lush. Stellar.

DESIGN

The Stellar S300 stereo power amplifier is a dual mono power amplifier capable of effortlessly driving demanding loudspeaker loads to concert levels. It combines the best of two worlds: ultra linear, high-current, Class D technology for the output stage; a discrete, Class A MOSFET based Analog Cell for the all-important input stage. The S300’s rich, warm, and engaging sonic character comes from the Analog Cell. It’s powerful, authoritative control over the loudspeaker stems from its high current, ultra-low impedance Class D output stage.

APPLICATION

The perfect choice for just about any loudspeaker, the S300 slips into any system, surprising and delighting even the most discriminating Audiophile. Rated at 140 watts per channel into 8‎Ω and 300 watts per channel into 4‎Ω, the S300 has plenty of horsepower for even the most demanding loudspeakers. Your musical library will open up in ways you might not have thought possible, revealing nuance and detail covered up by traditional amplifiers.

Technology

OVERVIEW

The S300 is an extraordinarily musical power amplifier rated at 140 Watts per channel into 8Ω and 300 Watts per channel into 4Ω. Power enough for even the most demanding speakers. The S300 design marries the best of two worlds: an ultra linear high-current output power stage with a discrete Class A MOSFET based AnalogCell input stage. Between them, the S300 delivers powerful, authoritative control over the loudspeakers, while maintaining a perfectly layered soundstage under the most complex musical passages. Designed by PS Audio engineer Darren Myers, who invested hundreds of hours of tuning, voicing, and perfectionist tweaking, the results are extraordinarily musical. Stellar amplifiers never draw attention to themselves, and are one of our highest value offerings in amplification, a rare quality in amplifiers of any price.

THE ANALOG CELL

The connection between preamplifier and power amplifier is critical, for it is at this junction where most essential musical details are easily lost. Nothing in the design of a power amplifier is more important than its input stage when preserving music’s finest nuances. In the S300, a unique topology, called the Analog Cell, has been employed to preserve the rich details found in music. The Analog Cell is the heart of the S300’s musicality, where rich overlaid layers of music’s inner details are preserved even in the most complex orchestral crescendos. The Analog Cell is a proprietary, fully differential, zero feedback, discrete, Class A MOSFET circuit, hand-tuned to capture the smallest micro dynamics without sacrificing the loudest macro dynamics music has to offer. The Analog Cell makes all the difference.

OUTPUT STAGE

The Stellar S300 is a dual mono design. This means that each channel has its own, separate power supply. Each of the two channels is a complete and independent power supply and power amplification stage, based on a modern Class D ICE module, designed in Denmark. Class D output stages provide near-perfect linearity, low distortion, and high efficiency. Because Class D amplifiers require an output filter to remove their switching noise, they do not have frequency extremes into the many hundreds of thousands of Hertz. Depending on their design, modern Class D amplifiers, like the type used in Stellar, extend high frequencies to about 50kHz. Human hearing limitations are 20kHz, though most listeners rarely have hearing exceeding half that. The S300 provides excellent frequency extremes, low distortion, high efficiency, high damping factor, and a powerful output of 300 watts per channel into the most common loudspeaker loads of 4Ω.

Features

• STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
• DUAL MONO WITH SEPARATE POWER SUPPLIES
• POWERFUL MOSFET OUTPUT STAGE
• RCA SINGLE-ENDED INPUT
• XLR “TRUE” BALANCED INPUT
• 140 WATTS PER CHANNEL 8Ω
• 300 WATTS PER CHANNEL 4Ω
• 2Ω STABLE
• VERY LITTLE HEAT PRODUCTION
• < 0.1% THD 20Hz – 20kHz AT RATED POWER
• DAMPING FACTOR > 550
• FRONT PANEL STANDBY BUTTON
• ZERO-LOSS INPUT
• DUAL, COPPER, PLATED, OUTPUT BINDING POSTS
• 13 LBS.
• INPUT 12 VOLT TRIGGER

Reviews

The result of all these strengths gives the S300 a beautiful voice which mates well with the variety of upstream gear we had on hand for testing. It holds its own against components that exceed its price tag. This PS Audio component deserves a spot on a short list of bargain amps that perform beyond what one should expect for the money.

After a few weeks with the S300 in my reference system, I must admit I am smitten with it. I applaud PS Audio’s new approach to circuit design bringing together the benefits of both Class A and Class D technology.

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Tone Audio Rob Johnson

They sounded so good together I couldn’t bring myself to try too many other speakers. The sound was rich with resolution to die for.

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C/NET Steve Guttenberg

The Stellar DAC/Pre-Amp/Power Amplifier filled my listening room with 3D sound, and they matched well with each of my speakers; the floor standing Audio Physic Tempos, the stand mounted Platinum Audio ST 1’s and the low-to-the ground Mission 727s. I was surprised how different they made each sound and I spent a great deal of time swapping out my Parasound Halo 2.1 integrated amplifier, Bel Canto s300 integrated amplifier to make sure I wasn’t fooling myself. And, yes, I was hearing something new and more evocative from my usual suspects.

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HIFI Pig David Blumenstein

Folks, this is the future. We have heard vast improvements of Class D amplifiers during the last 10 years, and we are at or near the point where the technology is largely irrelevant to the final sound. The sound of audio components is more dependent on the implementation than on the underlying technology. The PS Audio Stellar S300 gets so close to perfection that the low purchase price is an out-of-this-world value. The PS Audio Stellar S300 adds nothing objectionable while delivering wonderful musical performances.

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10 Audio Jerry Seigel

Most vivid were dynamic contrasts from the micro level to the macro.

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TAS Staff, Buyer’s Guide 2024

The PS Audio Stellar S300 stereo amplifier is a terrific performer and an affordable option for those wishing to upgrade from a receiver or integrated amplifier to separates. It's not often that an audio product exhibits such high-end performance at such an affordable price, but the S300 hits it out of the park on both counts and has high-end build quality to boot. It's the perfect amp for someone looking to enter the world of separates for two-channel playback in a small to medium-sized room

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Bob Barrett, Future Audiophile