PS Audio Stellar Strata Mk2 integrated amplifiers Review, Part 1 of 2

What about the DirectStream DAC Mk2?

You will ask, did this combo beat the DirectStream DAC Mk2 that I recently reviewed? Yes, it did. It is fundamentally better holistically than the AirLens or Bricasti M5 Network Player, DirectStream DAC Mk2, and both Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifiers. PS Audio and Legacy Audio will not like that I say it, but it is the truth. The reason, I believe, is not that these others are poor, as I built systems showing they have excellent performance, and I specifically sought to keep using them following their reviews, though I own others. But this pair of DAC/pre/D integrated amps do things that no separate components or traditional system configurations have done. Without the technological development to make a component like the Strata Mk2 or my desire to experiment with system configurations, it may not have been discovered.

It was definitive, the dual integrated amp informal experimentation is a huge success to the point that I am considering letting go of reviews of all components except integrated amps and digital sources. Want to hear something else you likely will not believe? The AirLens feeding the pair of Strata Mk2 through I2S handily outdid the pricey Bricasti DAC and Aurender streamers/servers I have reviewed. You will not often find such honesty and directness in discussion of a product and its operation. The results and conclusions sound outrageous, untrue. I do not blame you for struggling with it. It seems too far-fetched, to radical, too disproportionate to be true. Please do not accuse me of lying, of inflating the results. I do not play that game.

There will be many who argue that perceptions are fickle, and that I am swept up in euphoria, unable to assess the comparison properly. Give it a rest. Equipment and configurations that are built properly yield easily discernible results. If you don’t think so, then why are you an audiophile? These are among the clearest changes in system sound I have assessed. Not for one second have I needed to question the outcome; it’s obvious. The change is such that in the first moments, the twin Strata Mk2 passed my Law of Efficacy, which dictates that all acceptable changes must be immediately noticeable, repeatable, and profound, or holistically beneficial.

I used the pair of Strata Mk2 with three speaker systems, the Wharfedale Opus 2-M2 Bookshelf Speakers, the PureAudioProject Trio15 10” Coaxial, and the Legacy Audio Whisper DSW Clarity Edition. All were superb and performed at their best to date. Different genres of speakers are no barrier to the exceptional performance of the twin integrated amps. I found the result mirrored the experience of the Billie Amp Mk2, which reinforces my belief that the benefits of using two DAC/pre/D integrated amps together are pervasive. The only caveat I can think of is this combo may not be suited for very high efficiency speakers, as it has prodigious power. It should have no problems driving even slightly less efficient speakers that are within reasonable limits, for instance 4-8 Ohm impedance and from 84-90 dB efficiency. If you are running nominal 2 Ohm impedance speakers, then discuss it with PS Audio.

I used the respective L and R Analog Out connections to send the signal to the Perlisten D212s Subwoofers, which achieved their best performance to date with the dual Strata Mk2 configuration. (Subwoofer fans will say, “There’s no way!” Whatever.) I have never heard them cleaner and more powerful in their output. Again, I suspect that result is heavily influenced by the system configuration. If the Strata Mk2 was a slouch, the subwoofers likely would not have been driven so successfully. They were loafing with LF heavy tracks such as the AXPONA show favorite bass buster, “Make Us Stronger” by Ghost Rider. Best of all, I could hear all kinds of manipulation of the bass notes and even within the bass notes. LF has far more character than most audiophiles know, and with the twin Strata Mk2 the excitement of the performance does not stop at 20Hz.

The reviewer who cried, “component!”

How many times have I called to the public about a favorable impression of a component? Dozens of times; just look at my reviews. How many times is a reviewer to be believed before the community becomes jaded and no longer trusts that the new discovery is worthy of investigating? It should be expected that as a reviewer matures and handles better equipment, the positive experiences should multiply. Also, the general quality of products improves over time, lifting all systems as a tide lifts all boats. As a hobbyist prior to reviewing, I doubted the degree to which electronics improved over time, that there was not much room left for improvement as we approached the year 2000. If there was ever proof that trickle down is a real phenomenon and that sound quality has risen sharply, it is found in this system.

This time is different from all the systems comprised of traditional components configured in traditional arrangements. No, really, it is! You must believe me! (I smirk while I say it, given how unbelievable this review sounds. If you could not tell, I’m having fun with the disconnect between the performance and perception of its potential.) The expectation-performance gap seems wider than any single component I have reviewed because it is caused not only by an additional component but also system configuration. Remember this, the system configuration has as much impact on the sound quality as the quality of the components, believe it or not! Remember Ripley’s Believe It or Not? Our family stopped in the Ripley’s Museum near the Smoky Mountains when I was a young boy, and the tribal shrunken heads left an impression on me (there, I gave you an opening for a good joke if it will make you feel better).

What is to be concluded about the sound of two Strata Mk2? That vocals are fatter, richer, more supple? That bass is more potent, clean, and visceral? That the sound stage explodes in extent and is appointed with myriad details? Do you want me to describe hearing a singer’s lips part, or band members vocalizing in the background? Do you want me to say the speakers, even big ones like the Legacy Whisper DSW Clarity Edition, disappear and flood the room with the performance? Ok, I will say it. Those descriptions are all true. The unique aspect of this review is that those descriptions are true of the dual integrated configuration not only in comparison to one Strata MK2, but in comparison to systems built with expensive separates. As a single integrated amp, it’s nice, but so are a lot of other integrated amps. Together, performance-wise they blow past a lot more impressive looking setups. If it was not true, I would not confirm it.

I would be speaking truth to create a fill in the blank list, like so: __________________________’s vocals were immediate, filled with fiery passion, the best I have heard in my room. _______________________’s guitar work was blindingly quick, with each finger’s friction on the string discernible, the best I have heard it in my room. Older recordings by groups such as ________________________ had new life breathed into them, yes, the best I have heard in my room. There is not an aspect of system performance, nor an artist’s performance that did not leap in quality and draw me in much deeper emotionally than ever before. I rolled through dozens of artists of different genres, and there were no exceptions to the fill in the blank template.

I especially enjoy how CD’s sound with the pair of Strata Mk2. Yes, I am splitting the digital output of the humble Musical Fidelity M1 DCT Transport (a $700 MSRP) component (laugh, if you must). I am giddy with delight at how the twin Strata Mk2 setup handled my CD collection. This modest transport has been mated to some high-end DACs; you can find them if you search my listing of reviews with my bio. The M1 with $3-5K DACs outperformed up to $10K CD players. Now you’re not laughing.

How wonderfully surprising that the Musical Fidelity transport leaped in performance due to association with the twin Strata Mk2. Oh, my goodness, what a lift off of my old favorite artists’ work! I used to occasionally play discs for nostalgia purposes and to keep the transport working. It would last a few hours, then it was back to streaming. But now I will be doing a lot of revisiting the rare recordings in my CD collection to hear high end CD sound, because that is what the twin integrated amps are doing for CD. Did I tell you that I will be buying both integrated amps? I would be tempted to buy them if only for what they do for my CD collection. But that is a bonus, not even the big show. I already own the AirLens. I will be adding the twin Strata Mk2 to capture what they do for streaming music and file playback. Yes, the playback of my files on my home computer through any combo of Qobuz or Tidal and either ROON or Audirvana is glorious!

Power to the people

How do two smallish integrated amps outdo larger, much more hefty, supposedly powerful dedicated amplifiers when it comes to driving speakers? How does a rated 100wpc Class D amp that hits 150wpc into 4 Ohms dynamically supersede supposedly much more powerful amps, even monoblock amps? What amps am I thinking of? The Pass Lab XA200.8 Mono, Wells Audio Innamorata, Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra, Belles Aria Amplifier, Benchmark AHB2 in Mono, and even the Sanders Sound Magtech Mono Amplifiers. All of these amps were challenged by the King III, and they could not be played without respect to pushing their output to the max. In several cases, if the recording level of the piece of music was so low, the amp would have to be pushed to its limit to raise the listening level to a moderate, not even close to live, level. I could hear the headroom being constrained and the amps operating close to their limit.

But here is a pair of moderately powered integrated amps that allows me to crank it up with the King III to the point that I can listen at a comparable level to the Legacy Audio Whisper, a much more efficient speaker, by taking the digital readout to 70. Doing so, I hear majestic dynamics coming from the King III that I had not previously experienced! I do not believe that inherently the Strata Mk2 is more powerful than these others. It seems clear that using two of them and putting them into horizontal bi-wired configuration leverages their potential. The advantages of the dual integrated amp configuration continue to add up to an altogether superior way to run a HiFi.

There is one aspect of sound quality that the AirLens and Strati (?) do so exceptionally well that it floors me. The richness of tone, the fullness of color, the warmth, the beautiful, beautiful golden hued sound is perhaps my favorite part of this experiment. I’ve used a lot of fancy digital equipment, and never have my speakers sounded so warm and yet fantastically detailed. I have been willing to forego some of the warmth of tubes, the coloration of vinyl, for precision. I have built systems with digital sources that had pretty tonality, but not with such deep beauty to the timbral palate. It is like I added a $50K analog source but without the noise and with the precision of digital. This result from the AirLens and a pair of $3,700 integrated amps! And always, always, Iconoclast Cables, now my go to reference wires.

What about other integrated amps? Perhaps the performance would be quite a bit better if I used a pair of $10K integrated amps and not a pair of $3,700 integrated amps. I suspect it would be if they followed the topology of DAC/pre/D. If they were more conventional A/B output, I wouldn’t hold my breath that they would sound better. Guess what future comparisons I may be making? I could be pleasantly surprised, because, as this review testifies, no one can tell the outcome until the system is built!

The dream

For a decade, prior to becoming a HiFi reviewer, I tried mightily to use many affordable components in traditional configurations to achieve close to SOTA sound. It never worked. The technology was not advanced enough and the system configurations could not yield it. Now, with the ascendance of Class D amps and the configuration of the DAC/pre/D integrated, I have done it! I spent 17 years switching very nice gear around. Now, with a couple of sub-$4K integrated amps and some ingenuity, I have a dream system, and several lovely speakers of different genres to maximize my enjoyment! You might say I am a bit obsessed with systems.

Your dream may be different. Many of you will think I am nuts and will continue your traditional system path. Great! Have fun with it! Sincerely, it’s fun to blindly flip gear! If you are starting out and want a setup that captures a large part of what the DAC/pre/D Strata Mk2 offers, buy one. If you are tired of the endless chasing after the next high dollar gamble on a component for a nice, but still incremental improvement and are willing to believe me, maybe it’s time to shoot for the stars and get two of the Strata Mk2. The performance is stellar!

Not a laughing matter

Paul, thank you for the opportunity to run outside the lines! I believe (pun!) I have set a record for the most incredible claims in one review! But such an outstanding component and configuration calls for a second look, a further segment to this review. In the second half, I will concentrate on my work with the I²S cables in a bid to tune the system. Audioquest Cables and WireWorld Cables are along for that ride.

What I did not know then but know now is that there can be as astounding differences in system configurations. If you find the right component to make those outlier configurations, you will obtain a dream system’s performance. Based on 17 years of trying, it will not happen with your traditionally configured system. If you pursue two of the Strata Mk2 and follow my lead, it will not fundamentally change your speaker’s hard limitations, but it will make the speakers sound wholly different, most likely the best you have ever heard them. Again, this is the only configuration to date that I have ever found in a sub $10K set of electronics, sans speakers, that I peg as top level and maybe even SOTA sound quality as judged by today’s standards.

Occasionally, when Jesus would heal someone, he would tell them, “Your faith has made you well (e.g., Matthew 9:27-30; Mark 5:21-43). What does that mean? No faith, no healing. Those who doubted or hated Him would not approach Him for a miracle. Only believers received them. The result of this experimentation in components and system configuration is as close as it gets in audiophilia to a miracle. I had the faith to try, and something unbelievably great happened! I have left you little choice but to deny it or believe it.

Associated Components:

Digital Source: Bricasti M5 Network Player, Wireworld Starlight CAT-8 Ethernet Cable

Analog Sources: Realistic LAB 400 Turntable with Schiit Audio Mani Phono; Nakamichi CR-1A Cassette Deck

Streaming Music Service: Tidal; Qobuz

Interface: ROON; Audrivana

DAC:  COS Engineering D1 DAC Plus Pre-Amplifier; Eastern Electric Minimax DSD DAC Supreme with Burson, Dexa NewClassD or Sparkos Labs discrete opamps; Exogal Comet DAC and PLUS power supply

Preamp: Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated Amp  (preamplifier mode)

Amps: Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra; Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated (amplifier mode); Exogal Ion PowerDAC (used exclusively with Comet DAC)

Integrated: Kinki Studio EX-M1+; Heaven 11 Billie Amp

Speakers: Legacy Audio DSW Clarity Edition; Kings Audio King III electrostatic speakers; Pure Audio Project Trio15 10” Coaxial version and Horn1 version; PureAudioProject Quintet15 10” Coaxial version and Horn version; Kings Audio King Tower omnidirectional; Aspen Acoustics Grand Aspen; Wharfedale Opus 2-M2 Monitors

Subwoofers: Perlisten D212s Subwoofers

IC’s: Iconoclast RCA and XLR Generation 2 with Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper conductors; TEO Liquid Splash-Rs and Splash-Rc; TEO Liquid Standard MkII; Clarity Cable Organic RCA

Speaker Cables: TEO Cable Standard Speaker; Snake River Audio Signature Series Speaker Cables;

Digital Cables: Clarity Cable Organic Digital; Snake River Audio Boomslang

USB: Clarity Cable Supernatural 1m;

Power Cables: Clarity Cable Vortex; Snake River Audio Signature Series; Belden BAV Power Cord

Power Conditioning: Wireworld Matrix Power Cord Extender; Tice Audio Solo