COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 201 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 201 News and Reviews

PS Audio in the News

PS Audio in the News

Positive Feedback has a review of the Stellar Phono preamplifier in Issue 130. Michael Laurance said, “It's exciting when a component makes a tremendous difference the moment it becomes a part of your system. Such is the case the second the stylus of my Triangle Art Hathor lowers onto side one of the half-speed mastered release of Santana's Zebop! Over the years, several phono stages have transferred the analog signal in this room, but none with this immediacy or impact.”

He also noted, "[Santana's] "Tales of Kilimanjaro"...not only has a more open feel and sound, but is also more organic versus (or compared with) phono stages I've auditioned in the past. There is a closeness to the music that makes this component a special experience....The PS Audio Stellar Phono Preamplifier has a beautiful tendency to extract the maximum enjoyment from any platter spun through it.”

Click here for the full review.

 

In Issue 129, Positive Feedback also reviewed the PerfectWave DirectStream DAC MK2. Dave Clark pointed out, “If you loved the older DirectStream DAC, you are going to love the newer one even more. The DirectStream DAC MK2 goes deeper with a way more solid feel to the bottom end. Great solidity and punch. Tight, but effortless. Massive in a way. Big. Bold.” He continued, "PS Audio has gone to great measures to filter out or eliminate noise and contamination that can, and will, get in the way of the music. Clean, but not mean. No hype. Cold and analytical? Not in the least. All just very natural. Very musically balanced. Wonderful articulation and presence....The DirectStream DAC MK2 is a major improvement over the older version.”

Click here for the full review.

 

PS Audio received no fewer than six recommendations in The Absolute Sound’s new 2024 Annual Buyer’s Guide. The products listed include the Aspen FR30 loudspeakers, Stellar Series S300 stereo power amplifier, Stellar M1200 mono power amp, BHK Signature 300 mono power amp, and Sprout100 integrated amplifier. The M1200 was also included in “The Greatest Bargains in High-End Audio” listings.

 

 

Header image courtesy of Dave Clark/Positive Feedback.

More from Issue 201

View All Articles in Issue 201

Search Copper Magazine

#231 Piano Prodigy Jude Kofie Releases His Debut Album On Octave Records by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 Underappreciated Artists, Part Two: City Boy by Rich Isaacs Jun 01, 2026 #231 Music and the Art of Creation: Talking With Saxophonist Rob Scheps by Joe Caplan Jun 01, 2026 #231 How to Play in a Rock Band, 24: Further Adventures at the 2026 Montauk Music Festival by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 Courtney Barnett: Creature of Habit by Wayne Robins Jun 01, 2026 #231 Angine de Poitrine: Interstellar Guitar Rock Saviors Headed for Late-Night TV Pop Stardom? by Mark Lepage Jun 01, 2026 #231 My Impressions of AXPONA 2026, Part One by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 2026 La Jolla Concours d'Elegance: Another Aesthetic Feast by B. Jan Montana Jun 01, 2026 #231 Country Music Icon Jo Dee Messina’s Bridges: A New Beginning by Ray Chelstowski Jun 01, 2026 #231 The Luxury Dispatch Hosts a Video Podcast With Ken Kessler by Ken Kessler Jun 01, 2026 #231 The Vinyl Beat: Tracking in the Motor City by Rudy Radelic Jun 01, 2026 #231 Lots of Fun With DSP: The Ferrum Audio WANDLA DAC and Its Tube Mode by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 From The Audiophile's Guide: Digital Source Components and Streaming Audio by Paul McGowan Jun 01, 2026 #231 Onkyo’s Monster M-510 power amplifier by The Staff at Just Audio Jun 01, 2026 #231 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Jun 01, 2026 #231 Naming Convention by Peter Xeni Jun 01, 2026 #231 Les Invisibles by Frank Doris Jun 01, 2026 #231 Wildlife Scene by James Schrimpf Jun 01, 2026 #230 Camaraderie by B. Jan Montana May 04, 2026 #230 AXPONA 2026: A Family Gathering by Paul McGowan May 04, 2026 #230 Pianist Ryan Benthall Explores Jazz Realms and Far Beyond With Divine Sky by Frank Doris May 04, 2026 #230 The Vinyl Beat in AXPONA-Land by Rudy Radelic May 04, 2026 #230 Teddy Thompson’s Musical Growth Deepens With Never Be the Same by Ray Chelstowski May 04, 2026 #230 More Fun in the Sun: Florida Audio Expo, Part Two by Frank Doris May 04, 2026 #230 CanJam NYC 2026 Show Report: Heady Sound, Part Two by Frank Doris and Harris Fogel May 04, 2026 #230 Sonic Youth On Murray Street by Wayne Robins May 04, 2026 #230 Graffeo Coffee: A Symphony of Sensory Experience by Joe Caplan May 04, 2026 #230 The Saul Authority: The Story of Hi-Fi Pioneer Saul Marantz by Olivier Meunier-Plante May 04, 2026 #230 How to Play in a Rock Band, 23: Encounters With Famous Musicians, Part Two by Frank Doris May 04, 2026 #230 An Outlier in the Rack: A Vintage BIC Beam Box by The Staff at Just Audio May 04, 2026 #230 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff May 04, 2026 #230 A Cautionary Tale by Rich Isaacs May 04, 2026 #230 Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 33 (Revised): Ken Kessler Reports On the 2026 (British) AudioJumble by Ken Kessler May 04, 2026 #230 Text Messaging by Frank Doris May 04, 2026 #230 The Audiophile Rat Race by Peter Xeni May 04, 2026 #230 On the Rocks by Rich Isaacs May 04, 2026 #229 The Earliest Stars of Country Music, Part Three by Jeff Weiner Apr 06, 2026 #229 The Healing Power of Music and Sound at the Omega Institute by Joe Caplan Apr 06, 2026 #229 CanJam NYC 2026 Show Report: Heady Sound, Part One by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 Florida Audio Expo 2026: Warming Up to High-End Audio, Part One by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 Quick Takes: Anne Bisson, Sam Morrison, The Velvet Underground, and the Stooges by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 The Vinyl Beat: New Arrivals, and Old Audio Show Demo Scores to Settle by Rudy Radelic Apr 06, 2026 #229 Harvard Gets a High-End Audio Education by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 No Country for Old Knees by B. Jan Montana Apr 06, 2026 #229 How To Play in A Rock Band, 22: Encounters With Famous Musicians, Part 1 by Frank Doris Apr 06, 2026 #229 The Soulful Grooves of Guinea-Bissau by Steve Kindig Apr 06, 2026 #229 Four-Hand Piano Performance at Its Finest by Stephan Haberthür Apr 06, 2026

PS Audio in the News

PS Audio in the News

Positive Feedback has a review of the Stellar Phono preamplifier in Issue 130. Michael Laurance said, “It's exciting when a component makes a tremendous difference the moment it becomes a part of your system. Such is the case the second the stylus of my Triangle Art Hathor lowers onto side one of the half-speed mastered release of Santana's Zebop! Over the years, several phono stages have transferred the analog signal in this room, but none with this immediacy or impact.”

He also noted, "[Santana's] "Tales of Kilimanjaro"...not only has a more open feel and sound, but is also more organic versus (or compared with) phono stages I've auditioned in the past. There is a closeness to the music that makes this component a special experience....The PS Audio Stellar Phono Preamplifier has a beautiful tendency to extract the maximum enjoyment from any platter spun through it.”

Click here for the full review.

 

In Issue 129, Positive Feedback also reviewed the PerfectWave DirectStream DAC MK2. Dave Clark pointed out, “If you loved the older DirectStream DAC, you are going to love the newer one even more. The DirectStream DAC MK2 goes deeper with a way more solid feel to the bottom end. Great solidity and punch. Tight, but effortless. Massive in a way. Big. Bold.” He continued, "PS Audio has gone to great measures to filter out or eliminate noise and contamination that can, and will, get in the way of the music. Clean, but not mean. No hype. Cold and analytical? Not in the least. All just very natural. Very musically balanced. Wonderful articulation and presence....The DirectStream DAC MK2 is a major improvement over the older version.”

Click here for the full review.

 

PS Audio received no fewer than six recommendations in The Absolute Sound’s new 2024 Annual Buyer’s Guide. The products listed include the Aspen FR30 loudspeakers, Stellar Series S300 stereo power amplifier, Stellar M1200 mono power amp, BHK Signature 300 mono power amp, and Sprout100 integrated amplifier. The M1200 was also included in “The Greatest Bargains in High-End Audio” listings.

 

 

Header image courtesy of Dave Clark/Positive Feedback.

0 comments

Leave a comment

0 Comments

Your avatar

Loading comments...

🗑️ Delete Comment

Enter moderator password to delete this comment:

✏️ Edit Comment

Enter your email to verify ownership: