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The PS Audio Stellar is a well-regarded, versatile preamplifier, but £2,600 is a very ambitious asking price here. Your 19-comparable sample puts the median at £769, with the 75th percentile at £1,281; this listing is roughly double even that upper quartile, so it does not look like a sensible used-market buy unless it is an unusually rare or exceptional variant.
Its appeal is real: the Stellar Gain Cell combines a fully balanced analogue preamp with a capable DAC, broad digital connectivity, and a high-quality remote, while the Stellar Phono version is a quiet, discrete Class A design with extensive MM/MC gain and loading adjustment. Either can be a superb system hub, but the listing needs to establish exactly which Stellar model is offered, plus condition, packaging, remote and service history. At £2,600, a buyer should expect near-mint, complete, well-documented provenance—and still negotiate hard.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
PS Audio, a pioneering American hi-fi brand, traces its roots to 1973 when co-founder Paul McGowan launched the company in California alongside Stan Warren. Emerging from the analog golden age, it debuted with a standalone phono preamplifier, reflecting McGowan's early passion for vinyl playback honed through radio station connections and encounters with audio enthusiasts. The brand quickly evolved, embracing digital audio in the 1980s by releasing one of the first high-end CD players, the PS Audio CD-1, soon after Philips and Sony introduced the format.
Today, PS Audio specializes in premium electronics, including power amplifiers, preamplifiers, digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and integrated amplifiers, with a hallmark focus on power conditioning via innovative AC regenerators known as Power Plants. These devices, born from Stan Warren's mid-1980s discovery that oversized transformers enhance audio performance, remain a cornerstone. The lineup also encompasses digital lenses for refining streaming and disc playback, alongside select analog components, though it eschews speakers, headphones, turntables, or cables.
Positioned firmly in the high-end market, PS Audio commands respect among discerning audiophiles for its bold engineering and unwavering pursuit of musical purity. Celebrating 50 years in 2023, it occupies a niche as an innovator rather than a mass-market player, appealing to buyers who prioritize transformative power delivery and digital refinement in sophisticated systems.
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