Good day @ smoorenc
@ Audiofun thanks for sharing your views. Valid and true indeed.
Phono pre-amp arrived yesterday with DirectStream DAC with Bridge II pre-installed, but that will have to be discussed in a different forum.
I kept all the existing cables unchanged (balanced Van Den Hul 2nd hybrid) which I have been using for more than 2 decades. I also decided to assess the phono pre-amp with Rega Apheta II / RP8 low gain setup which would be more challenging for the pre-amp.
Straight from the box, I got hooked. This is by no means an ordinary piece of hi-fi gear. I could not stop listening until I fell asleep in my chair around midnight!
I cannot go into tech talk. However, after just 4 hours with the Stellar Phono Premap I realised it sounds nothing like hi-fi. It brings my LPs to life, especially orchestral and symphonic works that I use to evaluate my analogue setup for instrumental space segregation, instrumental realism as well as sound stage breadth and depth. Moreover, as many people say, the Stellar has a black background (low noise floor). I enjoyed fatigue-free time with the music! As with other PS units that I have, I expect this to improve within the coming days.
