{"product_id":"psa-stellar-gaindac","title":"PS Audio Gain Cell DAC\/Preamp","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePS Audio built the Gain Cell around a single conviction: the volume control is where most preamplifiers lose the signal. Their solution was to replace the traditional analog attenuator with a proprietary gain cell — a discrete circuit that controls volume by adjusting gain directly rather than by dividing the signal down. The result is a preamp stage that maintains full resolution at every listening level, not just at the top of the dial.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe DAC section handles everything up to DSD and high-res PCM, with an analog input that bypasses the digital stage entirely for sources that don’t need it. The output is balanced and single-ended. The build is substantial — PS Audio takes the physical construction seriously, and it shows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSonically the Gain Cell is transparent in the way a good preamp should be: it does not announce itself. The volume control in particular is what separates it from competitors at the price — there is no thinning out at lower levels, no loss of bass weight, no compression of the stage. It just gets quieter. For anyone who has lived with a conventional passive or resistor-based attenuator and wondered why something always seemed to go missing when they turned it down, this is the answer to that question.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PSAudio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48584587968649,"sku":"STELLAR GAINDAC","price":850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/4557\/0185\/files\/PsaudioGaincopy2.png?v=1791628377","url":"https:\/\/echohifi.com\/products\/psa-stellar-gaindac","provider":"Echo Audio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}