Who buy PS AUDIO ?

The M700 mono amps are terrific!

Their build quality and use of low quality parts is disappointing

I love the videos too and they have many good reviews. That said, I do not see their name mentioned as often as a lot of others -- Naim, Arcam, CJ, Cary, ARC, VAC...and on and on.

From what I can tell, they’re a company whose products hit high and lower price points, but in a less than graduated way. I cannot speak to the quality of their builds but there seems to be less than a full "narrative", if you will, in their present line of products. Their try at home policies are phenomenal -- a real recognition of the lack of brick and mortar stores.

My PS Audio experience is mixed. I have a couple of PS Audio wall sockets that grip my AC cords tightly and, yes, give me better sound. On the downside, my PS Audio power conditioner (I can't remember the model number and it's no longer made, in any case) went belly-up.  It didn't smell right so I threw it out.  In a pinch I replaced it with a generic power strip, one with an Antronic label. Shockingly (and yes I shouldn’t use that terminology when talking about anything AC), the generic power strip delivers better fidelity than did the PS. I did, though, keep the PS Audio conditioner’s macho-as-heck power cord for my Primaluna Integrated.

Their products: BHK amps/preamp, DS sr dac, and their power products are highly rated. I have their BHK amp and the DS sr dac and they sound better than others I checked out or owned. The DS dac is so good, I got rid of my tt setup and sold my 500 albums.

Their customer service takes a back seat to no one. I have had their DACs for years with the DSD DAC currently doing service in a low six figure system. I love the annual free software upgrade. I just purchased the Stellar phono preamp which is a steal for the money. I like value for my dollar without the headaches and that is PS Audio. 

I have their Stellar DAC/Preamp and Stellar Amp and have been extremely pleased! The few times I did contact PS Audio they were ultra responsive.  I really like the I2S input that I feed from a Sonore digital device available on the preamp. The price point of the Stellar series is fantastic.

Paul is an awesome guy, and I really enjoy watching his youtube channel.
I had the PS300/ stellar pre-/dac in mind for a time, but the price for what is inside the box turned me completely off.  And I also have second thoughts about going from class AB to D.

I had the Nuwave DSD DAC and for the money it was excellent.

very happy with DirectStream DAC and transport...owned a PS preamp 30 years ago that was quite good for it's price,,,the S300 amp is very good too

Very happy with m700, s300 and twin sgcd’s. sound is amazing and they compete with gear seemingly twice as much. Trade-in program in the US and direct sales as well keep prices lower than competition. Also assembled in the US and Paul seems to be a great guy. (He is also a quite accomplished writer and love his book.)
Customer service is also excellent as far as I can tell, this is exactly the kind of company I want to do business with.

Owned a PS Audio Direct Stream Dac and compared it to a Audio Note Dac and posted the Direct Steam up for sale that day.  Have also had the BHK preamp in house for a audition and passed on it as well....lots of money for a touch over average performance. 

I have a DirectStream DAC and am totally happy with it.  I also have a Stellar Gain Cell DAC, employing both the DAC and preamp elements, in a second system, and I'm very satisfied with it as well.  I tried a pair of M700 Monoblocks and didn't really like those - they sounded rather thin.
I second the sentiment about their excellent customer service.

I own the PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 12 and I love it.  Really made a difference in my system.

Paul is so great. My only complaint is that he can get sidetracked and moves through so many topics on irrelevant subjects things tend to get convoluted by the end. After my next move to tubes PS Audio will be my next direction if I head back to solid state. Paul is the reserved and balance to Kevin Deal at Upscale in the kindest way to both. 

Kinda spotty track record, putting out some great affordable gear but also some stinkers, offering beginner-level and higher-end tiers, but scarce in the middle.  The Stellar series is admirable with good quality for the price, and is frequently compared to the lower cost offerings from Parasound and Hegel; the Gain Cell DAC and S300/M700 amps are very popular and IMO sound quite good, even though the DAC and the Preamp have gathered some bad press for poor measurements.  BHK, Direct Stream equipment and the new Stellar phono stage have received glowing reviews, but the Power Plant Premier, Nuwave phono preamp/ADC, and the PerfectWave CD transport not as popular or had hardware issues.  Pieces never really described as punching above their weight.  Their GlobalNet and PowerPlay internet connectivity that was supposed to give users internet access to statistics and remote control broke down and was never fixed, so those who bought equipment that was promoted to use this feature were stuck.  Excellent customer service and response to questions/issues, even if it has nothing to do specifically with their equipment.  Paul the CEO has his own YouTube channel on which he answers questions sent in by subscribers while soft selling his products often.  I have a Stellar Gain Cell DAC and Perfectwave Power Plant 3; have tried the Nuwave phono preamp and the S300 amplifier but didn't like them enough to get rid of what I already had, so I didn't keep them long.

Heard m700 and didn't move me.

As a side note, I'm surprised there is such a lack of satisfaction with PS Audio gear. I haven't heard any of it, but I expected more praise. 

I think their stuff is awesome. Bought the SGCD, traded it back to them for a DirectStream DAC Sr. Paid the difference in price with an additional discount. Also own x3 Stellar M700’s for L, C, & R. Future purchase is an S300 for the rear surrounds. Can’t afford the BHK stuff and envy the M1200’s that just came out but can’t afford those (yet) !

Toured the Factory and met all sorts of wonderful folks including Darren Myers and Gus Skinas. James gave an excellent tour where I had the whole place to myself ! Paul was away that day but Gus & Darren more than made up for it as did all the music rooms which were mine for an afternoon. Left a copy of Paul's book 99% True on his desk, and he graciously signed it for me and mailed it back.

I’m not a "Trumper" but this is why it’s important to buy American made products.

Ps Audio customer support is second to none. Their BHK and Directstream line of products are superb, in my opinion. Many other manufacturers that I've dealt with were a little off-putting to say the least. Another manufacturer with great customer support is Frank Van Alstine from AVA. Buy products from either of these companies with confidence. 

I auditioned the DSD against my Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE DAC.  The DSD sounded nice and I thought the build quality was great. After a couple of weeks of A/B testing, I came to the conclusion it wasn’t $3+K better that the Tubadour by any measure.  I returned the DSD.  

I had a P-300 power plant - their first regenerator.  Class AB power supply and balanced at the output outlets. It was excellent.  It eventually failed after several years.  I then bought a P500 that didn't not have an class AB power supply nor was it balanced.  I didn't think it sounded as good as the P300.  the P500 failed after 2 years.  I bought a Power Plant Premier, It was better than the P500, but still not balanced, not class AB and didn't sound as good as the P300.  I can't speak for the newer class of regenerators.  

I have a BHK 250.  It appears to be very well built and sounds superb in my system.  I am very happy with it.

The DS dac is a fantastic product that offers better sq and features than 2x or 3x more expensive dacs. Sometimes, When you hear people indicating that they didn’t like the DS they were using an older firmware release and this makes a big difference. To me, each firmware update raises the sq, and it’s damn good to start with.
As for features, who else has network (Ethernet) input, i2s input, free firmware upgrades, can easily drive an amp without using a preamp, MQA support, Roon endpoint, and it’s FPGA based? 

Overall, I think the BHK gear is pretty good value for dollar.  I run the 300 mono's driving some TAD CR-1's, and it is an outstanding match.  I have tried a Luxman M900u in their place, and it is not the right match with the TAD's, IME - - I like the BHK mono's better.  (I do think the Luxman is a very fine ss amp, and with the right speakers could be heaven...)

I used their BHK preamp for 3 years and it is sitting on the side now only because I nabbed a used ARC Ref 40, which does best it be a bit, but does not embarrass it.  The BHK ushered out a VAC Ren Sig II, sounding convincingly clearer and presenting a larger soundstage.

I used their initial P300 regenerator back in the late 90's and early 00's.  It softened stuff too much, IME.  Recently I used their P10 regenerator, and now use their P20 to power all of my electronics and they are worthy, indeed.

Their customer service is tops.  They will make you happy should anything come up.  And I find their gear works some sonic magic, when put in the right system contexts (horse for courses, of course!).

Stellar Gain Cell (preamp) & S300 amp.
Then I got the newest P3 Power Plant when it came out. Plenty of juice for both. I wasn't impressed by the internal DAC so I traded in a bunch of unsellable junk and got the DirectStream on Black Friday sale for $3350, no bridge thank you.  Best money I ever spent on SQ.
We heard the IRS Vs at the old plant. Will go back with different  music. Very impressive. Paul did play Thanks To You and it reminded me of the Earthquake theater experience. And the woofers have been replaced since then. He went with the same ones I found after welding my OEMs They played ithat track last year in the Carver room and it sounded like Sunfire hemorrhoids.

Jprrp.....What didn’t you like about the Luxman, compared to the PS Audio......

I used to work in a high end speaker manufacturer's factory. The owner sold speakers through word of mouth, and people would drive and fly across Australia to audition equipment.

For some time, he had PS Audio in the factory listening room, along with an upgraded PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP (Duelund capacitor upgrade) , and earlier a pair of Macintosh MC 501's.
 
I've heard BHK250 (I liked it, though not the best I've heard) and it does work better with the BHK signature pre, as I've heard it with and without (no question you'd want both together). I have also heard the Stellar pre and amplifier, and for the money they are solid performers.

All of the above mentioned with sources plugged into a PS Audio P5, however the power amps were plugged into a very heavy power supply (unbranded that I could see).

You probably aught to have a listen before you buy, if you can?

[I will admit a year ago I purchased an amplifier based off specifications and a review, because the price was so good, and figured if it was horrible I aught to be able to recover my money. I got super lucky, and it is truly a great piece of technology, despite my general distrust of reviews.]

Build quality is middle of the road. Service is very attentive.
I bought a 2nd hand phono stage and noticed the input color codes
were backward. When I called they said that is how they should be.
I am still wondering about that call.

I bought full stack from them
BHK Preamp
BHK 250 Amp
PS DirectStream Dac

I am SUPER happy with these components.

For me - the sound is fantastic. The Value - is fantastic. Customer Service - is EXTREMELY PERFECT. 

So if the equipment fails - I am sure they will replace it for you. They are the company who loves their customers. 

Yes, Paul is a class act. IMO the Perfect Wave MKII DAC is one of the best bargains in the used market. It is PCM and most folks are enamored with DSD and their DirectStream which I am sure is outstanding. Their jitter reduction “digital lens” technology really works well. PCM is fine for me as I mostly use Qobuz. As a ribbon midrange speaker (Infinity, VMPS) fan, I have high hopes for their ribbon midrange speaker PS Audio is developing. Yes, a really great company.

I have been using PS Audio power plant P300 Multiwave, that's quite early model, since last 16 plus years. Never had any problems with it. I did open it 2-3 times to clean it from inside.  I am happy with the built quality. 

i L O VE PS Audio. i had zero complaints from my Musical Fidelity gear.
it was lovely. id finally watched enough Ask Paul videos & read enough reviews of the DirectStream Dac.... i said, what the hell. ill try it. i was NOT prepared.
ive listened to Fleetwood Mac’s TUSK album about 400x. with the DS Dac, the room exploded. previously my soundstage was a foot or so wider than my speakers. instantly, the soundstage became 5’ wider. taller and deeper, too. it was so incredible, i moved all my gear to a bigger room in my house. i called friends, we A/Bd. everyones jaw dropped. it wasnt just me.
i fell sooo in love, i bought it all. DS Dac, DS transport, BHK preamp, BHK monos & DS Power Plant 15.

im in HEAVEN.

Pauls great, Scotts great, all the people there are great & will answer any question about anything audio. i hope/expect i have found my permanent home.

how about this, PS Audio Dac guru Ted Smith designs a new & improved Operating System for the DS Dac about every 9 months. its free to download it...and you get...a new dac. whats not to like?

one more thing. if you are legitimately in the market for products in this price range.... NO RISK IN HOME AUDITION.
Buy it, when it arrives, you get 30 days to try it....if you dont like it, send it back for a full refund. they even pay the shipping BOTH WAYS.
once youve fallen in love & decided to keep it, they even buy your old gear for WHAT YOU PAID for it!.

https://www.psaudio.com/audition/

I bought a lot of interconnects, speaker cables, and power cords from them, as well as wall outlets and passive power strips/conditioners. I stayed away from power plants and components, though I did get their CD transport years ago (which I liked a great deal). I never had a complaint with any of these products. I was only disappointed when they stopped making a lot of these items. $450 for a 1/2M power cord was/is a fairly good value and I've always been happy with them. 

I used to have a PS Audio preamp which I purchased new around 1982. It worked great. More recently, I purchased two used AC-12 power cables in separate transactions from Ebay. I got an email from PS Audio informing me that if I sent them the cables, they would verify their authenticity. If they were legit, they would send them back to me. If they were fake, they would destroy them and send me two authentic cables at no charge. I sent the cables, and they responded that both cables were fake and sent me two new cables which retail for $1200 each. Who does this? I would buy their products again.

I'm very pleased with my Perfect Wave Memory Transport (PWT). The technology behind jitter reduction is terrific.
Customer service is excellent. I sent my transport for warranty service and got it back the same week.

I have owned many PSA products over the decades

I atill have my GCC 250 in my TV system. I sent it back for repair after a transformer blew on my street. Cost of repair was very reasonable and turnaround time was very good

Of late I bought Stellar dac/pre and M700s. I was very disappointed with the preamp (needs better PS) but the M700s are very good, although they took ~ 500 hours to come on song

Well I just upgraded from an NAD C356 to the Stellar GDAC and a pair of M700's. My speakers are PSB T2 towers. I am enjoying the audio but I really do not have another reference point as to what should this sound like relative to the dollars spent. The sales approach was awesome and I have become a PS Audio follower. My audio sources are ProJect TT, via Schitt Mani, Squeezebox Duet, NAD C565 CD player and USB/Laptop Qobuz High-Res.
Love to discuss further if anybody has suggestions relative to different High-Res sources and means of delivery.

The BHK-300 monoblocks at $14000 a pair are the most expensive components they sell (beside the AudioQuest Dragon cables at $33900 for a 10-foot pair, which they don't make), as opposed to other companies who ask 100's of thousands for their top-of-the-line gear.  They do have some more reasonably-priced amps, relatively speaking.  If you want to support his business but don't want to shell out that kind of money, find your comfort level with any of his more modestly priced stuff.

There's a lot pf people who rave about both the Stellar and BHK series.  Personally, I'd really appreciate some mid-level amp offerings that weren't Class D from PS Audio; right now you have to make the substantial leap from the Stellar series to the BHK series that starts at $7500.  What they've done now is widen their class D options up to $6k for the new M1200 pair.  I've had 2 class D amps and didn't keep either one very long; the texture of lower piano and bass notes were never there as they were on my older AB class amp - someone had mentioned it as being "thin" sounding, so maybe that's a better description. 

Had the S300, but was unsatisfied because its power output was woefully inadequate; consulted James Herod at PS, and he talked me into trading it in on a pair of M300s. So I did...better power, but still a disappointment overall, though I will say that the tonality of their amps is above average; probably their "gain cell’ at work. Would like to hear Bel Canto’s similar amps, which have garnered high praise ~ as I’ve said in other posts, I miss my custom-made Odyssey Stratos; not sure digital [or type D] amplifiers can ever generate enough "grunt" [amps] to achieve the slam of A/B amplification.
Love Paul’s approach, love that it’s US built, love the cost to value ratio, love the customer service...although it cools somewhat when you’re still not that impressed w/their solution, which is usually an upgrade w/in their line, as in my case.
But, and it’s a big BUT, it really does depend on your system and the synergy between parts, and w/the room ~ hardly an original observation, but I do want to concede that their gear may sound fantastic in some systems/rooms. And, to an even greater degree, the most important criterion may be the sound you’re looking for...or should I say, listening for? But like a few others who’ve posted above, I think I am done w/this company ~ my next amps will probably be the big heavy SS monsters that I was trying to be done with...oh well, we learn as we go, right?Hmmm, I hope that this doesn’t sound too negative, I do think PSA is a good outfit ~ their sonic approach is just not for me

As nice as their designer is in the videos, remember that when compared to other equipment in stores, the company did not do well, and switched to mail order only.  One might think that since high end audio prices are half dealer profit, either the price would go down or the quality would go up.  I have not heard that either is true.

I’m a fan of PS Audio.
I have the DSD DAC and M700 amps.
Listening to Qobuz actually sounds quite good with this setup!
Great customer service too.

I love their Stellar S300 power amp......oodles of grunt, great dynamics, wonderful timbres. The best amp I've had in my house, ever. The guys who work at PS Audio are really pleasant and personal to deal with.
Their trade-in program is excellent too. Huge fan.

Thanks to all of you who shared your experience with PS audio, this discussion has gone a long way to restoring my confidence in them. I have never owned any of their equipment but have been considering them among the other options for an upgrade path for my personal audio journey. However negative reviews, most memorably at audio science review, begin to make me wonder.

My first PSA piece was a Delta 100 power amp, which for me bested an Adcom and B&K, although a McCormack power amp did put the PSA Delta 100 on the sidelines.

Along the line, I got a couple of PSA power cords, a wall socket, and a used PowerPlay IPC-9000 power conditioner, and with good results.

Fast-forward a bit, and after realizing I needed to incorporate a DAC into my system, I went with the PSA Stellar Gain Cell Pre/DAC.  They had a combo deal initially with the S300, so I got both at the same time, and took advantage of their generous trade-in program.

I immediately loved the sound.  I don't know if it was just the change to Class-D that I was liking, but I liked it.  After a while, I incorporated balanced/XLR connections between the pre and power amps, which raised things up another level.  The quality and fullness of sound at lower volumes is what really impressed me.  I was getting the full frequency spectrum without having to crank it up like I did with A and A/B.  And the noise floor is REALLY low...dead quiet...so much so that I first thought something was wrong, until the music played.  I was used to the low-level hiss from tweeters with A/(B) when you put your ear within a few inches.

Several months ago, I got a deal I couldn't pass up on a new Cary integrated SI-300.2d.  I love all the features it has, and the sound is excellent, but eventually I went back to the (literal) efficiency of the PSA combo.

Next, I replaced the PowerPlay 9000 pc with a new Stellar Power Plant 3 regenerator, and today I should be receiving the Stellar Phono Preamp.  The phono pre will be up against a Rogue Audio Triton that I absolutely love, so we'll see.

As everyone else has mentioned, customer service is outstanding.  Even during this COVID-19 crisis, they have been very responsive and helpful with my recent purchase.  Jake, there at PSA, has been my go-to guy.

Btw, they will be launching their line of loudspeakers very soon, and they also sell AudioQuest interconnects now.

Some people are just dissenters. They want to buck the norm and hate everything most people love.  Paul has really put himself out there and opened the curtain to the behind the scenes workings.  I trust PS Audio and their company MUCH more than many.  Paul often times praises other companies and recommends other companies as well.  

As for my experience, I was/am VERY (2x) happy with my Stellar stack.  No I have not tried every brand, but good lord, this stuff is good.

Not only that, keep in mind, sometimes when someone says they hate something, they were in a bad mood the one day they tried it or their speakers just didn't jive. 

Careful when someone says something is better or worse.  All i know is PS Audio is consistently solid and sounds so good to me.

I am happy with my Power Plant Premier, but PS Audio needs to do something to rein in their out-of-warranty repair costs. $750 to repair this unit (not including shipping) was a tough pill to swallow. To his credit, Paul replied to my email and agreed that this should be a priority for the company.

Just a low budget hifi guy here, but I like the old Digital Link III. But I am sure their 6.1 preamp damaged my tube amp. It was a nice sounding preamp, but I'm afraid to plug it in. And I recall the PS guys seeming reticent and worried about that preamp.
So my impression is their products are hit and miss.

I have been in the audio game since 1975 and used to work in the industry for a few years.
my personal opinion is that if a consumer looks at the many variables of build quality, great sound, fantastic customer service, made in the USA, and attitude towards their "audio family", then PS Audio is at the top of the audio mountain. my system, aside from some very wonderful Thiel 3.7 speakers is comprised of all PS Gear: BHK mono blocks, BHK preamp, DSD DAC, the DMP player (now discontinued and finicky as hell, but well worth owning), and maybe most important of all, the P20 Power Plant. There are a lot of great lines on the market, but when all things are factored in, I think PS Rules. May they Live long and Prosper.

I haven’t purchased any PSA components yet, save for a few noise harvesters, but I am becoming a fan of the brand. In particular, the forums there are really outstanding in terms of the collegiality and helpfulness on offer. And the CEO is a regular contributor, along with design engineers and marketing folks. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and are open to hearing suggestions from their customers.

In fact, just today I posted something on their forum that could be considered critical of something they were doing, with a recommended alternative approach, and the CEO posted back publicly within minutes thanking for the suggestion and agreeing it was sound.  Pretty amazing. By following/participating there, you actually kinda feel like an insider.

Those who have purchased tend to become repeat purchasers and work their way up the chain. I’ve never heard one of their amps or preamps, to be honest, and not sure I ever will because they aren’t in US dealerships any longer, which I think is too bad.

But just from a lifestyle, customer-facing profile that the brand maintains, I think a lot of audio companies could learn a lot.