PS Audio has introduced a new product line at the Axpona audio fair in Chicago. The PMG Signature Series features four devices that will take the place of the components from the PerfectWave line. The PMG Signature components include the PMG Signature 512 DAC, the 512 Preamplifier, the Signature Phono Preamplifier, and the SACD transport, all of which boast a completely reimagined design and updated topology.
PS Audio PMG Signature Series: 512 Preamplifier
The PS Audio 512 Preamplifier represents the brand’s latest flagship model, crafted by Darren Myers and hailed as a significant achievement for the company. For the first time in half a century, this preamplifier carries the esteemed name of founder Paul McGowan, reflecting a commitment to the company’s heritage and its pursuit of exceptional audio quality.
This preamplifier is fully balanced from input to output and boasts an impressive noise and distortion floor of 150 dB. It features a new power supply that replaces conventional electrolytic capacitors with high-quality film capacitors, leading to quicker transients, enhanced silence, and a broader dynamic range. The circuitry is designed within a dual chassis framework, offering excellent shielding against noise and interference.
The PMG Signature 512 preamplifier is equipped with a cutting-edge gain stage that integrates both FET and BJT technologies. This innovative design merges the finesse and linearity of FETs with the robust dynamic control and drive characteristics of BJTs. The gain stage is entirely complementary from input to output, functioning in pure Class A mode, and is direct coupled and servo-controlled to ensure the integrity of the signal.
What distinguishes this topology is its unique approach to the folded cascode design. Unlike traditional cascodes that utilize stacked transistors to enhance gain and bandwidth, the folded version alters the signal path, enabling high voltage swings, reduced noise, and an expansive bandwidth, all while avoiding the instability and harshness often associated with conventional designs.
PS Audio PMG Signature Series: 512 DA converter
The PMG Signature 512 digital-to-analog converter is equipped with the PureStream DSD512 engine, enabling it to transform any digital audio format into an 8x DSD stream without the need for PCM, decimation, or any loss of quality. This stream is then refined by the SpectraWave 64-tap sequencer, a digital filter specifically engineered to minimize noise and distortion while maintaining accurate timing. Subsequently, the signal is directed to a high-quality direct-coupled analog output stage. Additionally, the 512 includes a built-in high-end streamer for effortless music access, making it PS Audio’s most sophisticated digital-to-analog converter to date.
This approach stands apart not only from the standard PCM-based architecture but also from the typical DSD implementation. The PMG Signature 512 incorporates PS Audio’s exclusive Digital Lens technology, which restructures and re-clocks incoming digital signals prior to their processing by the PureStream engine.
With a fully balanced, direct-coupled analog output stage, galvanically isolated inputs, a built-in high-quality streamer, and accurate analog volume control, the PMG 512 transcends the role of a mere DAC.
PS Audio PMG Signature Series: Phono Preamplifier
Created by PS Audio engineer Darren Myers, the PMG Signature Phono Amplifier incorporates a transimpedance input and a zero-feedback architecture that effectively reduces distortion, coloration, and noise. It offers inputs for both MC and MM cartridges, along with remote control options for load and gain, making it versatile for any audio system. The discrete FET design ensures remarkable dynamics, exceptionally low noise levels, and an extensive dynamic range.
The Signature Phono Preamplifier removes operational amplifiers and integrated circuits from the signal path by employing carefully chosen discrete FETs and BJTs operating in Class A mode. Its complementary, direct-coupled design focuses on minimizing distortion while maximizing resolution and transparency. This approach yields outstanding dynamics, remarkably low noise levels, and rapid transient response, allowing it to effortlessly capture subtle details and a broad dynamic range.
PS Audio PMG Signature Series: SACD drive
Ultimately, the PMG Signature SACD Transport, as stated by its creators, uncovers the intricate beauty of pure DSD embedded in SACDs, offering the DAC an exceptional level of detail. PS Audio asserts that this is their finest optical disc transport in 43 years, meticulously engineered to capture every subtlety from both CDs and SACDs.
Featuring galvanically isolated outputs and a design that minimizes jitter, the Signature SACD Transport significantly improves CD playback when paired with any DAC. When connected through I²S, it reveals the unprocessed DSD layer of SACDs, providing a degree of detail that external DACs have not previously achieved.
The SACD drive is equipped with a galvanically isolated output stage, which effectively prevents noise and ground interference by connecting the drive mechanism’s output to the PMG’s internal digital lens. This design enhances image separation, clarity, and seamless reproduction, uncovering musical nuances that were previously obscured by noise and jitter.
The devices are available in both aluminum and black finishes.
