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    PS Audio DirectStream DAC Review

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    PS Audio DirectStream DAC, a chameleon in the high foothills, by Ted Brady

     

    This has been the hardest review to write, for many reasons, not the least of which is that this DAC took me on a journey that seemed, at times, like a wild goose chase. But here we are, and if you, the reader, are like so many others, you'll go the end and find that this goose chase resulted in quite the golden goose. :)

     

    By now most of you know that this DAC is the brainchild of one Ted Smith, a longtime developer/designer/wunderkind who had been dabbling in this DAC design for over 10 years. Two major problems existed during that time: first, the technology didn't exist to do what he wanted; and second, he was but one guy in a lab, with no real ability to produce and distribute a DAC of this sort. The first problem was slowly solved by time....ingredients like the Xilinx Spartan 6 FPGA became available. The second problem was solved by one Paul McGowan of PS Audio fame. He offered Ted his help, and the result is the PS Audio DirectStream DAC, a major change in PS Audio's heretofore standard-chip PCM DAC evolution.

     

    This unit has been reviewed by others, and I invite you to visit those reviews for a more in-depth technical discussion of what this thing is made up of, including dimensions, shipping weight and pictures of its innards. I am not the most technical and will gladly leave that up to the major publications. What I can bring to the reader is another audio lover's perspective of having listened to dozens and dozens of DACs over the past several years, albeit with my own personal listening biases (my system is included in my signature link, although this session includes my recently acquired Aerial Acoustics 20T speakers).

     

    I first became excited to hear this DAC when, during a getaway to the Boulder, CO area with my wife, I was able to visit and chat with Paul at the PS Audio headquarters (thanks to friend and master cable maker Greg Graff of MG Audio Design for setting up the meeting and being our chauffeur). Paul took me on a tour of the facility, and it was clearly evident that this company knew what it was doing; it knew its strengths and had a long history of customer support and satisfaction. However, this DAC was new to all of them and was a "stretch" for PS Audio (my opinion, not theirs necessarily); they had never done a DSD product, and to my knowledge the DS was going to be their most expensive product to date, too. Paul was ready to go, though, and it was evident he was appreciative to have Ted Smith on this team.

     

    As a DAC designer Ted was presented with the typical choices of off-the-shelf DAC chips, all of which are very capable at ultimately delivering toe-tapping musical output, given a white glove treatment after the chip output (very high quality analog stage of either solid state or tubed design, quiet powerful ac supplies, etc). Some chips, like the ubiquitous ESS Sabre 9018, have incredible sample rate choices, but trade those choices for the need to harness that power downstream lest one create what the audio lover has come to know as Sabre-allergy, the well-known easily-identifiable sound of a razor-sharp leading edge that can ruin the illusion of real musicians playing to one's whim. Folks like George Klissarov (exaSound) and Xuanqian Wang (Auralic) have figured out how to tame that beast better than others, and the results speak for themselves.

     

    Ted, on the other hand, had a design idea that no off-the-shelf chip could handle. He was battling his love of DSD (and its inherent noise shaping baggage) with the very different, but noisy nonetheless, PCM brick wall filters. What if he could take either format and send it into deep space (oversampling to, say, 30Mhz, and 30 bits, where the many-multiples of all known PCM and DSD noise filters all come together), send the noise into the ether, then return to a high earth orbit of 5.6Mhz. At that height there is still very little noise to interfere, and then "simply" send to an industry-proven set of PS Audio power supplies and analog parts? Would it sound better?

     

    Enter the field programmable gate array (aka FPGA, my audio acronym of the year). It is a sort of tabula rasa for DAC chips, a hardware/software platform chip that allows for almost infinite "roll your own" chip design. The code can be tens of thousands of lines, but the good news/bad news is that once a DAC manufacturer enters this hallowed world, it becomes a software company. Why is that good news? Because the consumer then buys into a product idea that has potential for significant improvement and change through downloadable firmware and software updates All audio equipment these days includes software, so why not invest in one where the code is owned and maintained by the equipment manufacturer, allowing for an evolving set of fixes, improvements and feature enhancements (within reason and scope). Companies like PS Audio, Chord and others are perfectly positioned for this new approach, as they have mature organizations and knowledge bases that can deliver updates and fixes in a reasonable process. Oh, the bad news? Not all audio companies can take this on, and not all audio units are designed for upgradeability. More to the point, this unit has already had two large FPGA and driver updates, and the resultant sound was improved both times.

     

    DSC_0039-200px.JPGThe PS Audio DirectStream DAC will accept PCM and DSD music up to 24/352.8K PCM (aka DXD) and DSD128 (aka 2X DSD) and will accept it in a plethora of digital inputs; the back panel includes RCA S/PDIF, toslink (limited to 96k), USB, AES/EBU and the house favorite for PS Audio users, the somewhat proprietary (oxymoron I know) I2S input, housed via a pin-compatible HDMI connection. Each of these inputs eventually meet at an internal I2S connection, and then to the FPGA. There is also a smart card input for the aforementioned code updates (FPGA code, USB driver, etc). There is an ethernet connector for their own networked Bridge product, as well.

     

     

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    DSC_00399-200px.jpgOn the front panel the DS has a nice touch screen (an evolution from the look and feel of their earlier PerfectWave DAC units) which handles, along with the included remote, input selection, high/low gain selection, volume control (for direct to amp capability), balance, and software information (versions, etc), along with a running display of format and sample rate of the incoming signal. Note: I am not a huge fan of touch screens, given that my DAC is usually not within touch distance, nor can I read the screen from my listening position, but that's purely my own pet peeve (and poor eyesight). The screen display can be turned off remotely, and given PS Audio's long experience with them, they are likely not a huge cost issue nor repair issue. And it's a nice demo feature, too. :)

     

    The DAC's chassis is a beautifully done silver or black copy of their own transport (the Perfect Wave Transport) and includes a hand polished top cover of black-lacquered automotive-finished lexan-looking MDF. Very nice. As it should be for $6000 ($4000 for PS audio owners who are in the Company's long-standing upgrade program, as they turn in their former PWD DACs for upgrade; a nice feature given the poor resale value of ever-evolving digital gear on the audio classified sections).

     

    I was told (but forget by whom) that the DS would require significant break-in. Ted was not as adamant, but gave me a few hints on trying to accelerate that process (running on low gain will run more current through the transformer, etc). I have another good news/bad news item. The good news is that there seems to be nothing in this DAC that gets hot. The bad news, heat helps break in (eventually spoiling it, however) so my patience began to wear thin at about 800 hours. Why? Why not just listen and enjoy? Well, therein lies the theme of my first several months with the DirectStream.

     

    I tried every known input source I had on hand (pc running JRiver/Jplay using high-end USB card and power conditioning, Auralic Aries renderer via USB/toslink/spdif/AES, Aurender Linux server running USB, yada yada). What evolved (there's that word again) after the 800 hours was akin to the most amazing new 4K video display you've ever seen, with details that boggled the mind, yet never looked artificial nor over-enhanced. Subtle details and image densities that I'd never heard before, on recordings that I was so familiar with that when I heard an even 30 db down nuance new to me I would jump out of my chair. I am a music lover, but sometimes this demo-quality playlist stuff can drive one insane. Why did I not want to venture on to my real fave selections? Getting back to the CES demo of that incredible 4K display.....lo and behold they had somehow turned the color and hue knobs all the way down. ? Ansel Adams in black and white is nice; Stardust Memories in black and white is still funny (but not as funny as his earlier stuff); but....my favorite music in black and white? I was bored. I tried everything. I put the DS on the shelf for a few weeks and then went back to it. I would try the bloomiest of music, or tube roll my preamp to the bloomiest/timbre-soaked tubes of Mullard variety, still no relief, only a black and white depiction with newly introduced veils. Argh!

     

    I was stumped and ready to write a review that this DAC is the perfect fit, perfect antidote, for those systems that are overly colored, overly warm. Yes, a poorly hidden left-handed compliment. Not usable in my system, but maybe if you have one that already has plenty of color and tonality? (That is not to say my system is overly analytical, and therefore I felt bad that this review would be seen for what it was...throwing a bone to an otherwise good Company and good folks.)

     

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    A few weeks ago I got a call from a good audio buddy, Jesus R of Sonore fame. He wanted me to hear his flagship UPnP renderer, the Sonore Signature Rendu. It is an ethernet to SPDIF (or I2S-HDMI) converter/renderer. Sure, why not. A couple weeks ago it arrived and I hooked it up via BNC/SPDIF to my Chird Hugo. Hmmm...very nice indeed. (Note: Chris's review of said Signature Rendu is due out presently). The DirectStream, gathering a little dust while I decided how to write the review, was calling out to me "play me, play me".

     

    Jesus is very proud of the work that went into the Signature Rendu, especially the very low jitter, very high quality I2S output (compatible with several pin-compliant I2S HDMI inputs on several different DACS, including the DirectStream.) As luck and irony would have it, the Rendu setup required me dusting off an old PS Audio P300 ac-generator to block some house-bound dc that caused the Rendu to drop off the LAN periodically (a fix that is coming soon, according to Jesus). After confirming that a P300-powered Sig Rendu was now rock solidly connected, I found a nice Nordost HDMI cable and entered the world of I2S (I can't tell you how many sources, format converters or DACs I've had in here that taunted me with this connection, but this was the first time I had input and output together in one room).

     

    This began one Monday evening at 8pm. My first taste of this combination lasted, without wine-induced bathroom break or any other silly distraction, until about 3am in the morning. It was an audiophile's best dream, an audio lover's best attempt of heaven on earth, a contender for one of two or three best audio listening sessions of my life. Due to my well-heeled assumptions, I went from WTF to laughter (yes, I think I physically laughed out loud a few times; thank god no one heard me; they were all asleep) then back to WTF several times. The display analogy: not only had they turned the color and hue controls back on, the display became 3D (without glasses, thank you) and had the blackest blacks I'd ever seen. Again, sorry, but WTF! Why, with this input (Ted promised me all inputs were identical) would the DirectStream now explode into colors, tones, rhythms, clarity, absurdly accurate image density, and overall musicality that I've maybe never heard before. Why? Yes, the Signature Rendu is a clearly a special piece, but it needs a partner, and the DirectStream danced with it like they have been secretly practicing every dance style for 30 years.

     

    I-squared-S is a native connection; by that I mean two things: 1) that both PCM and DSD can be natively streamed, without the need for DoP (DSD over PCM process, which for some odd paths requires wav or FLAC containerizing), so when using Minimserver one needs not do the Dopwav commands if your renderer formerly needed that; 2) it is an unencumbered signal path directly to the Xilinx FPGA Spartan 6. To this day I don't know what jitter sounds like, but as of that special night and going forward, I now think I know what no-jitter sounds like.

     

    nmd.jpgWhether it was demo tracks or any of my other regular rotation, this new combination threw a most musical, accurate (yes, those are not opposites) and detailed soundstage in front of me. On New Moon Daughter (Blue Note, 24/192) Cassandra Wilson's opening "Strange Fruit", a Billie Holiday classic, had all the wetness and organic vibe I'd ever heard from this tracks, with the cornet solo at the beginning occupying a perfect space at the rear of the left center soundstage. The decays sounded as natural as can be (dunno, I wasn't there when recorded). On Keith Richard's under-appreciated solo album Main Offender (Virgin, redbook) the capture of the amp buzz of those sessions is incredibly well done, and on the right systems the album sounds live and dynamic as heck. Yep, here too, in spades. On "Will But You Won't" you can actually here when the second guitar mic feed opens up, prior to first rip. Very wild indeed.

     

    Those two examples represent PCM playback with a machine that eventually treats everything as DSD128. What about, say, DSD and DSD128 (neither of which get a free pass...they are both upsampled to deep space). Well, on Us (Geffen, DSD) Peter Gabriel's 6th studio album, the SACD mastering is a huge step forward and is one of my favorite test albums for pop/rock DSD playback. The DS did not disappoint; "Only Us"/"Washing of The Water" combination is a nice test for leading edge, percussive tonality and noise floor. Let me start with noise floor. Whether it is I2S or what, the DS portrays a noise floor of cavernous proportions, a trait that seems to be the most influential on adjectives like clarity, micro-detail, air and even dynamics (since you can now hear the quietest of the musical nuances). I sat there for 58 minutes (the length of the album) and almost gawked at the energy and mix of colors and tones I was hearing. Oh, and as a dyed-in-the-wool computer audiophile I almost NEVER listen to a full album anymore...which is a confession I am not always proud of. Well, when listener fatigue becomes non-existent (and I don't need to work the next morning) this setup tempts me to listen all the way through.

     

    ericbibb.jpgOther DSD recordings, including my favorite Mari Kodama Beethoven Piano sonatas collection (Pentatone, DSD) played back with energy, sizzle (when appropriate) and a very 3D soundstage. Was this the best DSD I'd ever heard? Maybe not (dynamics and air are 95% of the best DSD I've heard), but as a dual format DAC (PCM and DSD) it leads the pack, and at the end of the day, I am not thinking about other DACs (ok, that sounds too creepy I guess, sorry). When given DSD128, like the wonderful Eric Bibb download compilation of analog-to-DSD tape transfers, A Selection of Analogue (Opus 3, DSD128) his slightly gravely-but-soft voice comes through in great detail, without sacrificing tone and, well, analog(ue) naturalness. Whether it's the pedal organ and the Deacon choir on "Where the Green Grass Grows" or the steel guitar solos throughout, the relaxed feeling of Eric Bibb music is conveyed nicely, thank you.

     

    This DAC is a difficult one to categorize. It is hyper-DSD internally, yet plays back PCM even better than it does DSD. It is supposed to be input-agnostic, yet I2S is easily the best input for me, followed by USB and then all the others relatively equally. By the way, it joins other open system DACs as being UAC2 compatible, meaning that no drivers are required for MAC or Linux (read: streamer) handshaking. That is a nice feature and shouldn't go un-noticed.

     

    So...what does one do if he/she has no I2S connection (all my listening feedback here was via I2S)? I tried going back and listening to the other inputs (especially my highest quality USB, as noted above) , and although this evolution (damn it) has seemed to continue to open them up a bit (especially USB via the JCAT card and either JCAT cable or TotalDAC D1 cable), there is no turning back for me. As a dual format USB DAC it is very good and recommended on all $5K+ budget's short list. As an I2S DAC I can't think of why this wouldn't be your first choice. And as a Signature Rendu owner, sell your blood, sell something quickly and go buy this DAC (and yes, give it 800 hours or more, although I don't know how good it would sound cold....maybe not bad at all!!!). :)

     

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    Ted Brady

     

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    P.S. I welcome Ted Smith to please tell us why this last chapter (or more appropriately the first several bad ones) of listening happened, and why I am getting such different sonic experiences with different inputs.

     

     

     

     

    Manufacturer's comment:

     

    Thank you for your thorough and detailed appraisal. It's been a long journey to

    bring Ted Smith's*design into production, from the first time Gus Skinas played Ted's

    hand-built proof-of-concept*for us, until now.

     

    Starting with*Ted's brilliant vision and code, our Director of Engineering, Dave Paananen,

    our Chief Engineer, Bob Stadtherr*and their whole crew of designers and technicians have put in

    thousands of hours to bring DirectStream to market.

     

    The response to all the hard work has been gratifying; DirectStream has been well-received

    all over the world. Perhaps the most exciting part of DirectStream's design is that, thanks to its

    ability to be updated with new firmware, the best is yet to come!

     

    Paul McGowan, founder and CEO, PS Audio

     

     

     

     

     

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    Product Information:

     

    • Product - PS Audio DirectStream DAC
    • Price - $5,999
    • Product Page - Link ex.png

     

     

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    I just spoke to PS audio tech. He informed me the best sound you get from the DS stream is with a transport and not with the network bridge. So i am using transport with i2s option. I wish someone did a comparison with Rendu against the PS audio transport.

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    I just spoke to PS audio tech. He informed me the best sound you get from the DS stream is with a transport and not with the network bridge. So i am using transport with i2s option. I wish someone did a comparison with Rendu against the PS audio transport.

     

    Which transport you are using?

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    Which transport you are using?

     

    PS audio

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    Years ago I have experienced sound in my system that interestingly I also described as "no-jitter" at the time. There is no way to compare it to anything, just music. Essentially unlimited dynamics and resolution of every note, absolute timing, PRAT and coherence, complete blackness, the dac had no sound of its own, every recording and instrument had a unique character and space. It wasn't smooth or sharp, warm or bright, it was just right in every way possible.

     

    The interesting thing was that the setup was very inexpensive, XP computer with EMU 1212 pci soundcard feeding benchmark DAC1 via glass toslink. It was jaw dropping, to this day I don't know why this combination had this magic.

     

    Glass toslink enabled you perfect isolation done in a simple way. To this day I wonder why audiophiles prefer the copper or silver connection inside SPDIF (or USB) that is prone to pass noise to the delicate DAC circuits...

     

    Yeah, there are the downsides of glass toslink, maybe limited in resolution and fragile...

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    Just got my DS, hooked it up and started playing with my CAPS using USB for now, initial impressions....sound is pretty good, slightly better than Hugo as Ted has mentioned. I feel bass is little weaker than Hugo, I think someone else also reported similar experience (not good, if that is how it will be, do not like to see less of anything, then it becomes a toss-up).

     

    Ted: What is your experience with bass between Hugo and DS. Does it improve with burn? Does it improve with Rendu? Thanks.

     

    I haven't ordered Rendu yet.

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    Just got my DS, hooked it up and started playing with my CAPS using USB for now, initial impressions....sound is pretty good, slightly better than Hugo as Ted has mentioned. I feel bass is little weaker than Hugo, I think someone else also reported similar experience (not good, if that is how it will be, do not like to see less of anything, then it becomes a toss-up).

     

    Ted: What is your experience with bass between Hugo and DS. Does it improve with burn? Does it improve with Rendu? Thanks.

     

    I haven't ordered Rendu yet.

     

    I have the hugo and DS stream. Give the DS some time it will improve significantly across the spectrum. The musical weight and vocals are excellent with DS stream. But yes Hugo does seem to have slightly tighter bass but as i break-in my DS (200 hours so far) the bass gets better.

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    800 hours boys, 800 hours! Argh! And the bass never fully snapped in for me until the Rendu....yes, very weird and why I spent so much time explaining that in my review. Monday will be the two month anniversary of me scratching my head everyday. :)

     

    The Hugo is a warmer presentation, and in comparison has an ever so slight midbass bump ("hump" descriptor would be too much). The break in of the DS is almost entirely timbre, IMHO, which brings midrange color and bass quantity, along with a tightness and tone in the lower frequencies too.

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    800 hours boys, 800 hours! Argh! And the bass never fully snapped in for me until the Rendu....yes, very weird and why I spent so much time explaining that in my review. Monday will be the two month anniversary of me scratching my head everyday. :)

     

    The Hugo is a warmer presentation, and in comparison has an ever so slight midbass bump ("hump" descriptor would be too much). The break in of the DS is almost entirely timbre, IMHO, which brings midrange color and bass quantity, along with a tightness and tone in the lower frequencies too.

     

     

    The hugo is warmer sounding? That is interesting i feel the DS stream has a very warm tube like sound versus hugo is closer to solid state sound

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    Interesting Ajay. That's what makes the world go 'round I guess. :) Yes, I my system the Hugo is warmer, but now with the SSR and I2S the DS is warm enough for my tastes, with wonderful timbre, delicacy, solidity of images and ridiculous (but not "under a microscope") detail.

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    There is anew frimware to try. Ted if you still have the DS dsc try the new firmware . Very upfront presentation and even more detailed than before.

    Very nice overall.

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    So I just installed the new firmware, called Pikes Peak (Paul is clling these "OS upgrades" and giving them, going forward, the names of Colorado's tall fourteeners, the first being Pike's Peak). Since the OS upgrade causes the clock to lose power for a few minutes I am not going to seriously listen until tomorrow...BUT.....first impressions are quite amazing on the DSD format side. Where previously DSD was tame and slightly less dynamic, it is now MUCH more lively, clear and dynamic, both macro and micro. Orchestral swells, plucked basses and all things guitar are much more real and in-the-room sounding. Yet I don't feel I moved from row 20 to row 5, but simply that the presentation got a little more real, with less veiling. NICE!

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    Great read Ted. Ted as it does sound overall better. And more level across all freq. I did hear one thing that was odd. Horns especially trumpit seemed a bit receeddd back a bit. Now it could be the dacs rendering and not a tone effect but it does not happen in other firmwares I tryed. This is also like yours a fast listen just about 30 mins or so

    after reboot. I would very much like tonread a more detailed sound review from you soon please. Being a beta tester for the bridge 2. I have had a few unresolved firmwares leading up to Release. All kinds of funny audio sounds some amazing others not so. But this is the new release.

    Al

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    So I just installed the new firmware, called Pikes Peak (Paul is clling these "OS upgrades" and giving them, going forward, the names of Colorado's tall fourteeners, the first being Pike's Peak). Since the OS upgrade causes the clock to lose power for a few minutes I am not going to seriously listen until tomorrow...BUT.....first impressions are quite amazing on the DSD format side. Where previously DSD was tame and slightly less dynamic, it is now MUCH more lively, clear and dynamic, both macro and micro. Orchestral swells, plucked basses and all things guitar are much more real and in-the-room sounding. Yet I don't feel I moved from row 20 to row 5, but simply that the presentation got a little more real, with less veiling. NICE!

     

    Ted, I posted the following on the PS audio site. This upgrade is nothting short of amazing on PCM as well. I am using a stack of 3x Direcstream for MCH (lynx card), and a separate 2 channel USB server. Ted also addressed some potential clock sync issues in a MCH application in the firmware release (he uses multiple DS for MCH audio himself).

     

    "Let me start off by saying I'm a bit of a tweak sceptic. Either that, or I just don't have the patience to look for subtle differences that need to grow on you. Given this and the fact that the 1.21 firmware upgrade did not do much for me, I installed the pikes upgrade with very tempered expectations – I am fairly immune to hype, and learned to only trust my own ears.

     

    Boy was I in for a surprise. This is equivalent to inserting a high caliber new component in the system, say a five figure preamp. Where do I start? First, there appears to be more "going on" with the music. Second, threes is more air around instruments. Third, better separation between instruments. Fourth, more body and presence, especially in mid-bass. Fifth, more detail and information retrieval. I hear subtle noises emanating from the audience on live recordings I was not hearing before. In summary, a huge winner. The findings apply to both 2 channel playback and multi channel.

     

    I feel I bought a BMW five series for the price of a three series, and just get a free upgrade to seven series. Hats off to Ted and the ps audio team"

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    Erik,

    Thanks, I was gonna ask you to post that here anyway (after i read it on PSA forum)..so thanks. But really, man, stacking 3 DACs for multichannel?? That's a silly idea. :):) Seriously, welcome to the Stacked Club. I know of four members (me, you, Ted S and Michal/Chebon).

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    Erik,

    Thanks, I was gonna ask you to post that here anyway (after i read it on PSA forum)..so thanks. But really, man, stacking 3 DACs for multichannel?? That's a silly idea. :):) Seriously, welcome to the Stacked Club. I know of four members (me, you, Ted S and Michal/Chebon).

     

    I joined the club a long time ago with MSB for mains, 2 x NAD M51 for surround/center. Now 3 x Directstream is delivering the goods and with this firmware, I can honestly say I believe the DS beats the MSB Signature (big claim this....). Next projext will be to give the pink faun MCH I2S card a try to improve over Lynx - the journey continues.

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    Yes, I know...so did I. I was just joking around.

     

    Some claim the Peak OS has moved the balance too far up the frequency scale. I need to test on some awful recordings later today. I don't think that it is; things like rumbling orchestral swells are more pronounced, and those are upper bass rich, yet the lowest frequencies seem enhanced too. Everything is just more dynamic, so far, yet not artificial (artificial as in like when we used to hit the "loudness" button).

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    Yes, I know...so did I. I was just joking around.

     

    Some claim the Peak OS has moved the balance too far up the frequency scale. I need to test on some awful recordings later today. I don't think that it is; things like rumbling orchestral swells are more pronounced, and those are upper bass rich, yet the lowest frequencies seem enhanced too. Everything is just more dynamic, so far, yet not artificial (artificial as in like when we used to hit the "loudness" button).

     

    Agree. High frequencies are just fine. Cymbals sounds better than ever. Only "cricism" could be more in your face, forward sound. More of a personal preference though.

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    Yes, agreed. I look at it this way (and will get flamed by some , I'm sure):

    In the whole signal path the DAC is fairly far upstream, at least in my system view. Any clarity or removal of grunge that occurs upstream is a bonus for the ride downstream to my ears. And having a more genuine accurate musical signal, even if I have to make a slight adjustment (tube roll or cable roll it to better adjust the new mix) with my preamp, amps and room....is ok by me. My preamp thanks you, my amps thank you, my room thanks you, my ears thank you. (Note: this philosophy does not discount DRC. With DRC the fixing is upstream of course, but based on previous downstream results, so the pecking order stays the same).

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    High frequencies are just fine. Cymbals sounds better than ever. Only "cricism" could be more in your face, forward sound.

    Agree!

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    Yes, agreed. I look at it this way (and will get flamed by some , I'm sure):

    In the whole signal path the DAC is fairly far upstream, at least in my system view. Any clarity or removal of grunge that occurs upstream is a bonus for the ride downstream to my ears. And having a more genuine accurate musical signal, even if I have to make a slight adjustment (tube roll or cable roll it to better adjust the new mix) with my preamp, amps and room....is ok by me. My preamp thanks you, my amps thank you, my room thanks you, my ears thank you. (Note: this philosophy does not discount DRC. With DRC the fixing is upstream of course, but based on previous downstream results, so the pecking order stays the same).

     

    What I found most fascinating about applying DRC is that none of the other factors determing sound quality actually change. For example, I can jack up my low frequencies by a few dB to get more bass response in DRC. However, even if I do that, inserting hardware with better bass reproduction qualities will have just as much positive impact as without the DRC. I bet the better bass response like I am getting from the new firmware does not even show up in the measured frequency spectrum Dirac uses to calculate filters.

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    I have not upgraded my DAC yet because of fear of being too bright. i purchased this DAC because its warm and detailed at the same time. But from what i am reading even if its slightly bright that would turn me off. So is there a way to roll back the upgrade?

     

    I noticed Ted mentioned his DS was less warmer than the hugo. Was that after the DS upgrade?

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    Voicing and getting anyone to comment in it is warm and or neutral is hard to find. The dac is very detailed and a bit warm for me. Firmwares can be rolled upmor down so as there is a few of them. So here is one for you for sure.

    Realx and enjoy he dac it's really a pleasure to roll the firmwares as one would roll tubes

    al

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    Ajay, rolling back the upgrade is as simple as dleting the files off the sd card, then reinserting the sd card with the former files. But, I wouldn't go back. Pike is the real deal! And AlRainbow is about to find out (his firmware was f'd up); now that he redid it and it is showing Pike instead of something else he will be head over heels. Seriously! Also, I cheated and saw his updated comments over at the PS Audio forum. :) He loves it! We finally agree on something. :) This Pike OS sounds like mic feeds coming off the recording. Really.

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    Hal,yeah ted we compleatly agree now. This dsc is really smoking now. Pcm is still biting nicely and dsd is nice as well. Glad it happend but sad I posted what I heard but I did.

    The overtones are really great to hear. This is by far the most improvent ever worth any ps audio dac I had. And owning infinity speakers and Arnie doingnthe voicing it cannot get any better than this.

    Al.

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    Al, how is the DS doing (with PP onboard) when going toe to toe with your remaining DAC stack?

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