I think he posted what he heard. A better sounding Dac in his opinion. If the MK2 sounds better to you that would be your opinion. I know the local MSB dealer here is selling the MSB Discrete with Roon modules over his $20k + Inuous Statement models. Substantially less. Is he doing it to lose money? No, he does it because he wants his customers to have a superior sounding product in his opinion! Audio is still subjective.
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Yes, audio certainly is subjective. I personally struggle with this all the time. My reactions can differ wildly from day to day. I can form a definite opinion about some aspect of my system, or my systems sound overall, and completely reverse myself the next day. It can be frustrating.
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In my system the mk2 lacks flip it on consistent performance of modified DS mk1. With some fiddling of i2s shorting plugs or factory resets it clears. I don’t know if its buffers get corrupted or what. Power system degaussing of P20 clean doesn’t help.
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I should have said reboots or resets.
I dunno but it seems the DS MKII needs some serious ergonomic improvements
as well as how it handles firmware updates…from what I’ve been reading…
It appears that the DS MKI has a far better user interface…
Paul and team have their work cut out …
Best wishes
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I have not experienced any of the functionality issues or instability noted by some DS MK2 users. However, I have a simple USB-only set-up and have not updated the firmware since receiving the MK2 in March. I will update to new firmware when the concerns about start-up issues have died down.
With regard to the comments section of the Audio Excellence video, there is now a comment (added just 3 hours ago) about the MK2 beating out the MSB Discrete in a comparison that appears to have come from the PSA Forum (though these comments were not specifically attributed to the PSA forum). So did Adrian add back in comments that were excluded earlier or is there another explanation?
My basic view is that different listeners may have different opinions on which is the better DAC, but that respectful opinions on either side should not be censored.
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Got to agree with Tony on this one. The MkIl navigation may not be the most intuitive but the last sw update has been stable and sounds good.
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For some reason it drifts on me after continued streaming. I checked again this morning was poor. Paused streamer from listening position performed factory reset from systems submenu now is fine. Same volume same song same sitting position. I wish I understood what is being reset. Or someone else that thinks they are fine performing factory reset and see if it improved sound after reset.
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Roger that. I don’t stream so not as rigorous a test as you.
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I do. No issues with either PST or Holo Red. @Vmax, what you’re describing sounds like there may be a problem. Might be worth shipping it back to the mother ship.
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Is it inconsistently changing the settings when doing the resets?
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Remember that the Mk2 has a number of functions that were not present in the Mk1 (notably the ability to lift grounds and outputs). All the functions are managed using only four controls (the menu button, the center button, the left/right arrows, and the up/down arrows). While the interface is not intuitive in some cases, I do think it is a clever use of the controls available. The Mk1’s interface was simpler.
My Mk2 has been stable and good-sounding once 2.5.1 got settled in. I do hope @Vmax can get to the bottom of what’s going on with his unit— it sounds incredibly frustrating.
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The settings stay the same but sound improves. It degrades after four or five days of streaming. The factory reset cleans it back up after 36 hours of last factory reset sound is till excellent. I am monitoring it time wise for next drift into harshness.
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I do not know if others have the same experience, buy you seem to have something similar.
Once a while my streamining chain would sound dull, and I could not figure it out what went wrong since I did not change anything.
Usually a reboot on the streamer would cure it, but some time it needed more. I found I need to disconnect my SoTM Isolator for a few minutes. Once I reconnect it and rebood the SQ would come back.
I have no idea what caused it. But this happens like once a month usually. 
But my MK2 does not have issues like yours.
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The mk1 after 3 or 4 months a power cycle would clean it up. My bacch4 mac benefits from a restart every 2 or 3 weeks and needs you to quit roon now and then. Edgar says computer audio you have to stay on top of it. I had fewer issues with the Sonore UltraRendu Matrix chain. But can’t live without the Bacch dSP after experiencing it. . You forget you have speakers in front because sound comes clear solid and immediate from everywhere in the room.
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@Vmax - I have observed the same, wondering if the difference is my tiredness or other factors at the time. I’ve had my DSD Mk2 burning constantly since it arrived, and have resorted to intermittent reset when it seems to lose its “sparkle”. Once it’s reached complete burn-in, I’ll allow it to “rest” between listening!
I am glad I am not alone. But I have thousands of hours on mine. I had earlier issues with mk2 firmware The 3.5.1 seems to have rekindled issue.
I know it changes depending on where you sit. But one doesn’t like to lovk your head in a vice. magistar dsidvhe had 3.5.1 issues settled. Mine seem to appear not while listening but letting it stream and then coming back to listen.
You should try factory reset. I was listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn. Things got Ratty on highs. Far left button. Right button on the wheel of torture to system menu. Center button then right button to factory reset. Center button then right button to acknowledge. Then center button. You can do it while playing music. Blue light flashes. Then it mutes. Comes back on and plays beautifully again.
Strangest behavior. Reward- punishment- factory reset-Reward again.
@tedsmith any ideas why my unit drifts as do some others? I love it when it sings but the changes are a challenge.
I’m not sure. I do know that I get that behavior at my house, but it’s the time of day, whether the neighbors are running their air conditioning, driers, etc. Whether there’s a cell phone (or cordless phone) in the room, etc. Evenings are always the best. As your system gets more revealing these differences become more obvious. Taking a little time out to get a drink (in my case water), a little walk, … also makes a noticeable difference.
I’m not trying to deny your experience, but I’ve seen people deal with similar issues when their system gets cleaner, etc.
I’ll keep my eyes open for a “gear slip” in the FPGA…
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That’s exactly what I’ve been doing. But every now and then I also used to re-start my DSD Mk1. Enjoying my SACD > DSD Mk2 at this moment 
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