What is the internal config of your Hypex? Are you using DIY approved components? I happen to be using non-DIY stuff: NC500s with factory buffer boards in an entirely “stock” setup with no power supply conditioning or current inrush prevention methods (besides what is built in). For my power supply I’m using two of the channels on an SMPS3k7000.
Yeah…Ted Smith re-published a partial list of DSJ display indcators on the forum here last week. My suggestion was to write it into the owners manual.
And as has been mentioned numerous times in other threads but not here yet, it takes a solid month of continuous use to form, some believe more.
And as has been mentioned numerous times in other threads but not here yet, it takes a solid month of continuous use to form, some believe more.
Sorry, I lost track - what was this in reference to?
I think he meant, the sonic signature of the DSJ changes over time from new, it settles down after about a month.
DSJ definitely runs hot (noticeably warm). PS Audio has weighed in that the heat it puts off is ok. Personally, I don’t like the heat, so I run an AC Infinity T8 component fan on top of it, which keeps cabinet temps in the 80s (F). I had to return the first DSJ unit I bought (from dealer Audio Advisor) since it had multiple issues, and ran excessively hot. It would quit (based on my assumption) from thermal heat. After it cooled, I could restart the DSJ, but the same cycle of overheating made it quit within an hour of use. The second unit has been fine.
I think using a dedicated pre-amp is a better option performance wise than running the DSJ as a digital preamp…
If you think the DLink III outperforms your DSJ, there must be an issue.
My Junior does not run hot. I do not use Ethernet, I use a USB connection. It runs warm and I have another small electronics unit on top of it too. If I place my palms on the top surface, it just feels warm. If I put my fingers around the back, it is warmer… hot? no I don;t think so.
I experience no hiss at all. Unit is dead silent.
Front button… I have experienced some oddities like a slow response… I also have had the unit screen go black and can not be rejuvinated without off/on with rear switch.
I also had some oddities where the volume would just appear at 80.
Most of my issues went away when PS Audio had me reload the software. A factory reset was not good enough.
Full disclosure, I have at least one short term power outage a week… I know this because I get an email from my NAS saying it flipped on to battery… but the time stamps for off/on are the exact same minute.
My opinion, no science here, is that the unit is susceptible to flaking out from power oddities.
I still love the unit.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
Reach to the back of the unit and grab the left channel RCA output. How many seconds can you hold it before it becomes too hot and you need to let go?
I turned it off for the night, but I will definitely try that tomorrow. It is indeed the left rear side (I thought it was the network card causing it - might still be) where I feel the most heat being dissipated.
I just picked up my new DAC Jr, DMP player, and BHK 250 amp today from PS Audio. On the high gain output on the DAC, I’m getting a loud hiss. The hiss goes away on the low output setting, but I don’t get enough gain. The other buggy thing, so far, happens if I hit the stop button on the transport, and then hit play later, there’s no sound, even though the display shows the that the disc is playing. Only way to get sound again is to open the tray on the transport then close it.
Is this normal?
At this point, I think it’s very clear that PS audio source components are unusually prone to gitches and bugs.
I had 3 different DSJ’s in my system over the course of about 5 weeks all of which had to be returned for the same issue-- faulty remote volume control.
My DMP is exhibiting all the same bugs as everyone else’s and then some.
My DS Sr. has a touchscreen that lights up to touch but all it’s onscreen features are inaccessible via touch.
While customer service is excellent, quality control at PSA is seriously lacking IMHO.
Hang in there. DMP problems have been widely known for well over a year. You shouldn’t have been blindsided by this. The long awaited promised software fix is end of this month. So stay tuned.
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Unless a prospective buyer of the DMP had been fairly deeply immersed in the discussions going on in this forum before purchase, which is, IMO, unlikely, that prospective buyer would have no way of knowing about the DMP’s OS issues until receiving it in their home. I would expect that almost everyone is “blindsided” by the OS problems when they begin using their new DMP.
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The dealer who sells the thing should give the customer a heads up on these problems…no excuse for a dealer not to know, no excuse for them not to tell the customer what to expect, and no excuse not to tell them about the fix that is coming, and how to do it. That is what the dealer is for. They should not be a simple box mover.
In my case the “dealer” was PS Audio and I was blindsided.
I think you’ve been let down by that sales channel. They should be the example that others follow.
Can I ask, would you expect to be told of these things in advance by a dealer who was fully aware of such things? I feel disappointed for you…have a read of this
I was in this thread early but hesitated to chime in as “send it back” seemed to be the theme. Nothing here it seems has not been discussed. I have the Jr and love it. As for the concerns KCCK:
- I use the remote mostly but I have accidentally turned the unit on and off in one press. I attributed it to the fact the Jr is below me and I slid my finger across it vs. press. That has not happenend as now I press directly perpendicular and it works fine.
- I use the Bitrate mode. The dimmer just turns off the display. I don’t care as I’m on auto and it goes off anyway but I get your point.
- I am direct USB. No bridge.
- There are plenty of threads on this. Even when I was direct Jr to amp I had no hiss. I now have a pre and no issue with noise floor etc. what so ever. I know of one member who got a pre to kill the hiss. He is happy but that seems like an odd way to go about a solution. I got my pre as it enhanced the sound. The attenuator will help if you still find the SPL ok.
- Mine runs warm but I expect it to. I read (I believe) this heat is at the bridge card. All normal to me. I do use standby though when not listening.
These discussions bring up a comment that has forever been stuck in my mind. I was at a local dealer shopping speakers but they also sold PSA. He had one piece (a Jr) and I asked him how he liked it. He said -they sound great but they are “quirky”. Overall, he was not a fan.
I think the DMP, JR etc. will remain in this state until the internal processes are robust enough to vet these anomalies out. I get it- I work down the street with a 25 year old company and about 80 of us. Quality = me and one other guy for key accounts. I work with brilliant companies (John Deere+ US Military) who have more QEs at one location then we have total personnel. I love my PSA gear and it works for me. I hope PSA takes note and makes the move to the next building a concurrent effort to enhance their processes so no one (end users or dealers) consider any product “buggy” or “quirky”. The people are there, the sound is there, the customer centric focus is there- just need some fine tuning imho…
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A reasoned response.
I recommend returning the DAC as the OP is clearly unhappy with both the functioning of the unit and is disappointed with the sound, concluding - after a month of use - it is not living up to expectations.
There is no use in living with a unit you do not like in either sound or operation.
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Thanks. I agree with all of that, literally. I have worked for engineering groups with QA “departments” of varying sizes as well and I have friends in software development who have their own stories to tell about QA. Most of the things under discussion are typical of smaller tech companies that operate in a more ‘cutting edge’ space and that can be viewed as “quirks” rather than “bugs” or worse - “defects”. After reading everyone’s responses, I am of the mind to do the following:
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Give the unit another month or so of use and let the sound ‘mellow’ or whatever might happen to it. Then compare it to the other DACs I have on-hand, of which the PSA DSJ will be the most expensive, but not by a whole lot. I’m not in some kind of dire straits where I need to get rid of it and get a refund or have immediate gratification. I just had some concerns about the sonic signature compared to my older PSA DLIII (and there is another thread where that came up, and where a humorous discussion ensued after I brought up certain other PSA products when I was basically told that if I think the DS Jr doesn’t sound as good as the DLIII something must be wrong (with my system, with my ears, with my brain, etc.) and was then accused of making inflammatory remarks because I alluded to a kind of ‘double standard’ at play* (see note at end of comment) which is typical in the “high end” audio community…) BUT I digress AND I’m going to give the PSA DSJ another month or so. It’s not like I’m running all over the Internet trashing PSA or the DSJ in reviews or comments either…I just happen to think that right now the DLIII sounded better than my DSJ currently sounds.
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During said time, I will try to adjust my thinking and view the “issues” I’m having as “quirks” rather than “defects” until if and when something like what happened to another user where his DSJ was shutting down happens to me. At this point I don’t think any of my issues will rise to that level.
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The hiss is unmistakable and I am super intrigued by those who say they don’t get it with the DSJ plugged directly into their power amp, BUT I AM running a very DIY Hypex setup with very little in the way of protection circuitry or additional grounding/filtering at the output. I should note that I do have an isolation transformer and a Furman conditioner and the situation is the same no matter which the DSJ is plugged into. But for now I’m blaming the Hypex amp.
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I followed another user’s advice about turning on the unit for a while and grabbing onto the output connector on the left rear corner-ish section of the unit and at no point was it too hot to hold onto indefinitely. So back to the other user’s issue, I will assume it’s normal until it shuts down or something crazy like that.
At the end of the proverbial day, I bought a(nother) PSA product because I loved my DLIII and their customer service, not to mention frequent interaction with customers and firmware updates. I do really like the sound of the DSJ so far - it’s better than my TEAC UD-503 in the same system was (and by “better” so as to be consistent with my own gripes in the other previously mentioned thread, I mean the DSJ is more “musical” and engaging - or - louder when it should be, softer when it should be - whatever one may call that . I also sense a tad bit more detail on the decay of various sounds, if not on the attack) and I’ll soon have a MyTEK Brooklyn DAC+ to compare to also in the same system, also after having burned the MyTEK in for a while.
I may reach out to someone at PSA on Monday about this thread and just see what they recommend, but so far it seems like I did NOT get a “lemon” and that my unit is functioning to spec given the type of component and the type of company we’re talking about.
(*) The “double standard” I refer to is that it’s totally acceptable in these forums to condescendingly question a user who thinks that a product lower on the ‘upgrade escalator’ actually sounds better than one that’s higher up/more expensive/newer, but it’s frowned upon when said user points out that there is no scientific/measurable/quantifiable criteria upon which to base this judgment (meaning the assumption that something is “WRONG” if a user prefers a cheaper/older component) - especially if the judgment is coming from, or in defense of, or in deference to without any measurements or proof, a company that is willing to sell $1000 HDMI cables or $1000 power mains cables as “upgrades”…
To that point, it’s exactly this which concerned me. It runs as “hot” in standby as during use…er…I guess I should say “warm” since I was able to hold onto it indefinitely. I’ve been completely shutting the unit down with the rocker switch on the back in order to preserve longevity due to heat buildup when not in use. But yeah - I think it’s the Bridge card causing the heating too.