DirectStream and just what should we expect?

Audio Components DACs
21
Gordon said: Yup, I have it. I have the redbook version.
If you come across a higher power I would gladly let you off the hook on your date with ELK.

Redbook is the only one I know of. At least Elk sounds like he has cool toys at his house. :)
22

He who dies with the most pistons and tubes, wins.



My hope - and expecteation - is DirectStream is a larger, more wholesale improvement than MKII over MKI.

23

Ted, how does the DirectStream address the question of maintaining proper phase coherence across the processed frequencies?

24

@tony22

All of the filters (digital and analog) strive to keep a constant group delay across the audio band (and as much higher in frequency as possible.) With FIRs linear phase is easy. It’s also relatively easy with the higher rate filters and that covers the digital filters. The analog output filter is as Bessel as I can get it.

25

On 3/7/14 - Ted_b from ComputerAudiophile.com traveled to PS Audio and comment the following:



“I spent over two hours with Paul McGowan today at his PS Audio hq in Boulder. It was a very very nice meeting and I enjoyed the tour, the DSD chats, and especially the listening. The new Directstrem DAC sounded very good, and was clearly better than his own PWD ( we a/b’d them side by side). Both PCM (especially redbook) and DSD sounded musical and alive. I’m very interested in hearing this DAC in my own system”

26

Thanks monk!

27

@tony: I’m tellin’ ya, “Pee in your pants good.” :smiley:

28

Is this one step beyond, or one step shy of, “revelatory?”



Precisely how many veils are lifted?



And the ultimate question: waffles?

29

:)) Yeah, you know me and my reticent use of the audiophile vernacular…



It sounds really good, but waffles? That’s a lofty goal. :slight_smile:

30

Have you guys heard of the National Waffle Association?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/100608437/dazzling-full-color-national-waffle?ref=shop_home_active_1

&

https://www.etsy.com/listing/169624419/vibrant-screen-printed-national-waffle?ref=shop_home_active_1

&

they used to make a hat…



I am a proud member, up standing in the kitchen, of the NWA.

Don’t you wish everybody was too?



JJ :-bd

31

They’ll get my waffle when they pry it from my cold, dead… toaster?

32

Just to show you how ‘serious’ waffles truly are… :-?



http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21821904&postcount=101373



JJ :smiley:

33
Ted Smith said
At my house I've been in the pursuit of the most realistic sound reproduction I can get.
For Ted, do you have much listening experience with the DS powered directly from the wall, compared with it plugged into a Power Plant? I'm curious of your assessment, how the DS sonic characteristics might vary depending on what it's plugged in to, if any. And if so which one sounds more "realistic". Do you use a Power Plant in your system at home?
34
brodricj said For Ted, do you have much listening experience with the DS powered directly from the wall, compared with it plugged into a Power Plant? I'm curious of your assessment, how the DS sonic characteristics might vary depending on what it's plugged in to, if any. And if so which one sounds more "realistic". Do you use a Power Plant in your system at home?
I must say that I tho I'm happy with the amount of jitter insensitivity of the DS, there's more sensitivity to power than I wanted: I wanted no sensitivity to power :) It puts out less noise back on the power lines than many DACs which helps it to interfere less with the rest of people's systems.

I don’t have a Power Plant, I started this endeavor long before Gus introduced me to Paul: I do have 8 dedicated power lines and good power cables but I feed the DS with crap off of the power strip with all of my computer stuff on it and the wall warts for wireless phone, my USB scope, etc. I also use cheap interconnects - I want the DS to sound good no matter how it’s used and when I visit other people’s houses with it I use what ever outlet is closest.

When I’ve A/B’ed with better power as an experiment at a few friend’s houses there’s a small improvement and I’d suggest that anyone just use what they use now for their DAC and if after they’ve listened to it for a while they want a little more they consider a good power conditioner (from PS Audio of course :) )

35
Ted Smith said

I must say that I tho I’m happy with the amount of jitter insensitivity of the DS, there’s more sensitivity to power than I wanted: I wanted no sensitivity to power :slight_smile: It puts out less noise back on the power lines than many DACs which helps it to interfere less with the rest of people’s systems.

Speaking of power sensitivity. What was the reason to "combine" the "digital" and "analogue" power supplies into one? The lower power consumption of the DS? The absence of the analogue part (as it was in the PWD)?

I’m worrying that the Bridge is using the same transformer as the DAC and I do not think that the new Bridge will use less power or emit less EMI. Did anybody compare the sound of the DS via the Bridge and via USB/digital inputs with the Bridge removed? Possibly my suspicions have no real ground, but I’m very curious and I even think of building a fanless Linux based PC to get rid of the Bridge.

Does dimming the LCD shut down the whole LCD block completely or just turn off the back light?

36
Alekz said

Speaking of power sensitivity. What was the reason to “combine” the “digital” and “analogue” power supplies into one? The lower power consumption of the DS? The absence of the analogue part (as it was in the PWD)?

I’m worrying that the Bridge is using the same transformer as the DAC and I do not think that the new Bridge will use less power or emit less EMI. Did anybody compare the sound of the DS via the Bridge and via USB/digital inputs with the Bridge removed? Possibly my suspicions have no real ground, but I’m very curious and I even think of building a fanless Linux based PC to get rid of the Bridge.

Does dimming the LCD shut down the whole LCD block completely or just turn off the back light?


They had a spare 12V supply available on the original power supply board. It only shares the transformer with the three 5V supplies. There’s a lot of power supply noise and ripple rejection on the analog board and we tried other supplies but this configuration worked well (tho later we did change that transformer.)

The new bridge will probably be an external box for other reasons (I’m not involved directly with it so check me on that.)

37

Since the USB connection controls the computer, is the dac’s master clock doing the controlling or is it something else that helps make USB a jitter free interface?

38
crabby said Since the USB connection controls the computer, is the dac's master clock doing the controlling or is it something else that helps make USB a jitter free interface?
The DAC's master clock is in control, not only for USB but for all inputs. It controls how fast the samples come out of the buffering FIFO. The amount of data in the FIFO controls the clock. In some sense the asynchronous USB is redundant with the clock handling that the DS does with all inputs.
39

Will the DS support DSD256 by a software upgrade in the future?

http://positive-feedback.com/Issue73/mytek_ifi.htm

40
Frode said Will the DS support DSD256 by a software upgrade in the future?

Mytek iFi DSD


No, it’s not very likely.