DirectStream DAC General Discussion (was First Impressions)

Audio Components DACs
2068

  1. It may well be my imagination, but the DS appears to sound its best five to ten minutes after being turned on from cold.

  2. The Power Plants produce a nice improvement. Remember, if you buy one you will be plugging the components of your system into the unit, not just the DS. The amount of improvement depends on both your components and the quality of your incoming power.

2069

I leave mine on all,the time . I think at least thirty mins at a min. But some feel,itā€™s much longer. I can add that with my krell amps and aragon,s itā€™s 30 bare min and an hour is better. The same with my MSB and lampi . As I do try to convince myself how can it matter. It does to me. Even my tube amps 30 mins min .

al

2070
One of the most critical aspects in the
auditioning of any digital device is
proper pre-evaluation
warm-up
.
The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the
changes in audible and measurable performance
that occurs to
any
DAC over a 24-hour period. Listening
to a cold digital device (any DAC that has been
unplugged for one hour or more) will significantly
shortchange the experience and negatively impact
the desired outcome. However, a 24-hour warm-up
period can ā€“ and most often will ā€“ significantly
improve DAC performance. Moreover, comparisons
between a suitably warm DAC and one that is cold
can result in invalid findings.
http://www.audioquest.com/resource_tools/downloads/whitepapers/Phase-Noise-Jitter-Report-0317-14.pdf
2071
gordon said Most of my gear has whiskers, I have had them for so long.

I have the ā€œmatchingā€ RCA MITs but , for now, I am running direct o my amp by Wireworld XLR. Iā€™m not sure it is better SQ wise but it sure makes my rack less intimidating. [ pre has dual power supplies and adds 4 RCA more cables. 6moons audio reviews: FirstSound Presence Deluxe MkIII]

Trying out some different XLRs is on my short list but my short list is kinda long at the moment so will get to it when I can.

So you prefer your newer MIT speaker cables?


Last Aug I picked up a used pair of biwire MIT Magnum 1.3 - the cost (even used) was more than the value of my loudspeakers, but the improvement they brought to the system was amazing. They replaced an 8 year old set of Analysis Plus Oval 9 (top), and Oval 8 bi wire shotgun on the bottom. All interconnects are Grover Huffman ZX+ balanced. Iā€™ve had no desire to change ICs.

2072
louawalters said

Last Aug I picked up a used pair of biwire MIT Magnum 1.3 - the cost (even used) was more than the value of my loudspeakers,


Same here

louawalters said

All interconnects are Grover Huffman ZX+ balanced. Iā€™ve had no desire to change ICs.


Try MIT

2073

LOL - well itā€™s gonna have to wait, I just made a large purchase - new speakers - Von Schweikert VR5 Anniversary MK 2ā€™sā€¦ Iā€™m gonna be broke for a while ;-)

2074

Grover Huffman cables are a low-cost option that do not come anywhere near high end options such as MIT, David Elrod, Shunyata, and others.

2075
Elk said 1) It may well be my imagination, but the DS appears to sound its best five to ten minutes after being turned on from cold.
  1. The Power Plants produce a nice improvement. Remember, if you buy one you will be plugging the components of your system into the unit, not just the DS. The amount of improvement depends on both your components and the quality of your incoming power.

True on both accounts. I leave mine on always. So even when I travel with DS it still is ready go within only a few minutes.

2076

I have been reading this for 70 pages and my DS is coming from dealer tonight. WOOHOO!

2077

Welcome, Dave!

2078

and mine is scheduled for FedEx delivery tomorrow!! happy-132_gif

2079

Thatā€™s worth congratulations from a happy elk!

2080

Ahhhhh, this is killinā€™ me! Iā€™m still slated for ā€œlate Julyā€, and Juneā€™s not even over yet. The wait seems interminable. 45_gif

Oh wellā€¦ at least I have a PWD II to listen to in the meantime.

To stay on-topic: My initial impression is that the DS is really, really quiet. wink

2081

The Direct Stream is always pictured with album art. Yet I have never seen any album art.

Should it?

2082

I think you need the bridge to see art .

i think so anyway .

al

2083

Yes Bridge is needed for art

2084

Thanks ,I had a bridge once just once

2085

I think artwork on the front panel is also software dependent. I donā€™t recall ever seeing it with anything other than eLyric.

2086
stevem2 said I think artwork on the front panel is also software dependent. I don't recall ever seeing it with anything other than eLyric.
No as I recall when my bridge was working it had art with JR, Pure Music, all my players.
2087

Thanks for the comments.

Iā€™m using a Bryston BDP2 player. The Album art show up on my Ipad but not on the Direct Stream.