DirectStream DAC General Discussion (was First Impressions)

Audio Components DACs
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Well, here we go with first LISTENING impressions.

The DirectStream DAC has been playing and burning in on the Bridge input for a bit over 24 hours. It is cool that I just touch a button and get a drop in gain in case anyone wants to sleep through the night while the music continues to play. I mentioned earlier, there are some thoughtful and welcome changes to the front panel that feel, well, just more 21st century than the old one.

My Set up for Perspective.
Mac Mini running JRMC with cat-6 ethernet connected to the DS/Bridge.
Single ended rca from DS to First Sound tube pre-amp and single ended to Jeff Rowland MC-6 amp running in “high current” mode and connected with Shunyata “Lyra” speaker cables to a pair of healthy, but vintage, Wilson Watt3/Puppy2 speakers.

The general signature of my system is pretty neutral. The Wilsons, in some set ups, can tend to be a bit analytical.
A few years ago I swapped out the Puppy drivers for the ones that are supplied in the newer 7 and 8 series. They are not necessarily “warmer” but just a bit “fuller”.
This and the tube pre-amp into the Rowland SS amp has pretty much provided me with a system that just plays what is there and you either love it or you don’t.

Oh, “and just one more thing”.

My honey came home last evening from a few days trip and a neighbor’s wife popped in to say hi for a few minutes.
Music was playing pretty loud and I was sitting with a note pad throwing some words on it when she asked “what are you doing, now”?

Well, “see that silver box over there”? I am listening to it.
The look on her face was a classic. Somewhere between a stern policewoman and a compassionate psyche ward nurse.
“OKaaaaa” she said, walking away.

It dawned on me that what I had said could sound pretty ridiculous to many people and give the impression that “Audiophileism” does strange things to grown men over time.

My list of things to check like stage, timbre, tone, articulation, energy, presence, emotion, yada yada yada can be summed up in ONE word.

YES!

Perhaps you were awaiting some thesis on the DS that would be “over the top” positive to justify that you have a DS or kit on order and whether you can afford it or not.
I had many PMs begging for a comparison to my PWD , which , by the way is just another little box but happens to be black.
So one box to another? really?

The PWD, as most of us know, rings all the bells in the above buzz words and rings then loud and clear. The subjectivity is in the degree for each descriptive and can vary depending on the equipment used and the ears of the listener.

The PWD is GOLD.
The DirectStream DAC is PLATINUM+.

It does EVERYTHING the PWD does, it just does them all better.

Timbre, for example was remarkable with PWD MKII and nativeX. The separation of attack, tone and decay were well discussed here after the MKII upgrade.
The already VG sound stage is even better now .
What does better mean? Wider, higher, deeper? NO. “MORE REAL”.

So I am going to let the review experts delve more deeply into the “fine details” and I’ll try to sum up the bottom line for this new DAC.

From the first few minutes of listening I felt that something was very different.
I took out my buzz word list so I could start dissecting the “what is different” and of course “was it a better, different?”
I kept getting distracted from my list. Yes, by the MUSIC.
My body was toe-tapping, my shoulders moving, WTF.?

The difference, with this DAC is that it SOUNDS RIGHT!

The timing is spot on. The instruments sound REAL for the first time.
Not Analog real, or Organic real etc, JUST real like it is somehow supposed to be in nature.

Like “you are there”? …You be the judge of that. I think we have never been closer.

So far I have limited my listening to red book to see if what Ted and Paul were saying held true for me.
Yes, it does seem like some instruments have more presence and they have this without becoming more forward. Tabla and high hats etc are now more part of the performance.
Is this because of “more info” on the CD? I am not sure and quite frankly, I don’t care.
It is just there and if I were to rate this baby compared to PWD then it would be a 10-15% improvement on all the buzz words, BUT a whole new experience in the “realness” of what this “BOX” delivers.

I hope to listen to some hi-rez and DSD files today. I am not so sure that I will be posting whether flac-192 sounds better than DSD64 yada yada,.
It really doesn’t matter.
What you put in to this baby is what you get out. If the red book is well produced it will be really yummy. If not, you will just not play it as often.
“REAL” is what I think I have been striving for all these years.
And, “REAL” it is!
To quote a fellow Canadian Starship commander named James Kirk, “ENGAGE”.

One thing you WILL do is Listen to Music, and YES, tap your toes.

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OK, as I already said: I do not care what Gordon hears, I want my kit :smiley:

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I think that G is having the same reaction to the DirectStream as I and, if I may, facing the same conundrum that I did. Putting into words what the differences are between the PWD and the DirectStream is kind of a fool’s errand and once you HEAR this thing you get it. It’s all better. Nah, it couldn’t be, right? Well, yup, it really is and Gordon is not copping out when he says it that way. If you have ordered one you will not be disappointed. If you are, get an appointment to have the ear wax cleaned out. :))



Gordon, when you do A/B the two DACs directly the differences will be shockingly clear. At least they were at Paul’s place.

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wglenn said: If you have ordered one

Of course I have! :D
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wglenn said: Gordon, when you do A/B the two DACs directly the differences will be shockingly clear. At least they were at Paul's place.


Well this is somewhat of a dilemma.
I know the signature of my PWD very well and have analyzed to death the differences created by firmwares, cables, fuses, isolation, and other accessories.
It is very easy and even a part of our hobby, to tweak our components to get the "signature" that we prefer. It is, from experience, somewhat of a black rabbit hole and requires time, $$$$ and hopefully a sense of humor to keep up the pursuit of Audio Nirvana.

There are so many variables involved in delivering this "ultimate" sound and even the electricity running down our streets is a suspect in our system signature.
I suspect, as in my case, that when you hear the DS in your system your priorities and path to Nirvana will have a paradigm shift.
Meaning, that perhaps a new definition of Nirvana will emerge and, if you think about it, a SANER one.

There is one problem though.
This new DAC puts tremendous pressure on everything in the chain both before and after it.
The recorded source material as well as the amps and speakers better stand up and have a good chat with each other.
Yes 6k$ may seem like a lot of scratch but I challenge that if you audition it in your system, it will NOT be the piece of equipment that goes back to the shop. The rest of your kit better rise to the occasion though or it will end up on the shelf in the basement or A'gon.
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Looks like Gus Skinas at Super Audio Center in Boulder has a DirectStream DAC that he is hooking up today as well in the SACD/DSD Mastering Room.

http://instagram.com/p/llC4R8mAy7/#


A picture tells more than thousand words... ;)


Indeed. DS number 2 was delivered yesterday to Gus Skinas and replaces the Meitner as Gus' mastering DAC. He was rather blown away. Nice. Great to hear both single and double DSD on the mastering system those files were born from from. Really gives you an idea of how truly remarkable this product is.

Gus called Ted to congratulate him.
48

Oh, sorry, I forgot.

Congratulations to Ted, Paul and the entire team for this Mitzvah. (Bob can translate)

I hope I spelled it right?



BTW, listening now to 1812 overture while I write and the “cannon” just startled and scared the poop outa me.

Gotta go now.

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"cannon" just startled and scared the poop outa me..


=))
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Man, am I glad that I didn’t listen to that track at PSA…

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Gordon, which firmware version did you prefer for your PWD II?

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Gordon, I will say that this additional confirmation and enthusiasm for the DS sound is great to read, but I do hope you will be able to tell us more about how it contrasts and compares directly with the PWD. I’ve hinted at it before but I’ll say it again - I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of DSD, at least as I’ve heard it via SACDs through different systems over the years. I’ve put my money where my faith is, but the conversion of everything to DSD gives me a bit of pause. For me, at least, further comparative notes on how PCM sounds through the DS next to the PWD would be appreciated. And I’m afraid the usual audio-babble will help - frequency extension, transient speed, low end control and pitch definition… blah blah blah. It’s the unfortunate language that we all understand at this point.

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@willcycle

I think, All of them and for All different reasons.

They were all a “trade” off though.

2.0 was smooth and my Every-day favorite. 2.2 was more dynamic and exciting to listen to but gave me fatigue after a while. 2.43 was [by accident] a wonderful combination of the two.

I will reply to Tony22 as well here.

My point, dilemma or what ever at this moment is 'What is Important"?

There is NO way that I can write anything that will tell you how any of the Audio Superlatives will be perceived in your homes and systems.

These are, I agree, critical analysis tools to evaluate how a system reproduces SQ qualities that may OR may not be present on the source media.

We can, and have, argue whether DSD or PCM or SACD or Studio Tapes OR… for that matter, whether “LIVE” music sounds better than recordings made in multiple studios by artists who have never met. We have little or no control over this so why chase it?

Your equipment may be better than mine or you might not have bought it. Your cables, fuses, rooms are different.

Your ears are even different. [hi mr Spok].

So if I state that the timbre gave my dog multiple orgasms does it change what you will hear at home?



So what use is it for me to tell you how good the timbre is compared to PWD in finite detail?

Not that I don’t wish to oblige.

On the contrary, more credible pundits than I will soon be chiming in on all that.

I merely wish to make the point that IN addition to “better everything” this DAC opens a whole new window for me into “What Is Important”.

Do I feel like I am in the world’s best concert hall in the sweet spot seat and listening to the best musicians in the world?

NO.

The difference is that almost whatever I have played to date has “touched” me more than ever from my rig in my house.

My honey sat down last night and said "it is like a freshly made salad vs one that was made and kept for too long.

This morning she also remarked that it was like the music was part of our house now instead of from a CD.

Not a traditional Audiophile review statement.

The buzzwords will still be subject to the source, other equipment and room but whatever it is will TOUCH you. Anything else will depend on how you tweak, but that will now be secondary…

54

So, what you’re saying is that the dog liked it, then?

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Gordon, thanks for the comments. What you are saying about enjoyment and the music sounding more real I feel gives me a better idea of what to expect, rather than timbre, soundstage, etc. in this case. The more intangible qualities are the ones we’ll be living with.



Would you mind comparing inputs briefly? It would be helpful to know if the new bridge firmware has a sonic impact or not with the DS.

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Gordon, did you just listen to Redbook CDs you know sound good, or did you dig out some dogs to see what effect the DS has on them? Across the board improvements are one thing (and can be safely said to apply to the DS), but if it can impart a greater improvement to, at least what we thought was, a poor recording then Ted and PS Audio would truly have made an evolutionary leap.

57

Well done, Gordon.



Odd

58
Oh, sorry, I forgot.
Congratulations to Ted, Paul and the entire team for this Mitzvah. (Bob can translate)
I hope I spelled it right?

BTW, listening now to 1812 overture while I write and the "cannon" just startled and scared the poop outa me.
Gotta go now.


As an aside the reason you poop when you get scared is to make you lighter so you can run faster to get away from the tiger :)

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emailists said: Would you mind comparing inputs briefly? It would be helpful to know if the new bridge firmware has a sonic impact or not with the DS.


I have tried a transport via Toslink as it was quick and easy to set up as I am unable [for now] mac to DS by USB.
The other variable is of course CD vs computer file.
The qualities I have mentioned thus far appear to be extremely similar but this was not yet a dedicated purpose..
This week I will be able to move the Mac back into the rig and then burn in the USB input.


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@gordon



Great review so far.



The way that you state, "The instruments sound REAL for the first time.

Not Analog real, or Organic real etc, JUST real like it is somehow supposed to be in nature. Like “you are there.”



This really helps us, at least me to understand what you are hearing via the DS in comparison to the PWD MKII.



Once I get my DS, I will have my wife sit down and listen to my system as she knows it’s sound quite well. Even though she cannot use “Audiophile terms” to explain what she is hearing, she is quicker than me to pick up what sounds better.



Again thanks for sharing your initial impressions. We look forward to hearing more from you, but do take a break—OK?

:smiley:

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@pmotz33@sbcglobal.net

good point.

"Nothing can turn a Sows ear into…"



The first CD files were, of course, ones that I know well and listen to often for evaluation. I also, on purpose, put some genres like classical, jazz, and blues on SHUFFLE to get a “blind” selection from the computer.

It is NOT that the DirectStream magically made every crappy CD sound great.

It DID however, make almost every CD more ENJOYABLE to listen to and WITHOUT adding any tonal character that was not already there…

So, perhaps it helps every CD to sound as good as it CAN sound.

What’s the difference?



If what you want a DAC to do is to play the BEST hi-res and dsd files in the world [all 100 of them] in analytical mode so that it validates your purchase, hobby and blows your house guest’s mind, then YES it should do that Very Well.



If you also want to listen to your music collection and even the “average” quality CD or files are more involving, enjoyable and your fingers and toes move, it will do that the best I have heard to date.



When I reread my posts I wondered how I could share more clearly that beyond the improvements in the “buzz” attributes we most often get from the standard reviews, there is also an enhanced sense of involvement that the attributes may contribute to but do not describe adequately.



For Ted, Paul, Will, Gus and The Audio Society to flip is to me, now understandable.

This is not the end of “The Final Frontier”, this is The beginning of a “New One”.

How’s that for a Superlative?