Apologies if covered already but what is “pre emphasis” in the menu?
Didn’t see anything in manual about it
Thx
I’ve been playing all kinds of music everyday for a week on the MKII and not a glitch except for it couldn’t do DSD256 on USB. Other than that this DAC is surprising me everyday with how much better it is performing over the MKI. Tonight I put on the DSD256 of “Satchmo Plays King Oliver” and I swear, it blows away every demoed I ever heard in any Hi-Fi shows that they use to show off their ultra expensive systems. Sounds so much more organic, and real with not a trace of exaggerated sibilance, and such air and richness of tone. Incredible!!
150ish hours now. Just one pause of streaming to backup and update Roon.
Listening to Norah Jones 'Till We Meet Again (Live) is so sweet. The Rendu Signature SE and KTE SU-2 is a fantastic combination with the MKII.
If you were on the fence about the MKII, don’t be.
Regarding pre-emhasis, it’s associated with red book CDs. See:
Emphasis (telecommunications) - Wikipedia
Not many CDs used it in the '80s and if de-emphasis is not applied the cd sounds tinny.
List of cds with the flag set:
Pre-emphasis (release list) - cdHistory (studio-nibble.com)
I’ve not looked back to see the situation where Ted used this term but hopefully this explains it.
Note: virtually all software written these days totally ignores the bit in the header so when you play, say, a ripped CD there’s no chance of playback knowing that the bit was originally set. I guess with a PST it’s in PS Audio’s power to retain the bit for a dac to use/apply.
I think my MKI already sounds amazingly good so I’m actually surprised that MKII can be so much better. I hope my local dealer in Norway will have a unit ready for demo soon and there will be possibility to to compare the SQ. If it’s so much better as you describe there is a big chance that I will have to trade in and upgrade to the MKII. But since the MKII does not have an inbuilt streamer means I have to invest in a new streamer in addition to the MKII. What are you using in front of the MKII?
I suppose when you say the MKII does not have a built in streamer, you’re talking about a Bridge like in the MKI. The upcoming PS Audio AirLens is the new and better bridge designed for the MKII. Look into it. I am using the Esoteric N-03T for my streaming.
Yes I’m using the Brigde inside the MKI, so with the MKII I probably have to invest in the Airlens for streaming as well
Have any of the beta testers compared Mk2 to a non-PSA dac yet? Clear by the reports to this point that it is better than Mk1 and DSJ, but that was a forgone conclusion (not minimizing, but we knew it’d be better since same family).
Maybe the ones who had other options haven’t received their Mk2 yet? I hope nobody will be deterred from posting honest impressions, positive or negative - we want the true scoop and are counting on you!
The PST does the demphasis when a flag is present because the transport that they chose handles that function internally. The PWT sends the flag over the i2s connection for the DAC to apply the deemphasis. The mk 1 had a flag in the display when this was active. Ted explained that the mk2 is set up the same but in my testing currently does not respond to the flag. It will be resolved in a new load. I do not get the purpose of the manual option in the settings. It currently does not function properly. When selected the left channel drops out and it does not audibly apply any deemphasis. This is why we as Beta testers have to look for these kind of things. I reconsider what I said about the manual option, it would be beneficial when playing disks that were ripped to software that does not carry the subcode flag. It has to function properly for that to be a benefit.
We are not really reviewers. We are here to point out operational bugs so that they can be resolved in the units before the full release of the product. I will say the sound is exceptional and though I don’t have another DAC here to compare it to I would be willing to bet they would not stand up well against the mk2. A dCs DAC for many times the price would be an exception.
Currently the other DACs I have on hand are the Schiit Asgard 3 and Jotunheim 2, Pioneer Elite N-50 network player, a Lumin D2, an OPPO 103 and an OPPO 105. While I haven’t compared any of these DACs directly to the MK2, I have compared them to the MK1. The MK1 was clearly superior to any of these in all aspects of sound quality I know how to describe. Since the MK1 is clearly superior to all these DACs and the MK2 is clearly superior to the MK1 it stands to reason the MK2 is also superior to all the DACs I have on hand.
My guess is the comparison folks will be most interested in is with the Holo May and Denafrips Terminator, the darlings of the ladder DAC crowd. I actually ordered a May a bit over a year ago, thinking I would have it to shoot out against the DS2 and keep the one I liked best. But $5,600 was too big a stretch at the time. They were nice enough to allow me to cancel my order.
As an aside, I’ll offer this experience. I did then buy a used Pontus II to compare with the Jr. (that being a somewhat reasonable comparison price wise) and listened to that for two weeks straight, marvelling at this and that aspect that that techology brings to the table. After two weeks though, I started to tire of it in ways I couldn’t quite put my finger on, and for the first time since I’d bought it, switched back to the Jr. I immediately preferred the Jr., despite - or because of - the differences. Sold the Pontus.
They are different. I can see people liking one or the other depending on taste and system synergy. But I realized that what I was reacting to at first were these differences, which, once I was accustomed to them, no longer seemed all that interesting to me. Or particularly musical. The Jr. sounded more like music to me, despite its limitations (I owned a DSD for two years). The Pontus II struck me more as a DAC for people who use their music to listen to their gear. Apologies if that is insulting to owners of the Pontus.
Purely based on that experience I’d be willing to place a small wager that that will be the outcome of the shootout between the DS2 and the ladder DACs. Apples and Oranges, matters of taste and synergy for some. But while I’m betting, based on that lower-level experiment combined with going on two weeks with the DS2, I’d go out on a limb and bet the DS2’s Ted-Tech will come out on top as the more musically satisfying and correct over Ladder-Tech.
But here I am, doing exactly what I earlier asked folks not do here - talking about something I haven’t heard as if I had.
Good info. Hopefully we get some similar comparison impressions between DS2 and worthy non-PSA competitors. With 100 betas out in the wild, should definitely be dozens of opportunities if people are willing to share.
I haven’t received a report from Barry as of this morning. I’ll let you know when I hear from him/when the fix is available.
Still no word on the stop ship release from engineering. We will let everyone know ASAP once the fix is ready and we are shipping again.
It was mentioned that the fix that is being worked on will be delivered via a usb drive. Will all of us even without the no sound issue be getting the drive? It sounded like that fix is also going to enable the setup of updates via the internet.
bb, I find your observation very spot on. I have always heard a difference in the sound of PCM and PDM ( which is what DSD is ). PCM in its most basic implementation ( the ladder DAC ) sounds ( to me ) very edgy and analytical. Before I discovered SACD’s ( in 2001 ) I could only listen to CD’s for about 45 minutes before I would get a headache.
Yet, like you I recognize there are people who are serious about audio who love the sound of PCM ladder DAC’s and I respect their opinion.
Should be interesting for sure. Not sure how many are in testers’ hands, but I don’t think it is 100 yet.
Interesting, yeah. You’d also think the “straight wire with gain” crowd would run a mile from them on principle. Heaps 'o parts in them things.
It’d be way too hard to ask everyone if they’re having the drop outs so it’ll definitely be assumed that everyone should update. As to if we are sending everyone a thumb drive with the update, I’ll have to check on that. I haven’t heard that we are doing that. I know the update won’t be available OTA, so we’ll likely just put it on the site for folks to DL.