This looks like the first realistic report of a cold and not yet burned in unit. Even my burned in Mk I needs several hours switched on to open up a spacious soundstage again. I don’t give much on reports before at least 4 weeks burn in have passed.
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That post is a head-scratcher, Jazznut.
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Not sure why…imo that’s business as usual with quite every piece of equipment.
Hi ddanois,
are you referring to which AQ USB cable exactly?
Well - exactly.
If someone says it sounds surprisingly good right out of the box, that may in fact be true, and there may be variability in burn-in between received units depending on how many hours they were on the bench prior to shipping. Burn-in being a separate issue from warm-up, of course.
But that doesn’t mean it won’t improve with time - or that they don’t think it will. They’re reporting how it sounds to them then. Unless you were there, you can’t know how it would have sounded to you. Or at least how it sounded to the owner. It is a “one person, one vote” sort of thing. So calling something “the first realistic report” seems like it involves a lot of assumptions in absence of direct experience.
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I was hoping that everyone that has a MKII would post information about their streamers.
1. Streamer Make/Model:
2. Streamer protocol: Roon, DLNA, etc…
3. DDC: Optional device, would include devices such as a Matrix
4. DSD Config: DoP or Native (Direct) DSD
5. Output connection(s): I2S, USB, AES. Dual AES, ect…
Here’s mine:
1. Streamer Make/Model: Sonore Signature Rendu SE
2. Streamer protocol: Roon and DLNA for Audirivana
3. DDC: Kitsune KTE SU-2. I am currently not using this and am using USB out of the **Rendu to the MKII.
4. Config: DoP
5. Output connection(s): USB currently, but have used I2S from the KTE
Thanks!
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OK, I understand, it probably sounded more critical towards several first reporters, than it should and I didn’t want to doubt what they personally heard and I absolutely don’t doubt, that the Mk II sounds already great right out of the box.
It’s just, that if someone writes about a somehow small scale sound of a cold, not burned in unit, this sounds very familiar to me and I’d expect quite big changes for those listeners after several hours or one or two days and even more, if the unit is burned in later.
So I probably should’ve said, that such descriptions are more realistic according to my own experiences and that I have a certain trust in beta testers who start with a kind of first diagnosis, stating, that the unit still sounds somehow constricted. That’s not negative about the Mk II, it’s just realistic in my personal expectation.
But as you say, in case already burned in units were shipped, this would change things. Then it would be logically probable that those beta testers don’t experience a lot of further improvements.
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@jazznut - That’s the second post in this topic.
That’s the third post.
@jazznut - I really don’t understand where you are coming from with your last two posts. Perhaps we have different comprehension of posts such as these two from @badbeef.
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Impressive/nice system…!
Look forward to more of your impressions of the MK II…
Regards.
I understand it. My experience mirrors his in that often a cold, never played new component sounds not so great out of the box. My PST was like that. . . it took a few days before I saw that it was better than the DMP. I was initially in “Peggy Lee” mode. . .“Is that all there is? Is that all there is to a PST?” And other components have been rather unimpressive at first. So when I see a review that states something like this it resonates with my own experience and seems as if it promises to be a good honest review.
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This illustrates what I’m trying to say. I may have a, “This is Better” experience out of the box, but that is Just Me and my system with my unit at that moment. You may (quite understandably) have an, “Is that All There Is?” experience out of the box. That was your experience in your system with your unit. Both equally valid. If you buy into either of them as some sort of Truth that applies to all - 
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My point is that many of us have been acknowledging that out of the box the MKII is a little compressed and tight, requiring time. That post made it sound like that’s not been expressed prior.
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Sorry to all who also expressed this already! My impression so far was, that there was little difference of a cold to warm to slightly burned in unit reported. What I thought was exactly what lonson described.
I was just triggered because I now repeatedly experienced with my Mk I, how much worse it sounds cold to several (not only 1) hour later, even though it’s burned in.
I think perhaps the problem is with the word “honest” as if someone giving their first impression must be mistaken - or even duplicitous - if they don’t report it as hearing something less than satisfying.
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@Palouse - is it too early for a glass of wine?
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Yes, I agree that both can and would be “honest”–that it might sound like it has COVID at first, and that it might sound surprisingly improved and already healthy at first. So in my case “honest” didn’t mean that other reviews or reviewers from users were not so. Professional reviewers. . . or wannabes. . . possibly a different story.
I am going to load the new UI this afternoon. I have some chores to do first.
Please standby…
Never. You’ve earned one!
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No I wouldn’t go so far 
But it would be a bit limited. Not wrong or untrue…just a bit limited…but still true.
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Seems like there are still bug fixes to be addressed (good to iron these things out before production models become available to the rest of us). I’m quite happy with my MK I at the moment. Based on the different architectures, it’s fair to say that the MK I will sound different than the MK II - but will it sound better to most ears? Sounds like many of you need to sufficiently burn in your units to give an “objective” critique of the sound quality. I’m hoping none will be disappointed in the end.