I ran into the no sound issue (sound stops while playing) before multiple times. Just pushing the front power button on the MK2 twice (to turn the DAC off and back on) brought the audio instantly back for me (no need to play/pause or anything else).
At the suggestion of PS Audio support, I unplugged the DAC from power for a couple of hours and I have not experienced that issue so far since then (about a week ago).
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@tony22 If your friend has a recent exaSound, then they do not need opera glasses to see the volume setting. It is on a web clientā¦ so on the phone or tablet of their choice. They may just need to update to last yearās firmware to get the really good UI like in the pictures below. Also means none of the silly AirLens switching of switches on its bottom to get a firmware update.
@mdsimon2 The Okto is a very fine choice for active crossover purposes. They also have some refurb units even cheaper available sometimes. The exaSound s88 is great for this too. Is a lot more expensive. But you can put the crossover filters in Roon to send to the exaSound over the network. And then there is the web clientā¦
All, really I cannot see too many people under 40 today buying units without an app or at least a web client in the future. So PS Audio should work on choosing which empty corner of the DS MK2 case to put in a chip of some kind with isolation of some kindā¦
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Thanks @Carosel, but heās got an older unit.
Iām not in the under 40 club, but I follow the Taiko Extreme thread over at whatsbestforum, and learning an awful lot about how difficult it is to eliminate network activity noise from a streamer. Iād prefer not to also have to deal with that in the dac.
With many earlier posts mentioning ānoiseā inside the Mk2, putting an extra chip to facilitate an app use is likely to add more ānoiseā wouldnāt it?
The amount of time Ted must have spent to try and eliminate ānoiseā in the development of the Mk2 is surely very considerable.
Once your āsettingsā are done, what else is there to constantly change? Maybe different for a streamer.
Leave the app theory out and concentrate on making the Mk2 best as possible is my view.
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apples to oranges
Tedās work in eliminating noise in mk2 was 99% about fixing his conversion algorithm in the fpga (the ticks and pops and static noise and ultrasonic noise and such). Anything associated with an app would be trivial in comparison
I need to read up on the concept of an active system - seems complicated integrating multiple DACs and knowing which ones you want to useš¤
Active crossovers can be very intense projects. The neighbour keeps changing his system though and then wanting to run new filters. He also likes the tone of his Bricasti stereo DAC very much, which I can understand. So he sends out via Roon to the DAC in stereo, and then returns the analog through an RME Fireface to digital for passing through the active filters. Then the digital goes back out through the RME again exiting as eight analog feeds (bass, mid, horn and supertweeter in stereo) to the amps. But note at least, not multiple DAC machines here just to run active filters. Rather only need one multichannel DAC, like interfaces like the RMEs, and like DACs like the Okto and exaSound S88 and Topping DM7 with ESS9038PRO chips. And with the exaSound, you can simply Roon out to it with active filtersā¦ once they are createdā¦ I have enough time sinks with my own projects to add this though! I would maybe just consider splitting the bass from the restā¦ so two-wayā¦ using twin RiPol twin-woofers. Make it go boom!
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turned system on yesterday, switched USB to auto (never use USB), forgot to turn off last night, and this morning everything sound better than ever; though no way to know if it was the USB on auto or leaving Class A amps on all nightā¦
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But as the noise improves from the fpga, everything else matters more. Power, vibration, grounding, network activity. All need to be addressed.
Hi Alan, Iām curious to know how you use the Muon Filter in your chain. Close to the server/streamer or between router and switch? The fixed cable plugged where? Which ethernet cables are you using? Since I have a PhoenixNET and a Statement Iād be grateful if you could provide more info about Muon Pro and the benefits you got.
TIA
Me too.
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Hi @luca.pelliccioli and @vkennedy61 ,
Happy Friday!
My chain looks like this at moment:
Sonore OM > ER > Sablon LAN > PhoenixNet > Muon Streaming System > Tambaqui
I have no idea whether placing the Muon before or after the PhoenixNet would make a difference. I told myself Iād compare and experiment but that was a few months ago and I havenāt gotten around to it so might not. Perhaps if Iām bored one weekend when winter comes 
When the Muon arrived and had had the recommended burn in time I played around with various combos and all I can say is they all added something.
The OM-ER is fairly fixed in my room as otherwise Iād need to run a long ethernet cable from router to hifi. But I think these are the combos I tried between the ER and my then DAC which was the Directstream:
Sablon
Muon
PhoenixNet & Amazon LAN
PhoenixNet & Sablon
PhoenixNet & Muon
Sablon & PhoenixNet & Muon
My long suffering girlfriend lent me her reluctant ears 
and she agreed that basically:
- Sablon on its own adds a little to SQ
- PhoenixNet or Muon on their own add a lot to SQ
- PhoenixNet and Muon together seems slightly better but itās nothing like the difference adding either of them adds. Very incrementally better together.
So my conclusion would be if you donāt have a PhoenixNet then adding a Muon or a PhoenixNet is an obvious big improvement. If you already own one of them then adding the other might be a slight improvement depending on your setup.
I know one guy that sold his PhoenixNet because he reckoned it was moot with the Muon in place.
But Iām happy to keep both as think they both add something.
Also - damn you guys! Writing this has made me realise I havenāt compared the different combos since I replaced the Directstream with the Mola Mola. Damnit you pair!
Itās the dog days of summer here in London so maybe when the weather turns. For now Iām loving the Mola Mola so much Iām barely thinking about tinkering.
That said Iām listening predominantly via LAN so itās occurred to me that my fancy USB kit (Phoenix, Sablon USB and Muon USB) are defacto redundant at the moment. Although Iād be locking myself into Roon (the Tambaqui only supports Roon endpoint on LAN) if I dispensed with them so I guess thereās that to consider.
Cheers,
Alan
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Thanks for the fantastic summary!!
Your also welcome for the extra fun homework assignment. Iām looking forward to your next installment!
You are walking down a ____ path. Fill in the blank with whatever suits you. 
It appears that Jeff as usual was right. I was missing both ground springs or tabs as I would call them. Both came off the I2S inputs.
I found one floating around inside and put back. But I need another. I will have to contact PSaudio to get replacement. We have nibbled away the part that causes the issue. Guess this may explain why I did not hear any difference when Iām lifted the ground. It was already, permanently.
Got the APS in and ready to have it burn in for 10 days.
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I was lucky all my tabs were in place. I modified the plastic around the i2s inputs and cleaned the paint off around the others that did not line up with the paint mask on the back panel. I completely removed the back panel to use a dremel to do this. it was a project involving allot of screws. I was careful to use a wrist strap and to not subject the boards to any static discharges. No matter how careful you are you always hold your breath the first time you power up after something like this. I wonder how many perceived a sonic change when adjust the ground lift when the springs were still isolated by the plastic.
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after fixing the grounding connections, do you prefer ground lifted or grounded?
Iām thinking i would need to look into my mk2 as I do not hear much of difference with lifting grounds , but if lifted is better anyways, then iām not going to open mk2 just for the cosmetic work 
Wow.
Is this a āone offā or commonplace?
Iāve heard a few things about shoddy workmanship.
I give PSA full credit for helping me in my hifi journey over the past few years (and this community)
and it saddens me to read about this kind of thing OR is this kind of thing typical in the industry?
The price tag for items in this hobby is often a lot for many people. Is this kind of work typical? For just PSA? or just the MK2?
I have not had time to hook up and compare. Not so much shorty workmanship. It was sure connected right. The plastic rings on the I2S sockets push up against the tab. I am guessing a jiggle of the connector and it pushes on the tab and itās just a spot of solder. It pops off. East fox is trip plastic piece which I did and now itās solid again I only had one tab. Must have lost the second when opened. Super small and was floating in DAC. It should be addressed ASAP by PSA if they are smart.
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