Directstream Mk 2 observations

How do you guys get your TAS issues so early? :face_with_diagonal_mouth: I just got my January issue like two weeks ago!

Mayhaps your mail carrier is an audiophile? :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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Digital issue dropped last night.

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The link to downloads is offline. Could meanā€¦ā€¦ massive upload or more waitingā€¦ā€¦

My local library offers a free download for an app called Libby. With it I can download, among other things, thousands of magazines. I follow audio magazines from all over the world. They can notify you as soon as a magazine you follow is published.

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I completely forgot I also have the digital subscription to TAS. :man_facepalming: Read the review. Typical AHC reliable review. One of the very few reviewers I trust. Met him in person at a CAF once. Itā€™s easy to see in person how he can be respected.

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No problem accessing the link - nothing ā€œmassiveā€ from what I can seešŸ˜•

Well a dashed hope.

I didnā€™t see any mention of the version of software his review sample had. Thatā€™s kind of a big factor to leave out of a review if you ask me.

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Maybe someone should send a letter to the editor asking the reviewer to clarify this point. I get the print version and havenā€™t gotten around to getting Libby, so I havenā€™t read the whole review yet.

I was also thinking which software version the review unit had loaded on it.
If the forthcoming ā€œfinalā€ Massive version, then that makes me realise why that version has not been formally released yet.
Get the ā€œfinalā€ release out to reviewers first to gauge their views/responses before public release.
Hmm, I wonder would a company be so cynical?

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I donā€™t feel thereā€™s anything to be gained if this were true. What possibly could the reviewer reveal that a well equipped and respected professional doesnā€™t already know himself?
Even if so, by ways of the fpga, things can be remedied next upgrade.

The link is working https://www.psaudio.com/pages/downloads not sure what youā€™re seeing.

Massive for sure ships this month. Canā€™t wait!

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Iā€™m a bit perplexed with these theories that tend to surface in the audio world. I donā€™t know if some people donā€™t know what itā€™s like at a business, but for most of the people there, itā€™s just a job. That sounds cynical, but itā€™s also true that the vast majority of people want to find pride in their jobs.

Sometimes you hit unforeseen problems or delays that costs you customers. The solution to that is not some hollow scheme to save every last bit of your reputation. You accept the cost of the setback, do the best to rectify the problem without trashing your integrity, and take some lessons for the future. If all these audio companies could come up with such clever schemes all day, boy, theyā€™re in the wrong business.

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My digital source for DS mk2 is aurender n200. It has usb and coax. USB sounds better in any aspect. Should I try put DDC between source and Dac for i2s output? Do you guys have some experience ?

Iā€™m not having this experience, but based on many posts on this forum and the quality of the usb input of the MK2, you better invest in the best usb cable you can lay your hands on. Instead of needing to invest a lot more in equally good PC, DDC and I2S, to end up having the same SQ.

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@hotsauce Concur save money not spending on DDC, high dollar HDMI cable, LPS and Air Lens. Buy a great USB cable instead equal to or exceeding what you planned to spend for the other boxes and cables and just turn on the galvanic isolation on mk2. DS MK1 is a different story.

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My usb is stealth t select cable and itā€™s quite good so i was thinking about hdmi inputā€¦ sometimes itā€™s best input of the dac but looks like DS mk2 is different :blush:

It sure is!

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Stealth T Select USB is great for MK2! My old streamer had both USB and HDMI outputs, and I preferred the sound from Stealth over AQ Dragon48 in a side-by-side comparison.

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