They may have been thinking of or talking about his BHK Pre. I just asked him an hour ago, and he confirmed his DS1 was never modded.
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I agree to a point. Almost all electronics goes through revisions after it is released to correct mistakes otherwise our DS would not need the modifications we did. All the mods we did were done professionally and work flawless. And yesā¦ It needed them. Iāll bet in a year or so there will be mods done to the MK2 similar to the current ones.
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How much is the UI code supposed to impact the overall sound of the MK2? In my system I can hear a difference between 2.3.0 and 2.3.3, irregardless of whether I have 173 or 179 installed. UI 2.3.0 sounds better with both FPGA firmware versions to my ears.
Everything makes a difference, but I wouldnāt expect the UI code to make a big difference. The change of pattern running the display matters, differing code loop lengths cause different frequencies to be radiated. One of the bigger current draws is the internal memory so different memory pattterns can cause different power supply noise, etc. So far, Iād say that changes to the UI code matter less in the Mk II than the Mk I, but Iām sure someone will contradict me 
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Any qualifiers to describe sounds better 2.3.0 and 179 versus 2.3.3 and 179?
Just received my MkII today and burning it in. I am keeping my MkI for a few weeks to do some A:B listening. In the meantime, I have a question. Has anyone found a way to setup Roon to play DSD256 to the DAC? I am using a SOtM 200ultra streamer with a Sonare USB to i2S converter. When I try to configure the DAC in Roon, I only get 64 and 128 DSD as options, no 256. I know the SOtM will stream up to DSD512, so that isnāt the problem. It doesnāt appear that Roon has the MkII in itās device library yet and when I choose the DirectStream DAC, it limits me to choosing 128 only. Is there a way around this?
Did you download the latest PS Audio High Rez driver package?
Why would I need a Windows USB driver? My chain is Roon on linux server ā ethernet ā SOtM streamer ā USB ā Sonore ultraDigital ā i2S over HDMI ā MKII DAC
Can you ātrickā Roon by just naming another DAC in their library that does do DSD 256?
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I did not realize your configuration.
The main reason I am running 2.3.0 comes down to the way vocals are presented, particularly female. There is just simply more emotion that is conveyed. I have been running 2.3.0 with 173. And once again, at least in my system 173 helps me connect with the music on a more emotional level. If these qualities could be combined with 179 that would be a perfect combination for me, because there are many aspects of 179 that I prefer.
I donāt think youāre alone. I had struggled with.2.3.3 and 179. But was hearing lots of high frequency hash and brightness. I desired to keep firmware current. So after trying cables and fuses and speaker resets. I finally used 3M absorber material as a tweak. It has finally made me satisfied. If firmware still does it for you that works too.
Check out whatās with modding the DS MK2 already thread for potential other alternatives. But thereās no wrong answer for anyoneās ears.
You should try configuring for DoP vs Native for DSD.
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Thatās always tough when there are two of anything that have attributes you wish were combined in one unit or firmware upgrade. If Iām trying two components and one is good in certain areas as well as the other one, I donāt want either, and keep on looking until I find one component that does it all.
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I have noticed that since I have shipped my mk 2 in for a couple of issues that the standby current draw as displayed in powerplay is 25 watts lower. I do have a temporary DAC in the system. I am surprised that the mk 2 consumes that much power in standby.
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25watts is about the same as a Mk 1, so Iām not surprised. I measured the Mk 1 as just one watt lower in standby than when on - presumably the 1 watt is the screen.
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I have to agree with your response as I did not notice any difference when switching from the mk 1. It shows that standby does not shut down much as I see no change when in operation. According to specs it is rated for 25 watts. This can explain why it runs warm.
I have notice my MK2 feels much cooler in standby or even fully powered up since I upgraded to firmware 179. Has anybody else notice this or itās only my unit that this is happening to. I feel the unit feels much cooler than I remember it from before. The sound I know is leaps and bounds better than when I first got the unit from all the break in and tweaks I applied to it, and this galvanic isolation thing has quite some bite to it to making the USB input so much better than in the MK1.
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I have the system on for all day because it has been raining like crazy in Bay Area, CA. you know too. I touched MK2 just now and it is barely warm. When it is on standby it is even cooler.
So, it is not just your unit! It is running cooler than I remembered from 173.
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25watts is really nothing, mine is very slightly warm. I took some Flir pictures of it that I will post to show were the heat is on the rear panel connectors. The unit draws the near the same on standby or not. It appears that only the display is turned off on standby.