Sure, just didn’t want Ted to have to repeat his info in several threads.
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It seems PS Audio being so open is biting them in the butt. It might be better in the future that only those involved in the Beta Process be able to access a closed part of the forum to post their reports. I have done and continue to this day still do behind the scenes testing. The over emphasis of issues is way out of control regarding the mk 2. It is an exceptional product that has experienced some growing pains. It is way better sounding than many DACs that cost multiples of its going price. If you are uncomfortable with the DAC. Buy something else. It is bad enough that Stereophile has become a branch of ASR with making a big deal of measurements that do not come into play when listening in the real world. I have worked through the minor issues and love the sound of the mk2 in my system.
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Disagree with you big-time on this. In your decade of readership, you won’t find more than a couple 94’s, yet you will find dozens (probably well over fifty) 87’s. That exclusivity alone tells you the difference is huge.
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Well said.
Sad but seems to be true. I get measurements, but his ending statements when he really knows why they show what they show really gets my goat.
kzk, Does the score depend only on the reviewer’s opinion or do the measurements go into the score? How do you translate “it sounded clearer to me”, or “it sound very balanced to me”, or “there seems to be less noise”, or “the timber sounded more natural” into a numeric score?
Both Stereophile and HFN tell their readers to read the review. It is the review that matters and not the grade ( A, B, C etc ), or numeric score, or sticker.
That’d be a great question for HFN. I don’t work there so I couldn’t tell you how they come to their score percentages. But I’ve come to respect their consistency, fwiw, and objectivity.
We always hear griping about how all reviews these days are worship-fests. Then when a magazine prints a poor review, some still complain. I prefer hearing the bad with the good.
It’s still pretty rare to read a lot of negative comments in the text of a review itself. Reviewers are pretty gentle that way - you almost have to read between the lines to discern the faults (sometimes I find when a reviewer spends 90% of the time discussing the music or musician, and 10% on the component, it’s a pretty good indication that he/she doesn’t have much good to say about the component).
But the HFN percentage score is more uninhibited, and thus I suspect a more genuine indication of the reviewer’s true feelings for the component.
Very interesting read, thank you for pointing it out to me.
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I think he violated the stated policy of the magazine, which is, that the reviewer’s review is finished and locked before the reviewer sees the measurements. He acknowledges that he did so, but that does not make it right.
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Hopefully the digital version gets released soon. I’d like to be able to read to understand what happened. Based on what you guys are saying though, having measurements affect the review positively or negatively makes it seem like the review shouldn’t have been published.
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And like most other DACs out there what you get is what you get. No free updates.
Early February, I asked here for advice for a better DAC. Based on recommendation of a critic of my commentary today in this thread, I purchased the iFi NeoStream, and then the Power Elite a few days later (I returned my prior DAC upon receipt of the NeoStream). This forum member did not mention PSA’s DAC.
I am considering these days my options for a sound DAC that will – like all the other equipment I have purchased since 1970 – be ready and reliable.
I note that a fine and respected poster from Italy in a different thread noted today, “the MU1 demonstrates one more time how a finest quality product can be immune from other tweaks/needs.”
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I thought meters aren’t my thing also, until I have it, now there no going back.
I’m not sure that’s the fairest comparison, as the MU1 forgoes any responsibility for a front end to the Roon interface. Most of the current observations for the MkII seem to be focused on the UI.
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(@lonson: this is not directed at you specifically - just seemed like a natural point in the thread to interject.)
I would caution anyone that has not actually read the June 2023 Stereophile review of the MK II to not take most of the speculation and commentary here about that review (by those that have not read it) with a grain of salt.
Having received my June issue today and reading the review I am reminded of the usual caution that until you hear something in your system, you just don’t know what to think about a piece of kit.
Likewise, until you actually read JA’s entire review, its tough to have an informed opinion on how it comes off and what it concludes.
FWIW.
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Hey I read it before I was the first person to comment on it here. And I’m still not sure how it comes off or what it concludes, entirely. But I have come to love my DSD Mk 2.
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See edit in original post (in parentheses). Your comment made me realize I left out an important part of what I was trying to get across.
Best regards.
Yes I saw that. I just honestly reacted to your post that way, and took it in a friendly manner, and decided to post it. It’s a confusing review.
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If PS Audio advertised via Stereophile it would have been a Very positive review….
If NEO Steam meets your needs it is a perfect choice. And you saved a good deal of money over buying a MKII.
I do not understand your contributions to this thread. If purchasing a MKII makes you nervous, do not buy one - or take advantage of PS Audio’s generous home audition if you have mixed feelings.
But exagerating the actual number of critical comments and trying to get others to agree with you seems counterproductive.
Others go through the same decision process; either a given piece of kit appeals or does not. It is an individual decision.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying something other than a PS Audio product. This does not mean the PS Audio offering is bad, merely that someone decided to buy another product.
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Isn’t the NeoStream $1200? Perhaps when given that advice, you had some sort of price ceiling?