I’ve read it twice now and I agree with you Scott. If I was in the market for a DAC and wasn’t familiar with PSA and the MK1, I think I would be left with a mediocre impression and might move on. Reading it as I know the MK2, I’m left a little bewildered. Anyone looking for a DAC in the $7K to $12K range would be doing themselves a disservice by not auditioning the MK2.
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I’m the one the best I can remember that recommended he look into the Neo Stream as an upgrade to the Node which he was using as a DAC/Streamer and it had to be an upgrade. Also don’t think I’ve commented about his DAC choices but will be happy to discuss them if he wishes either here or by PM as I’m for whatever works best for him in his price range.
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I just read the review. “Bewildered“ is a good word. JA acknowledges that the Mk2 is a sonic improvement over the Mk1, and mentions that he sat and continued to enjoy listening to it even after he had plans to stop. Yet the overall review gives the impression that the MK2 is not such a great amp. Perhaps somehow it just didn’t work synergistically in his system.
I really wonder if his knowing the results of the measurements before he had finished the descriptive review made a difference that it perhaps shouldn’t have. The ultrasonic noise can be a concern; as I recall, there are a couple of forum members who have experienced this in their systems. But there’s no reason he couldn’t have written more enthusiasticly about the sound, and then added a cautionary note about certain amps being affected by ultrasonic noise.
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I find that hard to fathom, as up till now the MkI has been one of JA’s reference DACs.
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I didnt
Never said thousands of buyers had problems, don’t even believe those that have problems here is the whole universe of those who did, also don’t believe that the posts here of trouble-free purchases collects all who have
Studying my posts carefully, I cannot see exaggerations
Rather I said there were many posts about the problems, positive and negative, more than enough to convince me to stay clear for now. Many others have reported their reservations too.
Never would I urge anyone against their decision to purchase, also not pressing anyone to agree with me
Again, I support PSA, and often say so in my travels, in my forum posts, and in my posts in Paul’s essays and videos at psaudio.com
No you didn’t give a specific dollar amount as a ceiling only the statement that due to the age of the rest of your gear you were reluctant to go all in. With that in mind I recommended a “better Node” without getting into the higher priced spreads from Lumin, Aurender, Auralic and even Teac Reference where the DAC sections would likely be a lot better. If your happy with the streamer performance of the Neo Stream and now want to branch out to a better DAC then that’s a different story and again you need to give a price ceiling, are you willing to consider lightly used and any preferred connection scenario’s specifically I2S as that really narrows it down.
If that’s the case, I recommend you considered dCS.
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I am most inclined to go MSB, based in part on recent reports by @luca.pelliccioli
DCS a close contender @vkennedy61
No regrets following your NeoStrem advice
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Also a fine choice.
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Like the seasons the gear changes
If you’re now looking in that price category I would also look at the Aqua Formula. Is my memory failing me or don’t you live in the Central Florida area?
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Yes
I too felt that JA’s review was lackluster, but hey I have and love the Mk2 so it doesn’t really matter much to me personally, yet I want PS Audio to thrive and survive so there’s that…
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If that yes is to me then contact Mike at Suncoast Audio and you can hear MSB, Aqua, Luxman, Berkley. MBL, Esoteric and others side by side in his store.
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He is too busy these days to respond to my visit requests, his store is never open
Though we spoke at Florida Expo, the Clarisys speakers are great and in my sights along with Aspens
I suspect that on top of the installs already on the books three shows in a short period of time plus becoming the US Distributor for both Block and Clarisys has put more on his plate than he may have anticipated. Also seems like he might have a lot of personal investment in the Clarisys project which he needs to be successful. Maybe after Munich he will have more time himself or maybe set something up with “Little” Mike who is in the store more often. Have you joined his forum and reached out to him through there?
As always, let your ears judge! Good luck!
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Puuh. T+A DAC. I had a T+A CD-Player for years. And I listened to some of their DACs at High End Shows over the last decade. Really good build quality and good engineering. In my opinion their gear is sounding correct with good structure, but not involving and sometimes a little severe, with a little harsh overtone spectrum, lacking musical flow and rhythm …
T+A DAC’s seem to be a favorite amongst the HQ Player crowd where they up-sample and run filters on everything. Never seen an owner comment on how it sounds on it’s own. Unless you plan on doing all of that software processing it would cause me pause unless you can hear it in your system by itself on it’s own merits.