DirectStream MKII DAC Production Launch Start-up

If you did not do the VOCM mod on your MK1 then the bass will be weak and have a thin sound. The better transformers also improves the sound quality with instrument separation as well as improving the bass even further.
Fully modded MK1 should include both VOCM mod (most important) & better transformers than the XS4400 to sound it’s best and compete with the newer DAC’s. To me the other mods do not improve the sound quality like these two mods.

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Thanks for your reply, Jkrichards. Those two mods are not part of my Mk1. Within the following supplement you will get an overview of the mods I did last year.

At the end a comparison between a VOCM modified Mk1 with further improved transformers and the Mk2 would be rather interesting …

Unfortunately them caps you changed may have hurt the sound instead of helping it.

… ah, o.k. I understand. Well, the Sound differed and seemed to be improved to me after the changes, made by hoer-wege.de. Your approach is very advanced.

Is there a discussion on what future firmware updates will fix / improve or enable features for the MK2?

I don’t believe any of us have seen a list. It’s been a while since there’s been any fixes. I personally was hoping for a rapid release cycle for several small fixes vs waiting for a rolled up fix. Especially since the MK2 is in Production and paying customers have issues. It’s one thing during Beta, but that’s over. Theoretically every two weeks (one Sprint) or every four weeks (two Sprints) a good amount of work should be accomplished. UI fixes in particular shouldn’t take much more then two to four weeks to fix. Unless of course there’s only one Dev.

If anyone thinks I don’t know what I am talking about…you should reconsider. :innocent:

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We did three week sprints. But then, I worked for a defense contractor. :grin:

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If I told my Scrum Masters that, they’d run out of the room screaming.

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When was the last fix / update?
When I had issues with my Terminator they had a new firmware fix the same week.

We actually used variable sprint lengths of either three or two weeks, depending on the job type and complexity. Usually when a lot of planning was involved, we’d use three week sprints.

I have always been envious of software developers. Manpower, computers and time is all you need. My entire working life I did R&D for hardware development. Expensive tools, expensive raw materials, long lead times and the final arbiter of whether or not something works is Mother Nature.

And, I sure you all know, it’s not nice to try to fool Mother Nature! :hushed: :

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I created a new topic for this purpose.

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Now my hair is on fire. :wink:

In R&D we always counted on the mechanical engineers to be behind. It gave us more time to get our act together. :innocent:

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Seems to me you’re applying! :wink:

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SAF advocates two week sprints, but it’s not mandatory. We had some lessons learned (retrospectives, if I have to use the term :smile:) in which we came to consensus that there were some job types where two week sprints worked against innovation. Sometimes it went so far as to create false earned value. But we learned over time when to go 2 vs 3… almost never using 4 (stakeholders rarely liked that, but they usually were worried about feeding the sharks above them).

Okay, that’s enough. Time to put my Black Belt certification away. :wink:

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How many engineers are working on UI and firmware updates now?

It seems to be a complex formula including imaginary numbers to address them.

Well, I got my shipping notice. ETA is Sunday, which is unfortunate as I may not be here due to a family gathering that I am loathe to back out of. . . haven’t seen this branch of the family since the fall and really want to. Of course. . . you know how FedEx is. . . the delivery date may change tomorrow, and if not I’ll try to change it to Monday.

Excited! Finally something I’ve waited for is arriving! (I’m on the Decware waiting list. … months more to go there but I’ll have a broken in Mk2 by then.)

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My recent experience with FedEx scheduled Sunday deliveries is that I get a FedEx notification that the delivery is delayed, pushed to Monday. Lately it has been so common I assume Sunday equates to Monday in the FedEx Metaverse. A day’s wait is nothing for a stereo component; family is everything.