Is it fair to say that your dictatorship-approach also have resulted in hundreds (if not thousand) of hours done at your own expense?
Especially if this include the prototype?
And if those hours had be payed for we are talking some big numbers here?
The reason for asking is that as a developer I know what it takes to succeed and what have to be sacrificed along the road…
But when you win, the feeling is great
Yep, 20,000 to 30,000 is a lot of hours. The prototypes in aggregate cost many $1,000's of dollars. For one prototype the raw boards were about $1600, the assembly (not including parts) was about $3000, the Jensen transformers were $721, etc.: http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/messages/8/80732.html
I’m still a little amazed that my wife had complete confidence thru out the entire process. I wasn’t so sure
I’m surely not making back my investment with the DS
It’s a tradeoff - My goal wasn’t to get rich - I just wanted to work on something I believe in. I consider most of the time/cost the cost of changing careers. For me at least, my experience is worth more than 4 or 6 years back in school. Also I can do other projects and make more money in a lot less time than 8 to 10 years
I see your point audiobill, but I can’t see how this talk herein should prevent you from just enjoying your DAC as it is and ignore the rest. As long as you don’t modify anything it should work just fine…(?)
The DS is unstable platform? High risk? PWD is superior? Sounds like a universe that is parallel to mine
It reminds me of a friend of us who said once, that she does not like Holland because it rains every day. And there was no rain for at least a couple of weeks.
I don’t get anything like that. How is a perfectly functional DAC that out of the box (plus some break in time) is one of the best sounding DACs you can buy, period, unstable?
Yes, there have been several firmware upgrades that have improved an already incredible piece of equipment… You don’t want them working to improve it? Firmware upgrades are free!
Are you still running Windoze NT4 because you are waiting for Windoze to stabilize?
Jump in and enjoy! The DirectStream is fine. It’s not like it will suddenly be a terrible DAC and you’ll have to just trash it.
And audiobill’s strange curious position seems to have disappeared with nobody quoting it before this happened. Oh Well. :shrug:
added several hours later for clarity in the absence of the original posts and/or quotes thereof:
He had commented that he was happy with his PerfectWave DAC and is not going to jump onto the DirectStream bandwagon because it is an “unstable platform”. Apparently this is because there have been several firmware updates that have corrected bugs and at the same time significantly improved the sound quality.
Are free improvements to the sound quality of an existing product unwelcome?
This has been an ongoing issue in a number of threads. Someone posts, people respond, and the original poster deletes his post.
I vote we go back to the system where users cannot edit their posts. I like people fixing a typo or adding clarity after posting, but the wholesale deletion of entire posts to which others have responded creates havoc. Members have deleted more posts than they have edited.
The prototype of the crystal silver wound transformer with special laminations & core will be back from manufacturer by end of next week. The stock DirectStream transformer was sent out a week ago for measurement and matching. This will be a “drop-in” replacement to the stock unit. It took longer to open the DS cover than to remove the stock tranny. Once the new silver transmission - working title is Silver Knight - is installed I will report as to whether the hoped for SQ improvement is sufficient to warrant the upgrade.
Please keep in mind that this is just a transformer replacement - not the overall modification including Jupiter Caps, Vishay resistors, and Furutech IEC. [Did anyone notice the use of the Oxford Comma?]
I am intrigued with this as well. But then, if Ted says he paid $700 something for these transformers…I’m afraid of what the silver versions would cost!
It was $700 for 4 and I’d already bought enough to qualify for a discount I sure would have liked to design them into the DS, but the bump in the price of the unit would be prohibitive.
Ted, based on when you bought them and how the design (including the software) of the DS may have evolved since that time, would you consider these uber-transformers to be “drop in” replacements in the production configuration, or would you suspect some work would be needed to get them properly integrated?
tony22 said
Ted, based on when you bought them and how the design (including the software) of the DS may have evolved since that time, would you consider these uber-transformers to be "drop in" replacements in the production configuration, or would you suspect some work would be needed to get them properly integrated?
The next size down from Jensen would be sufficient, they cost approx. 1/2 as much and the DS's design is a little more transformer friendly than the prototypes. Drop in? The Jensens in question are wider bandwidth than the transformers in the DS and in the prototypes I loaded the Jensens to narrow the bandwidth. The DS doesn't have this and hence some systems won't be happy with the raised ultrasonic noise. Also, the Jensens won't fit :) Mounting the Jensen's somewhere and running longer leads won't be great for the audio, but it won't kill it either. The 20dB attenuator might not be 20dB, the Jensens have a different DC resistance in the windings.
A great illustration of my earlier observation: To be effective, mods need be designed by someone who truly understands the unit and fully appreciates what will and what will not make a positive improvement.
Again, who is the “we” in the topic’s description: “We are in the planning stages of…”
We got here by me choosing the best technical job I could at each juncture and indeed the whole DAC is from a dictatorship: me. I’ve done what I think was best at virtually every point. I didn’t have the budget to test even a small fraction of the design choices I made. What you have is what I got by picking the sound I like (and by the way, the sound that many PCM fans say they don’t like.) I’d veto any firmware choice that varied too much from the sound I’m striving for. We wouldn’t be here if I allowed people to vote on any significant number of the features.
An audiophile's dream: to have the technical chops to build your own sound (although we all approximate this with choice of equipment, etc.)
It is refreshing to read such an honest statement of singular purpose and focus.
Elk said
Again, who is the "we" in the topic's description: "We are in the planning stages of..."
Who are "we"? It reminds me of the Ernest Borgnine speech in one of my favorite moves, "The Wild Bunch" by Sam Peckinpah: "They, who are They?. The all encompassing They....That's who They are!"
“We” are: There’s Me - graduate degree in physics Georgetown University & blue water sailor; An Electronic Engineering associate professor at GWU & industry consultant; A professional musician & member of the NSO (one our Golden Ears); and a Lobbyist with a DC firm who is renown for his taste in single malt scotch, golf clubs, and music (our 2nd Golden Ear).
The LLC name will be RUSTy Sonics - the first letter of our last names. To meet the “we” be at the Newport Beach audio show where, if all goes as planned, we hope to A/B a completely stock DirectStream vs a Silver Level modified one - Silver Transformers, Jupiter over-sized caps, Vishay resistors, & Furutech IEC.
Look guys - relax. RUSTy is just a few chaps spending some time and money while having fun. There is nothing here to get your panties in a twist about. You’re not into it - move on.
After Newport, we will offer to send the modified DS to any Beta Tester or Community Leader to love or hate for 10 days or so.
Ted is correct. The cost of the silver transformers is 4x the Jensen cost. So this mod will really be only accessible to those with sufficient coin. And, that is only if the RUSTy Golden Ears like what they hear.
One cool thing we have already done is to countersink black machine screws into the piano black top plate. The 4 flush-mount machine screws thread into tapped chassis holes - we eliminate the captured hex-nut. This makes for an elegant solution to opening the DS.
It’s not like it will suddenly be a terrible DAC and you’ll have to just trash it.
I sure would have liked to design them into the DS, but the bump in the price of the unit would be prohibitive.