Impossible to judge without personally hearing it.
There are many “expert commentors” on YouTube that would disagree, lol.
They know EVERYTHING without having any direct knowledge.
Only way to find out how good the signature MkI is compared to my version I Mk1, or compared to some other DAC, would be to have it upgraded to the signature. At which point I’d just keep the DSD MkI signature if I liked it, which I know I would because upgraded MkI is amazing.
Think I figured out my path forward.
I’m sure glad I jumped on the APS Signature Series DAC, Best sounding DAC I have owned in a long time.
Can’t wait for you the hear the Grimm MU2 DAC!
It’s funny. On Monday evening one of my audio clubs had a Zoom meeting to talk about DACs and streamers. The discussion of various ways to do the conversion came up, and we talked about R2R and Sigma Delta and FPGA. I mentioned that as far as I knew, very few DACs used FPGAs to do the actual conversion, PS Audio being one of them, One member (who is in the audio reproduction profession somehow) went on to remark how the PSA Directstream DACs didn’t measure very well on ASR, went about lauding the ASR site, and said that if a DAC was in the top 15 list on ASR then and only then is it worth listening to. This is a perfectly ironic example of a “sighted listening test” - once the great measurements have been seen (and approved in print at ASR), the device is all but guaranteed to sound great. 
“Ignorance is bliss”, is an aphorism for a reason.
Too each his own…
That’s hilarious @tony22 ! Our AZAVCLUB has a few ASR fanboys as well. I’ve always ignored their ilk and avoid their forums unless there is something I’m curious about.
Their forums are very toxic and you will never “win” a discussion (argument).
Yes, you need measurements as a baseline when developing a product. But as Darren, Paul, Bascom, Dan D, Fosgate, Curl, and so many other great audio engineers out here will tell you. That’s only have the story.
My friend Leo over at Orchard Audio relies heavily on measurements but also models everything he does (as does Darren). He also studies what sound characteristics people prefer based on what psychologists have studied.
His Amps, DAC’s, and Streamer’s get great reviews and sell quite well. Last year he quit his full time job and concentrates on Orchard Audio including opening up a “Shop” (so to speak) in NJ where anyone on any given Saturday can check out his stuff like an open house.
It’s easy to dismiss ASR, the site is full of single issue viewpoints and endless, “only precisely level matched, double blind testing is legitimate.” Given that, the site has a lot of value IMHO. I purchased a great Apollon Audio amplifier for my outside system that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. It has a Purifi Eigentakt Class D module that is absolutely awesome for the purpose. Also, I was exposed to the Benchmark DAC3: I’m extremely happy with it. Finally, I’m a fan of my KEF Reference 1 speakers, they are too. On the other hand, they would ridicule many other choices I’ve made with my system (lots of Shunyata, Pass, Sonore, 4 REL subs, etc.). YMMV.
The value you find in the site is the scope and breadth of the equipment discussed?
Do you pay any attention to their measurements and the discussions?
Scope and breadth is not the interpretation I would use. They are pretty narrowly focused. They just look at some equipment I had not been exposed to before reading the site.
It’s part of it.
I am completely unaware of any measurements of any of my gear. I have zero interest. But I am greatly concerned with the type of wood that is used in the shipping containers! That is really important!
Understood.
Thanks
Don’t forget about the nails used to hold the wood. That’s just as important.
No nails please!
You guys are awesome ! This thread was dormant for a couple months and now we are all having some fun with it. That’s what it’s all about.
Speaking of wood. I do the repairs on Thomas’ TS120 Tube Amps and they weigh 65lbs plus the wood crate and they are not fun to unpack and pack up !
And lining up those metal fold over tabs isn’t just plain sucks.