I can attest to that. Took a very long break in period, and then I swapped some Tubes based upon a recommendation from @vkennedy61 and happy now. Of course I just ordered the MKII…
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Might have to add more tubes 
Opps…wrong word add, swapped in Pre…lol…good catch.
Thank you all for your precious comments, I really respect them coming from “veterans” members as you are. I’m not motivated by a strong and irrational defense of PS brand, because here we are all part of the same family, so no trolls alarm!
Never modded the MK I and I’m pretty sure never will, so I can only report about Mk I vs MK II stock.
I cannot hear the brightness you are referring to, on the contrary the Statement + MK II combo I’m experiencing is really delightful. And I’m liking more the USB input (with a PinkFaun USB cable that seems to matter a lot in the equation) compared to the Matrix I2S, surprisingly! The presence and realism I’m hearing are really impressive, along with the most evident IMO quality, that is the width of the soundstage, never had it so wide before.
As I introduced the Statement with the MK I I found the the gap between streaming and CDs was incredibly reduced if not eliminated at all (sorry Paul for your YouTube video of the day before yesterday claiming the opposite). With the MK II I tend to still feel a preference for CDs.
I’m hearing a so pleasant silky sound, in effect.
One more thing: the burning in process is still on the run here so maybe it is too early to share my thoughts at the moment but I might like even more openness and air. I’m not saying the MK II is too warm but the idea to tweak with a Purple fuse (both in the Statement and in the MK II) is tempting me I confess.
Gold Lion tubes in BHK Pre and Telefunken Mazda in M1200s are surely playing a role IMO. There are so many variables that the right sound I’m afraid is also a question of sinergie and system dependent, as usual.
I’m in the right mood and the MK II is the ice on the cake during last days, rare moments to be drunk patiently my friends!
To be continued…
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With our PSA gear, the MK2 never sounds bright. The warmness will go away after 300 to 400 hours (from my old memory).
I have tried both M-1 and Purple fuses in MK2 and I preferred Purple by far. M-1 would sound a lot better once MK2 has 400 hours of break-in. But I still like Purple better (personal preference at this point).
My dental work will cost me 1/2 a Innous Statement as I just found out. My other tooth may need a crown soon and that will be a cost of AirLens. My audio upgrade will take a step back for sure. 
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I felt my width shrank with MKII compared to modded DS. It expanded some with movement s to no toe in. The instial 3M absorber exterior trial brightness width and depth all appeared to improve. They are all a function of lower noise floor.
I was listening to this cut yesterday where John Prine has lots of background spatial noise in a life celebration of family upbeat tune. The MKII with some 3M absorber was killing modded DS as I remembered it playing back same song.
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Hey can everyone stop talking about health maladies and not being able to lift 100 lbs and stuff like that? I feel like I’m visiting my grandma at the nursing home! Even if you are old it’s a state of mind – think young thoughts!!
(tongue in cheek)
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Are you actually A/B’ing or just going by memory? If by memory then your observations are flawed. The human brain can be misleading when doing this type of comparisons. We actually A/B’d the two in real time on the fly as we had them both hooked up to my Hermes DDC ’ multi-output then feeding the AR preamp’s AUX1 and AUX2. Instant real comparisons.
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Yeah it is audio memory. One can argue the flaws in any method even with A and B inputs through same preamp based on circuitry layout differences. Or double blind studies where one’s opinions are considered gospel. I like to respect what anyone believes is best. Since we all have reasonable opinions that can be argued.
I have good confidence in my audio memory within my system because I know how I always pick parts of a song to cue in on. Be it a Sonny Rollins saxophone note or pedal operation of a Piano by Diana Krall in live recording.
Is there still room for improvement in my MKII tweaking. Most definitely and I am not done with it yet. Just as you desire to take DS further with mods. Me I can’t justify keeping both though as you made a choice. I say we both can be right with different reasons.
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Circuitry layout differences in what and how? I know I can trust our A/B testing 100%. Not so if going by memory.
That is exactly how I feel about my new Mk2. From the first note it was better than my maxed out Mk1. I hate shrillness too but this unit has none of it.
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Far too much has been given to the brightness of the mk 2. Yes for a slight time after moving from fpga 173 beta to 179 Antero. I thought that it leaned slightly bright. Apparently after the area of the fpga that had been previously unused broke in, I would no longer say that it is bright. I do feel the a stock mk 1 was a little dark but the mk 2 is more neutral.
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I’m glad you two along with many others are enjoying your new MKII. I trust my ears and know what I like and don’t like and simply stated our observations here. I don’t need lessons on how I achieved them. I think you have stated many times here how much you love your new unit. That is awesome.
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By circuitry i mean like in DS HDMI 1 sounds different than 2. Per ted one is noisier.
I wish I had your toys as resources. Unfortunately not enough of the same expensive cables to set up both channels and flip a switch for instant change over. But there is still a rewind since instantly is not the same time frame. I have had challenges with MKII same cables sound as good as modded DS by memory.
But yes they are different. Last night with adding 3 M absorber externally i heard a different more open and full sound.
But not wanting to debate your method as bad either. As I have said I respect your methods and opinions and use them as references and datasets on my audio journey. Deal?
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That has nothing to do with preamp switching. You do realize that most if not all preamp switching is done through relays which are located near the actual input. When switching inputs it’s the same as swapping cables. I use the same cables for all A/B testing here.
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No one method of determining what works best for a given individual and his system exists.
Listen, measure, ask others . . . whatever works for you is as good as anything employed by others to evaluate their system.
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I felt the same way last year when I purchased a Terminator II. Was happy for a week or so until I discovered I made a mistake and went on the Journey to find and modify another DS that I currently use. I’m not going to make that mistake again. That’s why I always A/B equipment the correct way and never go by memory.
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Maybe unless you are building rockets. 
However the placebo effect has been proven.
Seems like you and @Vmax have a lot in common from my perspective.
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Yes however I always A/B equipment and never go by memory as it has failed me in the past.
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