AES connect new to me
Any thoughts out there on how it compares to USB or I2S?
I definitely think it was a big mistake by PS Audio not to launch both products togetherā¦ since it opened the possibility for many to look for other transmitter alternatives, even better in quality than the Airlens. I even bought and received the Red before my MKII.
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Just how do you know that it is even better than Airlens??
Jose, I think that might (likely would) have delayed any plans to use MkII DACs at AXPONA, which would have been a big missed opportunity for PS Audio. The MkII rollout has already generated some great buzz online, and at least one good review, so folks will likely have it on their radar for AXPONA.
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thanks Carousel - i do have Aries G2.1. Been very happy with it since purchase! It was connected to DSD MkI via Matrix USB/I2S, but now USB to MkII DAC. I have had some other issues dealing with so not yet ready to answer exactly how it compares to PST via I2S - other than very close.
maybe Iām getting ahead of myself, I canāt tell without trying it or reading user commentsā¦ It seems smart to me to buy an accessible streamer (lower cost) to have a connection while the Airlens launches.
My point is commercial: you open the possibility that with the āpatchā several will be satisfied and choose not to acquire the Airlens.
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@tony22 Itās a good pointā¦ weāll have to wait! 
Sticking with my Modded Oppo 203 for Roon duties for now,
Holding out for Airlens, see what the lie of the land is like in 6 months or so.
No great need to switch right now, but Airlens seemed the natural fit with my DS and BHK
But obviously none of the streamers were even close to ready when they released Mk2 and the beta testing of the dac was a bit rocky and that was a follow-on product.
Releasing both together would have been nightmare for that reason alone and canāt fault them for releasing dac early when 100-strong customer base willing to accept product not fully ready and even willing to be test group to identify the problem areas.
@kzk Itās trueā¦ weāll just have to wait for its releaseā¦ and play while with other streamers.
Ferrum was present at the Capital Audio Fest back in November and they had some good deals. They were powering a Chord Mscaler and TT2 DAC from the same PSU using their own splitter which was particularly interesting to me.
They also mentioned that they were already working on their own streamer but so far that has not materialized yet.
Thanks for the info, Iāll be sure to keep on eye on their future announcements. After the recent PSU swap for my ifi Zen stream, I feel no immediate urge to get a new streamer anymore. Before this, the streamer was fed by an iFi iPower elite, already sounded really good, but the HYPSOS beat the iPower by a good margin. Only down side of the the HYPSOS, itās really sensitive to vibration tweaks(cheap thin metallic casing that rings a lot) .
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Remember the parts pandemic was already playing parts. 
The release of both the Mk2 and the AL was planned much earlier - and why not together (unfortunately I canāt recall any mention of both of them were meant to be released at the same moment)?
I expect the Mk2 DAC is seen, and should be, a cash cow for PS Audio. The AirLens, on the other hand, seems to serve no purpose other than for DSD Mk2 DACs, and even then is severely lacking (no Roon Ready or PS Audio streaming app) and by many accounts the Mk2 DAC is excellent with usb, making I2S redundant. I canāt imagine one trade show is of any great relevance to a product that PSA probably hope/expect to sell for 5 years or more. My long-term interest in PS Audio was in an integrated streaming product, I thought that would start with the Octave Server, Paul was apparently using a demo unit and then it disappeared. I find that more concerning than AL.
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Right, Iām sure in ideal world theyād have done them close together or probably streamer first since dac doesnāt have streamer option.
But the initial projection timelines were way off as it played out. But theyāve now had enough parts to build 100 AL for well over a month so Iām sure youāll see it at Axpona if what we were told was true that it was simply a parts issue at production quantities. Axpona only comes once a year so not an opportunity to be missed
Not true to my knowledge.
To be Roon Ready it needs to be certified by Roon. Thereās been no indication that the AL is going through this process. Will it have Roon Bridge as available S/W? I hope so, or sales will suffer.
I considered posts as this one relevant.
And the details here:
Newbie here. Havenāt followed the forums since we all waited for the Bridge II.
In anticipation of my DS MkII, I ordered a N200 from TMR. I was hoping to do comparisons of my MkI DAC with Bridge to the MkII with the N200. Then Scott informed me that my DAC was delayed another 2 months.
If you still have your PS Audio DACs when your N200 arrives, Iād appreciate your opinions about how they compare.
Thanks!
Yeah, that just means it will run Roon Bridge. That doesnāt mean Roon Ready.