I am a big fan of Paul’s youtube channel and started watching with the 7 part series where he puts those amazing IRS V. Have been following, watching and reading about BHK and DS DAC since the beginning. But combination of a small room in UK and budget prevented me from getting either of the two.Finally I decided to take the plunge and get DS DAC to pair with my Primaluna and Living Voice speakers. I currently have two R2R DACs (one commercial and one DIY).
I plugged everything in and the first impressions were underwhelming and I had that dreaded feeling…
But I also had faith based on what i have been following over the years through forums and youtube channels. A couple of days of burning in and now I have already started appreciating what people mean by analogue sound and lifelike voice. My R2R DAC has more in your face presentation and slightly bright compared to DS DAC. So the initial reactions to DS were still a bit mixed as the sound seemed a bit relaxed and soft. But more I am listening to it the more I am appreciating it. Bass also improved over the last two days. Another scare I had that i wish to mention to save some pain for others. I stream tidal through MacBook → USB → DAC. With my R2R everything was fine. But with DS the volume levels were massively varying between songs, some of the songs almost had no volume. But after some google search someone mentioned to turn off Loudness Normalisation (Settings->Streaming->Loudness Normalisation ->Off). That fixed the problem. Overall I am happy, the DAC has Windom installed which I am going to play for a few weeks before attempting to upgrade to the latest version. Thanks Paul, Ted and PS Audio team for such a wonderful product. I like what i hear and i know there is more to come once the DAC has a few hundred hours of burn in.
Welcome, @manoj !
Great report. 
Welcome, Manoj. Actually, Windom (there is one version for Windows based systems and the other for Mac) is the latest firmware. There is another in the offing (most likely the last one for the DS DAC) but it hasn’t been released as yet.
Thanks @Elk , @joe-appierto .
Joe, the DAC manufacturing date was Feb 2020 so thought it may have old firmware on it. But thanks for letting me know 
and here is the picture of my LV that i really like
How dare you sit your MacBook on your Sr! Congratulations with the new purchase!
true, lol, This blasphemy has stopped already, I have some isolation feet now that I use between Sr and MacBook.
What’s the DAC that you’re comparing to?
Now that you have taken the plunge, next step is to hide your wallet 
We should have a chat about Cables, Matrix’s, Power supplies for the Matrix, Power cables for the Matrix, USB cables, HDMI Cables, Special feet for all devices. Tin Foil hats with and without propellers. And more!
…and proper motors for the propellers. Don’t forget the propeller motor upgrades!
And also watch out for @aangen 
Getting the DS is just the first step. To get the ultimate performance from this DAC, you really should let loose @aangen on him. Along with cables and Matrix’s and tin hat foils, don’t forget changing the output transformers. 
Matrix is definitely a must have item for my DS Sr.
Congrats on the new toy!
Hello from north of the river. These Americans are obsessed with their cables and tweaks, they don’t understand the pleasure of plugging something into the wall (because we actually have regulations as to the quality of our power supply) and that using a direct usb connection is not a crime.
OK, maybe some of us use the wrong way to express our thoughts on this DAC. For that I apologize. This is a great sounding DAC without any tweaking at all. Just plug it in and enjoy it. But I have found this DAC can sound even better, maybe world class with the proper tweaking. I have put thousands of dollar into cables, Mayrix, and power supply’s and this DAC just gets better and better. Right now I have never heard my digital system sounded better and I would never just plug it into to wall and lose this magic.
Hi Jedi, I have Denafrips Ares II, Cambridge Audio DacMagic, A custom R2R built using Soekris module. All have their pros and cons. I am waiting for DS Sr to complete a few months of usage before I do serious comparison. The initial findings are posted at the beginning. Its also a learning experience for me to know if something is clear or over emphasised/bright (The R2R seems to have slightly more texture to the voice, so not sure if that’s more details or just colouring/harshness/brightness).
I am north of the river too @stevensegal 
. I am just trying to take one thing at a time to see of they make a difference. So like you said, happy for now with the direct USB to DS and power from the wall (through a filter).
thanks @waymanchen11, appreciate all the tips, they are actually very helpful in deciding what to do next. They are especially valuable as they come from people who have used in their system to pair with DS. also thanks to @yoduh , @aangen , @Sohail , @arftech , @scotte1 for making this a lively experience for me 
You have acquired a very nice component that would lift your musical enjoyment to a new level. May you always use it in good health and happy days.
Congratulations! This DAC will transform your listening for years to come, and allow you to hear incremental changes you will make in the years to come. (You will. . . this DAC will see to that with its subliminal power).