I just received the factory-refurbished DirectStream Mk.2 recently offered by PSA. I’ve enjoyed the Stellar Gold DAC for 2 years in my system but given the great price of the refurbished DS-2, I decided to spring for it. (The 2 wk. trial return policy didn’t hurt either!)
My thoughts so far? Oh my! This has the musical quality I’ve been looking for in my digital setup. I thought my Stellar Gold had hit that mark, but the DS-2 performs with a beauty I’ve not experienced before.
I believe Paul commented in a previous post comparing the two, that the DS-2’s emphasis has a more romantic character. I agree but that’s not to say it’s warm and fuzzy. Transient attacks are quick but they don’t overwhelm or obscure the music that immediately follows. There’s air there – I guess with an analog quality. This is hard to describe but perhaps in a word, “Bam!” becomes “Baaam!,” where the DS-2 voices the rich harmonics that follow the striking of a chord. Finally, I’m finding that I don’t have to turn down the volume on loud passages as much. Not sure – maybe the DS-2 circumvents compression issues?
All this to say, “it looks like I found a keeper!”
Welcome to the DSD MK2 club! My experience going from DS Jr to MK2 was similar to what you describe. My DS Jr was really good, but when I got the MK2 it was a keeper for me too!
Congrats! I love my Mk2. As my system improves it just keeps showing me what it can and will do. And that is make me fascinated with my discs. Even made my vinyl sound great when I used the HDMI output of the NuWave Phono Converter.
Thanks to you both for the friendly welcome & congrats! Any ideas on selling my Stellar Gold DAC (PSA trade-in for refurbished DS-2 wasn’t an option)? Maybe Audiogon? I don’t see other units listed for comparative pricing. Does 45-50% MSRP seem reasonable?
I’ve used US Audiomart for my M700’s and a P3. I did some research first to see what the going used price was. Additionally, listing the Stellar Gold here on the forum might work well. It doesn’t hurt to ask TMR what they will pay for it (they charge 30-50% of the sale price) - that will give you an idea of the going price as well. Good luck!
I took advantage of the same offer for a recertified DS2. I’m extremely happy with the SQ improvement. In my case I was upgrading from my McIntosh’s C49 DA1 DAC. Took all of about 3 minutes of listening to appreciate the improvement. I’m feeding Roon to the DS2 via I2S from a Eversolo T8. This is my first time trying out the I2S interconnect. I was expecting to have to experiment with the various pinouts the T8 offers for I2S. But it turned out that the default setting worked with the DS2.
Congratulations on your upgrade and the straightforward conversion to I2S! Great piece for a great price. With my DS2, I’m finding myself going through CDs & SACDs that I’ve not listened to in a looooong time. It’s also started me on a first-time venture into tube rolling for my McIntosh C22 Mk5 preamp. A lot of fun! Who said rabbit holes should be avoided?
When I upgraded to the MK1 years ago I found myself dusting off and enjoying CDs again, but then I upgraded my turntable setup soon after and CDs were kicked to the corner again.
The sequence for me was the opposite: I sprung for a VPI Forever TT last year (got tired of messing with unipivot tonearm and happily found better bass response with gimbal setup). So right now, digital gets the nod. The good news, though, is that both are pretty close in enjoyment and I’m listening to more music than before.
No doubt when digital is done right it can sound amazing, but it takes two to tango. Paul and the boys have come through on their end with a grand slam, but not so much those on the CD side of things. When you do come across a well done CD, then it’s just WOW on the Directstreams.