Glad you qualified your statement with a smiley emoji, or I might’ve taken offense. 
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sfrounds1,
My personal experience with the DSD is that it took ~500 hours before it settled in. I noticed the same thing with the DMP. It had a “shouty” quality in the upper mids that receded throughout the first several hundred hours.
For the first 700 hours my DS was akin to riding a roller coaster so much was the fickleness of it during break in. Break in is a real factor in the DS. To think differently would be a bit short sighted.
To the OP: Could you please give us some details regarding how your DS is connected-up to the rest of your system? Please describe every connection, including what you are plugging into as a power source, which analog outputs and which digital inputs you are using, and what your sources are?
The reason I ask is so that we can try to isolate this problem, because this really sounds like something is wrong with either your DAC, or with how it is connected to your system.
While this could be a burn-in issue as most are claiming, I am not convinced that this is the case. Yes this unit burns-in, but it transitions from very good to stunning. It doesn’t go from horrible to stunning.
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I asked the same question in the very beginning.
Without knowing all the facts, its impossible to give someone help.
Ron
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Lol. I asked it as well.
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I’m afraid we are on hold until OP Steve responds.
I hope the source is not streaming, because I’ve experienced real horrible fluctuations when a streaming source is affected by bandwidth fluctuations. Just a thought.
In reality how many thousand Directstream DACs are out there? What other DAC ever got the universal recognition that this DAC has received? How many others have ever got one and not been immediately impressed with the sound even before it is broken in. System set up and compatibility of course come into the equation of course. I hope he gets whatever the issue is resolved so he can join the rest of us on the polar opposite side of the scale.
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I wasn’t. Which is why I sold it. A DS with Snowmass however is a different thing altogether (I sold mine before the first of the mountains arrived).
Not everyone here is in your financial category. Besides with you that makes 2!
After the mountains came out and user reviews with new software I was tempted to buy again, and did, and I was happy with the sound. I just want to make that clear. The whacky volume changes (bridge reset bug) and flaky software update process were my only complaints.
I intentionally did not want to go the route of listing equipment since I already have great sound as long as I use the Nuwave dac, or another dac/pre, so I don’t see the point, but okay.
Before I continue, I appreciate and want to thank all of you for your help. I believe I have a better than average shot at possibly getting there.
I had two dac’s before I got the DirectStream. The NuWave which is my favorite sounding dac so far, and a Wyred4Sound DAC ll SE that I just traded to Upscale Audio toward the DirectStream. The W4S was the most detailed and resolute dac I have ever heard, and with perfect lossless remote volume control. However, I felt I had to sacrifice real for detail which is why I traded it.
Being a minimalist, I was again after a dac that had volume control, and would double as a preamp. I have a passion for the Nuwave, so how could one go wrong getting the DirectStream. Sound should be far better, had input selection with an unmatched volume function. Fit the bill perfectly.
Well just to note… today I achieved an 80% improvement in the sound by eliminating the volume control feature. Not such a good find however since, that was one of the reasons I purchased it, and also eliminates using it a a preamp. So it sounds much better now but had to revert to computer volume control as with the NuWave dac.
Okay, using the DirectStream as well as my other dac’s, its outputs are a pair of Analysis Pus solo crystal oval XLR interconnects into a pair of PS Audio M700 mono’s. Speaker cables are also Analysis Plus to a pair of VMPS Ribbon Monitors. The source is a macmini using an Audioquest Carbon usb cable from mini to dac, (Already went through my arsenal of usb cables with lesser results)
Streaming Tidal via hard wired ethernet connection to a macmini with SSD drive. Always perfect noiseless streaming with exceptional quality mostly equaling or besting my cd collection. I am also well acquainted with macmini and audio setups.
I also have a 1000 song Itunes library which is where I started, and it surprisingly sounds very very good. A few months ago, I gave Perfectbit a try based on what I had heard, and it was like you through bed sheets over the drivers. The ribbon midranges in the VMPS are highly susceptible to any audible changes regarding equipment, cables, sources, source material…anything! So if there is a change its immediately and very noticeably revealed…good or bad!
Thanks…
I remember you gave a grand endorsement of 1.2.1 at its release and praised the sound quality in glowing terms…!
But I agree with your assessment of the bridge 1. It drove me up the wall to the point that I removed it and just gave it back to my dealership… That was the point I moved back again to playing CDs and SACDs as my primary source…
From my perspective the DS is the best PSA product I’ve bought and I own a fair amount PSA .
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That was before it had an un-commanded volume runaway and blew up the Accuton ceramic mid-driver in my Coincident Pure Reference Extreme speaker. The speaker had to be sent to Germany for repair. The DS was never going to sound any good after that (the DS was connected directly to the power amps).
Yes - that would upset me too. I haven’t had any issues with runaway volume on either of my two DS boxes.
I need to get to bed now it’s 1.35am…
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I’m so glad I took a real preamp with the SGCD instead of a DAC with volume control. Patting myself in the back after this thread, for always having a true preamp in the chain.
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I too own a Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 DSDse. It does not hold a candle to the Directstream DAC. I use my Directstream without a preamp directly driving my Wyred 4 Sound St1000mk2 Amplifier. Sonically the Wyred DAC was etched and had no where near the dimensionality of the PS Audio. The volume control on the Directstream is lossless. Ted can explain why. the one in the Wyred was lossy once you lowered the volume below 30. For some reason it seems your system matches up better with the brighter sound of the Wyred. I still own both dacs but cannot even listen to the Wyred anymore. I use Kimber Kable Hero Balanced to connect the DAC to the AMP.
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I would definitely borrow a balanced preamp if possible to really hear what the DS is doing.
I have no problem hearing what the DS is doing in my system without a preamp!