So you want an all in one. Many to choose. if I had to choose probably between G2.1, T3, and Rose 150. I think I would end up with Rose for both SQ and that big screen is so nice.
I looked at the Rose. A Swiss Army knife of a machine. Does lots of things I donāt need and that big screen must consume lots of power and generate a lot of noise. I donāt need a screen either, or touch control.
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Surely it is only a matter of time that Holo combine their DAC and RED streamer in one box, I suspect it would be a very popular product. Roon Ready would help.
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Perhaps they share Tedās view regarding a computer inside a DAC? Not a prudent design choice.
A couple of examples that show prudence in design makes a difference:
The Next Generation: BartĆ³k APEX | dCS | Only The Music (dcsaudio.com)
X-SABRE 3 | Music Streaming DAC (matrix-digi.com)
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You missed my point. Of course there are examples of DACs that have computers in them. Very good (and expensive) ones.
My point is that Ted has been absolutely consistent for a very long time that he didnāt think having a network bridge inside the dac was a good idea.
I simply suggested that Holo may be of the same view.
It is very common to combine streamer and DAC and isolate everything, especially the power supply, using a milled aluminium case. Holo do that with their RED streamer. Linn were doing it in 2010.
PS Audio is not alone in not doing so, but at the very least I would expect to see a shielded power supply.
Thank you. Now I get it.
PS Audio PWD and DSD Mk1 DACs have internal streaming cards, made by ConversDigital. I suspect it was excluded from the Mk2 in part because PS Audio was developing a separate streamer at the time. It was abandoned, so the latest ConversDigital streaming card was put in an external box to create the AirLens.
If Paul wanted the Mk2 DAC to have an internal streaming card, I assume he would have told Ted Smith to put it in. What sort of a company lets an external consultant like Ted Smith decide the specification?
I bought a new streamer/DAC last week. I bought Lumin. The PSA Mk2 DAC did not get on my shortlist because I want a combined unit, plus I donāt have space for two boxes. The fact is that streamer/DAC/pre are very popular components.
Congratulations on your purchase!
Please let us know your thoughts. Can I respectfully suggest you donāt do so in the Holo Red Impressions thread?
Lots of people have been getting Lumin streamers for Mk2 DACs given the bias against USB seems to have melted away. The RED is an I2S option. What helped me was a review suggesting there was little difference between their Lumin T3 and the Holo Spring 3 fed from Lumin.
Given my hifi rack is transparent, red and gold ruled Holo out. My wife and I are pretty much allergic to anything gold or brass coloured and all shiny metals.
Iāve never really got that excited about standalone DACs. I had a PS Audio one for 2 or 3 years, another DSD one for a few weeks. Thatās it in 40 years of audio. They are well down my list of critical components.
Just to be clear, the HOLO Red does NOT have a digital to analogue converter (DAC) in it. AFAIK, it can serve as a digital to digital converter (DDC) or an ethernet network bridge. It functions as a āstreamerā in this manner (either DDC or Bridge, but not both at the same time).
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I suspected this space would come in handy. 
So upon further listening to the Red, and the PST, my updated consensus is that the PST does present a better musical experience - for me anyway. Now, having said this it could all come down to the HDMI cables being used. The Dragon 48 is on the PST and the WW Platinum 7 on the Red.
The Red produces a slightly more āpercussiveā presentation, with the sense that itās providing slightly more HF harmonics to the space. However, it seems slightly less dynamic, and a bit āflatterā. Note when I say slight, I mean slight. The PST just comes across as slightly more musically natural.
I may try swapping cables to see if it all comes down to that. For the money Iād rate the Red a great bargain. If I didnāt have an electron microscope on the listening the differences wouldnāt be that great.
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No āmay,āā¦ only āwill,āā¦ testing thoroughness demands it, haha, and you want to know whether it is components or cables for sure ; )
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Yes, we are all crazy audiophiles. 
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Based on the fact that the PST retails for slightly less than nine times the price of the Red it should in theory āshouldā sound better all things equal. But from having tried three different USB cables with the Red I found that the sound of the Red did change somewhat with different cables. Also quite a significant price difference in the two cables.
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Agreed, but in my estimation the PST is not nine times better than the Red, however one may choose to measure that.
Oh I agree with you as Iām not among the group that thinks cost is always an indicator of build quality or performance. Or for that matter great reviews from major publications of gear by advertisers.
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I think itās a really fresh release. When checking different European sites, pricing is about equal to USA, delivery might be within two weeks. The product seemes to have balanced outputs and no optional external fuse upgrades, BTW. Additional review:
Iād say, almost too good to be true. On the other hand, who knows!
Edit:
- Supposed to be posted in the āMk2 what streamerā post
- Iām a bit surprised that its OS is based on Android 11. For the rest, promising specs!