It’s been about a month now with my new PST and DAC MkII, replacing the two prior latest same items.
Early days. Sound quality is much better. However:
I seem to have some pops / crackles (almost indistinct) when playing some downloaded DSD files.
The PST seems to be a lot less tolerant of mixed-variety .FLAC, APE (etc) files burnt to DVD; as well as the qty of files, than the DMP.
BTW: I do have the latest Massive loaded, and my PST - having left the factory in Dec, seems to have a later firmware than the latest one listed on the download site.
3.1.0 for the PST Tony? Sorry if I misunderstood I checked the PST’s firmware not the DAC’s. The DAC I’m pretty sure is the latest firmware - I’ve upgraded it myself and checked. It’s the PST that (to me) seems to have a later firmware than the website’s.
You’ll want to be sure you have latest firmware AND fpga versions selected on the mk2, as the fpga won’t automatically update even when loaded, i.e. you have to select the fpga version from the menu after it’s been loaded. Just a thought…
You are not the only one hearing this static. Received both these units in December. Have the same firmware versions as you do (2.4.5). When playing DSD on a SACD, it sounds great at first. Then hear the electronic popping/snapping after 16-17 minutes. If I pause the playback, the static stops - then immediately restarts when resuming play mode.
If I hard boot or soft boot the PST, the noise goes away for another 16-17 minutes. If I pause the SACD disc, hit the i2s 2 input button, then go back to the i2s 1 button and hit play, the music resumes from where I paused it and is clear for another 16-17 minutes.
This also was occurring before the Massive firmware update. Lifting the input ground on the DS DAC Mk 2 and swapping the HDMI cable had no effect.
Had reported this to PS Audio on Monday. Am the third person to report this. They discussing this with engineering - and Morris will contact me later today. Thank you PS Audio for your prompt support. Will keep everyone updated…
Interesting. I reported to Ted a while back via PM that my PST with 2.4.4 only rarely is causing this white noise static. It’s only after the PST has been on for literally weeks - or even months. Power cycling the PST fixes it. I wonder if 2.4.5 is making this worse?
In your communication with PSAudio support ask what their thoughts are about a component having a thermal failure. Your time to failure indicates a possible heat related failure.
Tony, I suspect that the “static pops” that Walt is referring to, and that I’ve also mentioned, is different (though it may be related) from the “white noise” you are referring to. Though I did not mention it, I also had the “white noise” issue once, and it was terrible. A power recycle also fixed that for me. With the DSD static pops issue yeah it is irritating but one can at least listen and the music still sound fantastic.
I really hope this can be fixed because it’s my only real concern about this otherwise fantastic duo. I’ve mentioned in my opening post that “The PST seems to be a lot less tolerant of mixed-variety .FLAC, APE (etc) files burnt to DVD; as well as the qty of files, than the DMP” - but I can live with that. Would still be nice to hear if anyone else experience it.
Received an email from Morris today. Per his request I downloaded version 2.4.4 on my PST. Then I played the DSD layer of the SACD disc Say Something from Octive records. The “static pops” came back. again after 16-17 minutes of playing. So the 2.4.5 firmware was not at fault. He sent a second email with a link for reloading my 2.4.5 - and saying will consult with the engineers on what to do next.
These “static pops” are far different from any white noise - which I did not experience, Tony. They are also low in volume. Mostly I cannot hear them unless the music is fading at the end of a track - or when playing lower volume musical passages. Some users may not notice this is happening with their SACD playback.
Totally agree with PLCOMP that this duo sounds awesome together. The DirectStream DAC Mk 2 also sounds great playing Tidal through its USB connection from my Sonore ultraRendu
Will keep everyone posted on what is next. Hope to hear from others on this forum who are experiencing the same static. Thank you for your work on resolving this PS Audio.
Yes - it did get resolved. Turns out the Perfect Wave SACD transport was fine. The trouble was in the Direct Stream DAC Mk 2. PS Audio was eventually able to isolate and correct this trouble. I sent in my DAC Mk 2 and they repaired my unit. It’s working like a charm with zero snaps and pops. PS Audio covered all the shipping costs.
Not know what the trouble was - nor what they did to fix it.
Please contact PS Audio and they will get your DAC Mk 2 taken care of. Good luck with your repair
And thank you for your excellent service, PS Audio
My fault. I thought we were talking about DS MkII. Let me go check…
