It has just come to my attention that there are mods to the Directstream dac Sr that can be done which greatly improves the sound of the dac. Does anyone know where these mods can be done in Canada or where in the US they can be done for Canadian consumers? The idea of modding my Directstream dac is intriguing.
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Try Dan at DTS Electronics in Hamilton, ON. I think someone here had him do it and should be simple for him. Also try Chris at Parts Connexion as he is a PSA dealer and his techs may do it if they’re not swamped.
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It has been asked in a previous forum post for sure but to save reading thousands of posts… Is there advantage to getting original Directstream dac fully modified or is there advantage to getting the Directstream dac Mk2 when it is available? My instinct tells me to get my current Directstream modified.
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My Hometown Hamilton ! 
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One option will cost a couple of hundred and the other probably North of $7k when it shows up.
Dan Santoni at DTS Electronics (here in Hamilton, ON) installed the Edcor audio output transformer upgrade in my DirectStream DAC a few months ago. A week ago Dan installed the JKRichards outboard analog LPS board for me as well.
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I’ve already sent Dan an email. I wonder if I can get it done locally in BC but it would be worth shipping fee for the experience that DTS has from previous units. How much was both upgrades with parts and labour?
I’ve been dealing with Dan and am waiting for parts to be delivered to him before I ship him my dac. I am extremely pleased and excited and I know that I am in the very best of hands. I am very excited for all of this and at this point it’s just a matter of time.
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hi , can you tell how was the sound’s upgrade and how much does it cost ?
All that info is available in the lengthy Modding the DirectStream DAC thread. You only need to read through the past year’s worth of posts to find descriptions of the specific mods the DS Dac’s designer, Ted, recommends as being worthwhile along with many member’s accounts of sourcing the necessary parts, performing the mods, and the sonic end results. The contents of that thread are a far more useful resource than any single person’s experiences.
If you live in Southern Ontario and are triple vaxxed, you would be welcome for a (masked) visit to my home for a several hour visit. FYI though, I have only performed the Edcor output transformer mod and the JK Richards plug n’ play power supply board which an outboard analog LPS. There are several other mods with “audiophile” fuses, Furutech chassis mount IEC replacement, etc that I have not bothered with.
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Did you do the 3m 7050 block mod?
Nope, just the Edcor transformers and the JK Richards card with a ZeroZone 12V 3A LPS.
It’s very kindly but i am too fare away from you unfortunately 
what i see is that many peoples are very pleased whit de mods . i just email Dan and i am waiting for his come back.
cheers .
All the parts are now with the technician. I just have to send him the dac to complete the work. Very exciting. My digital will be down a couple of weeks but it will be worth it. Anticipation and my tuner should hold me a couple of weeks.
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The tuner has in fact held me for a week but I will have my fully modded dac and Keces P3 power supply Monday or Tuesday.
I expect my modded Directstream dac and Keces P3 power supply tomorrow. I am very excited for it. My digital has been down for 2 weeks but my tuner has held me well. Apparently with what I have had done to my Directstream dac I should be good for a few years to come especially with the Dragon HDMI cable and the Wel Signature AES/EBU cable.
The modded dac is incredible! If you are in Canada and are looking for a good technician to do work I must highly recommend Dan Santoni in Hamilton Ontario. He did the work on my dac and I could not be happier. Highly recommended!
I’ve had the transformers for six months and was being lazy. One of my audio dealer friends has done the replacement for customers and offered to do it for me. It took a week only because of logistics and a weekend. Exceptional work. It does sound good with the transformers and power supply. Hopefully it’s a lesson learned for PS Audio for the DSD Mk II. Don’t skimp on the important areas!
I have a feeling from what I have read that PS Audio is going to extrapolate from the mods on the Directstream and try to do it even better. I think it a tall order not to mention very expensive. The DS Mk2 should be nice. I consider myself lucky to be able to have got the mods I have done to my Directstream. It will be interesting to see how the Mk2 compares to the original Directstream dacs fully modded.