How would a fully modded DSD compare with the upcoming DSD Mk2? It has been discussed before for sure but I thought I would ask. I am about to get back my DSD modded with Edcor XS4400 transformers and JKRICHARDS analog power supply board powered by a Keces P3. I will also be getting SR purple fuses 2 in the dac and 1 in the Keces. I will be getting a [Furutech](http
://www.furutech.com/) NCF iec for the dac as well. How will my modded dac compare with the new DSD Mk2?
I am not sure who might be able to answer this question. . . the MK2 is a ways off, none of the fanbase can have heard it, and staff may be reticent to reply if they could.
I think you only need one fuse for the DSD, the other is basically a spare.
Most of the parts in the Mk II are upgrades and those changes add up. Also the FPGA code is noticeably cleaner and those changes wonât fit back in the DSâs FPGAs.
The changes in ground lift options in the Mk II will make a huge difference in some systems, less in others. The changes to the attenuators are much more transparent in sound quality. The changes in the power supply are substantive even compared to the outboard power supplies that are being used with the current DS.
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I thought there is only one fuse that is active in the DS Sr.
That could be. Someone else told me that. I suppose I will have a spare. No worries.
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Yes, just 1 fuse is active. Canât remember which one though. Sorry
Just the digital fuse is active.
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Any one who purchased one of our Power Supply Boards are lucky they purchased it when they did. Including myself. I priced out another batch and the cost has doubled. Any one considering selling one, I would recommend a price of at least $300.00. New or used doesnât matter as they are no longer made. Actually they are considered rare now.
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Glad I took the opportunity to pick one up when I did.
Donât have an external PSU yet,
but it was a good step forward to long term maximising the performance of my DS Dac.
*Could have swore there was a bump in performance even just after fitting it?
No idea why, filtering on the board?
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Did you remove a Bridge card when you installed it?
The Power Board goes in the Expansion port therefore you cannot have the bridge installed. Anyone doing these mods should know not to use that noisy Bridge card. The Expansion card slot is better suited for the Power Board if you want the best sound.
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That would account for the sonic difference.
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That was my point in asking. 
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Hi,
I did the modifications but still have the Bridge installed in my DAC. If I surrounded the Bridge card and covered the cable with the 3M RF/EMI shielding paper (AB6005S) does that reduce the noise(or is the noise within the Bridge circuitry)?
I have the FARAD power supply outside the DAC enclosure and plugged directly into the analogue board. A P20 powers up the Farad before the DAC starts up. The Edcore upgrade was installed by a professional.
I would like to keep the bridge because I donât know of a way to hook the internet cable into the DAC.
Thanks,
Alan
I had removed and sold my Bridge card a while back,
in anticipation of AirLens.
Noticed an improvement removing the Bridge card before it was sold.
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I should have my fully modded dac with Keces P3 power supply by Monday or Tuesday! Very exciting.
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What is the safest way to power on my dac and power supply from cold. I am thinking connecting all the cables, the turning on the power supply and then power on the dac digital last. Is this correct?
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Powering on the DAC last works fine. (Technically the DAC has to be powered on before a couple of seconds after the analog power supply comes up, but powering on the DAC last is fine and then you donât need to hurry to power up the analog board.)
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Do you have the Power Supply Controller Board installed? If so I would recommend powering on the External Power Supply first (If you want to run off the external supply) otherwise the DAC will function as a factory unit using the internal power supply until the external supply is power on and connected.
Hello colleagues after many months of silence. I will present my DSD modifications.
My English is poor (I use a dictionary), so I will keep using short sentences. The attached photos should make my ideas easier to understand.
Improving the efficiency of power supply.
Analog PCB. Attach 4 1000uF capacitors to the 12 V power line. 2 x 1000uF is the minimum.
Analog PCB. Attach a 220 uF capacitor in parallel to each C700.
Digital PCB. Attach 2 1000uF capacitors to the 5 V power line. 1 x 1000uF is the minimum.
The effectiveness of the modification can be checked immediately. Solder the wire to the board ground, the other solder to the negative terminal of the capacitor. Without disabling DSD, short-circuit and open the wires while listening to music.
I only use Nichicon KZ series capacitors. In several power supplies I compared them with the Panasonic FR, each time the KZ gave a much better sound. KZ are large, but in the absence of space it is better to use 470 uF KZ than 1000 uF FR.
I also modified the power supply. I installed Spakos voltage regulators and switched the display power to an unused voltage regulator.
In my system, the output buffers make a very big change. Previously, they were mounted on OPA1632 op amps and were outside the DSD. Currently, buffers are assembled on Spakos SS3602 discrete op amps and placed inside the DSD. The buffers need a symmetrical power supply, so I installed a transformer and a +/- 12 V power supply with Hypex HP (N) R12 voltage regulators.
Sparkos SS3602 sound much better than all monolithic op-amps. I also used Sparkos SS3602 in my active 3-way crossover.
IMO, the DSD output impedance should be as low as possible, so the R 705-R708 resistors at the transformer output (even in my circuit with a buffer) should be shorted. The output attenuator will stop working, but there is nothing to regret, the attenuator spoils the sound.
Following my colleaguesâ footsteps, I tried EMI absorbers, but used TDK IFL 16-100NB , which is more effective at low frequencies.
IMO, the electromagnetic field of power transformers is harmful. I did not notice the influence of high frequencies - I put a 2.4 / 5 GHz router on the DSD, it did not affect the sound.
When checking the effect of the absorbers, I placed IFL 16 sheets between the power supply and the rest of the circuit, which improved the sound. From plexiglass, gluing the elements, I quickly made an L-shaped screen and glued it with absorber sheets.
The inside of the DSD casing was covered with a total of 5 absorber sheets.
Similarly, I modified the DMP Transport - Nichicon KZ capacitors, IFL 16-100NB absorbers.
But even with the absorbers inside the DMP and DSD, the placement of 5-10 sheets of IFL 16-100NB on the housing (preferably on the right) of the DSD, DMP and P5 greatly improves the sound. It is possible that the absorbers will not have the same effectiveness in every installation, so I attach a photo showing the setup of my equipment.
The absorbers cleaned the sound, it became dynamic and precise (especially in the lower frequency range). However, it influenced the tonal balance, which I restored by lowering the low frequency level in the active crossover by 1.5 dB - I have a crossover frequency of 200 Hz.
I do not recommend placing the absorbers close to the output transformers or the multi-wire cable connecting the digital board with the analog board - they spoil the sound.
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