As well as being better than the original DS the DS Mk II will potentially be a new dac every year (new FW)!
The DS has been very special in this regard and the recent hardware mods are a final bonus prize for those who dare. It will be strange after all this time not to have any more updates. But what a ride.
Hi @tedsmith , why optional Galvanic isolation? is this a cost choice at purchase time? If not then what disadvantage is there in having it, I.e. why is it optional?
There are some cables that presume one end or the other is grounded for shielding reasons. A shielded cable needs at least one end grounded.
And, in principle, every system is different, I don’t want to presume that galvanic isolation will always sound better for every possible connection. Perhaps some item in a system runs off of a battery and can’t cause a ground loop. It may be better to ground it than leave it floating - if two galvanically isolated devices drift apart in their local ground potential, they may drift far enough that the common mode noise can’t be actively canceled (if one end uses an opamp instead of a transformer.)
I’ll stop since the above doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. I should probably get back to bed
Currently using the HDPlex 300, which feeds 12 vdc to Ted’s pcb, 12 vdc to Synology NAS and 9vdc to Sotm switch. I use a dedicated 120 vac 15 amp line to power my HDPlex 300.
Tested various AC power cords with the HDPlex 300, and they made a difference. Also, its stock DC cables are ok, but limiting. Oyaide and Canare DC cables seem to do a better job and do not cost arm & leg.
Around message # 1566 ish a few of the members discussed burn-in times, but I haven’t seen a discussion about best burn-in methods. In another thread Ted said:
“If you don’t turn it off with the back panel switch it’s sill burning in, it will take less time if you keep music (or a burn-in track) at it’s inputs 24/7, no need to have the output connected or disconnected. If you are using a preamp just mute the DS when you don’t want to hear it.”
Ted was writing about burning-in a brand new Directstream, not just new transformers.
If I have the unit “on” (the back switch), and have the attenuator engaged; is that sufficient? I would prefer not to play my transport for 150-200 hours just to burn-in new transformers, but I will if it’s necessary, or better.
Also, what about downstream?
Having the attenuator engaged will hasten the transformer burn-in. Having music playing (or white noise for that matter) will speed it up. The two together are much better than each one alone.
