My Junior is two weeks old…. Tips for noobs and update on sound…Foobar
In short, I am really enjoying this unit and happy I purchased it …. But all was not good at the start as it needs to burn in.
Mostly, I play 44.1 CDs ripped bit-for-bit to my NAS with a smattering of higher-rez formats. I do not use any streaming services. The link to the Junior is via USB out of my computer where I play using Foobar (see below for more details on this hookup). I have no desire right now to use ethernet or other network tools/players/controllers. I have three DACs in my system right now, a Benchmark DAC1 USB, An Accuphase DP-55V, and the PS Audio Junior.
The sound: I already had a very very analog and music DAC, and Accuphase DP-55V so the bar was very high. Don’t let anyone tell you that if your DAC is old, the technology has advanced and the old one is no good. My Accuphase was out circa 2002 for about $4,800 and was/is one of the most musical and analog DACs I have ever heard (the Ayre products were actually a bit better to my ear). So I really took a chance by ordering the Junior. The Junior is better than the Accuphase in all ways … but not by much.
If your DAC is say like my Benchmark DAC1 USB, then you will be very happy with the Junior. I purchased the Benchmark because I thought, given the years gone by, it would be way better than my Accuphase and the reviews were very complimentary of the unit. Blah. It is hard to find any technical fault with the Benchmark but it just sounds a bit flat, lifeless and not real musical.
The Junior beats all other DACs I have heard in that it has more resolution…. More space… and remains natural sounding…. Note that most of my listening is 44.1 bit-for-bit rips from my CDs. To be fair to my Accuphase, it does not “blow it away”…. Nope but it does a bit more good all around. Throw in the versatility on way many ways to hook it up, play virtually any format, and this is a great machine. Images are bit wider, there is more air, and I can follow individual instruments easier. I attribute this to just more resolving power. It does this without being bright.
TIPS for the NOOB: This unit requires burn in. Keep in mind, I have a world class DAC already, so the bar was high. Here is what I recommend you do when you buy a new DirecStream DAC (I am assuming a USB hookup):
1 – Immediately, read PS Audio’s USB setup http://www.psaudio.com/ps_how/how-to-fix-usb-connectivity-issues-with-dacs/ and load the PS Audio USB driver
2a – If you have Foobar (other player should have similar settings), select File/Preferences/Playback/Output/Device “DSD : KS : PS Audio USB 2.0 Output” (there will be another PS Audio driver, but the DSD will allow all formats), turn your volume to 100 and never use it (I hide it) and remove all sound processors from File/Preferences/Playback/DSP Manager…. Active DSP list should be blank…. Nothing. File/Preferences/Playback Replay Gain should be None/None, 0.0/0.0. In other words, “turn off all that greasy kid stuff”.
2b – The driver does “kernel streaming” which means Foobar takes complete control of the sound in your PC out to the USB. You will no longer hear your PC beep or play stupid cat videos on YouTube. If you want to hear this stuff, and I do, I installed a small cheepo set of powered speakers hooked to my PC’s soundcard ports. Then open windows volume control where you can select an output device. Do not select the PS Audio drivers or Foobar (or your player) will not work. You can now hear your Junior via Foobar via USB and now hear your computer beep or YouTube coming from your cheapo speakers all at the same time.
3 – Run a bit perfect test using BOTH PS Audio test files. This will ensure your settings in your player and in Windows device manager are correct. Follow the instructions here: http://www.psaudio.com/ps_how/how-to-run-a-bit-perfect-test-with-directstream/
Test files here (note the Junior will display an “B” in the upper right if bit perfect): http://www.psaudio.com/support/downloads/
Read my post here where I had an issue and Ted’s responses: Ripping DSD from SACD
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Wait two weeks before passing judgement on the Junior. Ted gives some advice on how to burn in faster, see link above in my post. I played the unit every evening and most of the full days on the weekends to get it to sound “correct”.
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I used a few different cables and hook ups … I go from my PC via USB to a Mutec 1.2 where I can hook all three of my DACs at once using different hook up methods. Then I can A/B/C them with just a button on my PrimaLuna HP Integrated Amp…. Anywho… I never heard any difference with cables. None. I tried optical and found it would not pass higher rez files… see my link above with Ted’s response.
My initial impression was not good. The unit was “cold” and I just installed it…. Did not even have thermal stability. My heart sank…. The bass was missing… the sound flat…. The highs were just not right. Oh oh…… in 24 hours the thing started perking up and sounded OK…. Bass was still missing. I began to think my Accuphase may have more bass bloom…… but in a solid two weeks, the bass is there and good, equal with my Accuphase now. To try and understand the unit better, I played some test sweeps I have on a few test CD I own. A Focal test CD has some sweeps in bass, mid, treble areas so I could sweep the bass and compare across my three DACs. The Junior was definitely not right in the beginning.
In sum…… I am very happy with Junior now… I can find no fault with it. The hardest thing for DACs to do is be musical. I can’t tell you, technically, what this means, but some units (expensive ones) can have it but I never heard an inexpensive device have this quality…. You just have to write a big check.
OK, some anecdotal fun stuff:
Play Gimme Shelter with headphones (I have Grado RS-2s)… no, the Junior won’t make a muddy Stones recording good, but it is fun to hear the instruments more clearly and Mick and Merry’s voices separate. Cool.
For killer stereo, play Nina Simone’s first record Little Girl Blue… I have it on SACD…. Almost too much stereo for headphones. Fun.
For audiophile test records… I have three I play. Not for the music but for the recordings: Jennifer Warnes “The Hunter” only tracks “Rock you Gently” and “Way Down Deep” (Her album Famous Blue Raincoat with all Leonard Cohen tunes is really a good album and Stevie Ray Vaugh plays on “First we Take Manhatten”)… Casino Royal is out on CD and is a good transfer… “The Look of Love” is a famous audio nerd track…… Then both for the music and the imaging try Dave Brubeck “Unsquare Dance” off of “Time Further Out”…. There is some studio expander/compression or noise gates going on in there but it is just a great tune in 7 time and has killer imaging and detail.
A note on my Accuphase…. The unit is a CD player with digital “ins”. I found out the digital ins did not buffer and re-clock the signal so it was really subject to awful jitter issues. I contacted Accuphase to confirm my suspicions. I solved for this by installing a Mutec 1.2 between it and my computer. Prior to the Mutec, I used an Audio Alchemy device for jitter reduction.
I hope this helps some folks.
Peace
Bruce in Philly