Hi all from down under.
I own a Gain Cell Dac that is being used as a pre, and a BHK 250 plus a Lumin T3 Streamer.
I am looking into getting into PMG gear. I cant afford both the PMG Preamp and the PMG DAC at the moment.
I am wondering if I should buy the DAC and put it between the Gain Cell and the Lumin and keep the Gain Cell or toss the Gain Cell and buy the PMG Pre?
Cheers
Andy
It seems to me PMG 512 can replace both Gain Cell and Lumin T3 since it has an internal streamer. I am sure it will sound much better than the combination of Gain Cell and Lumin T3.
PMG512 also has an analog volume control, which is way better than Gain Cell as a pre.
In future you can always add pre to improve the SQ more.
Ok cool.
What’s the user interface on the DAC like? Also, can I plug in my hard drive with all my local songs on it?
It does not have one like Lumin app, but it’s Roon ready. I will have mine in two day so I will know more. Mcontrol, Qobuz and Tidal play work too I believe.
I don’t think it has the capability of playing hard drive either. It’s a pure streamer, not a network player.
So, I just complicated your decision 
Sorry to interrupt, but does it see a NAS? to listen the music store?
Since PSA does not have their own software operating system for all their streamers, they rely on softwares such as Roon to control all sources including NAS.
I have not been reading about it, maybe you have. Is the streamer portion of the PMG DAC worked out? Bugs fixed?
The streamer was, for me, pretty awful for a while, but now it works quite well for what I do—Qobuz Connect and streaming from my UPnP server via the iOS/iPadOS JPlay app. The Roon folks seem satisfied, too, ever since the 512 was certified Roon Ready.
Recently, the only issues I’ve experienced have been following a Wi-Fi outage/recovery. Even though fat-fingering through the appropriate miniature icons on the display indicates that the streamer has a strong Wi-Fi signal and is connected to the internet, the 512 stops advertising itself as an endpoint for Qobuz Connect and UPnP, and spins endlessly if you have it check for new streamer firmware. My router shows that the 512 is, indeed, connected to the network.
In these cases, restarting the streamer via the display UI had no curative effect. On the first occasion, only a factory reset solved the problem, and on the second power-cycling the 512 did the trick. Whether the same thing happens with a hard-wired Ethernet connection depends on where the bug lies, but I’d guess it’s more likely than not the same thing will occur in that scenario.
I hope I haven’t made the 512’s current state of streaming health seem more dire than it is. Network outages are relatively rare, and though recovery should be automatic instead of a PITA, normally the streamer just works.
I still think PS Audio should have a simple, defined way for owners to report software bugs. Griping through a forum post seems more like ranting to your neighbor rather than taking a proactive step towards a resolution of the issue.
— Chris
My understanding was most bugs were fixed, but some still have issues obviously. I will find out myself soon. I use Roon so I expect it will work fine.
Unless it sounds superior than MU2, I will use it mainly to play SACD. We shall see.