Sooner or later I will add one or two Stealth CG line, and now I have other priority going so power cord can wait. I am quite happy about my cable assortment already, and I will take time to enjoy what I have now.
I added a Belden BAV power cord to my PerfectWave SACD Transport a year ago. While not as dramatic an improvement as I experienced with my Stella GainCell DAC, I did find the improvement was instantly noticeable. A bigger soundstage, and much cleaner sounds and greater detail.
Has anyone actually heard any difference from filter options? I just read the menu, and found out the Ground Lift option is there too.
I still hear a bit difference from the combo of PMG 512 and SACD. Even though SACD was bought four weeks before 512, I have been listening to streaming from PMG512 more often. So, both may be not done with break in yet. PMG512 just passed 400 hour mark. The sound seems to be smoother than last week.
I will start playing with filters tonight, maybe.
Alright, in my system the three filters are sounding different. I am not too crazy about F2 so far, it kills the soundstage, and music seems to loose a little dynamic too.
F3 seems to bring a bit more “kick” to the presentation, but the midrange is a bit forward than F1. I need to hear more music to decide if my initial impression is correct.
Actually I need to listen more on F2 and F3 filters since I do not know if there is additional settling time for each filter. I will stay with F3 tonight and listen more tomorrow.
Does it have an MU2 filter? 
No, but MU2 sounds not far from PMG so it can be called a F4 filter. They are that close in SQ.
Today I listened to MU2 all morning, and I love it. The streaming sounded clear and detailed, with great texture, and music was so easy to listen to in long session.
But later I listened to PMG streamer, and I love it too. I still think PMG streamer is more revealing where MU2 sounds smoother and more relaxed.
I turned to F3 and will listen to it more tomorrow. F2 so far does not excited me much. But I only listened to it for a few minutes so verdict is not final.
I wonder how that PMG’s Streamer would sound if you hooked it up via your Muon Pro and Omega rather than Wi-Fi. Could it be smoother and relaxed like the MU2? Curious minds lingering about….
An “apples to apples” comparison. That is what we strive for. Oh, and use the same power cords and Ethernet switch if in the system.
Yes! Quite a bit of work for someone else’s curiosity. Not an easy task when there are lush putting greens on the horizon.
It was my criteria when I compared the PMG 512 with the MU2 and I felt it the only way to truly assess their merits. Every component stayed the same, as well as the sources. The PMG Pre was in the chain for both as well. Love ‘em both.
In my case it’s hard to do an apple to apple comparison. If I move the cable and filter to PMG, then I can only use Qobuz control since Roon core is within MU2. Also my power cords are different too.
My original plan was to use PMG for playing discs, and MU2 for streaming. This is still the plan.
I plan to get a new generation of Shunyata (Omega-X), then I can use it at PMG to compare with WIFI at least.
Wait, I’m posting in the wrong thread again. I supposed to post the comparison in PMG512 thread. Oh well! 
UPDATE: I tried one more power cycle before calling PS Audio for service. I left the power off for 20 seconds or more and unplugged the USB thumb drive with the updated firmware on it before powering back on. This time after booting, the disc tray is working again and the emergency eject slide lever has engaged again (has resistance instead of moving freely back and forth). I’m not sure if it was due to leaving it off for more than my usual 10-15 seconds or removing the thumb drive (or both). If someone at PS Audio knows then please respond.
Just happy that I don’t need to send it in for service.
Now that both PMG SACD and 512 are fully breaking in (four weeks for 512 and eight for SACD), I think PMG SACD is a great improvement over PST, and it is not at a less degree of improvement than PMG 512 over MK2 APS in my opinion. Sometimes I even think when playing the best SACDs, I got more SQ out of PMG SACD than PMG512 (I know because I had been listening to PMG SACD with MK2 APS for a month). However, it was possible due to my unachievable expectation too. The initial WOW factor from PMG SACD was simply too great!
In the past the discs and streaming were equal in SQ (PST/MK2 vs MU2). I do not mean they sounded the same, because they don’t. But adding all pluses and minuses I could not say one is for sure better than the other. However, with the PMG combo, the best SACDs clearly sounded better than the best SQ from streaming in my system again. I happen to have a large collection of 500+ SACDs (growing still). So, my plan of improving my system more works out great this time!
On a side note, after one month of back and forth between the two streamers, I seem to enjoy MU2 a bit more. The presentation of PMG512 will grip your attention at the beginning, but listening for a longer term (like a month) MU2 has gradually won me over. It is not to say PMG sounded worse, but MU2 with the latest FW update has that soothe and ease (with great details too mind you) SQ that I seem to enjoy more.
I’m curious about comparing the exact same (say) .DSD track from (e.g.) the PMG or PST vs high quality streamer thru’ same DAC. Anyone with experience that can comment on this?
Edit: Apology; I see now that I’ve missed this part: “It is not to say PMG sounded worse, but MU2 with the latest FW update has that soothe and ease (with great details too mind you) SQ that I seem to enjoy more”
Under PMG 512 thread, I posted sometime ago that may answer your specific question better. I compared the same DSD file from internal SSD of MU2 playing from its streamer as well as from PMG512 streamer vs. the same recording in DVD disc playing from PMG SACD. The disc had a bit more “presence” than the streaming. Paul has mentioned this in one his latest Ask Paul videos, and I agree with him.
Again, PMG 512 and SACD made discs a winner again, before it was much closer.
Some people still enjoy the tactile experience of a physical book, while others have fully embraced the Kindle. Music, however, goes even further than books. There’s far more nostalgia, memory, and emotion involved — not to mention the ritual of selecting a CD or LP, handling the disc, and interacting with the equipment that brings it to life.
So, I’ll take your point and even add that PS Audio (and others like them) deserve real credit for keeping LP, CD, and SACD alive. For audiophiles and music lovers who have invested enormous amounts of money, time, and passion into their collections, this commitment truly matters.
That said, people are different.
For me, LPs and CDs simply couldn’t coexist. I dumped LPs decades ago, and the same happened with books versus my Kindle — admittedly helped along by the fact that my eyesight isn’t what it used to be, and the Kindle is far easier on the eyes.
In my case, I also seem to have shot myself in the foot. After proving to myself that downloaded FLAC or DSD files can sound just as good as the same CD or SACD played on my PST, I now have hundreds of poorly labelled, barely evaluated DVD‑Rs scattered around me. This is after more than a decade — I started this process with the original Memory Player. Even back then, I had already begun thinning out my CD collection, and I gave away all my DVDs and Blu‑rays.
Now I look at my rack — BHK 300s, BHK Pre, DS Mk II, and PST — surrounded by CDs and DVD‑Rs everywhere. And at some point, it hit me: I’m not a spring chicken anymore. It’s time to declutter. [Edit: Of course, the fact that I’ve only had my MkII and PST for 4 months before they were dropped, did not help at all. Especially when “upgradetitis” becomes a disease. With my ears going the same way than my eyes, I needed a permanent cure]
So, the DVD‑Rs go into the bin. The CDs get boxed up and donated. And an Aurender AP20 is on its way.
That alone makes the whole “how good is this versus that” debate largely moot (to me). But there’s another aspect worth mentioning. Assume the same DAC, preamp, and streamer (say, an MU2), plus an SACD transport — and compare the same DSD data played via streamer versus via SACD. It’s hard to argue that the SACD should sound better. After all, adding extra steps to the chain — a transport, another interface, another interconnect — shouldn’t logically improve the sound.
Of course, for someone with 500+ SACDs and hundreds of CDs, that argument is equally moot. In that context, it makes perfect sense to pursue the very best possible playback of those discs.
Speaking only for myself, though, CDs and DVD‑Rs are going the way of the dodo.
Totally logical. I ripped all my cds into files, but there’s no simple way to rip all my SACDs. Thanks to PS Audio that still makes top-level SACD transport and DAC, and gives some of us more options in enjoying music.
I was listening SACDs all day. The first one I put it on and I said to myself. Wow, this sounded different, where did all that details come from?
Then I switched to another one, same thing! So I kept listening to SACDs, I just could not stop. I only have 500 more to go. 
PMG SACD/512 combo is my endgame for discs. 
Today? 
