Agreed on DSJ still very happy with it… I will probably get the Airlens to see what SQ improvement I can get with that combo. Not prepared to spend the bigger bucks on MKII. Can’t see the point of going from DSJ to MK1 either.
I think all this is one more reason to believe we are truly living in a golden time in audio history. So many exciting high value choices in just about any category you can name. Be it DACs, streamers, power amps, preamps, speakers- you name it. It’s a wonderful time to be in this hobby.
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I could not agree more.
SEE
I purchased the DirectStream DAC MK2 and the AirLens at the same time. Maybe 15 hours of break in. I am thrilled. Will it really get better?
Waiting for the FR-20s and AudioQuest Dragon 48. My goal is an all PS Audio system.
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But i think the AL works with Tidal connect and similar, right? So you could just point your tidal account at the airlens using your phone or tablet, and you don’t need a computer…
right?
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Right.
Ah good to know. I have not even tried anything like that. I use Roon
I am using MControl and streaming from Tidal right now.
Just download the MControl app to your telephone or iPad.
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Once you have MControl, bottom right hand corner, hit Play to. Pick AirLens.
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A few years ago, one of my pieces of PS audio gear stopped working; it was fine one night, the next it was a brick. I wasn’t aware of any electrical issue in my house that might have caused this. Of course I started thinking about the expense and risk of sending it back to Boulder. But a quick trip to the hardware store solved the problem. That’s why I would like the ability to replace a fuse. Yes, it’s fun to play with fuses to improve SQ (which I have done), but more important is just keeping the gear running.
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Doing the same with Qobuz and vTuner.
and supposedly Qobuz Connect arrives within next few months…
BestBuy just wrote me that Tidal is cancelling subscriptions via BestBuy at the end of September. We pay $10 a month now for a family on HiFi-Plus. Tidal want $30 a month instead. This they will not get from me. I still buy downloads from Qobuz. So their Sublime discount will make sense for me now.
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Short answer: Yes.
Longer answer: I own both pieces and in my experience there has been great improvement over the first couple hundred hours, with some thereafter. Many people here have shared similar experiences. Of course, YMMV.
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I recently upgraded from the DSJ to the DSD MkII and the improvement in SQ was very noticeable. Like you, I also noticed the noise floor in the DSJ and also like you felt that it still bested every other dac (in my price range) I compared it to in my home. So it stayed in my main rig for many years until the new MkII came out. I also hated how hot the DSJ ran - unnecessary in my opinion. The new MkII runs cool, sounds better (and if I’m honest probably still has a nigher noise floor than I’d prefer). Something about the PSA approach to dac designing makes them sound musical while also having more noise than competing designs I guess.
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One nice thing is that with new digital releases, if there are both CD-res and high-res versions of the same album, the high-res costs less under the Sublime membership.
I do buy high-res but I’m wondering if I’m really buying enough to justify sticking with the Sublime package. My dilemma now is whether to drop that and get a Studio Duo (two-person account) for the house, or just change the Sublime into a Duo account ($7.50/month more). The price for Studio Duo is the same as Sublime Solo (one person).
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I’ve been under the impression that the newer FPGAs in the DS2 were chosen since they were lower in noise, and also, that the number of FPGAs used reduces the noise floor. The DS2 is so far out of my budget that I probably couldn’t get one for several years now. We’re trying to rearrange finances and downsize substantially so we can relocate. At least with the DS1, I have a couple dozen old audio-related things to purge and can get enough from the sale of those, and selling the Junior, to make it work.
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Quick question (not ideal but I don’t have time to read through all the threads):
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I am happily running Roon on a dedicated Roon Rock fanless NUC directly into my PSA DS Mk II and I subscribe to Qubuz.
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What is the recommended connection path with Roon? Abandon the NUC or use the NUC in conneciton with the AL?
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If I maintain use of the Roon NUC, how should I connect?
- Ethernet > NUC > DSMkII (USB)
AND - Ethernet > AL > DSMkII (i2S)
OR - Ethernet > NUC > AL (usb) > DSMk (i2S)
- Or with this set up am I supposed to wholesale abandon the dedicated processing power of the NUC?
Right now, all I am “technically” missing with my set up is the ability to stream outside of Roon (i.e. Spotify, Apple Music). I do not intend to give up Roon but am frustrated that I can’t easily manage my Spotify play lists through it, etc. I do store on a local drive also connected to my NUC.
I know … time to go back to remedial education.
Hi Girardian,
Keep your Roon Core on the NUC. No need to abandon it.
You can save yourself the cost of an AL and continue with Ethernet > NUC > DSMkII (USB). There are a number of forum members that connect this way and get good results with the improved USB input on the MkII.
However PSAudio promote I2S as a better path to their DSD DACs.
Also, Roon recommends you separate the Core and Endpoint.
Therefore Ethernet > NUC+AL > DSMkII (i2S) would be the preferred route.
Ethernet > NUC > AL (usb) > DSMk (i2S) is not an option. The AL does not have a USB input. It is a network streaming device. It connects via ethernet to the same network your NUC is on.
Hope that helps 
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