I know earlier in the thread Paul stated that one of the things holding everything up was Apple’s licensing for Airplay when he confirmed that by “Airplay,” he was referring to “Airplay2.”
Interesting update on the inputs to the MKII.
https://forum.psaudio.com/t/wishes-upcoming-psa-directstream-mkii/21746/1367?u=vkennedy61
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What software does it come with?
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The one you need.
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Note there may be an umbilical of sort between the MKII and the AirLens.
That’s intriguing.
Next up an umbilical from the DS MKII to the next gen BHK Pre?
Hi @Paul.
Would you or the team be able to cast some light on the role of the “Octave Link” in connecting up the AirLens and the DS MkII?
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Octave Link is an ideas we’ve kicked around for some time but has nothing to do with the audio or digital signal. The idea was a means of connecting together various pieces of PS equipment so one remote could easily work or other kind of communication between gear could occur.
The AiurLens will have two outputs: an I2S and an RCA (coax) for connecting to DACs. Obviously, if you have a PS or other brand of DAC with an I2S input that would be the preferred method of connecting to the AirLens output.
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I am very surprised that there’s not a USB output.
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Hi @Paul. Many thanks for getting back to me and spelling things out. Great to have the outputs of the AirLens confirmed too. Very much looking forward to its release!
Like @vkennedy61 said is this accurate? No USB out???
You’re welcome. Can’t wait. The total isolation of the internal Lens will have you scratching your head how you ever thought streaming was great. Can’t wait for people to hear this.
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If true – an interesting, but not shocking, choice, in my opinion.
I have the sense (without being able to point to actual data to support my conjecture) that USB is ubiquitous for non-audio priority reasons and, but for these reasons, it would not necessarily be the first or second choice for designers to implement.
The “reasons”, I surmise, stem from USBs implementation as a digital conveyance when computers and similar devices are in play. It was just as “easy” to use USB for 1’s and 0’s representing music as it was for 1’s and 0’s representing other data, so manufacturers went with it, without regard to any potential issues “computerized” digital music might have on the distribution and reproduction of music.
Just an opinion – one which I am not really qualified to defend, technically.
Thoughts…?
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Having the Sonore Rendu Signature SE with only fiber in and USB out, I believe to my ears, in our living room, with our system, that USB properly treated sounds as good as I2S. I tried multiple configurations that included I2S and settled on this digital pathway.
All that said, I recognize that the cost of the fiber network and the Rendu are on the high side. Especially since a DAC is also required.
Without USB the market for the AirLens becomes very narrow.
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Bear in mind that the AirLens is primarily the replacement for the Bridge 2. Its core market is the same set of PS Audio customers, but it’s going to be relevant to many more DACs with I2S input and potentially even worthwhile for some with nothing more than SPDIF.
There are already plenty of USB transports on the market. But like @scotte1 said, USB brings serious challenges for audio quality and it’s much better to avoid the expense and difficulty of remediating those on both the source and DAC ends. I’m delighted that the AirLens will be I2S-centric.
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Hi Paul, would this mean that play/pause/skip commands sent via IR to the DS DAC MkII would be relayed to the AirLens? That would be incredibly desirable from my point of view, given previous comments that indicate the AirLens won’t have an IR receiver of its own.
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Based on Ted’s comments there’s every reason to believe that USB issues have been resolved just like they have been with the Signature Rendu SE.
Hey vince…just to bounce this off you…as you may recall
my music is on a usb thumb drive plugged into my Oppo 205.
Oppo 205 feeding my DS via rca digital cable…the sound
to me is amazing…
So while I realize that I2S is on a much higher playing field,
How close in your ears are these? Comparing the same track
sections …
Thanks vince…
Best wishes
If people truly believed what Ted says, they’d all be using Toslink as the preferred input on the DS. Because there’s nothing more galvanically isolated than that. But no, most people are spending significant time and money on I2S solutions and some think USB is the way to go.
While I expect the Mk II USB interface performance to be better than the original, the USB circuitry itself generates some amount of noise inside the DAC chassis. My guess is that the AirLens I2S solution will be at least as good as any USB option with the DS (either version), but will be cheaper for not having added all the USB challenges into the mix.
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I agree with you. It’s definitely purpose built to be a fantastic source for an I2S DAC.
BTW, I am intend on getting one one to go with the MKII. I will be able to compare the Rendu via USB and the AirLens via i2S using Roon.
That’s going to be fun. 
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Don’t get too carried away with product development versus product reality. As I recall the development of the AN30 provided for all forms of claims, the realized Aspen FR30 turned out to be something all together different. Not nit picking the Aspen, but it was a radical departure from what Paul discussed and demoed at RMAF 2019.
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