I’m just curious …has anyone ever compared these two incredible DAC’s ?
I’m getting the itch to try/own a Directstream…my only apprehension is that I’m happy with what I have…but we always want more don’t we?
My needs are quite simple…I just need a DAC to convert flac files from my Aurender n100C.
Any and all opinions would be greatly appreciated.
BTW- Are there any great specials with PS Audio currently ? I know their factory direct now…just wondering.
When the new DAC is released there will be a good number of discounted used DSDs for sale, a good time to buy.
When I was shopping for D/A I had the chance to extensively compare the Yggdrasil with the DS Junior (this was many peaks ago but in general Snowmass is the on I liked the most).
I preferred the DSJ as a bit less sterile, less analytical than the Yggy. Tough call but I went for the Junior. I would expect the “senior” (DirectStream) to be not a whooooooole lot, but considerably better than the Yggy.
I went from Yggy to DS Sr., had the Yggy for about 2 years, it did not sound better than my turntable setup so started searching for alternatives. Read positive reviews on DS Sr. so bought it 2 years ago, happy with the sound, still not better than the turntable but sounded more “analog” than the Yggy. I did not upgrade to the Analog 2 board for the Schiit so not a fair comparison to the latest version. I did do the transformer/ext. power supply mod on the DS Sr., went through a long and ugly burn-in process but now my digital set-up is on par with the analog set-up, with certain recordings, DS Sr. sounds better. I would highly recommend waiting for the discounted first gen. DS Sr. then doing the upgrades.
Had upgraded from the Schiit Yggdrasil Analog 2 USB gen 5 to the DirectStream DAC back in May 2019 after getting a great deal from a vendor. Both units had high quality USB implementation from my Sonore ultraRendu. A considerable amount of break in time was required for these units.
Loved the ramped up fixed class A output from the Yiggy. It provided a fullness to the sound which did not dissipate as quickly when extending from the speakers. The sound signature is very conventional - unlike that of the Grace Design m920 preamp/DAC which it had replaced.
The Grace Design m920 had a much blacker background, was more dynamic, and with its PCM filter running in Minimum Phase roll off, provided excellent bass definition. A truly outstanding unit. Yet compared to the Yiggy or the DS DAC, it seemed some sounds may have been suppressed. The digital signal coming through the Grace’s mini-USB input was not implemented as well compared to the Yiggy or DS DAC.
The DirectStream DAC has much better instrument separation than these other components. Far more revealing. Every little detail is highlighted. Later adding the Audioquest Thunder power cord to this DAC was worth every cent. It added to the control of the sound. Cannot figure out a sound signature for the DirectStream DAC. Seems the music is just there.
For its detail, accuracy and neutrality, to my ears and with my equipment, I thought the DS DAC was a good, worthwhile improvement over the Yiggy. I highly recommend a good preamp with the DS DAC. IMHO a Schiit Yggdrasil Analog 2 with a quality preamp easily surpasses the sound quality of a DirectStream DAC used without a preamp.
Like other posters on this thread have suggested, would recommend waiting for this DAC to be (hopefully) discounted when the new DAC comes out. That way can take advantage of the 30 day free trial.
Interesting you said you should run the DS through a quality Preamp. What benefits will occur?
An excellent preamp will take total control of an amplifier and get the best quality from it. It is much more than a switching box with a straight gain. I did experiment with running the DS DAC directly to my Bob Latino VTA m125 mono block tube amps. The sound quality could not come close to running it through my modified VTA SP14 tube preamp first.
Also had previously trialed the BHK Preamp and BHK 250 amp units. The quality going through the BHK Preamp first was much higher than plugging the DirectStream DAC directly into the BHK 250 amp.
With a good preamp, you will take advantage of what your amplifier(s) and DS DAC can do. The music will be much more lifelike with much better accuracy.
This is a link to Jay’s Audio Lab with his take on the top 10 audio myths. About 10 minutes into the Youtube video, he discusses why having a good preamp is better than running a DAC directly into an amp:
Hope this helps 