I received my Directstream MKII last Friday, been just playing on mute since then. I decided to start listening today. So, first question:
When using the phase button on the remote, the icon on the screen is the
“pre-emphasis “ icon, according to the online manual… (my unit came with printed version of the PST manual)…
so, am I changing the “pre-emphasis” with the phase button on the remote? If not, why does the screen not show “normal/invert”?
Options for ground and shell lift…what seems to be the consensus on preferred settings here? It would be wonderful if one could switch these settings from the remote. Do they make an audible difference? I will do more critical testing once I get more hours on the unit.
What is the consensus on “break-in” hours? I remember my MkI needing a TON of hours to finally get right.
On my MkI I used I2s 1 input for my Auralic Aries Streamer USB to an Audio-GD DI-20HE DI that converts the USB to I2s, and the sample rate always was displayed correctly on the MkI…But, on the MKII it shows the red light in the top right corner, indicating no connection, which I have sound…and I get NO sample rate information…Any thoughts?
Maybe operator error on my part for all of the above?
I was way late to the Directstream MKII party, because of all the negative comments when the unit was first released. And…I had JK Richards work his magic on my MkI…But, I figured the last few years or so the bugs have been worked out, and with all the positive ink spilled regarding Blue Sky, I thought I would give it a chance.
I appreciate in advance any and all thoughts and help on the above questions. Thanks; Tim
Let’s do the easy one first: #3. The Mk2, like its predecessor, needs that same lengthy break-in to sound its best; I’d say 200 to 250 hours.
#4: I’m not familiar with the USB to I2S converter that you have, but it doesn’t surprise me that introducing a third party unit of this type could cause problems. With the Mk1, most people agreed that the USB interface was noticeably inferior to the I2S. The USB input was significantly upgraded in the Mk2, so I’d suggest taking out the converter and using a straight USB cable into the DAC. I bet the display will work properly and you might be quite happy with the sound.
#1: This is weird. A call to PSA technical support might be in order. The only thing I can think of could be a firmware issue. Did your unit come with the new Blue Sky firmware? If not, installing that might improve things.
#2: There is info about this here on the forum, but those observations are from earlier firmware versions. Hopefully some people who have experimented since Blue Sky was released will chime in (I haven’t).
On my DSD Mk II I don’t know what the symbol is or denotes when I hit the phase button, BUT the phase changes, which is the important thing. Does the phase seem to change when yours is depressed?
I found the Mk II to take about 500 hours or more to really sound its best. . . but it sounded pretty good after 200 hours or so.
As for ground and lift. . . it’s a very personal and probably system dependent thing. I use the PST as transport and that is galvanically isolated. . . when I lift the ground on that there is a subtle difference. . . I prefer it grounded by a hair. I prefer all the inputs and outputs grounded myself, with them lifted there is a higher frequency impact that I don’t need in my system. I can imagine systems that would benefit. Try the different configurations. I find it takes hours to really settle in when you make a change–the sound at first is not what you will hear six or twelve hours later.
There’s a lot of info on the forum about most of your questions if you want to take the time to do some reading.
Thank you both for your detailed responses. I certainly hope the Mk II improves over what I am hearing now…over time…AND, before the 30 day return window.
Truth be known my modded Mk I by JK Richards runs circles around the II at this point.
I’ll just add a few comments to the points discussed above:
When I change phase for the DS MK2 using the remote, a waveform icon appears on the screen. That appears different than what you are getting on your screen. I would not use the remote to change phase at all. Just use the buttons on the main unit to make any changes to phase or deemphasis. If either is set incorrectly, the sound will be affected significantly. Check with PS Audio about why the icons are not matching what they should.
In using the ground or lift options, I have been told that the results are very system-dependent. It was recommended to try lifting the ground on whatever input I was using while grounding any unused inputs. For some systems, the lifting of the input being used can provide some additional high-frequency “air” if that is desired. For me, I prefer keeping all inputs grounded (as does lonson, apparently). Experiment a little and see what sounds best to you.
I agree with magister, that at least a couple hundred hours of break-in is ideal.
I am using USB to connect my Innuos server/streamer to the DS MK2, and it works great. You should at least try a USB connection for your Auralic server to evaluate the sound of that connection and the accuracy of the data reported by the MK2. I’m afraid that adding the USB-to-I2S converter risks compromising the sound of your DAC, even if it didn’t cause major problems in the MK1.
Good luck with your efforts at getting the MK2 to “sing” in your system!
Thank you SDL, for sharing your observations. Once I get more hours I will experiment with ground and shell lift. Regarding changing phase any other way than remote use: personal non-starter for me. I have many cds that when they were burned using a particular burner and computer interface, the results were reversed of whatever the cd originally yielded. Far too many and far too long ago, to remember which ones. And, as I steadfastly subscribe to: MANY recordings are put on the cd, record, etc. out of phase.
So in my system, over the last 30+ years, I
have always had at least one piece of equipment that I could invert phase with the remote…sonic memory and convenience eliminates any other option, personally. So I think a phone call to PSA is in order to confirm.
My Mk II was delivered with Blue Sky, so that is one less hurdle to address, although I never had any issues/ fails upgrading my Mk I using a Mac.
Which brings me to another question.
Has any MkII users loaded ALL of various firmwares on a usb drive and used the front menu option to switch them out? In the manual it sounds fairly straightforward. It would be extra sweet if this feature could be accessible via remote control…a man can dream.
I’m sure this topic has been addressed in one of the original Mk II threads when the DAC was first released…I may have do a deep dive with the search engine.
Thanks again for All the comments and suggestions, from one of the best audio forums out there.