Snowmass DSD Sr. - Sound Characteristics and Perceptions

DirectStream Senior Snowmass 3.05 is the lates firmware for the DirectStream Sr. DAC.

I was using Ayon Stealth DAC with Ayon Spirit amp before introducing DS. Huge difference. Snowmass seems to be very sterile compared to Ayon Stealth.

As the Stealth is a tube based DAC it will be a huge difference. Apples to Oranges.

We often optimize our systems to the components we are using (why would we do anything else) so when we add a new component it pays to revisit other things in our system, expecially those we might have put in just for the old component.

I donā€™t know if youā€™ve said or not, but if your DS is new thereā€™s a considerable burn-in ahead before the DS really comes into itā€™s own.

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The DSD with Snowmass is anything but sterile, even compared to Ayon CD player, but that didnā€™t happen overnight. The DAC took over 1000 hrs to break-in, and the Snowmass firmware update also took considerable time to settle in. On top of that it also took me time to fine tune my system to the new DSD DAC. I havenā€™t heard the Ayon Stealth DAC, but I can confidently say the DSD in my system is better than my Ayon CD player in every way.

Burning this Brand new baby in seems to be the way to go ! Best regards from Brazil guys!!!

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Already gaining body and passing emotion to my VR44. Very promising!

The closest comparison of the two, Stealth vs. DS, came from HiFi Advice while the DS was using Torreys (or maybe Yale - not so clear from the photos). Iā€™d love to find a way to compare the Snowmass DS with a burned in Stealth or Stratos, but there are those pesky no return clauses or hefty restocking fees.

Directstream sr feeded with Bluesound vault 2 using black cat coaxial digital cable is sending magic to Ayon Stealth dac used as pure class A pre amp plus Ayon Spirit integrated as direct amp !

Surreal sound here with Von Schweikert VR44 aktive !

Telefunken KT88 tubes are reproducing new nuances and finally I am able to see every musician.

With just one week of burn in !!!

Waiting now to receive the bridge II card to compare against the Bluesound MQA magic.

Anyway, pure magic with Tidal 24/96 masters MQA !

Bye, bye vinil !!!

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SM is the devil is in the details personalised!

Now, I cannot live without it. Coming back to PCM/DSD DACs like my Ayon Stealth, Esoteric X03 or even Bluesound full MQA is not enough to my brain searching for the devilish SW details.

So are you saying you prefer the PSA DSD dac to the Ayon Stealth dac?

Depending on the recording. SM is unforgiving. Garbage in, garbage out.

Stealth is more romantic.

Having owed an Ayon 07s CD player, I know what you mean. Ayon seems to editorialize more, which can help smooth out some of the nastiest in less than ideal recordings.

Exactly!

Although I havenā€™t heard the Ayon Stealth, it seems worth pointing out that the comments here about it largely echo the HiFi Advice review linked above when the Stealth was used as a dac alone in conjunction with another preamp. But when the reviewer used it as both a dac and preamp feeding an amp, it was a whole different story. Taken together with his earlier DS review (thru Yale), which he considered the best solid state dac heā€™d heard, it became largely a matter of the kind of sound one prefers. His preference was for tube models, which he found (finds) more musically enjoyable.

You may as well start crafting the ā€œFor Saleā€ ad for that Bluesound. The Bridge II will handily stomp the Bluesound. Youā€™ll be in for a treat.

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I do hope so! But Bluesound does not need Roon

Bridge II does not require Roon either. You can use Mconnect or BubbleUp UPnP.