Good morning,
I am back to write on this forum to report the same problem of “static” always present at any volume in my audio chain.
I have known about the problem since April 2023, when I got the first unit from PS Audio.
The second one, which was replaced in July for other reasons, had the exact same static problem.
I have owned all the DACs produced by PS Audio (PerfectWave MK1 and MK2, DirectStream MK1 and MK2), and I have never had the need (they sounded divine) to add a preamplifier.
I have always directly connected the DAC (DS MK2 today) to my McIntosh amp, and since that “cursed” April, I have not been able to get rid of this annoying static that is always present.
I have several amplifiers at home:
- McIntosh MC1.25KW
- McIntosh MC611
- Parasound Halo JC5
- Parasound Halo A21+
- Parasound Halo A23+
I always had the same problem with all of them!
I tried “Neotech Amazon” silver XLR cables, “NEI-1001-MK2”, “NEI-1002-MK2” (cables cast in pure silver and gold), and I always had the same problem!
I contacted support several times, and they always promised me a firmware update that would improve the problem.
Unfortunately, this did not happen…
I tried them all:
- v2.3.6
- v2.5.1
- v2.6.2
- v3.1.0 with Massive
- v3.2.1 with Mount Blue Sky
None solved my problem.
Now I even read that some relays have been removed to try to mitigate the underlying problem.
I am speechless…
I am here again asking for help!
Hi Valerio, I suggest you tell PSA the serial number of your Mk 2 to check whether the relays have been removed. Also what is the sensitivity of your speakers?
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I have done various tests:
The static is always present…
Of course, with more sensitive speakers, the problem is even more evident.
The tests I have done were:
- McIntosh XRT1K (88db)
- Monitor Audio PL500 (91db)
- Jamo LCR TWO (89db)
- Cerwin Vega E-715 (102db)
Statistics are more or less always present, but it was always there…
Maybe translating (I’m Italian), I wasn’t able to explain the problem well:
It’s the first time I have this static in the system.
If I reassemble for absurdity, the DS MK1 disappears with all the speakers, that’s why I’m sure that the problem is not my system, but the MK2 of the DAC.
I also wanted to add a purely theoretical consideration:
If the relays were foreseen and inserted in Ted Smith’s original project, why should I remove them?
It would be a risky procedure for my entire audio chain and for the DAC itself.
I’m really very confused…
Hi Valerio, I just noticed that you state the sensitivity of your speakers. 102db is mighty sensitive, much more than 97db and more than most people’s 90db or so. I’m not surprised you hear it! I have an active system using three Mk 1s as dacs and I hear noise but once music is playing it’s not noticeable so is not a problem. I guess my speakers are 93 or 94db (impossible to know as there are no passive crossovers in the way). In your case, if yours is a 230v version I’d say it’s not a beta version and will have been built without the parts (relays or whatever) that would have permitted various sensitivity options.
I remember going to shows in the 60s and 70s and hearing Cerwin Vegas shaking the room.
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Hello, and thank you for sharing your reasoning about the sensitivity of the speakers.
The problem is not with the Cerwin Vega, which I mentioned as one of the speakers I own, but with the McIntosh XRT1K, which has a medium-low sensitivity.
88 dB is not a lot, and I have never had problems of this type.
I checked a .pdf from the time, and it also reports 88 dB of sensitivity; it’s not high.
Otherwise, I would have had them even with the good old DS MK1
Here is a photo of the setup back then:
No static ever found!
With the MK2, it occurs as soon as you go from volume 0 to volume 1!
A static so evident that it covers the voice of the singers at low volumes, something like this has never happened before.
The Cerwin Vega takes me into Live, and I love them for this.
Great product at a really affordable price (I paid 1,500 euros for the pair in 2004).
