Sunlight: Sound Impressions

[bruce-in-philly]

Anyone read reviews online yet? Please post here (hey, it is their Sunlight impressions!)

Peace
Bruce in Philly

[vkennedy61]

Darko:

Sunlight: the PS Audio DirectStream’s final frontier | Darko.Audio

An announcement, not a review.

[jrhodus]

All I can say is thank you!!! To PS Audio and Ted. With very limited listening, no adjustments, I think that the sound is more alive and has increased depth. I’m looking forward to more listening sessions and seeing how long time favorites, maybe some not so favorites (people say that Sunlight is the best disinfectant) and my system respond.

When I add something new, I like to listen with no other changes until I adjust to the new sound. Then make a change, listen and evaluate. It is hard as too often I change this, then that and then I just get lost.

It is kind of like a road trip where you take it slow and easy as you travel. Some side roads lead to little treasures, some lead to a dead end but always enjoy the trip. There are even trips where you find a better place than your original destination. Sometimes you even have to go back to your starting spot and begin the trip again. That is where those travel notes and the old AAA Triptik come in handy.

So enjoy the trip and happy listening

James

[tmmuchcox-net]

Thanks to all at PS Audio. Sunlight seems to send out more spatial cues. Some recordings of massed high-register violins seem a little less screechy. And I had to lower subwoofer outputs a skosh.

Well done!

[RonP]

@tedsmith

So when the volume of the music after the volume control got too high I disabled the new code and then you were essentially running Huron

Ted–Is this the same for Windom or Sunlight? If so, what are you reverted back to with each?

[danofesherintheuk]

My system is digital active. The DEQX digital crossover provides three 96/24 S/PDIF streams for bass, mid, and high, feeding three DSSs which go straight to the power amps which in turn drive the directly connected drivers. I loved Windom (once I got a good load) it was so tight.

My observations of Sunlight are:

• significantly more deep bass
• much more hash noise produced by the DS to the point where I can easily hear it behind the music

I wish I’d been included in the beta test.

I’m sure Ted will contact me (we’ve communicated many times in the past) - I’m not going to change a thing (e.g. I’m not going to reload Windom having first loaded Yale).

[tedsmith]

@RonP

@tedsmith

So when the volume of the music after the volume control got too high I disabled the new code and then you were essentially running Huron

Ted–Is this the same for Windom or Sunlight? If so, what are you reverted back to with each?

That code hasn’t changed since Redcloud. I wasn’t talking about everything in a release being “reverted”, I just disabled the Redcloud low level detail improvement code on loud music/high volume settings. With respect to the 84, 92 volume setting stuff nothing has changed compared to Windom. What ever you did before is still fine.

[qzfrj6]

Your system is not what most(if any) users have.

[daverich4]

@drdk

Anyone have Chris Jones “Roadhouses & Automobiles”? At the end of the first cut there are nature sounds (crickets) in the lead out following the decay of the last played note. After installing Sunlight, I cued up the first cut and was shocked that the crickets are missing.

I looked it up on Qobuz. No crickets for me.

[audiom3]

I didn’t get more than maybe an hour last night but my listening impressions so far: More precise imaging, sweeter top end, bass appears to be a little cleaner/tighter and the biggest improvement I noticed was a quieter noise floor. I am using the Bridge II as I await a full Sonore oR setup with LPS’s. The reason I ordered the Sonore gear after only owning the DS Dac for less than a week was it’s noise floor - or the noise floor of streaming/ethernet/RFI or whatever is causing a higher (than I’m used to) noise floor. After I installed Roon on my main PC, things definitely improved some. And now with Sunlight, things are even better. @tedsmith I didn’t check but does the DS Sr now go up to 106 on fixed output? With an Ayre KX-5/VX-5 Twenty combo, I am always looking for just a little more gain. This combo is so uber quiet, it doesn’t harm SQ with having max output from a quality DAC.

[tedsmith]

The 106 volume is enabled when the 20dB attenuator is engaged, i.e. when the DS is in “Low”.

[adimon]

I think the sound signature has changed a litle.
From warm to more analytical (in a good way).
(with the original transformers).
You made a big step Ted.

[vkennedy61]

@drdk

Anyone have Chris Jones “Roadhouses & Automobiles”? At the end of the first cut there are nature sounds (crickets) in the lead out following the decay of the last played note. After installing Sunlight, I cued up the first cut and was shocked that the crickets are missing.

Well, in the spirit of testing, I played a country song for the first time ever on both my main and office rigs. I hear crickets in both of my systems. I didn’t hear them at first until I turned up the volume a bit. But they are there.

Now back to Belmondo Quintet!!

[shardarweb]

Oh dear god no! Not country!

[josephlg]

I spent the morning listening to my favorite tracks and the PSA Audiophile Disk with the just released Sunlight version using I2S connector between the DS DAC and the DSMP. It indeed sounds like a new DAC, with a discernably different, but not radically different, sound signature. I notice what seems to be a slight increase in resolution and what to my ears sounds like a tilt toward the treble. I don’t hear as much relative strength in the deep bass as in the previous version. That may be because I am lowering the volume due to what seems to me like a stronger treble. Instruments sound a tad more distinct from each other, but not farther apart in terms of the amply wide soundstage each delivers. Instrument leading edges are more pronounced. Horns, flutes and the higher frequencies of full-range instruments stand out more. Snare drums have sharper attacks. Instruments seem a tad more forward. I do not perceive as deep a soundstage. I feel more presence and immediacy in the music, but at times I miss the more laid back, more cohesive sound of the previous version, and I want to tone down the treble with respect to the midrange and bass. I may need to change my interconnects, power cables or tubes in the preamp to get the frequency balance I want (mainly less treble). Or I may just revert back to the previous version which to my ears was a near perfect balance, and more relaxing to listen to. I can see how the Sunlight version can benefit many systems.

[mobilesax]

I am sitting on my couch listening to Brad Mehldau trio playing “And I Love Her” and I’m convinced my Merlin VSM’s are smiling at me.
Thank you Ted and the folks at PS Audio for bringing even more Sunshine into my listening room

[drdk]

Chris Jones is absolutely Not country. This is a terrific album with excellent production. Frequently used for demonstrations at shows.

[Maniac]

depending on your setup maybe just bit of speaker toe-in adjustment would help. i had success in the past with this suggestion from Paul.
However it’s getting better after few hours of playing here, today i have yet to listen how it goes after a day