No, unfortunately, I never really solved the problem. I was always under the illusion that sooner or later a definitive firmware version would be released, but I was never (it’s been two years now) able to really enjoy my brand new DS MK2.
I think I will start legal proceedings to be fully reimbursed.
Today, in fact, we are talking about the successor of the DAC (PMG512), and there is no longer a solution in sight for all those who, like me, have had these static problems since receiving the DAC.
I am very disappointed.
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).
Can you just buy another Mk2 with the free home trial (you are in the USA? ) and confirm it is a problem with your old unit?
Maybe @Paul will simply say keep the new one, return the old one and you get a full refund for the home trial unit ?
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Hi,
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
I spoke with Paul, and it seems that the DS MK2, having only 80dB of signal-to-noise ratio, does not tolerate speakers with efficiency higher than 80dB without using a preamplifier in the audio chain.
This is, of course, a hypothesis that was deduced by technical support, but the truth of what happened will never be known.
However, my situation remains of not being able to listen to the DAC, having been assured that the problem was in the firmware and not in the DAC itself, without using a preamp.
That DAC was advertised to be, if necessary, used alone without a preamplifier, so I remain doubly disappointed.
Now we are trying with the good Paul to find an agreement on how to migrate to the new PMG512 without too many hitches.
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OP is already on his second MK2 per post 541/542. Reports same static problem with either unit. If we’re betting, my money would be on something external to the MK2 versus the likelihood of receiving two units with the same issue upon arrival. I’m not diminishing the frustration the OP is experiencing but I’m not convinced the root of the issue is in the MK2 itself.
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Happy to hear this - I hope it works out well for you. Keep us updated
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As in all families, you can argue, but you can always make peace. 
Paul is a smart and highly prepared man, I don’t think he will let a “crazy” 
and “audio-obsessed customer” like me escape…
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Do you have a friend or audio shop nearby where you could try your DSD MK2 in their system and check for the presence of the static? If it sounds fine there then that would suggest (to me) that something in your home is exposing a vulnerability/susceptibility in the MK2 design.
I tried it with different amplifiers and connected using a PS Audio P20.
McIntosh MC1.25KW, MC611, Parasound JC5, A21+, Marantz…
All had the same problem.
If I used the MK1 version of the DAC instead, the problem disappeared.
This user also experienced exactly the same problem as me.
Kindly read this thread, same exact problem.
Only after adding a preamp was he able to get the new DAC to express itself to the fullest.
It was never said, however, that the DS MK2 had to be used compulsorily using a preamp.
OK - understood. I was just thinking if you had the ability to try it in a completely different environment, you could eliminate your room and everything in it as a variable and definitively conclude whether the source of the static is the MK2 i.e., if the static is manifest in the new location => bad MK2. If no static in new location, then you would need to dig deeper into your room and its contents to identify the true culprit.
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Paul also said that the MK2 is the culprit.
We are not accusing that it does not sound good, but that with almost all speakers (above 80dB sensitivity) and without a worthy preamp, you can (almost certainly) experience some kind of noise (hiss) from your speakers (from the tweeters).
It would be absurd if that user also received a defective DS MK2, and I also received two unit with the same problem. 
Ah, if I pause the track, the noise (hiss) disappears… So it certainly comes from the DAC. 
Can I ask you a question addressed to the whole community?
Could you kindly connect your DS MK2 directly to a power amp and listen to see if you (like us) have this hiss always present? 