Yeah, I don’t leave it connected
Like many things removing the bridge card will have different effects in different systems.
Unplugging input cables that you aren’t listening to will make a difference for most people, but it’s not very convenient.
But the bridge card generates some electrical noise and RF noise even if the input isn’t connected. I’m reasonably sure that for most people that noise isn’t a good thing. Still changing noise levels makes some people happier and others less so - whether it’s an increase or decrease in noise. It’s even more complicated when the noise isn’t white and further when the noise is RF and getting folded down into the audio band. A little white noise is often a good thing, e.g. dither.
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When I see you talking about all those noise issues I know why my active equipment pulling some of this noise out of equipment, cabling and room works
These noise issues are a big part of what the new Directstream aims to reduce if I’m not mistaken. Galvanic isolation should help to reduce noise between the digital and analog sections of the DAC. I only wish I could afford one hehe.
Never knew that leaving the display off would improve SQ. I never thought to try it.
Something I learned many years ago. Any bit of hifi that has any kind of display (excluding led I guess) will emit noise.
Since I can’t read anything of value on most of the displays from 8ft away (except the DMP track#), a very good suggestion. I have always turned off the PSA P20, just never thought of the PSA DS DAC… good idea… waste not, want not…
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Try “closely” listening to the volume setting set at 100 vs 99 on the DS dac. You may like one setting better than the other. I also listen with the display off,sounds better to me without a doubt.
I listen so closely that after a while, I can’t keep both eyeballs going in the same direction, but I can’t hear a difference, display on/off, phase in/out, 99/100, white socks/gray socks. I guess I’m just getting old.
My friend says re the phase button: “you’re kidding me? You can’t hear that?” I think he’s just bustin my…
Dumb question, which do you prefer? 99 or 100? I listen at 98 but that’s based on the fact that it gives a tiny bit of head room in case a track hits zero dB. I vaguely remember Ted advising something along those lines but I might not have understood his comments correctly at the time.
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@RonP obviously your system isn’t resolving enough for you!! I have the same problem.
Maybe. Or it might have something to do with the grapefruit sized thing on my head
With Redcloud sometimes an extra down tick or two of the volume may make a difference with some very loud or dynamic material. But that wasn’t true for any other release. So with that caveat:
There’s nothing magic about 99 vs 100 - 100 isn’t a rounder number in the FPGA or anything like that: 100 maps to a multiply by 1482910 and 99 maps to a multiply by 1246974.
With the attenuator engaged the volume can go to 106 and at that level some very dynamic SACDs might have a bit of soft smoothing of the extremes (like tape or tubes with a slightly too loud signal.)
The DS has a built digital in headroom of 6dB and analog head room of 3dB so going to 99 or 98 instead of 100 isn’t necessary on that account.
The DS’s transformer will have a little more distortion with full volume material than with material that averages more around, say, -10dBFS. But in that case I don’t really expect that you can hear the difference between 100 and 99.
Still some systems may well sound better with the volume turned down a little - there are lots of opportunities for slight overloads down stream. And, for that matter, a dB or so may make a big difference to our ears at times.
All in all just turn the volume to what sounds the best (and doesn’t cause hearing damage). If you have a preamp you can see if higher on the preamp with lower on the DS works best or the other way around. Changing volume on almost any preamp by a dB or so will have a bigger change in distortion than doing it on the DS.
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I know it’s not supposed to happen, but with the attentuator engaged, and spl the same, the sound seems to flatten out.
Dumb question. How do you turn off the display?
When I am in the setup screen I see three choices for Dimmer Low / Medium / High. I didn’t see one that turns off the display altogether.
Dim button on the remote
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Ted, with some of the earlier code releases I experienced what I perceived to be burn-in and you told me it wasn’t the code, but it could be other/unused parts of the FPGA going through a change: could I experience this with Snowmass…i.e. is there inner reaches of the FPGA being mined fresh ?
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I have to agree with Ron, I seem to be less connected with the music when the attenuator is engaged. In light of this, I just run with BHK PreAmp volume turned down farther and the Junior’s attenuator out of the circuit. This seems to yield better sound, at least on my system.
I listen at the 100 setting and control the volume via my preamp. At the 100 setting I get a we bit more detail and with 99 I hear a wee bit less. But…for what’s its worth…with setting 99…the depth of soundstage kicks up a notch and the noise floor lowers too…I kid you not.
The attenuator is indeed a different difference 
In my last post I was talking about a volume setting of 100 vs., say 99.
Yes there can be much more noticeable differences with the attenuator in. Once again it could be that a preamp is causing more distortion at a 20dB louder setting, but it’s more likely that the change of load on the transformer, or the change from a high end boost to a high end rolloff with very capacitive cables makes a bigger difference in the DS.
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