I’ve got to admit that my reactions aren’t always great at first when I get feedback from Paul (and others at PS Audio). But after thinking about what he’s saying and finding (and fixing) something that explains the root of his concerns we are all better for it. We actually went from great resistors to mediocre resistors at one very specific place in the DS to fix one issue - when we were listening it was obvious that something had to change. After a few failed experiments I suggested thick film resistors instead of quality thin film’s and that made the critical difference.
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This is where it’s fascinating that a record player with just a coil within the cartridge is able to deliver a similar signal as a streamer and DAC with hundreds of components…seems like Fred Flintstone stoneage tech 
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Rube Goldberg
I wouldn’t go so far to call a DAC a Rube Goldberg machine
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Great speakers…I have their little brothers, the Hawks on main system. Currently running them with Pass 260.8 mono’s and love the combo. Have previously used a Bedini 100/100, a ML23.5 (currently in second system with Obelisks) and a ML333 with the Hawks. Have three systems one at work using Arcs with the Bedini. They respond well with a tube front end so all pre are ARC tube.
Missed a great deal on a pair of Diapasons, but still looking. Having Vasken 10 minutes when where I work I like to stop in now and then and remind myself what I want next,
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I can’t wait for the TSS/Obsidian. I hope I am able to be in the first round of owners. Plenty of other people have funds too so perhaps I won’t. I know they will be busting down doors.
Any word on release date? I haven’t seen anything for a while.
I’m waiting for boards, with luck they will be the ones we release, but they need tested and a lot of software work needs to be done. I’m not sure if PS Audio has found the display they want to use yet…
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Correct, or the chassis we will be using. With any luck, TSS may come to market this year, but it is a huge undertaking with many facets. Fingers crossed.
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Thanks, Ted and Paul, for the response.
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Any idea of a price point for this new dac?
Somewhere close to three times that of a DirectStream.
I am afraid that 2 boxes is going to kill this for me. I mean what is wrong with the $165,000 MSB that I have. It is half the size of the DSS. Once the power basses are added it becomes slightly larger than the DSS. Two large boxes will not cut it for me personally. To each their own. It is a shame that I shall miss out on this due to this factor. I do understand Ted’s reasoning for this implementation however.
It would be of great interest to me to know if this beats the MSB at a fraction of the cost however.
Well, ok.
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I would never discount a DAC because it was two boxes instead of one. I would discount it based on price or based on sound. But because it was two boxes? Especially knowing why it is two boxes…
Actually when you live in a 50,000 square foot house it’s difficult to find that extra 6 inches of clearance for the second component
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No, just this room. Trust me I really want this. I am absolutely not discounting it for being two boxes. Not whatsoever. It just won’t fit my rack. I know, so buy another rack. That is an issue with the screen though. Yes, watchdog it is rather ironic.
If box number 2 is the power supply connected by a DC umbilical then put the power supply on the floor beside the rack on one of the Ikea or other brand butcher blocks. It’s what I do with two different two box preamps. If the supplied umbilical is not long enough they are readily available from multiple sources that make them for Pass and many other brands. Usually they are close to 2 meters long in the box.
Hasn’t Ted said though that given the lossless nature of the optical connection between both boxes, you could even put one of the boxes in another room?
Problem solved surely?
What if it sounds better than your MSB, worth doing I’d have thought?
I’m the opposite James. I started out in the mid 90’s with 0805, 0603, and 0402 SMT resistors. I did hand soldering with a microscope most of the time with a pencil thin Metcal soldering tip.
Honestly, I hate thorough hole soldering and admit there is an art to it when done properly.
One of my old Bose EQ’s as an experiment, I’d replaced all the through hole resistors with 0603 SMT resistors by cutting out the resistors, applying a thin piece of copper tape and soldering the tape to the leftover leads and then placing 0603 1% metal film Vishay resistors down. Cut my rebuild time in half but soldering those tiny resistors without a microscope is not as eay as it was 20 years ago 