I have been reading a lot about the directstream mk2, it is a good product, out of my budget tho, sadly. What I cannot understand is why it gets a great review on this forum, in comparison to the mk1. It reads at times as if the the mk1 was a load of crap in comparison, which makes very poor reading for those of us that can only stretch to a mk1
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Is the looser of the Superbowl a bad team? No the winner was just better. Better means sound quality is better. There are many levels of DACs out there. Some over 100k. The MKII took the design philosophy of the MKI and all the minor flaws it had and fixed them. Added memory for better future upgrades. Ted also added more features like grounding and lifting of inputs outputs. The biggest difference is the galvanic isolation of the inputs. Many do miss the big touch screen but they went for low noise interference instead with smaller screen.
That being said the MKI can be had for 2200 in the used market. Add in a few of JKRichards upgrades and you have a super nice DAC that gets much closer to the performance of the MKII for less half the cost.
Better does not mean the lesser component is a piece of crap. Just means the other is better. Law of diminishing returns plays a big part in this hobby. Each step in improving your system cost way more than the % improvement you get. The higher up you go the bigger the pile of money you spend to get even a smaller % better. It’s a crazy man’s hobby.
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A good reply, and one I agree with. BUT what I was getting at, was without naming names, it seemed that it was a case of the usual hi fi snobbery, in the way some of the comparisons were made, which seemed to “stink” a bit on a great helpful forum like this, to some who are new to the hi fi game
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I will say I do not see much of that here at this forum. There are many here with systems that are well beyond the reach of others and they do not look down or discount what I would call lesser priced items.
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This has been my experience also (as someone who can’t afford megabuck components). I think that folks here value quality music reproduction and take the time to listen and develop their skills. In turn they respect others, whatever people can afford at a given point in their lives, who share these values.
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I upgraded to the MK2 from MK1, MK1 is still a great DAC period. No need upgrade if you are happy with its sound. As a matter of fact, try get a unmodded MK1 for a great price is a decent idea imho.
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They are both excellent units, one a bit more excellent than the other.
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I would not dismiss MK1. I have one that has APS Nickel Transformer and VOCM mod. I’ve compared the sound with MK2 stock for an extended listening session and came to the conclusion that the modded version is as good as Mk2 if not slightly better (especially in the noise department). I also prefer MK1 user interface, so if you have MK1 or are considering picking one up, I highly recommend a transformer mod (at least XS44400). If you have the funds, go for the APS + VOCM mod.
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The MkI is a wonderful DAC stock, sans mods.
It needs no apologies.
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I will try harder.
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The difference between the MK1 and MK2 is evolution. It’s inevitable.
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Yes however it’s an incredible DAC when the proper mods are preformed on it.
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