McIntosh C52 DAC v. PS Audio Direct Stream DAC?

[Allhorninjersey]

Has anyone done a true A/B comparison of the C52 DAC with the PS Audio Direct Stream DAC (same source material in the same system)? What did you hear?

 

[joeinid]

I had a C52 and loved it. I know others have commented that they did not like the internal dac of the C52. It really is good and I don't understand their derision. It even does DSD. My only gripe and it's probably not a big deal is that the cnances of it being updated are pretty much non-existent. in my opinion. The newer McIntosh gear is starting to come with "replaceable" dac modules. While no guarantee of obsolescence, I feel more comfortable recommending these pieces. I suspect future preamps with included dacs will have these modules.

I have an Ayre QX5-20 and the new PS Audio Directstream dac. Out of the box, the PS Audio was a little rough but good. Now, after several weeks of break in, it's absolutely wonderful. I get MQA and all the other bells and whistles including being able to connect it directly up to my network. It's great. I will go out on a limb and say that it is better than the dac in the C52 (just comparing retail prices is a partial clue), but my memory is a little fuzzy now on the C52 for specifics. What's great about the PS Audio is the stream of available updates that bring more and more improvements. The new firmware is absolutely the best yet and I have no need/desire to swap it out. It's THAT good.

If you have a C52, love it and enjoy it. If you want a better dac experience, by all means, get the PS Audio.