PS Audio DirectStream DAC

[playntheblues]

What happened to my last post?

 

[Mike]

I moved it to the gear for sale area.


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[Joe P]

It will be interesting to see if Art Dudley has a noise problem with the Directstream in his Shindo system and if it shows up on John Atkinson's measurements.

 

[Naim101]

Where is gear for sale section on this forum? Thanks.

 

[Mike]

Where is gear for sale section on this forum? Thanks.

Go to the main page, scroll all the way down to the Fish Market section and click on selling audio gear.


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[Naim101]

Great. Thanks Mike!

 

[John R Leddy]

June 3, 2014, 09:45 PM

Hey guys, just got through reading the whole thread. Very good information, I think I will give PS a call and put one of
these on order. anyone interested in a gently used Chord Hugo, with the new case work??????

June 24, 2014, 10:45 PM

OK, ordered my Directstream today, trying to get it by Friday. If not it will be here early next week. Hoping this will be
my DAC for a few years.

June 25, 2014, 08:20 PM

OK, confirmation the Directstream will be here on Friday!

June 28, 2014, 12:48 PM

OMG

June 28, 2014, 01:24 PM

sweet mother of god! I have made it to the promised land.

June 28, 2014, 02:27 PM

We have guess,s this weekend so I will give a full report on Monday. Conecctivity, reliability, full remote, no pre and
sounds very very good and with the Job it is absolutely a no brianer.

June 29, 2014, 04:24 PM

Just got the guess's on the road, and I will be listening today. I have had the DAC running since it got here abut 6pm
on Friday, so tonight it will have about 48 hours on it and I will do some critical listening. As far as reviews go, to me they get you more or less
(probably less) in the ballpark as to what to expect. Glowing reviews are suspect as are bad reviews. Each of us have our own little hearing loss's
and there for different needs as to the gear for our systems. I have been on a long DAC journey, here is my list pretty much in order. Bel Canto
DAC2, Audio Logic, Dodson 218, Acoustic Arts SS DAC, Berkeley 1 LampizatOR 3,4, & 5, Berkeley 2, LamizatOr 4.5, Chord Hugo and now the PS Audio
Directstream.
More to come, finishing up on the review thoughts. This piece will only have to please me, it does not have to be the best on the market. Was it
does have to have is, connectivity, reliability, Loss-less volume, and the abilities to run with 20k DAC's while costing 1/4 of the costs. I think that is
reasonable, what about you.

June 30, 2014, 01:00 PM

The Directstream seems to be getting better each day. I thought the DS sounded very good out of the box but now
am noticing more and more detail. This DAC is smooth, for me it checks all of the boxes. I am not even worried about it being outdated in a few
years, this DAC does so much, so well that it will always have a place in my home. After 35 years in this hobby I am now settling in on my gear.
When I was younger I would change cars every two or three years, not to mention audio gear. About 20 years ago I started to keep my cars about
10 + years but still switched out my audio gear a lot. The Job 225, Black Diamond music vault and my Directstream are three pieces that will stay.
Bottom line is, this DAC is worth an in home audition. You really need to hear it with your gear in your home and see if it checks off all of your boxes.
It sure has made my system a lot more simple. Less interconnects, less things to plug in and did I mention that it even looks great . This is my first
experience with PS Audio but I love the fact that you can upgrade your PW DAC to the Directsteam. That tells me a lot about the company and the
future of upgrades for the DS.
Yes I am sure something better and maybe even cheaper will come along, probably sooner than later. Not sure it will check all of the boxes but even
if it did I can't imagine the need to replace the DS. I plan to live with it for a long time and see where all of this Digital ends up.
As far as the specifics as to what I hear and how the notes sound etc. etc. etc. I am going to leave that up to you guys and just say, you should,
without a doubt audition a DS. If there is a connection with you and your system it is a grand slam, if not you will know for sure because you heard
it in your system in your home.
In my system in my home, the DS is crazy good

July 2, 2014, 02:29 PM

I spent another 4 hours with my system last night and I am having a hard time pulling myself away! I will say......My
current system is the best I have owned to date, period. I just want to do all the little tweaks now and be done I just purchase a set of MG Audio
Design Planus AG2 interconnects from Richard at Aum with a pair of the Planus III AG Speaker Cable to follow. And WOW the interconnect makes a
huge difference. Other than a toslink and XLR digital inputs there are no other cables, life is good. If I had the funds to upgrade my Job to a career
550 I might be done. Can't wait to see what the mono's will be all about. Anyway the Directstream is a game changer.

July 5, 2014, 01:20 PM

lancelock, I am not sure on the amount of gain. My guess would be no gain, I will look to see how many mv it puts
out. Keep in mind the Job has an input sensitivity of like .75mv. I am trying to track down a ground loop or at least I hope that is what it its. I have
a fairly loud SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh sound coming from my 104db eff. speakers now that I did not have before. If I push the filter button on
the Directstream remote it cuts the output of the DAC by 20db and the sound is gone. Still I would like to find the culprit and fix it.

July 5, 2014, 02:20 PM

Ground loop or other ground potential issues result in an audible hum or buzz in my experience, not a hissing sound which it
seems like you're experiencing. That is more commonly heard with such high sensitivity speakers as yours when the noise level of a component in the
chain is too high. Based upon the information you've provided it would appear as if the noise level of the DS DAC may be too high for your system
with those speakers if you can't live with the level of hiss. I have read elsewhere that in the HFNRR review of the DS they noted high levels of noise
in their measurements. In many systems it may not be a significant issue, but your speakers will ruthlessly reveal such noise.

July 6, 2014, 11:50 AM

Well that is certainly not good news, but it sounds right on Bill. I will have to talk with the dealer in the morning and
see what the deal is. If there is not a software fix in the working that means my audio bliss may be short lived.

July 7, 01:59 PM

Thanks guys, and yes it does help. I will put my old cables back in tonight and see if that is it. Ozark Tom also
suggested that I change the power cord and see what happens. I will report back and thanks again.

July 7, 02:59 PM

That's all well and good but the 20db attenuation takes the volume to low at full volume!

July 7, 03:03 PM

I will have to try 20db attenuation and a active pre????????? To get desired volume. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

July 7, 04:15 PM

I will preform surgery tonight

July 8, 05:44 PM

OK, it is for sale 4,900.00, it just won't work in my system. That is truly a shame, now the dealer says he won't take it
back, bummer.

If the standard of service provided by this dealer is acceptable to PS Audio, then not only do I find their business model more than a little suspect, but I would also be weary of conducting business with other retailers representing the brand.
From the information before me, I am of the opinion the retailer clearly saw the customer coming and greed overtook ethics.
It should be patently obvious to an experienced salesman this customer requires assistance of the highest calibre, demanding guidance of a most personal nature.
This transaction would appear to be a sales mistake rather than a purchasing error.

 

[HiFiD]

PS Audio has a 30-day money back guarantee and an authorized dealer would support that

 

[further]

playntheblues,

Very sorry to read of your problems and subsequent putting up your DirectStream for sale. I did purchase one as well, but to date I have had very good experience with it. Good luck on moving your unit and finding a dac that works well in your system.

 

[Naim101]

If i were him, i would have skipped the cables he bought used from Aum Acoustics and just gotten a preamp like Job Pre2 to match it with his Job 225 running thr DS as a dac only. It would have gotten rid of the hiss.

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[wisnon]

He is going to try again with a quality passive Pre and see how that goes.

MG cables are highly regarded, so I am not sure that its the problem.

 

[audio.bill]

PS Audio has a 30-day money back guarantee and an authorized dealer would support that

I believe that I previously responded about this statement, but PS Audio's 30 day money back guarantee only applies to factory direct purchases. They do not require their authorized dealers to support that policy, as their specific return policies are made independently.

 

[Naim101]

Why dosent he just get a Job Pre2? Dosent he have a Job 225?

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[Naim101]

Job Pre2 is made specifically to compliment Job 225. I cant imagine a better preamp to match Job 225...unless ofcourse he is thinking going tube for pre or above 6k range for SS.

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[playntheblues]

Ok, time for an update. Just put in a Placette RVC and I have to say with the low input sensitivity of the Job, it is my nomination for best pre for the Job. Lighting fast and transparent. I like it better than the LDR by a good bit.

Magically the hisssss is gone from the Directstream and it sounds beautiful. here is the catch in the interum I have made a deal to purchase a LampizatOr Big 7. I would love to keep both LOL, wonder want mama would say...............nevermind I know LOL!

 

[joeinid]

The Lampi big 7 is getting great press these days. Congratulations. I can't wait for your options. A friend has 2 and LOVES them.

 

[playntheblues]

Joe I have come to the conclusion that you are an enabler!

 

[joeinid]

You don't know the half of it.

AND, I'm not done yet!

Joe I have come to the conclusion that you are an enabler!

 

[Naim101]

Playntheblues, great to hear you found a solution... just wondering why you went the placette rvc. I am currently looking for a preaml myself, and i also have a Job amp, just trying to get as much info as possible.

Thanks!

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[Naim101]

I meant why you went with a placette pvc over Job Pre2 for the Job amp.

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