Modding the PS Audio Directstream DAC MK1 and MK2

Quote by georgeab

"Can we purchase APS stickers like the ones shown above?"

We started using these badges on our signature series DAC upgrades where we fine tune the DC offset and use the newer revised transformers in the MK1.

With our nickel transformers and stock. To us it sounds like a fake top end and lack of low/mid dynamics.

We like fpga1_208_Antero best. We also feel that both the MK1 and MK2 needs a preamp to sound it’s best just like most other DAC’s.

Your not alone.  They were the good days when Ted chimed in with his knowledge and suggestions on upgrades etc... 

I overlooked the reason some didn't think Snowmass 3.05 sounded better than other versions.

We revisited this with the original Rev.1 transformers and the difference between the firmware is very close. We feel Windom or Sunlight do sound very good however with the new Signature Series MK1 DAC Snowmass definitely outshines the others.

They have been shipping continuously to pre-orders.

If install properly you will not have any issues whatsoever. It’s realy not hard to install with the proper equipment. Pull old transformers and re-solder in the new ones in the same footprint where the old ones came out. No adapter boards or hack job needed.

Installing components like in the photos above is a sure way of making a unit fail. Drag soldering this type of package is a big no no in a production unit. It’s OK for prototyping however should never be used in a customers unit. Did they think no one would ever see this?

Because of the statements made by PS Audio about performance, We will be posting actual measurements of a stock unit vs a unit with APS transformers.We have already posted measurements with the APS transformers installed using the last massive firmware.  That in-house testing screenshot they posted is showing useless information as there is no actual data just a pass / fail. What are the actual measurements? We will soon see.

Quote from tekaudiospecialties1

 

"BTW I prefer the older Sunlight fw on mine; it’s more open and dynamic and alive sounding. It’s playing here now."

Sunlight is the last firmware (newest) for the MK1.

Did you mean an older version?

Here is the order of firmware for the MK1.

FMC-09 6115 2014
FMC-10 9114 2014
Pikes Peak 1/2015
Yale  7/2015
Huron 5/2016
Torreys 7/2016
Snowmass 3.00 11/2018
Snowmass 3.04 11/2018
Snowmass 3.05 12/2018
Snowmass 3.06 2019
Windom  10/2019
Sunlight  **LAST** 4/2021

That older info was posted before the massive final was released and with sunlight firmware installed in the MK1. With ether the current  massive or massive beta installed on the modded MK2 and Snowmass 3.0.5 installed on the modded MK1 we feel now the MK1 sounds better than the MK2 even with the better sounding beta massive installed..

FYI... In the several posts above with no photos showing, for some reason you have to "click" on the blank area and the photo will show. 🤔

Here is our new assessment.

“We feel the new firmware made a large improvement in sound quality.

If I had to put numbers on it from 1-10

Stock MK1 6

Modded MK1 9

Stock MK2 with old firmware 7

Stock MK2 with new firmware 8

Modded MK2 with new massive firmware 9

Modded MK1 with Snowmass  10"

I forgot to add the MK2 with the Antero firmware.  It's also a "10"

In modded form, We feel the MK1 and Mk2 with the above firmware sound almost identical.

No one here could tell which DAC was playing.

I have both the modded MK1 and a MK2 with Nickel transformers.

I can honestly say that I feel the MK1 sounds better than the stock MK2.  With the nickel transformers installed in the MK2, I feel it is just slightly better sounding however, I prefer the touch screen over the new interface in the MK2 and also not dealing with the issues the MK2 has currently.  The firmware updates have yet to correct these issues as well as supporting all the features promised.  Many features still do not work or work correctly. 

The MK2 USB input is better sounding than the MK1 however I just use the i2s input and install a shorting plug in the USB port.  Also, the USB input on the MK2 has some issues with some streamers that cause a loud noise when switching from DSD to PCM.

I managed to get the 8139 opamps working with the stock power supply. I just had to beef up and modify the up stream regulators / filters. I now have a schematic of the analog board.
Sound wise… Sweet.  We feel this MK1 is now better sounding than the modded MK2 by quite a bit.  Worth the effort for sure.

We will be offering this upgrade before the end of the month.

This will not be in kit form.

We will perform the mod when available.

If we decide to move forward, yes.

Any updates on the 8139 opamp modification? 

 

This wont be available till October / November. This is NOT DYI.

The Nickel laminations are running late. There seem to be a shortage of this material now. Also, the price has skyrocketed. Unfortunately, we will have to raise the price of all our transformers. Current pre-paid orders will be honored. The new price will be $799 for a matched pair plus shipping for both MK1 and MK2. The wait time for the Nickel lamination’s is currently 12 - 14 weeks. We will only accept orders that are pre-paid which means you will receive your transformers about 15 weeks after payment is received.
Sorry… This is out of our control. We will NOT obtain lamination’s from outside the US as there have been reported issues with authentic 80% nickel material from other locations

The laminates have been delayed however we did find a new local source for them. Will update soon

 

apsaudiotransformers.com

Some weird stuff is going on at PS Audio forum.  Ted has been silent.

No firmware updates on the MK2 for over 2.5 months and no replies to questions regarding an ETA.  Half of the advertised features still do not function and many are still having noise issues.  The reviews of the MK2 have not been good.  Broken promises from Paul (CEO) to explain and show how the ultrasonic noise floor is not as bad as it measures.

Reviews of our transformers get moved to a members only area.  NOTE: this does not happen to any other product reviews.  Why the discrimination? 

I decided to re-post here what a member posted that was immediately moved to the members only area.... "My Marketplace ad"

 

straightwire Regular July 18

I’ve been cooking Jeff’s nickel transformers for about two weeks in my MK2 and now and they seem to be settled in. Jeff was kind enough to scrape together enough nickel plates between father and son and get a pair assembled prior to his overdue shipment. I had Jeff do the install, and it came back in quick fashion with an AP performance plot as well.
As for the sound, I can easily say it is another veil lifted in my system. There is no fanfare, or chasing of the vagaries like in an expensive fuse. This mod stays true to the script. It doesn’t change the character of the MK2, it enhances it. Thinks are a little quieter, and at the same time more dynamic. I have set my preamp one notch lower, yet perceive the same volume. Bass is a tad tighter and deeper as well. What it did for imaging was the biggest “wow” in my system. Instruments are more in focus, in a more defined space.
So, I like the APS transformers and feel the hassle and expense more than justified. It’s another step closer to making digital sound, well, less “digital”. If you make the plunge, be sure to put 200 hrs. plus on them to smooth them out.

 

Quote:

Just hoping everything is alright with Ted.

 

Me to.

🎉 woohoo. Laminate should be here by the end of next week.

From manufacture. 

- Raw material was just received in Monday and is currently being coated.
- It is to be slit to width in the next 1-2 days.
- It will then begin to stamp at beginning of next week and the run in the anneal cycle.

So sorry for the delay.  We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.😊

Click my user name and click message user.

There are no upgrades for the Directstream Jr.

Transformers for both MK1 and MK2.

We feel the new firmware made a large improvement in sound quality.

If I had to put numbers on it from 1-10

Stock MK1 6

Modded MK1 9

Stock MK2 with old firmware 8

Stock MK2 with new firmware 9

Modded MK2 with new firmware 10

The MK2 doesn’t need VOCM caps. 

The assembly of the MK1 is defiantly better than the MK2.  I have found many issues with the build quality of the new MK2 during the many mods of the MK2 we have done recently.

Over the past month we have been upgrading many of the PS Audio Directstream MK2 DAC with our nickel transformers and have discovered very poor build quality on every one.

We ended up having to offer to fix these defects as we don’t like sending units back half baked.

We re-route the WiFi antenna Cable, Repair the input chassis grounding and fix any hardware issues (stripped wrong screws etc). We even found PC board standoffs 1 turn out loose :(

 

This defect shows that the i2s inputs chassis grounding spring is stuck behind the plastic insulator making it inoperable. The inputs end up with no chassis ground.

Top view

 

 

This shows the mis-aligned paint mask keeping all inputs from being chassis grounded. Note the grounding springs are insulated by the paint.  The only way to fix this is to scrape the paint away.

 

 

This show the RF shielding fingers not install properly. Most all units had most of them missing or none at all.

 

This shows how we fix the i2s grounding issue. Note now the chassis grounding spring can make contact with the chassis.

 

We remove the insulator and cut the right side down so the grounding spring will clear. Note the cut line.

 

After the cut

Here are the transformers we install in the MK2.  The MK1 transformers are not the same.

PS Audio was made aware of these issues in March. They are still building them this way😶

I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that they let them go out the door this way without the production manager catching these mistakes. 

We also would like to clear up a roomer that has been going around about our MK2 transformers making units run hotter. This is false. One of the tests for these transformers was a temperature test. A unit with our Nickel Transformers installed run the exact same temperature as the stock unit with the Edcor transformers. In fact our transformers are more efficient than the stock Edcor. This is why our transformers have more gain (accurate 1:2). Many PS Audio forum members complained about the hot temperatures on the bottoms of STOCK units before we even launched our transformers. One reason for this is some are leave the clear plastic protective sheet on the lids of their units. Leaving this plastic on is a big problem as the only space that hot air can escape it through the Perimeter of the lid. The edge of this clear sheet covers this venting up.

If you are not using it it's best to remove it.

Here is a FFT of the Directstream MK2 we did in March 23'.  More to come later.

We never received any PM or the likes from you. Perhaps you are going about it the wrong way?

It’s easy to reach me here.

Directstream MK1 and MK2 transformers.

Here is a FFT plot of the MK2 with the new Massive firmware.  Note the distortion is worse than with the last firmware.  This new massive firmware is almost impossible to measure the actual noise floor.

MK2 with Massive FW:

 

The MK1 has better measurements. Note the better dynamic range and lower noise floor of the MK1.  Note this one has a bad transformer on the right channel.

Agree.  Both the MK1 and MK2 sound so much better than they measure.

Posted on other site.

You can read all about it here:

https://forum.psaudio.com/t/directstream-mk-2-observations/31566/1936

and

https://forum.psaudio.com/t/directstream-mk-2-observations/31566/2468

 

Another funny post from PS Audio forum:

What??? How ridicules is that?

Why don't you ask for the manufacturer to show measurements that demonstrate otherwise? If manufacturer can't or won't do that, then that is that and independent data remains as authoritative.

PSA just posted their measurements.

Yes they did. SINAD at best would be 70 dB. Same as what we posted last week when I was accused of posting bias measurements and badmouthing PS Audio.

Unbelievable... It took PS Audio forum members over a week to discover and discuss this problem after my post exposing this issue was deleted by Elk. The ones who have the tabs missing or loose... This is not an easy fix as they rip off the copper foil when they come loose. All units I have worked on here had this issue. Even brand-new ones that have just shipped. I knew it would eventually catch up to them and be exposed and many questions asked by unhappy customers. PS Audio should have done the right thing from the beginning instead of trying to hide the issue.

https://forum.psaudio.com/t/directstream-mk-2-observations/31566/2602

 

 

 

 

I don’t recall us making them exact statements. The Custom nickel transformers do in fact increase the output level by 6dB because they are and were designed as a 1:2 transformer instead of the original 1:1 transformer that are installed in the MK1. We did state that The Custom nickel transformers have a much lower output impedance than the MK2 Edcor XS4400 transformers which places the secondary windings in a series configuration in order to achieve a 1:2 output which creates a very high output impedance. This was kind of a cheat as the Edcor XS4400 was not designed to do so. The Custom nickel transformers are designed from the ground up specifically for each model, The MK1 or the Mk2.

The lower impedance is a plus as it in theory should have a lower noise floor going directly into a power amp. We never tested this as we recommend going through a pre-amp.

Not sure what you’re doing wrong as no one else is having issues connecting with me using ether method you state. Have communicated with many people with no issues.  I’ll PM you now. We are backed up till November. We did add the Ag 1948. A little bright for our taste however some may like them. We also added a network isolator for streaming. We are quite surprised how much improvement it makes.

 

no.  We get an email when we get a message. 
Only doing pre orders now.

You will only get an invoice on checkout.  Further information will be sent. 

Below is a Post by Elk on the PS Audio Forum. He can’t even be honest with the forum members over there. He knows I can’t post on the PS Audio Forum to correct false information.

He did in fact delete any post that praised our mods and / or post that showed any flaws in their product and how to fix them since the new MK2 was launched. As a matter of fact, PS Audio is currently using my fix for the latest FLAW the dreaded input grounding clips.

 

 

The last one was the one I posted here on this Forum.

https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2586529

I have many screenshots to prove all of this.

He even locked down the modding topic after this was posted.

Elk

 

The weird thing is we have tripled our sales since leaving the PS Audio Forum and opening the website.  Should have done this a long time ago.

Here is an FFT of our modded MK1 with our nickel transformers.  Much better than the stock unit and the new MK2.

That may be true however without the Vocm mod and our nickel transformers in the MK1, it’s not a fair comparison. We have both the fully modified MK1 and the MK2 with our transformers, the input grounds fixed and 3M RF shielding setup to do instant blind A/B comparisons and most who listen here cannot pick a winner. They are that close. I can pick the MK2 most of the time however I know exactly what to listen for not necessarily the best sounding. They are both great sounding.

Hands down the build quality of the MK1 is far better than the MK2.  We are pretty disappointed in the build quality of the MK2 since we have been modding many of them here. Every one of them have / had build issues.