Modding the PS Audio Directstream DAC MK1 and MK2

I did the Vocm mod for a friend several months ago.  He liked it however he thought his Holo Audio Spring 3 DAC sounded better.

a couple months later I upgraded his Edcor XS4400 to our Nickel transformers.  He loves the MK1 now better than the Spring 3.  He raved about it for several weeks.

Came from a stock DSD MKI. 

I came from the original xformers and had both the Vocm and nickel xformers installed. It is by a wide margin the biggest jump in sound quality of any electronics piece of gear I have purchased in my audio chain.... ever. I do recall reading on the PS Audio forum of folks who had gone from the Encore 4400 to the nickel xformers and they reported a significant increase in performance. Based on the design of the DS using the xformers as a low pass filter, my educated guess is the nickel xformers will provide the most significant improvment compared to Vocm mod.

WRT disappearing threads from the PS Audio forum. Huge props to PS Audio for hosting a forum that has a discussion of modding their products with input from the chief engineer. Interesting that you can discuss the mods, but they draw the line at describing what those mods sound like. I can understand that their focus is on selling their product and keeping interest in it. IMO, PS Audio could best serve their DS MK2 customers, by changing to a nickel core xformers in their MK2 and offer an upgrade path for those who have already purchased. IMO a used DS with this mod is likely the DAC performance to dollar king.    

I haven't heard the DSD MKII, but it's been mentioned by those who have, that the modded DSD MKI sounds better. I'm wondering though, how much better does the modded MKII sound compared to the modded MKI? 

From what I"m hearing from my modded MKI, It's hard to imagine the MKII could improve upon that. 

We feel the modded MK 1 with Vocm mod and nickel transformers sounds better than the stock ML2.

The MK2 with nickel transformers sounds just slightly better.

From 1-100:

MK2 99

MK1 98

This DAC upgrade is insanely good. I initially let it burn-in  non-stop via the USB stick on the PST, for 200 hrs, but the sound has continued to improve under normal use.

The soundstage is rock solid with vocals and instruments clearly defined and focused.  The soundstage has also expanded in all directions, creating more separation and air around the performers. And the bass, OMG the bass, is crazy good. Tight, punchy, and incredibly rhythmic. 

This is a component level upgrade, without the price tag. 

If you haven’t heard 4400 with a GOOD power supply unit (PSU), then you haven’t heard their full potential.

With GOOD PSU (not cheap Chinese stuff), the sound improvement from 4400 without PSU -> to -> 4400 with PSU was much bigger than 4400 w/PSU -> APS transformers w/PSU AND VOCM MOD.

I can’t say anything about sound improvements when 4400 swapped with APS WITHOUT PSU mod

The XS4400 is not even in the same league as the custom designed nickel transformers.  Some of the "cheap" power supplies are designed better than some the the over priced supplies.  We know because we measure, test and sometimes modify them.

Our experience is just the opposite as with the nickel transformers the external supply makes little difference if any.

I didn't say there's no difference. There is. It's just my experience: power supply mod brought more changes than swapping 4400 with APS even WITH Vocm mod. 

The most of the things people described as APS transformers change in the sound: tight and beefy low end, melodic mids, and nimble highs - all these changes did my power supply mod after I installed the 4400 transformers. And APS transformers just tightened and cleaned up the same ALMOST perfect sound signature that I had with 4400 w/PSU before. Now, with APS transformers, it's perfect. 

Shame on me, I haven't done the Vocm mod before I swapped the 4400 with APS transformers... I  wish I could discern the Vcom mod impact on the sound. 

The internal power supply is fine in the unit as there are many up stream regulators and filters. It’s not necessary to use an external supply for this reason however using an external supply will remove some heat from inside the DAC.

Also that bridge card destroys the sound of the DS DAC. Best to remove them.

We are the ones who designed and built the APS transformers.  We did extensive testing with all configurations of the DS.  This is how we know what improves the sound and what doesn't.

I think your Bridge II card is flawing your listening. When we did testing, the Bridge card totally trashed the sound quality no matter what mods were done. I would not recommend using the Bridge card as one could never get the great sound these DS’s can provide. With our External Power Board one can A/B the sound difference by just turning off / on the external supply (the internal supply takes over automatically).

The panel of listeners we had could hear NO difference between the internal supply and external supply so it’s not just my opinion. This was also done with the XS4400 transformers as well as our nickel transformers.

The external supply makes no difference in our listening tests however the nickel transformers along with the Vocm mod makes a huge difference.

We had one member with the external power supply, XS4400 transformers and the Vocm mod that used it for several months.  We changed his transformers to the nickel ones and he was blown away.  He also could not hear any difference between internal supply and external power supply.

Oh, I just realized, it's not APS transformers less sensitive to power supplies. It's Vocm mod makes any transformers less sensitive to power supplies.

But, anyway, I can still hear the difference between power supplies, power cords, and interconnects. 

QUOTE:

"You could be right if you weren’t wrong. I have a dedicated streamer."

I believe you told us you are using a Bridge II board.

QUOTE:

"And as I've told it before (I think, I did on PS Audio forum), with a dedicated PSU for analog board, the Bridge card gets better power, and it doesn't spoil the sound of the DAC anymore (okay, not as much as it did before)."

The reason I opted to send my DAC to JK Richards to have the nickel transformers and VOCM mod installed, other than I wan't comfortable doing it myself, is not because of some great sales pitch, it's because of all the great feedback from others who either did the mod themselves or sent their DAC to Jeff. The improvements to my DAC exceeded my expectations. 

BTW just so everyone understands the 298D series is not an electrolytic cap.  It's the new Vishay Solid Tantalum Chip Capacitors MICROTAN®

We use these as they are the largest value available that will fit in the 0805 space and has a low ESR, and 0.01 CV DC leakage value and are rated to operate over the temperature of +85 C.

We tested many capacitors and found these to be the best fit and best sounding.

Here is the data on the 298D

I don't understand how this thread has become a pissing contest !

I read the modifying a Direct Stream DAC Mk1 thread on the PS Audio forums several times , all 5000 + pages . There were a few people who obviously had the technical ability to offer suggestions for modifications to the DAC . The designer , Ted Smith included . Some did the mods themselves , others opted to ask the likes of jkrichards would he be prepared to do the mods for them . For me being in Australia meant that sending the DAC to the USA wasn't an option . So I purchased the parts  from  jkrichards and had them installed locally . APS transformers and vcom mod capacitors . I could have purchased the MK2 DAC but at $14000 AU it better be a hell of a lot better than the Mk 1 . So my starting point was to upgrade the MK1 . Best choice I could have made . I finally listen to the music and not my system . The comments about increased , cleaner Bass and mid range are true .The sibilance that I heard on some tracks is gone . And yes I did demo the MK 2 .

I couldn`t  be happier with my choice .  So why am I telling you all this ?

I thought the comments "It’s because you are a good seller." are unfair to jkr .Read the forum people asked jkr .  

If those upgrade options weren't offered , then I would not have had the opportunity to choose to make the changes to my MK 1 .

I for one felt that there was that much enthusiasm for the mods of the Mk1 on the PS Audio forums that there was a push against it as it was taking sales away from the MK 2 .

Quote:

I for one felt that there was that much enthusiasm for the mods of the Mk1 on the PS Audio forums that there was a push against it as it was taking sales away from the MK 2

So true. It used to be a fun place to hang out and help others. Any positive reviews seem to get deleted or moved to a private area.  Not much activity there anymore, Sad.

I feel the reason they are having a hard time selling the MK2 is because of all the issues with it, not because of people keeping the MK1 and modding them. These owners don’t feel it’s worth the upgrade price especially with all the issues and the lousy user interface. Most everyone likes the MK1 touch screen, reliability and great sound the MK1 is known for. Why pay so much more when you can have the same sound with the modded MK1.

My $.02

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.

That’s great to hear Jeff, but now I’m wishing I held off a little longer before sending my DAC off to get modded, so I could’ve had you do this latest upgrade as well.

Hopefully I can find someone locally in the Denver area to perform this mod.

This will not be in kit form.

We will perform the mod when available.

Will the whole DAC need to be sent in, in order to have this mod installed? 

If we decide to move forward, yes.

are we able to purchase the op amp upgrade parts and instructions when available?

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

Glad I jumped in before the supply chain issues kicked in. 

Any updates on the 8139 opamp modification? 

Any updates on the 8139 opamp modification? 

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

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

apsaudiotransformers.com

I bit off topic, but was wondering if anyone knows what happened to Ted Smith?

Looks like he hasn't posted since June 2nd. 

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"

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.

I read that post the other day, and that it was going to be deleted in 6 days.

Just hoping everything is alright with Ted.

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.😊