I'm thinking of ordering the Direct Memory Player to go along with my Direct Stream Dac. Can anyone provide there actual experience and opinions as to the value (sound quality etc,) of this player?
There are so many differences in our audio systems, and I’m sure you are right with what you hear, but I am very satisfied with the improved sound quality. That being said, PS audio continues to provide meaningful free updates/upgrades for their products, so I look forward to the final revision.
Ozzy,been there done that... I stand by my post... The code does seem to lower the noise floor a bit, but to me it comes at a cost of detail and depth. Not sure why... but others have noticed this also.
The new 'interim' code 2.08 is still a bit quirky as is/was the previous 2.06 code. As far as sound quality goes,for my ears and tastes,2.08 is not up to snuff compared to 2.06... 2.08 to me sounds as if a blanket has been thrown over my speakers...uninvolving sound with a loss of inner detail and less depth. I feel confident that PSA will fix all issues when the new final code is released...
Recently I checked the forums on the PS Audio website and find that the guy who wrote the code for the DirectStream memory player left, and as they were working to fix bugs in the code, found it to be such "spaghetti" that they are (apparently) rewriting the code, rather than trying to fix what he programmed.
I see that some folks have installed an "interim" version of the new code and report that the sound quality is improved...but the new code has some problems. So, I'll be waiting till PS Audio publishes the new code as a more "final" version.
The unit I have has an earlier version of the code, and the sound quality (when paired with my DirectStream DAC with the I2S HDMI cable) is the best digital I've ever auditioned.
I had been using the cable supplied with the transport to connect the DirectStream memory player with the DirectStream DAC with a Wireworld Silver Starlight HDMI cable, and to my pleasant surprise, it improved the sound quality a bit. The sound stage, placement of individual voices and instruments, and a slight improvement in the "sweetness" of acoustic instruments were the main things I noticed immediately.
All my other interconnects are Wireworld Silver Starlights, happy with all of them.
It does seem like a long wait from Wireworld. I hope you enjoy the cable once you get it. Mine sounded pretty good right away but did improve with more hours on it.
I don’t stack mine. I have them on separate shelves with Stillpoints Ultra SS under each unit. Since I had the rack space it was a no brainer for me because I think isolating equipment from each other is a good thing. That is, if you can. But, there are many who do stack them.
Yes I agree. I am capturing the music with this great sounding combo with my Tascam DA 3000 HR recorder. And then adding that music to my external hardrive. The best of both worlds in my opinion.
For those of you that have the PS Direct Stream Memory Player the I2S (HMDI) cable used to connect to the Direct Stream Dac is so very important. I just received the Wireworld Platinum HDMI. Very big improvement over the HDMI that was supplied by PS Audio.
Funny that even though the PS Direct Stream Memory Player instructions states to use a .5 meter, best quality available to get the best sound quality out of the player they supplied a 1 meter HDMI.
With this new HDMI cable cold out of the box it already displays a deeper soundstage and a deeper bass than the PS supplied cable. I’ll still give it about 100 hours to break in.
This is probably the most profound example of a unit/fuse that needed to go in a certain direction. I first placed the fuse with the writing on it going from back to front. Then, What???... the music sounded weird and dull.
Reversed the direction with the fuse with the writing on the fuse now from the front of the Memory Player to the back of the unit and WALA the soundstage snapped into place.
Previously I didn't find much use in trying the blue fuses in different directions but perhaps I just got lucky. This was an eye opener for sure.
ozzy, I believe that all electronics need a break-in period however other than that I don't know the answer to your question. I was told by the US representative that repairs the MBL products that a new CD drive doesn't need any break-in time. I'll bet the Memory Player will sound really good right out of the box and will improve a bit with use. I know you already know what I just said but... ;-)
Is it save to assume like most Audio components it will take a couple of hundred hours to break in? I was thinking of using a usb flash drive to play music continuously, or do I need a disk spinning to break it in?
"Oops! I made a huge mistake, I have the PS Audio PerfectWave Transport. I have been told by others that had the PerfectWave that the Direct Stream Memory Player is deffinaately a signifent improovement.
@ozzy thank you, was very nice talking to you also. Sometime I'd like to bring my Duelund tinned-copper in cotton oil Impregnates 16 & 12 gauge speaker cables over (12' long) and compare the sound to your Matrix speaker cables.
@charles1dad Oops! I made a huge mistake, I have the PS Audio PerfectWave Transport. I have been told by others that had the PerfectWave that the Direct Stream Memory Player is deffinaately a signifent improovement.
Hi Lak, We both have the same splendid Yamamoto YDA 01 DAC. How much of a performance gap do you hear between the earlier PWT and the current model Memory player? Charles
@ozzy I purchased a PS Audio Direct Stream Memory Player a few months ago and I like it and have no complaints. Well built and sounds good. I use a Yamamoto Dac but have had no problems at all.
Ozzy , We all burn threw a pile of money at times chasing sonics only to become a mundane change or out right disappointment . Though I own PS Audios Direct Stream Memory Player & Direct Stream dac senior these components on the other hand turned out to be the best audio purchase i have made in a long , long while .
For the first time since SACD was introduced back in 2000 I now really like the sound of most sacd I own and cd play back far exceeded my expectations having recently owned an Esoteric KO3 and EMM Labs SACD players .
PS Audios stock 12s cable which is manufactured by Kimber Kable will compete with other far more expensive cables I borrowed to tried out , All the best for a New Year
Thank you so much for that info. My Dac is also fairly old so I hope I don't have a problem. I plan on taking the analog out of the PS Dac and copying that music to an external hardrive via my Tascam Recorder set at 24/96hz. I only have about 5000+CD's to copy.
What HDMI cable are you using?
I would like to add the SR Blue fuses. Can you tell me the size and the value of the fuse?
Ozzy, I have had a PS Audio DirectStream DAC since they first came on the market and have enjoyed each and every one of the firmware updates. Before the DirectStream transport came out, I had the PWT and it was "the cat's meow" playing "regular" CDs. In June I replaced the PWT with the new DirectStream transport. I did have an issue "pairing" it with the DAC, as my DAC was an early model and had a defective "digital board", which apparently advertises it's serial number and pairs with the "digital board" in the transport...so the transport can output pure DSD out the I2S interface, pure DSD into the DAC...IMO, the best digital I've ever heard! I have roughly 50 or so SACDs and the sound of DSD is definitely something to enjoy. But I must say, "regular" CDs sound significantly better as well. I am really happy with my PS Audio products. The few times I've needed to contact support, they have been awesome! I believe you will be impressed if you buy the transport!
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