I had a friend bring one over and it did very well compared to my Chord DAVE. I liked it.
Jerry
PS Audio Direct Stream Mk2 DAC - How good is it vs Mk1? Weiss, Bricasti?
I have the original PS Audio Direct Stream DAC, and had been considering upgrading, as it is the oldest item in my system, and I am getting the itch to upgrade. I had been looking into the Weiss 501 or the Bricasti M1, used. But have ready several positive things about the PS Audio Mk2.
I am wondering if anyone has really compared the original to the MK2? Or to the Weiss or Bricasti?
thanks!
I upgraded from the Directstream 1 to 2 about 6 months ago. Ar first, I wasn't sure it was worth the difference...until this week when I installed the new massive firmware update. Wow-Major improvement. Now I wonder if they will ever be able to improve on that--and find it hard to imagine how. With the generous trade in allowance and 30,day trial period, it's pretty irresistable. |
I recently was in a local shop that sells the Weiss dacs and had a chance to listen to the 501 and 204. Now granted this experience was not in my own system, but in a very expensive setup nonetheless. I wanted to hear how it somewhat compared to my MKI. A while back I sent my MKI in for the APS transformers and Vcom mods to determine if I would still feel the need to upgrade to the MKII. After the long and I mean long break in period, it has satisfied my upgrade itch. These mods transform the DAC in all the right ways. |
Pursuitofnow - who did your upgrade? How much was it? Even with the mk1 upgrades, the firmware upgrades to the mk2 will just keep making the mk2 better and better. I use Ethernet and the new mk2 doesn’t have Ethernet so I would have to get their server so I could us i2s, I never use usb. I still like the sound of the mk1 over many other more expensive dacs. |
You can see the available mods here. I had everything installed by APS. To be clear, I'm not saying the mk2 won't get better. I'm just saying for a lot less money you can have mk1 with upgrades, and it as nice and maybe more preferable than the mk2 with current firmware. |
I had both the PSA DS MK2 and a Bricastl M1 together for most of a year. The Bricasti M1 sold in the end used for more than the MK2 cost after the US trade-in program. At first, the Bricasti had the edge in SQ. The Bricasti also can be used without a preamp. Technically this is possible with the MK2. But it is not really meant for it. At lower volumes, signal-to-noise suffers as the MK2 does not have the proper analog output stages that the M1 has. But, with a preamp, and with the latest PSA software releases, the MK2 has had the edge since last Summer. |
@meiatflask I was one of the "early adopters" of the MK1 DAC, enjoyed that very much. When PS Audio offered that great trade in on the MK2, I "took the plunge" and immediately out of the box enjoyed more detail, better soundstage and better "tonality" (especially with acoustic instruments). It only took a few days before I boxed up the MK1 and headed to the UPS Store! I'm sure you'll enjoy the upgrade! |
@carousel Which Bricasti M1 model did you have? Was it the M1, M1SE or the M1 Series II? |
We have lived with both the LE Signature Series PLUS MK1 and a MK2 with APS R2 audio transformers and a pure copper inlet for almost a year now. The sound very close. We like them both. The stock MK2 we did not think compared well with the LE SS Mk1. The modified MK1 sounded better. With the upgrades on the MK2 it is very close with these differences. The LE SS MK1 sounds more dynamic and live. The MK2 sounds smoother and not quite as dynamic. More laid back but still detailed. This is with the new Blue Sky FW. |