PS Audio Direct Stream MK2 DAC

@lwin @vernv @fittebd @dchang05 @ozon8r Thanks for confirming that there is no hum on your MK II DACs, and for confirming how very good the MK II is! However, due to the fact that there is no 30 day trial period in Malaysia, and exchanges are also dicey (from a consumer perspective), I have decided to wait for about a year before acquiring the MK II. In the meantime, I will be saying hello to the Holo Audio KTE Spring DAC! 

@lalitk  @speedthrills @deadhead1000 Sadly, I am in agreement with you gents. Decided to wait for PSA to iron out the problem, confirm its been resolved and then make my purchase, hopefully in 2024. Will be dreaming of it though!!

@mikedc Based on the statements made by PSA, i.e. that the hum is a "feature", and that they had informed their own forum of the issue even before releasing the DAC, it looks unlikely that they will swap out the faulty part. Not exactly the best way to reward early adopters ... Hope they do though.

@fittebd Hmmm. You might have a point about the hum being a "feature". I checked and its from the text that I quoted in my first post above, ie what was said by a participant on the forum. I cannot say that those words came from Ted Smith himself. Thank you for pointing it out. 

@lalitk I am just about to lay down the deposit for the Spring DAC Level 3 KTE! Though it's without the preamplifier. Or do you think I should get the Holo May DAC instead? 

@bmontani @andynotadam @mdiaz @jl35 @sdl4 Many thanks for the information. However, as I have already got a Holo May DAC in the interim, I plan to revisit acquiring the PSA DAC Mk2 sometime in 2024. By then, am hoping that the issue (if there was one in the first place) would have been completely resolved by the use of the original cap intended by Ted Smith.

@milpai I got the Holo May DAC instead of the Holo Spring 3 (as suggested by @lalitk) and will be installing it over the next few days. I am excited and at the same time quite anxious to tell you the truth! 😅🤞    

Congratulations on acquiring the MKII @emailists ! Hope you manage to resolve the slight hum that you have found.

I have read that the Niagaras have a hum of their own in certain instances, but if I am not mistaken it is heard over the speakers, which does not seem to be the case with your setup.

Do let us know if any of your tweaks /  adjustments / upgrades eliminates the hum. Congrats and wishing you much enjoyment with the MKII!

Latest update on my journey towards the  PSA DAC Mk2. Actually it is more like several steps back and not forward.😖

The Holo May is burning in nicely at around 200 hours in, and my PSA SACD Transport was delivered yesterday (which is the reason that I am on this particular trip). You can imagine my excitement!!

I got the PS Audio Perfect Wave SACD transport installed, and then I discovered that it could only play CDs and not SACDs. I could not activate the SACD layer as the command wheel on the machine seems to have been wired wrongly or there was a software glitch which prevented the SACD layer from activating ... in a brand new machine!! The technician of the distributor tried and he could not do so either. I was and am so utterly disappointed in PS Audio. Where is the quality control that one would expect of a world class producer of high fidelity audio equipment? 

Within 4 hours of installation, the SACD transport was on its way back to the dealer. I have of course asked for a replacement. Not sure whether PS Audio will agree. Not sure whether I will get my money back if PS Audio disagrees. Buyer beware indeed. I have a strong suspicion that I will be heading to the Consumer Claims Tribunal in the near term.

With this development and the continuing issues with the PS Audio DAC MKII (read the posts on the PSA forum to fully understand), I think that I am going to throw in the towel as far as PS Audio goes. But I acknowledge that this may be my frustration talking .... we will see I guess.

The saga continues ....

@hgeifman ​​​​​​

Thanks for the update from PS Audio in relation to the "hum" issue. 

However, please consider what was stated by Ted Smith in relation to the hum:-

The hum is coming from the piezoelectric response from a few critical capacitors in the power supply. The device was designed with a component that wouldn’t cause this problem, but supply chain problems forced us to design in a slightly older version of the part which caused the hum. Unfortunately, the new and old parts aren’t footprint compatible, so we’re stuck with the older version for a while even when the newer parts become available again

Based on the answer received by @hgeifman ​​​​, I deduce that PSA's answer to the hum issue (and probably the Stereophile article) is a software "workaround" and not a hardware solution as indicated by Ted Smith above. If this is the case, then when will the newer parts referred to be used by PSA? 

Or am I mixing the issues up (ie the noise addressed in the Stereophile article and the "hum" issue are separate and distinct issues)? 

Thinking about it, short of an announcement being made by PSA on the PSA forum, it may be better to wait for those with the MK2 and a hum issue to confirm that the problem is no more before I pull the trigger on the MK2. 

Glad to note that they have been working on the problem though.