PS Audio Direct Stream MK2 DAC

Is the hum just coming from the unit itself or is it being transmitted to the speaker output?

ozzy

this is part of a very long thread on the PS forums...check it out...I believe the hum is supposedly from the unit itself...

“I am leaning towards waiting” 

I would too or move on to something else. I wouldn’t buy a component with a known issue, period! 

I would never buy anything with a 60hz hum totally a poor design .

While not on the same level as the DirectStream DAC, I purchased a Stellar DAC a few years ago. The unit I purchased had to be sent in for repair for the optical port immediately after purchase, constant audio dropouts, traced back to the unit. The second time was for a capacitor issue where they replaced the entire unit. I was sitting there listening one night and it damn near blew out my right channel. Pretty sure it damaged my hearing too. I would never buy another piece of their gear. In fact I still have the new one boxed up in my closet which will probably go on Ebay. 

I have owned for over a month. Zero hum.  I have on Orea. But even before never heard.  Is it next to in order to change settings. Nothing. 

I would never buy anything with a 60hz hum totally a poor design .

My only concern about PS AUDIO is when they went online to consumer direct sale's they did not change the prices where you can get 20-40 from dealers before 

Paul is great guy but I really don’t understand it yes of course you can also get great resale / trade in price from dealers  

because of that Paul I’m Out 😌😉☺️

I am a happy owner of DS MK2, and there is no hum coming from mine, not even when I put my ear within 3" of it. I have their power generator too, and it is quiet too.  

I'm surprised Paul let something go out the door that wasn't ready.  Although they sort of did the same thing with the first Bridge for the PerfectWave DAC.  What is there plan for existing customers when the new, correct part comes in?  Are they going to swap out the wrong part?

I have the MK1 and have been very happy with the sound and the quality. However, even though they had a really great upgrade deal for a short time, I decided to wait, this without even knowing about any hum problem. Some like to live on the edge. But me, I let others be the Guinea Pigs. Besides, I'd like to hear a bit more feedback from actual users, the MK1 came out some time ago and I'd like to hear if the MK2 can compete (sound and cost wise) with the latest DAC's out there. 

I purchased a PS Audio DirectStream MK II, my first PS Audio gear, and it arrived about a month ago. I’m familiar with the thread regarding hum. It’s a head scratcher and I can’t make any sense of it. 
That said, this Dac is mind blowing good. Although I have experienced hum and ground loop in other older equipment and know how frustrating it is trying to resolve , the MK II is dead quiet. I find it difficult to turn off as the music keeps sucking me in for “just one more” track. I’m running Roon on a 2013 Mac Pro with both Qobuz and Tidal and a small library of DSD 256 files to a Rose 150b, then to the MK II via AQ Coffee USB, onto a PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated and finally out to Klipsch speakers. The MK II dac provides significantly more detail and 3D sound stage than the Rose 150b internal dac although the latter is very good as well. I was influenced to buy intrigued by the inclusion of two FGPAs and ability to galvanically isolate various inputs and outputs. 

I have all of PS Audios BHK line their direct stream SACD and 2x P20 power regenerators. I’ve had problems with the BHK preamp each time I sent it in they gave me a new one as a replacement, right now it sounds great but it’s really finicky about tubes and is not dead quiet but it sounds so good. I have a direct stream DAC mk1 with a bridge 2 and it’s good so i bought the MK 2 about a month ago and still have a month until it ships I got $4500 credit trade in and since the streamer is delayed also PS Audio said I didn’t have to send in the old direct stream until the streamer comes out. People are going crazy about the new DAC it has a lot of horsepower in the programmable chips for future updates. Can’t loose.

Interesting. I almost went with the PS Audio MK. II, but got a very nice deal on an Ayon Audio Kronos Signature DAC. Like Ozon8r's post above, I am running a HiFi Rose RS150B via AES (Voodoo Amati) into the Kronos. Although the Rose is a great piece with a very good DAC, I am way impressed with the Ayon tube dac. It is also built exceedingly well (solid) which adds to my enjoyment (something about solid construction and industrial looks)

I believe that the buzz or hum they are referring to is a component on a board. Maybe a transistor or something like that.My MK2 is dead silent and a very good bargain. I don't think you will find a better DAC for the money.

As far as their pricing goes their trade in program is awesome and if you actually pick up the phone and give them a call you will be surprised at the  pricing when it is time to stop kicking the tires and get your checkbook out.

All in all they have been a very good bunch to deal with over the last 5 or 6 years that I have owned their equipment.

I have a Directstream Junior, about 5 years old. No issues and in general I like it. I t has no hum. I tried the optical in the other day from an optical out on my TV- set to PCM- and got no sound. I can't determine yet if its an issue with the optical input itself or somehow that the optical out from my Vizio is "readable" by the DAC- though its been readable by my Sonos sound bar. I'm going to test hte optical out from a Bluesound Vault to see if that works into the PS DAC though. I run the DAC into a Pass XP10, that goes into a Passs 250.8 which feeds a pair of Wilson Sasha 2. No hum at all and it sounds great. I'm waiting a year or so to see how the reviews are on the newest PS DAC and to see if prices on used DCS Bartok's soften up a little. 

When I ordered new DSDac yesterday,I was told it will not  be ready to ship until May 2023.

Speedthrills, my living room system (not to be compared to yours) has a Topping E50 and used to have an LG TV. Although the TV's optical output did work with the DAC, there were constant and very short dropouts that drove me crazy. Topping's customer support advised that it was "a known incompatibility" with LG TVs.

That was a good enough excuse for me to upgrade to a larger Sony TV which works perfectly with my Topping DAC. If you happen to have at hand a TV of a different brand it might be worth your while to try it with your DAC and possibly rule out the same issue I had.

Odd that actual MK 2 owners are reporting zero hum here, yet Ted acknowledges there is a capacitor that hums. The fact the hum is inconsistent or intermittent or nonexistant in many cases is curious - since the capacitor in question is in the power supply, perhaps the variation is due to the variable quality of the AC on tap in each owner's house?

I had the MK I DAC which I traded in for the MK II. The MK I was a very good DAC but the MK II is in another league altogether. I have had it in my system for almost 2 months and I don’t think I have ever purchased a piece of gear that made such a dramatic improvement in the sound quality of my system. I have not noticed any hum from the DAC and for those on the fence remember that PS Audio has a 30 day in home trial.

@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.

“I will be saying hello to the Holo Audio KTE Spring DAC! ”

@dcpillai 

I believe this would be a sound move, I’ve heard nothing but high praises. Which version of Spring DAC you would be auditioning? 

@dcpillai Not sure where you saw its a feature.  Ted Smith mentioned that all large transformers hum.  

That being said there 1 person complaining about the hum.  A few others confirmed if they put their ear next to the device they can hear something.  Most say nothing.  A whole lot has been made by a little.  As I said, I have a Jan Production run unit.  Not a beta... but it is an early run.  ZERO hum.  

it is 8k, a whole lot of money.  Many dacs to consider in that price.  Overseas does make other brands a bit more economical and easier to get. 

if it was not for the incredible trade in (full value) from PSA I probably would not have been able to swing this unit.  the MK1 was a class A component for years.  With steady updates.  I look foward to getting many years with the MKII.  Twice as much memory to work with.  All inputs are isolated.  More features to come (yeah some say promised from start but they went production already)  

I have pointed many to the MK1 for good deals online and with the forums help there are so many tweaks (with the help of lead designer Ted) you can buy and DIY that makes it as close to you can get to the MKII.  its an amazing value.

But your KTE is too. I ordered the RED streamer.  6 week wait.. 

I have owned 2 PS Audio products - first the DS Jr DAC, then the Stellar phono preamp. Fremer gave that phono preamp an excellent review and I bought it when they had a promo on it. He mentioned hum problems with it, which he said he was able to resolve, without explanation. I also had the hum problem. At some point one of the channels stopped working and I sent it in for repair under warranty. When I got it back I no longer had the hum issue, so I don’t know if they figured out a way to fix the issue and did it when I sent it in for service. I sold the DS Jr DAC about a year ago and bought a Holo Audio Spring 3 DAC. Even though it can’t be upgraded, I have been very happy with the sound and found it to be a big improvement. I don’t know how the Mk II DAC sounds, but I believe it costs about twice as much as the Spring 3. A lot of DAC choices out there these days.

I’m curious about the Air Lens streamer and have been waiting a long time for it to become available and see how it compares to the Lumin U2, another option I’m considering.

reading this, I find I do hear a hum from some of my components if I literally have my ear touching, or a fraction of an inch away...nothing from one or two inches away

@jl35 

Some electronics are inherently noisy. Check with manufacturer before you drive yourself crazy trying to isolate or eliminate the hum. All the electronics (solid state) in my system are dead quiet…no hum or white noise. When I owned tube electronics (amp and pre), I did hear slight noise when my ear was next to the tweeter. 

since hum is only from unit, and can't be heard from an inch away, I have no concerns

My contact at PS Audio tells me that an oscilloscope can pickup a little hum from the transformer. But there is no audible hum. I have a DSDMk2 on order. Trading in my DSDMk1. 

I have a MKII on order.  PS Audio has been fantastic about repairs, etc.  One of my monoblocks ran warmer than the other, and since they were such early units, they paid for shipping both ways for both units to check them both out and make any production upgrades.  They came back even better sounding.  From reading the hum thread about the DS MKII, it seems they had to substitute a part due to the worldwide parts shortage and had to change the design a tiny bit due to that.

Same with having to resdesign for dual smaller FPGAs instead one larger one.   That’s what was available and I’m okay with that.  
I’m already on the waiting list for a new custom designed transformer that is supposed to take the Dac into $15-20k range, sound quality wise.  

Ted already has some amazing ideas of how he’s going to utilize that second FPGA, and if the MKII’s sonic evolution is anything like the MKI I experienced, it’s going to be an exciting ride.

 BTW my MKI started life as a perfect wave Dac, and was still offered full trade in value.  And PS Audio will still warranty the DAC with an aftermarket transformer!!!

I don’t know any other company that would support (properly) modded products, so kudos to them.   

@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? 

@dcpillai 

If possible, I recommend in-home audition. Holo May KTE can be your end game DAC. In addition to premium parts in May DAC, a dual-chassis design of physically and electrically isolating the sensitive audio circuitry from the noise-generating components is always a huge plus not to mention the beefed up power supply. 

Don’t issue products with known hum. What company does that? For $6k no less. Forget that!!!

I have a DSD MKII.  It is a fantastic piece of gear.  I would highly recommend it.  Very natural detail sound.  Super sound stage.  I give it two thumbs up.  I have had many a fine CD player in my system in the past but the DSD MKII and SACD Transport are excellent components.  Oh, also, no hum other than me maybe humming along with some of the music.  

I've had my Mk 2 DAC for over a month. It is completely silent mechanically and electrically. It sounds fantastic, and I got $3500 credit by trading in my Mk 1. A no-brainer really, and I'm looking forward to the free firmware upgrades to come over the years I will own it.

Zero hum on my MkII...

@audioman58  No one mentioned or described the Hz of the hum. It's unlikely a 60 Hz one, which is a bass hum and is in my experience commonly the result of a bad cable connection. I assume the discussion is about a 120 Hz hum, the kind one gets with a bad component or ground loop.

@dcpillai ,

Did you already get the Holo DAC? If yes, how do you like it?

I've had mine for more than a week, it is quiet and glitch free..and sounds great...

I've owned several PS Audio products and never experienced hum with any of them. However, I did experience hum with a Pass Labs XP15 that I had on demo. I tried everything to remedy, including a very long run of RCAs to get it away from everything else. But to no avail. So I returned it. Ive also had hum with several power amplifiers in the past including a Krell and Classé.

A few years after I returned the XP-15, I decided to hire an electrician to run a pair of dedicated 20A circuits. And maybe a year after that, it was time to upgrade my phono pre. So I decided to give Pass another shot because it sounded so good. This time, the XP-17. And I've had zero hum issues since the new AC lines were installed. I also run sources & my MCH amp on one and my stereo power amp on the other. Zero hum or buzz even with my ear on any component. Not saying all of these peeps have wiring or grounding issues but it's certainly a possibility. 

As an owner of the DirectStream DAC Mk2, I must emphasize how wonderful this DAC sounds. It is probably the best sounding DAC under $10K, and may even be preferred by many listeners of much more expensive DACs. It provides clarity and detail, but without any of the digital harshness that affects many DACs. Bass is deep, tight, and real. Soundstage is wide and deep. There is a smoothness and naturalness that eliminates listening fatigue. I have had my Mk2 for only two weeks, and it continues to get even smoother and more "real" sounding as it settles into my system. There is zero hum coming out of my speakers, even with my ear next to the speaker drivers.

Ted Smith, the designer of the DirectStream DAC, acknowledges that there may be some listeners who notice some low-level hum when putting their ear close to the DAC itself. Here are a few of Ted's comments on this issue: "The part that causes the problem is one part. The humming comes from more than one cap that it affects. We did a couple of board turns changing the layout and number and type of caps in this part of the circuit and lowered the hum level. Changing the design overall to totally get rid of the hum would have been counterproductive in overall sound quality." So sound quality is the ultimate goal for the Mk2 DAC, and it succeeds fantastically. Unless you listen to your music with your head next to your gear rack, this low-level hum is a total non-issue. And the Mk2 even has the ability to lift the ground on any input or output that might be contributing to an actual ground loop or other ground-related problem in a particular audio system. 

@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! 😅🤞    

@dcpillai 

Good call and congratulations! Looking forward to your listening impressions. 

Congratulations @dcpillai! Have fun and let us know how it works out!

Just got my MKII up and running a few days ago.  It’s plugged into a a Niagara 7000 and I am am hearing a slight hum with my ear about 1” from the DAC, however it’s dead silent though the speakers.

I’ll have to try plugging in straight to the wall, but as far as sound quality the MKII is fantastic.  I’m running a long optical usb cable from my Mac Pro in another room running Jriver as opposed to ethernet/EtherRegen  I was running in the MKI. I’m very happy with the unit so far and has really helped with the last niggles I have with my speakers coincident drivers dissapearing.

still planning on doing the transformer upgrade when available, as it supposedly takes the Dac to another level.

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!

@dcpillai thanks for the kind words.  I lifted the ground on all the inputs (I only use usb) and while I didn’t a/B it yet, I think it sounds slightly better.  

I had some friends over last night for a birthday party and one friend requested Kraftwerk, and while I don’t often listen to electronic music, it sounded fantastic. 
another friend wanted to DJ a while and was playing tracks from her YouTube playlist.  It was shocking how good a YouTube stream sounded.  I had to kick people out at 4am, they loved the music so much.  I also played a one mic recording of Dave Brubeck compositions and my musician friend thought it was incredible to capture so much from one position.

It was also fun to tell people listening to their requests that they are hearing state of the art (for now) digital decoding.  
 

BTW my Niagara only has a slight physical hum (not through speakers) when using  my tube preamp, which I’ve read can happen.  With my passive pre it’s dead silent.  
the Niagara is such a benefit I don’t mind the hum since my rack is across the room.  
 

My next experiment with MKII will be lifting the XLR out grounds, and placing the unit in a Systrum platform, and then trying floating on a Halcyonics type active vibration table, though I don’t expect much benefit.  Having one under my turntable is fantastic though.  
 

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 ....