Review and Measurements of PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream DAC

[Sal1950]

Why on earth do you have ‘more than four’ DACS?

He who dies with the most toys WINS. LOL

 

[digicidal]

I’m interested in the workings of ‘high end’ audio. Given that every subjective review results in the penetration (elimination) of ‘a veil’, just how many of these veils are there?

The answer is "how much have you got?" Always directly proportional to the number of veils.

Isn't it amazing how readily we humans create irrational complexity simply to prove our "expertise" and justify our "acquisitions" in the quest for superiority? There was a time when I was perfectly fine listening to a $40 boom-box, watching B&W television (on a 16" tube), and using a monochrome monitor. Now I'm barely satisfied with my 65" OLED because the HDR isn't perfect and find my 3 1440p monitors to be merely "adequate" for my needs. Luckily I've avoided most of the audio frivolity - but I still have a house full of budget-ish systems and speakers because reasons. LOL.

 

[Human Bass]

Picosope is not a problem - designing a well performing DAC is about the skill of an engineer, not about a top class measurement instrument.

Explain to me this concept of highly skillful engineering with sheety measurements. You know that engineering is applied math and physics, right?

 

[MZKM]

@amirm, I know you show the distortion vs frequency, but does the distortion profile stay generally the same? For this DAC, we see the distortion rising past -5dBFS, and your 0dBFS measurements has a lot of 3rd harmonic distortion.

Just a complaint I saw in trying to save this DAC from being ridiculed.

 

[Soniclife]

I’m interested in the workings of ‘high end’ audio. Given that every subjective review results in the penetration (elimination) of ‘a veil’, just how many of these veils are there?

42, the proof of this number is in a lost notebook of Fermat.

 

[Kw6]

So I am am assuming you guys don't feel that the old school NOS chips like AD1865 N K or the Philips TDA 1541 offer any sonic advantage?

 

[Count Arthur]

So I am am assuming you guys don't feel that the old school NOS chips like AD1865 N K or the Philips TDA 1541 offer any sonic advantage?

Some years ago I built a little DIY DAC based on a TDA 1541, like this one: https://positive-feedback.com/Issue27/monica_dac.htm. It was fun to mess around with and it sounded nice enough, but inferior to whatever DAC was in my CD player and the Burr Brown PCM1794 based USB DAC I had at around the same time.

 

[SIY]

So I am am assuming you guys don't feel that the old school NOS chips like AD1865 N K or the Philips TDA 1541 offer any sonic advantage?

No reason why they would, and no evidence that they do.

 

[Kw6]

Some years ago I built a little DIY DAC based on a TDA 1541, like this one: https://positive-feedback.com/Issue27/monica_dac.htm. It was fun to mess around with and it sounded nice enough, but inferior to whatever DAC was in my CD player and the Burr Brown PCM1794 based USB DAC I had at around the same time.

Ok nice! But what you are saying is it sounded nice but still not recovering as much detail as the BB PVM1794?

 

[Kw6]

No reason why they would, and no evidence that they do.

Ok good to know! Thanks!

 

[Count Arthur]

Ok nice! But what you are saying is it sounded nice but still not recovering as much detail as the BB PVM1794?

This was some time ago, so there's no way I could describe the differences in detail, I just remember that I didn't feel that it bettered the alternatives I had at the time or that NOS did anything magical or special.

It should be noted that the DIY kit I built was pretty cheap, under £100, if I remember.

 

[Kw6]

This was some time ago, so there's no way I could describe the differences in detail, I just remember that I didn't feel that it bettered the alternatives I had at the time or that NOS did anything magical or special.

It should be noted that the DIY kit I built was pretty cheap, under £100, if I remember.

Ok thanks! The more i read the more I see the PCM 1543 chip was and is not high fidelity!

 

[vkvedam]

Total shambles, it's an insult for Auralic to say the least

 

[noiseangel]

PS Audio's response to their poor performance is this total load of rubbish

https://www.psaudio.com/announcing-sunlight/

@amirm get that DAC back and load this into it and see if it changes anything.

 

[lemnoc]

PS Audio's response to their poor performance is this total load of rubbish

https://www.psaudio.com/announcing-sunlight/

@amirm get that DAC back and load this into it and see if it changes anything.

So they design their silicon based on one clowns subjective opinion. No wonder it doesn't measure well

 

[amirm]

PS Audio's response to their poor performance is this total load of rubbish

https://www.psaudio.com/announcing-sunlight/

@amirm get that DAC back and load this into it and see if it changes anything.

Good grief. In the video they say that they compiled the same "code" (logic description) and they liked three of them better! Unbelievable. With the same logic generated each time, they thought three sounded different and better? Do they not have any common sense? While they are at it, maybe I should download the updated firmware 12 times. Maybe three of those will sound better than the rest!

They should really write a book on this alternate universe they live in with its own rules.

 

[mansr]

Good grief. In the video they say that they compiled the same "code" (logic description) and they liked three of them better! Unbelievable. With the same logic generated each time, they thought three sounded different and better? Do they not have any common sense? While they are at it, maybe I should download the updated firmware 12 times. Maybe three of those will sound better than the rest!

Verilog compilers can actually be non-deterministic, or so I've heard (supposedly due to random timing of parallel processes), though the output should obviously always be functionally equivalent. If there are significant behavioural differences, they have clearly not specified all constraints properly. Of course, they're most likely imagining it, or simply making it up.

They should really write a book on this alternate universe they live in with its own rules.

You'd have to buy multiple copies and see which one you like best.

 

[noiseangel]

These clowns seem to think it does something

https://www.stereo.net.au/forums/to...ware-“sunlight”/?tab=comments#comment-4751347

 

[hmscott]

Good grief. In the video they say that they compiled the same "code" (logic description) and they liked three of them better! Unbelievable. With the same logic generated each time, they thought three sounded different and better? Do they not have any common sense? While they are at it, maybe I should download the updated firmware 12 times. Maybe three of those will sound better than the rest!

They should really write a book on this alternate universe they live in with its own rules.

Verilog compilers can actually be non-deterministic, or so I've heard (supposedly due to random timing of parallel processes), though the output should obviously always be functionally equivalent. If there are significant behavioural differences, they have clearly not specified all constraints properly. Of course, they're most likely imagining it, or simply making it up.

You'd have to buy multiple copies and see which one you like best.

You know it's funny, but this is exactly how code development is done at so many companies. There simply isn't enough bandwidth - people - to run these sessions through a bunch of people beyond the code developer, project manager, and final sign-off - Paul's listening session.

I realize it should be instrumented and run through testing to catch egregious bugs, and such is done at large companies for all kinds of compliance and regression testing. Lots of people and processes get involved. But in the end to cut the final code there is a small close group of people that get it done. That is the only way to get it done in a timely manner.

They didn't mention if the compiles were various combinations of pre-processor, compiler, optimization, and loader switches - which they may have found over time provide better optimized code - but not always better sounding results. There are "standard" optimizations that don't do good things to the final binary in many real-time applications. And, there are indeed variations that work in one build cycle but not in the next. Not to mention the variations from release to release of the build environment.

This is why we never show the internals that go into final code releases anywhere I have worked, it is simply too arcane and messy - frightening even - to the uninitiated. Even the most organized large institutions with the best processes and intentions can end up with a little bit of a "panic" happening before and usually just after a pending firmware/software release.

It is always wise to let the code settle in use for weeks without change before release, but there is always a rush to provide break fixes involved to some clients. And, there are usually late comers looking to push just one more little fix after the code freeze. You have to keep things tight and push back firmly. You can't do that will too many fingers in the pot.

Given Ted's comments on clock timing, I am not at all surprised at their method of sussing out the shipping image.

 

[lemnoc]

Some decent measurements might help them make a more informed decision