PS Audio DirectStream DAC Mk.2 measurements

[voodooless]

Well, at least it does better than spec…

 

[Soria Moria]

Meanwhile,

PS audio launches a new DAC, seems they still haven't learnt, looking at below statement.

"The StellarGold DAC is built around an octet of ESS 9038 Pro chips – four per channel – whose combined outputs are fed into a fully discrete (read: op-amp-free) Class A analogue output stage.

From the press release: “The use of multiple DACs to form a single ultra-linear channel provides the advantages of lowering noise and channel crosstalk while increasing linearity, dynamic range, and resolution beyond what any single-DAC technology can achieve.
"The proof is in the listening.”

So listening is still more important than measuring to them i guess.

Surprised that they went for ESS. They seem like the kind who subscribes to 'ESS = analytical' and 'AKM (or homemade) = warm, musical'.

 

[ahofer]

How about I buy it, Amir measures it and we conduct a blind test (with capture for online testing) vs the Apple dongle, then we return it within 30 days?

Or if it wins, I'll keep it as a constant reminder of my ignominy, and if it's a draw, as anticipated, some subjectivist on the other side has to buy it from me at full price.

After all, "try it out, we know you'll love it (after burn in and sufficient incantations)"

I'm serious, I'd finance that.

 

[voodooless]

How about I buy it, Amir measures it and we conduct a blind test (with capture for online testing) vs the Apple dongle, then we return it within 30 days?

Don’t waste your resources. You’ll have to find someone that has a vested interest in passing the test, otherwise we don’t know if the test is sabotaged. And as we all know, those people are not willing to do the test anyway.

 

[ahofer]

Don’t waste your resources. You’ll have to find someone that has a vested interest in passing the test, otherwise we don’t know if the test is sabotaged. And as we all know, those people are not willing to do the test anyway.

You'd think if any community wanted to prove a difference, it would be Uncle Paul's Band.

 

[voodooless]

You'd think if any community wanted to prove a difference, it would be Uncle Paul's Band.

As far as they are concerned, there is nothing to prove.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

How about I buy it, Amir measures it and we conduct a blind test (with capture for online testing) vs the Apple dongle, then we return it within 30 days?

Or if it wins, I'll keep it as a constant reminder of my ignominy, and if it's a draw, as anticipated, some subjectivist on the other side has to buy it from me at full price.

After all, "try it out, we know you'll love it (after burn in and sufficient incantations)"

I'm serious, I'd finance that.

Why not.

 

[Mart68]

Well, at least it does better than spec…

At some point they will probably issue a firmware update to fix that.

 

[frabor]

I just got this in the email. I was not aware of the unit, but what caught my eye was the 30dB improvements on ultrasonics and 10dB on the audible band by flashing a FPGA. "results are magic", oh well. Why they ever released a 8000 USD dac in the first place with such poor performance, when "magic" was achievable with a software update?

I have never seen the appeal and value of some audio brands. I do believe that if such appeal is heavy enclosures with polished metal and heavy gain and / or input controls with detents, they should do so and buy the electronics from any of the competent designers that top the objective performance charts.

 

[AdrianusG]

I just got this in the email. I was not aware of the unit, but what caught my eye was the 30dB improvements on ultrasonics and 10dB on the audible band by flashing a FPGA. "results are magic", oh well. Why they ever released a 8000 USD dac in the first place with such poor performance, when "magic" was achievable with a software update?

I have never seen the appeal and value of some audio brands. I do believe that if such appeal is heavy enclosures with polished metal and heavy gain and / or input controls with detents, they should do so and buy the electronics from any of the competent designers that top the objective performance charts.

View attachment 341160

BS Audio

 

[Human Bass]

Review / measurements of the Stellar Gold attached. Looks like they beat their THD+N spec (-94 dB spec'd, -104 dB measured and even better a few dB down from 0 dBFS) but didn't come close to their SNR spec (127 dB spec'd, 116 dB measured).

Michael

Lol super over price ESS dac. You can get the same chip with a massive headphone amp and way more functionalities for less than half the price in the Fiio R9

 

[jkr]

Here is a Directstream DAC Mk2 that we had here in the shop. Take a look at this hand solder job of a production unit they sent to a customer.
Must have ran out of the correct footprint.

Yes... It failed. No APS transformers will go into this unit.

 

[Ricardus]

Here is a Directstream DAC Mk2 that we had here in the shop. Take a look at this hand solder job of a production unit they sent to a customer.
Must have ran out of the correct footprint.

View attachment 342624

View attachment 342625
View attachment 342629


Yes... It failed. No APS transformers will go into this unit.

I mean, like... I would do that in a prototype, but not something I'm sending to a customer. PSA really is a joke.

 

[AdrianusG]

I just got this in the email. I was not aware of the unit, but what caught my eye was the 30dB improvements on ultrasonics and 10dB on the audible band by flashing a FPGA. "results are magic", oh well. Why they ever released a 8000 USD dac in the first place with such poor performance, when "magic" was achievable with a software update?

I have never seen the appeal and value of some audio brands. I do believe that if such appeal is heavy enclosures with polished metal and heavy gain and / or input controls with detents, they should do so and buy the electronics from any of the competent designers that top the objective performance charts.

View attachment 341160

Paul McGowan, PS Audio CEO noted, “This is the single biggest upgrade I have ever heard in the 50 years I’ve been in the industry. Mount Massive has elevated the performance of the DirectStream DAC MK2 to levels I had only dared dream of.”

Got to admire his modesty through lol

 

[Mart68]

He's got more front than Southend.

 

[kevin1969]

Here is a Directstream DAC Mk2 that we had here in the shop. Take a look at this hand solder job of a production unit they sent to a customer.
Must have ran out of the correct footprint.

View attachment 342624

View attachment 342625
View attachment 342629


Yes... It failed. No APS transformers will go into this unit.

For people that know nothing about soldering. What are we looking at ?

 

[antcollinet]

For people that know nothing about soldering. What are we looking at ?

They (presumably) have not been able to get hold of some IC's in the correct package.

They've put bigger versions of those IC's onto a small PCB (the green one with three IC's on), then hand soldered the edge of this small PCB to the Component footprints (FFS) on the main PCB. A horrible bodge that will be unreliable, and will probably also compromise the audio performance.

Definitely not suitable for production, or anything else going anywhere near a customer/end user.

 

[voodooless]

But this must be a custom job. It’s one PCB interfacing to three chip footprints. Seemingly they prepared for a longer shortage, if that is at all the reason for it.

 

[antcollinet]

But this must be a custom job. It’s one PCB interfacing to three chip footprints. Seemingly they prepared for a longer shortage, if that is at all the reason for it.

I'm guessing a result of the global component shortage of recent years.

In a previous life in this situation we would have (in fact did in some cases) been forced to relay the main PCB for the different components, or stop production. We'd never have shipped an abomination like this. But then I worked in a professional organisation with a QA team that actually had teeth.

 

[jkr]

Busy Saturday measuring the "NEW" improved Massive firmware (in red below).
We didn't like the sound of this new FPGA firmware. We prefer the previous beta version (in blue below) even thou they claim the new one has "massive" improvements.

FPGA firmware updates:
ANTERO 208 (3/2023)
MASSIVE 228 beta (6/2023)
MASSIVE 233 final (1/2024)

On a positive note. The user interface update has fixed many flaws and missing promised features from past versions and now allows us to turn off the power to the WiFi chip located inside the DAC. We don't want active WiFi noise in our DAC. This WiFi feature does not allow useful streaming or HTTP user settings. It was put in only for over the internet updates which can be done via the USB port. The over the internet update feature is still not active.