Review and Measurements of PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream DAC

[amirm]

I think you need a dose of Ronnie Johns playing Chopper:

That is a riot. But what is "people having a winch???"

 

[restorer-john]

people having a winch

People having a whinge. As in a complaint about nothing.

 

[MediumRare]

That is a riot. But what is "people having a winch???"

"Whinge" : To whine, complain, piss and moan. Chiefly British, Aussie and South African in usage. Chiefly British in practice. Example: Dear lord, these melons are getting more and more exy (expensive) every day. And did you see the bleeding colonists (Australians, more likely "convicts") took the Ashes again? Bloody travesty the rulings from the umpire what what.

 

[Zog]

Chopper was a regular on NZ comedy shows. Always welcome!

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

Chopper is surprisingly appropriate for this thread. He’s all about the self-promoting stories which mostly have no basis in facts

 

[amirm]

People having a whinge.

Thanks. Even when I listen now it sounds like: "wheeench." Does it really have a "g" in it?

 

[Frank Dernie]

Thanks. Even when I listen now it sounds like: "wheeench." Does it really have a "g" in it?

It does.
Accents vary a -lot- in English.
One of my favourite films is "Kes" made in Yorkshire and apparently it had to be shown in the USA with subtitles because the accent is not only strong but unfamiliar in the US.
I think it is mainly about familiarity, I find some US accents almost completely impossible to follow but I can get on fine with a French accent since I worked with so many French people some of whom hardly spoke English.
I understand most Oz accents (and humour) since so many motor racing people were Antipodean when I started.

 

[pallatin]

Holy s**t, this is a train wreck. How could this possibly cost $6000?

Maybe some people just like to buy these ugly distortion simulators, no matter the price.

 

[Rockfella]

Holy s**t, this is a train wreck. How could this possibly cost $6000?

Uncle Paul said so hehehehe

 

[RichB]

Holy s**t, this is a train wreck. How could this possibly cost $6000?

You can certainly find far superior performance for less than $1000 but nobody can find a way to shine this sneaker better than a reviewer:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ps-audio-perfectwave-directstream-da-processor-page-2

In these early days of DSD streaming, it should come as no surprise that the industry's digital-audio specialists are rolling out some rather large guns—and at prices often high enough that the target audience may, at first, be limited to only the most serious DSD and SACD stalwarts. So it goes here: The DirectStream is an original and very forward-thinking product that is priced accordingly, but not unfairly. It's beautifully made, insofar as I can see, and pleasant to use. Perhaps best of all, as I've already seen, it's very easily upgraded.

Time will tell if and when these levels of performance, flexibility, and luxury will become available for less than $6000. But today, for those who've waited for a computer-friendly DAC that offers, with every type of music file, the best musicality of which DSD is capable, the PerfectWave DirectStream may be in a class by itself.

DSD streaming services, I'd short that stock.

- Rich

 

[Rockfella]

Paul's smooth talking, story telling, grandfatherly demeanor can't save him now...

My thoughts whenever I watch him talk

 

[992SAM]

Having just taken delivery of the PSA DS DAC a bit over a week ago, I can say this much... out of the box it wasn't what it became after a series of 24/7 burins in cycles... I probably have about 300 hours burn in time on it now and to my ears (and I admit that I am nothing more than a music listener) it sounds amazing and better than the DAC in my McIntosh MA9000 (I believe it's an ESS 9018).. It has a smoothness that works very well for me when listening to baroque music especially.

My question is, can the admin who did the detailed electronics testing do this again now with the latest 4.x firmware and a unit with a few hundred hours of burn in and see if there is a significant improvement in those numbers?

 

[Killingbeans]

My question is, can the admin who did the detailed electronics testing do this again now with the latest 4.x firmware and a unit with a few hundred hours of burn in and see if there is a significant improvement in those numbers?

It was on loan from a forum member (says so in the start of the review ). Not much point in it anyway. You will be hard-pressed to find people in here (myself included) who doesn't see burn-in of electronics as a 100% psychological phenomena.

 

[MediumRare]

Having just taken delivery of the PSA DS DAC a bit over a week ago, I can say this much... out of the box it wasn't what it became after a series of 24/7 burins in cycles... I probably have about 300 hours burn in time on it now and to my ears (and I admit that I am nothing more than a music listener) it sounds amazing and better than the DAC in my McIntosh MA9000 (I believe it's an ESS 9018).. It has a smoothness that works very well for me when listening to baroque music especially.

My question is, can the admin who did the detailed electronics testing do this again now with the latest 4.x firmware and a unit with a few hundred hours of burn in and see if there is a significant improvement in those numbers?

If you really want to know, send it in. But, do you REALLY want to know?

 

[992SAM]

It was on loan from a forum member (says so in the start of the review ). Not much point in it anyway. You will be hard-pressed to find people in here (myself included) who doesn't see burn-in of electronics as a 100% psychological phenomena.

it's become my conclusion (as with so many hobbies men tend to dominate like Photography, Automotive, etc) that there is no absolutes in this area... some might in fact enjoy hearing something that others hate to hear.. that part we can all at least agree on. That said, I would be inclined to send my unit in for another test to the admin if he were to agree to pay for two way Fedex insured shipping .. I majored as an EE 30 years ago, but haven't done a single thing professionally in electronics since... I am an amateur radio guy but even then, I'm not like some of the geeks who build their own radios... so much of it is a bit above my head, but I find it hard to believe a $6899 DAC with a MIT graduate engineer behind its design, and with its unique focus on DSD (SACD style content) could be so bad... It's easy to label something as over priced crap, but when it sounds good, you want to understand what else you could get that sounds this good at 1/10th the cost!

 

[MediumRare]

it's become my conclusion (as with so many hobbies men tend to dominate like Photography, Automotive, etc) that there is no absolutes in this area... some might in fact enjoy hearing something that others hate to hear.. that part we can all at least agree on. That said, I would be inclined to send my unit in for another test to the admin if he were to agree to pay for two way Fedex insured shipping .. I majored as an EE 30 years ago, but haven't done a single thing professionally in electronics since... I am an amateur radio guy but even then, I'm not like some of the geeks who build their own radios... so much of it is a bit above my head, but I find it hard to believe a $6899 DAC with a MIT graduate engineer behind its design, and with its unique focus on DSD (SACD style content) could be so bad... It's easy to label something as over priced crap, but when it sounds good, you want to understand what else you could get that sounds this good at 1/10th the cost!

You can message @amirm and ask him. He may not have an interest as this is somewhat well-trodden territory, but you can offer.

 

[992SAM]

You can message @amirm and ask him. He may not have an interest as this is somewhat well-trodden territory, but you can offer.

Sounds good, gonna make sure it gets a good burn in first and play it for a bit... I'll hit him up later and see if he feels like revisiting it, as I hear the latest firmware was a major improvement from those who've used prior firmwares.

 

[Killingbeans]

it's become my conclusion (as with so many hobbies men tend to dominate like Photography, Automotive, etc) that there is no absolutes in this area...

There's no absolutes in anything. But the likelihood of burn-in doing nothing comes pretty close. The reasoning behind it is sketchy at best, and there is zero scientific evidence to support it (that I know of?). I have seen no tests pointing to it being anything other than imaginary.

some might in fact enjoy hearing something that others hate to hear.. that part we can all at least agree on.

Absolutely.

That said, I would be inclined to send my unit in for another test to the admin if he were to agree to pay for two way Fedex insured shipping ..

Ask him! I'd love to see it. If nothing else, just to see the myth of burn-in get a huge wooden stake through the heart Though, he has a massive backlog of thing to test already.

but I find it hard to believe a $6899 DAC with a MIT graduate engineer behind its design, and with its unique focus on DSD (SACD style content) could be so bad...

All of the "bad" is probably below audible levels anyway (under normal circumstances). I bet it works just fine as a DAC, but I would be surprised if it does anything special. If you keep throwing money at a non existent problem it won't be forced to materialize.

It's easy to label something as over priced crap, but when it sounds good, you want to understand what else you could get that sounds this good at 1/10th the cost!

If you commit to a proper eye opening test, you'd might find something at 1/700th the cost that does the trick. It's not unlikely.

 

[Omar Cumming]

Nearly $7K could have been so much better spent. Simply put, you wasted your money, but that's your prerogative.

Cheers

 

[Jimbob54]

It does.
Accents vary a -lot- in English.
One of my favourite films is "Kes" made in Yorkshire and apparently it had to be shown in the USA with subtitles because the accent is not only strong but unfamiliar in the US.
I think it is mainly about familiarity, I find some US accents almost completely impossible to follow but I can get on fine with a French accent since I worked with so many French people some of whom hardly spoke English.
I understand most Oz accents (and humour) since so many motor racing people were Antipodean when I started.

Possibly the finest 7 minutes of British film making. Glover showing some skill on the ball too.