PS Audio DirectStream Network Audio Player and DAC

[Steve Pitbull Potenziano]

Class A+ Stereophile rated DirectStream DAC converts any digital input format, such as PCM or DSD to a pure DSD stream and outputs near-perfect analog directly to your power amplifier or preamplifier. Whatever the format, whatever the sample rate, DirectStream is a pure DSD based solution that fulfills the promise of a high-resolution analog performance standard the originators of CDs promised over 30 years ago. Hear what’s been missing in your music for all these years. If you know the sound of music and instruments, and want to hear what’s been missing on your discs, then this DAC could be right for you.

DirectStream shown with optional network bridge installed. The network Bridge provides local network access to NAS, and most network UPnP applications

http://www.psaudio.com/products/directstream-dac/

MSRP: $5,999

• Pure 100% DSD based D to A Converter

• Fully upgradable through software releases

• Resolution perfect volume and balance controls built in

• Upsamples PCM and DSD to 10x DSD rate

• Purely passive transformer coupled output

• Improves imaging and soundstage

• Simple, direct signal path with one master clock

• Hand written filters, processors and upsamplers

• Immune to incoming jitter problems from different sources

• Increased digital headroom

• No off-the-shelf IC DAC chips used

• Uncovers musical details masked by typical PCM based processors

• 7 digital inputs

• Fully balanced from input to output

• Color touch screen

 

[RichB]

At first this unit measured badly but still got an A+ rating.
Since then, they have made some tweaks but it is still nothing to write home about.

From the original review:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/ps-audio-perfectwave-directstream-da-processor-measurements

With 16-bit data, the noise floor is dominated by the dither used to encode the signal, though a trace of second-harmonic distortion is visible. But when the bit depth was increased to 24, which was correctly indicated on the front-panel display, the noise floor dropped at most by 5dB, suggesting that the DirectStream DAC has only about 17 bits of resolution.

The measured reduction in low-frequency distortion with the v.1.2.1 firmware is dramatic, the improvement in resolution less so but still worthwhile. Kudos to PS Audio for designing a product so that its performance can so easily be upgraded by its customers. The new firmware is a gift to end users that will keep on giving

- Rich

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

No way in hell.

 

[cpp]

Nope had a demo, I will keep what I have. I would rather by more LP's.