originally posted
by: Adrian Low
January 28, 2023
The long awaited PS Audio DirectStream DAC mk2 has finally arrived！ The original DSDac came out in 2015 and won every major award for world class performance. Because the DAC used FPGA integrated circuits (Field Programmable Gate Array) to run custom software, PS Audio would regularly send updates. This means the DSDac was consistently updated to the latest version, free!
The new DSDac mk2 also uses FPGA, with improvements like Galvanic Isolation of all inputs, outputs, ground and power sources. PS Audio says this significantly reduces jitter, noise and timing effects. The DAC is fully balanced from input to output. All input signals (PCM and DSD) are up sampled to 20 times DSD, as the company feels DSD provides a more accurate and natural sound over PCM. There are 7 digital inputs, including 2 x I2S, Coax, 2 x AES/EBU XLR, Optical and USB
To say that I am excited is an understatement. I have been waiting eagerly for this DAC. The original was absolutely superb, and still one of my favourite DACs. It had a natural musical quality, details galore for those who thrive on hearing everything from their favourite recordings, yet unlike other DACs, it presented these details without any sense of harshness. Each new update sounded better than the one before. You essentially received a new DAC with each update, for free!
I was very excited when PS Audio announced that it was no longer supporting any future updates because they were soon to release a new model. Unfortunately, it took much longer than anticipated, about 1 year!
Well, we just received our first shipment, and it is breaking in as I write this. You will be able to see our “unboxing” video within a couple of days. Just check our Audio Excellence Canada YouTube channel. Initial impressions from beta testers appear to be rave reports. Many still owned the MK1 DAC and were able to compare the 2.
Please contact us if you’d like to hear them!
