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I love my PS Audio Direct Stream with Red Cloud :)

Yesterday, PS Audio released the Red Cloud FPGA software written by MIT genius Ted Smith.

With immense delight, I auditioned all through the night.

The beauty exceeds what were my wildest expectations when I purchased the DAC several years ago, and reconfirmed that I had made another good choice (my previous good choices include Tannoy 15" DC speakers, Cary SLP05 preamp, Art Audio Jota HC monoblocks, Wavelength Cardinal monoblocks, Cardas Clear cables, Acoustic Zen reference cables, Wyred4Sound server, PS Audio Premier Power Plant, inexpensive HDMI cable, and ceramic corn dishes.

While I haven't heard a great many DACs, I have heard static-state Sabre DACs, which sound ear-bleeding mediocre IME, and R2R chips which were the thing 20+ years ago. I think that FPGA Red Cloud is superior, and the best thing aesthetically to have come from a scientist educated at MIT. Make music, not war.

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with PS Audio, except as a happy customer. It's just a great company!


jburidan
jpgsf's avatar
jpgsf
70 posts
 
I downloaded Red Cloud Friday night and I am starting to really enjoy it. 
I also have the Memory Player and as I type I am listening to a red book cd that is sounding mighty good! Thank you all the folks at PS Audio!
ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,286 posts
 
Well I downloaded Red Cloud and honestly I was not impressed compared to the last upgrade "Huron".

The soundstage shrunk bigtime and the music became dull and congested. I then loaded a previous version, "Torry's finale" and then reloaded Red Cloud and that seems to have fixed it. 
Odd behavior.

ozzy
nitewulf
419 posts
 
Isn't the PS Audio still a delta sigma dac? I mean it does use off the shelf dac chips right? 
jburidan OP
803 posts
 
Nitewulf, it's not a delta sigma DAC.

It uses an FPGA chip whose logic is determined by software. I understand it to be like a blank slate. Ted Smith writes the code. And there are periodic upgrades. It just keeps getting better and better. It sounds as good as the most expensive R2R ladder DACs that cost 10-20 times more, or so it has been stated by those who own both kinds.

AFAIK, Chord is the only other company using an FPGA approach. But Chord doesn't have Ted Smith. And PS Audio provides exemplary customer support; maybe Chord does, as well, but I don't know much about that company.     
aolmrd1241
1,025 posts
 
A recent post from... richfield_hunter from the...   "Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD" 

"I have to put a plug in here for the the Bricasti M1 SE and most recently the PS Audio DS with the new Red Cloud firmware which get closer to the Davinci in SQ than they ought to considering the price difference."

Pretty impressive company for the PS Audio dac. 
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