Affordable alternativ to the PS Audio DirectStream DAC

If you hear somebody complaining about the PSA DS dac, ask them what release of the firmware did they use. Most people like the improvement each release provides. I’ve updated the dac multiple times and each new release sounded better than the prior release.

I highly recommend the $1,500 Audio Mirror Tubadour III DAC.

I sold my Denafrips Terminator after hearing this DAC. BTW, I bought the Terminator after reading that people prefer it over the PSA DS DAC. And I am a big PSA fan and have some of their products including their big Power Plant P20.

A friend of mine also prefered the Audio Mirror DAC over a much more expensive Lampizator DAC and sold the Lampizator. It really is that good.

martin, you are in luck.  The PS Audio is a FPGA design, and the Denafrips is a Resister Ladder.  These are expensive designs.  Buy a DAC based on a Delta Sigma Chip.  The go to chips at the moment are the ESS 9028 and the ESS 9038.  There are several of these that are excellent.  (I currently run two - one is the Wyred 4 Sound DAC 2v2, and I also use my Oppo 205 as a DAC.)
With the FPGA and Resister Ladder types the additional cost is not for additional quality, but additional work in implementation.  Most, if not all, of that cost goes into a different type of sound - that you may prefer, or you may not.  However with the 'DAC-on-a-Chip' you will get (1) a different sound, (2) a cheaper price.  So long as you do a modicum of research you will get a fabulously good DAC.

I am presently considering the Okto Research DAC8 (when it come out) and the Matrix Audio X-Sabre Pro.

PS Audio Perfectwave dac. 

I have owned several high end DACs - the Luxman DA-06, the PS Audio Direct Stream with Bridge II, and currently the Esoteric D-07. I have been using a bluesound as a streamer for several years and have found it much better than the bridge ii in terms of reliability - it just never stops playing. My bridge ii used to stop playing all the time with high resolution files. Yes, the DS is a very good sounding product, but frankly the Luxman was richer sounding (not what I expected to find at all given all the reviews of the DS) and the Esoteric kills them both in terms of sound quality AND build quality. The Esoteric is an older DAC which is available for about $1500 used and simply makes the PS Audio look like a child’s toy. So, for $2k (including a decent coax cable) you can get an amazing DAC. The Esoteric allows you to upsample into DSD, and I have found that makes it sound more analog, but you can also convert without upsampling or into 2x or 4x PCM which sounds a bit more detailed. Your choice - it just depends on the music. Anyway, just my two cents but it could save you about $2k over a new DS with bridge (they sell for $4k brand new - nobody pays retail for PS).