PS auido Direct stream Dac


Hi I am looking to buy a Dac, now i have Cambridge Audio 851N network player.I am looking at the PS audio Direct Stream Dac with the Bridge 11 and the Holo  Audio May Dac KTE, I have a cd player ,but not many cds so most of the time it would used to stream Qobuz ,I also have a nice vinyl set up which i use about 1/2 the time. My ? does anyone have heard both of these dacs ,if so which sounds most like vinyl, I am 64  so I am trying to decide if these are worth the $ or should i just stick with the CA 851N ,any opinions will help .Thanks Lloyd
bestbaker
This pS audio dac is being discontinued very soon which they will not tell you,  a complete new model coming out.this is from a excellent source.
 Here is a excellent dac built better then  the majority 
for under $2k very good . It beat my friends Denafrips pontus-2 as well as many $$ dacs 
On many levels especially what counts for me realism and dynamics with crunching tight Bass ,not specs on paper and several user adjustment settings including Vinyl for a warmer setting ,tune to your system.it is a full R2R 
dac .I just ordered one and will be getting in 2 weeks 
underwood Wallys new line the Audio GD R2 MK-2 dac , the flagship I wanted but didnot have almost $5k .
Totally upgraded for 2021 and now has a upgrade firmware port on back for it has several FPGA processors to keep everything 
sounding good.

i agree with many of the comments made, from @verdantaudio and others

there are so many very good dacs out there in the $2000 and up range, each has lovely (if somewhat differently presented) soundscapes

the ps ds will see new lows in used prices soon, maybe approaching 2 grand....without a doubt

not to take anything away from its luscious smooth dimensional sound... those who are not in the ’must have newest most recently reviewed hot sh&t’ camp can buy for very very attractive prices and enjoy the beautiful music it makes
Check out the wyred for sound 10th anniversary dac, it's $2,000 cheaper than the PS audio direct stream and the reviewer that tested it said it was way better than the PS audio direct stream.
On my "check it out sometime list" is :

-Audio Note kit 4.1x $3k
-Wyred for Sound-Not sure on model name
-Doge 6 or 7

Currently own the last of the $1.5 Audio Mirror Tubadours
Vlad offered. Somehow I feel that the next improvement
I might want will be $5k+ so I am settling in and quite happy.

Was not aware that U/W had a new DAC. 
Probably a bargain. Love that guy!


Hello,
I’m following this with great interest as I own the Cambridge Azure 851n and think it sounds great. By way of introduction, I don’t have a golden ear nor am I an audiophile. I’m also fairly new to streaming and the 851n is my first foray into streaming. Actually my second, I attached an apple airport to my preamp to stream from my iPhone. This was after some prodding from my daughter who claimed that I only listened to music by dead people. Partially true, I suppose — my analog source is a Michell Gyrodec. But a significant number of the musicians on my LP’s are still alive. Really.

I’m very interested to know if anyone has firsthand experience in moving up the chain from an 851n to better sounding streamer/dac — integrated or separates.
I think the 851n sounds great. Then again, I don’t have much to compare it to. It is Roon ready which is a big plus for me. I subscribed to Roon shortly after I subscribed to Tidal. I also purchased a few DSD recordings just to see if I was missing out. The 851n plays it all quite nicely. 
Thanks for your time!