Modding the PS Audio Directstream DAC MK1 and MK2

Finally, JKRichards admitted that for the DirectStream DAC to sound good, it’s not enough just to swap the transformers and do the simple Vocm mod. You need a good power supply for the analog board.

People on the PS Audio forum (including myself) already installed these power supplies 2-3 years ago. And previously, you, Jeff, argued with me that you could NOT hear the difference with the additional power supply vs. without.

Now, waiting [another 2 years?] for you to admit that the stock power supply needs to be modified for all these mods to really showcase their best. Because the stock awful noisy power supply is still there in your "Signature plus" version.

Here's a free business idea for you. Modify the stock power supply and you will have a Statement version, that you could offer for the price of a new DirectStream MkII .

The DSD DAC already sounded good, before the upgrades, and better after the upgrades. Of course there's always room for improvements, by upgrading more of the internal components. 

Anton, Antony_s0s Please get your facts straight.

We don’t just do a simple Vocm mod like the weird “sandwich conglomeration you did. Who would even consider buying anything done that way? What a mess. We professionally change and add many other components and adjust the DC offset for our new R2 APS audio transformers. This lowers the low frequency distortion even more. I believe you purchased our old nickel transformers which show little difference if any at all with different power supplies. Things have changed a lot since we started using these new improved R2 audio transformers. What a difference they make. No one has ever used the power supply we are using including us until recently. We have tried many designs with very little improvements if any until we used these APS modified supplies together with our NEW R2 audio transformers and mods. Most internal supplies that others have performed in the past looks like a hack job at best that no one would want to pay good money for. Ours are done correctly and professionally. We warranty our DAC’s for a full year.

Unlike you, we have measured the stock power supply and found it is NOT noisy. There are another issues we discovered and corrected that you don’t know about. Imagine that😊. And no, schottky diodes are not the correct thing to do as you did. That creates other issues you are overlooking.

Our Signature Series PLUS is already a statement DAC that we feel sounds better than the new MK2 and all previous MK1’s.

If you don’t have anything constructive to say or add truthful information to this discussion besides your negative remarks and comments please go elsewhere. Your negative comments are not welcome here.

You did the same thing with TurboTK’s (tekaudiospecialties1) post. You only criticize others work and don’t add to the discussion with useful information..

No... Sorry, you would be the last person we would take any "free business ideas" from.

I might know the same about shortcomings of the stock power supply or maybe even more than you. Imagine that! But we won’t find out because I won’t share with you, so you can’t sell a $10 mod for $1000 (just a random number as an example).

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You measured and found it not noisy. LOL Tell it Amirm (audiosciencereview.com) who measured DirectStream DAC a long time ago.

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Come on, man, the stock power supply uses a SINGLE ML317 in simplistic configuration to feed the whole input board plus display and processor board (one cheap integrated circuit serves them all). And this is the foundation of your statement DAC? LOL

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I didn’t overlook anything. Because I rebuild the whole power supply ground up. Only the toroidal transformer and heat sinks remain from the stock power supply.

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Your original APS transformers with my complicated Vocm mod really showcase the difference with the additional power supply vs. without it. I don’t know, but it could be your simple / cheap Vocm mod that didn’t allow you to hear the difference in your modified DAC.

PS

Yes, I did the same withTurboTK. I told him that he is wasting his really brilliant ideas when he uses this stock power supply as is.

Ignorance is bliss.

Re-posting someone else old data. This is from years ago with a stock unit.

Guess you will never know what you are missing.