T+A DAC200 vs. PS Audio Directstream Mk2

I own the DAC 200 in a 2nd system and had auditioned many in a similar price range before purchasing. It’s quite good and you’ll be well rewarded if you feed it with a good source.The preamp/volume (analog) are also fully competitive for the price range.

I’ve no experience with the Directstream Mk2 so cannot offer comparisons.

I have a Directstream Mk1 with the transformers upgraded to the Mk2. I tried the DAC 200 and it was too bright for me but a lot of people like it. My understanding is that the DAC 200 excels with DSD but is just ok with PCM. I only used it with PCM so what kind of files you have might be part of your determination.

The Directstream, as I understand it, upsamples everything to 20x DSD. I love the Directstream Mk1 and think it is perfect for my system (at least for now). I get clarity and definition without the digital glare that drives me crazy. PS Audio just dropped a new firmware update Mount Blue Sky to take advantage of the Mk2's FPGA chipsets so you may want to check reviews out about how that affects the performance of the Mk2 (whether it really upgrades it). Alas the Mk1's last update was Sunlight and no more after that.

I found this quote in a review:

December 4, 2024.  PS Audio has just announced  another major update to its DirectStream DAC MK2. Eleven months ago, this trailblazing DAC received the Mount Massive firmware. My review of this update concluded: “This is an update that every DSD MK2 owner should just go out and get and prepare not to be just impressed but blown away!”.  Just when I thought the MK2 had reached its peak performance, PS Audio’s digital guru, designer Ted Smith, has come up with the Blue Sky update. According to the company’s website, “This update enhances the FPGA with cutting-edge advancements, including 81-bit multiplies and extending the length and accuracy of the upsampling filters with custom-calculated coefficients. The result is a profoundly deeper soundstage, a strikingly quieter background, and unparalleled detail that reveals textures and layers in your music like never before.”

https://www.theaterbyte.com/enhance-sound-quality-ps-audio-dac-mk2-blue-sky-update/

The other thing to think about is connections. PS Audio uses a different I2S configuration so it is not necessarily compatible with other components. I had bought a Denafrips Iris and had to sell it and get the Denafrips Hermes because the Iris couldn't change the configuration of the I2S connection whereas the Hermes could. 

@koestner,

I don’t have experience with the Directstream.

But I can say that while the T+A DAC 200 sounds fantastic with DSD, it sounds excellent with PCM files too, especially with their Bezier 2 filter. I think most owners of this DAC are doing disservice to this DAC when they praise the DSD and do not give enough hours on the PCM. I have put close to 175 hours on the PCM side and it sounds excellent. I do not intend to use the DAC as a preamp and so will not be able to comment on it.