PS Audio DirectStream DAC RedCloud Upgrade
There are a few "frivolous" things I am willing to spend money on. They include cars, watches, audio equipment, and outdoor equipment.
My favorite things are highly engineered for the sake of being highly engineered. Watches, cars (or motorcycles), and tape decks rank very high on my list.
I traded a Panerai PAM111 watch for a PS Audio DirectStream DAC a few months ago. I loved the watch but rarely wore it, and I have never owned a true reference level DAC before (the closest was a Benchmark DAC1-HDR, a Logitech Transporter, and a TACT 2.2XP)... Seemed like a good trade.
Putting the DirectStream DAC into my system wasn't life-changing... at least not at first. I plugged it in, installed the Huron firmware update, and started streaming from Tidal. It sounded good.
It wasn't until I A/B'd it against a Sonos connect that I realized how much clearer it the DirectStream was. It literally sounded as if I had removed a wet blanket from overtop my speakers.
The test consisted of connecting the Sonos connect to the preamp via its analog rca outputs, and connecting it to the PS audio DAC via Toslink. matching volume, and switching back and forth. Even my wife (with her surgically replaced eardrum) could clearly hear the difference.
In the months since I received the DirectStream DAC I have run into a couple of minor issues. The most annoying is that i have to power cycle the unit from time to time because music stops streaming via the BridgeII.
Last Friday, December 8 2017, PS Audio released new firmware called RedCloud. AND a rewrite of the BridgeII firmware.
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2017/12/15/hey-you-get-on-to-red-cloud-ps-audio-updates-the-directstream-dac/
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2017/12/ps-audio-ready-redcloud-os-add-spotify-qobuz-support/
http://www.psaudio.com/forum/directstream-all-about-it/fpga-improvements-in-redcloud/
Once again, I'm not expecting a life-changing difference in sound quality, but I am excited to hear what the new firmware has to offer. And I love that in many ways, every few months I'm effectively getting a new DAC via software.
I'm also hopeful that the BridgeII instability issues are resolved by this update.
I'm not a big fan of Spotify, I prefer Tidal and Pandora... But the addition of Spotify and Qobuz does make the PS Audio a more effective replacement for the very convenient Sonos Connect. In fact, I think i might actually be able to remove the Sonos connect from my main system.
Shortly after powering up the DAC i saw the notification that the bridgeII firmware update was available to installed, and I installed it. The operation was painless.
Unfortunately, when I powered up the rest of the system, i found that one of by JC1 amplifiers was dead. I may write another blog post about it later, needless to say, it put an end to any critical listening. I didn't bother updating the DAC.
More to come next week...
Parasound repaired the failed amplifier and got it back to me in a couple days. I ended up also sending my PS Audio PPP back to deal with the "click of death" issue... So running the system with no power conditioning at the moment.
First, a quick update on the bridgeII... Since the most recent software update, it has been completely stable, no more need to power cycle. Really happy about that.
Now the biggest annoyance is the MConnect mobile app. Its way less useful than the Sonos app, and it has a strange tendency to "fight" with other instances of the app running on the same network. For example, i and a friend had the app open, and it kept jumping back and forth between our playlists.
The RedCloud update was painless. Just wiped the card, copied the redcould files to it, powered down the directstream, inserted the card, and powered back on... A few seconds later I was on redcloud.
I didn't take the time to AB test against the previous software. But I can say that redcloud is at least as good. I did, however, take some time to compare it to vinal (vpi scout) and tape (Nakamichi dragon)... and I have to say that even with low-quality recordings (mp3, etc...) this DAC is surprisingly analog sounding... No - it doesn't have the "lushness" that the dragon has or the dynamics the scout has... But it sounds dam good.
My favorite things are highly engineered for the sake of being highly engineered. Watches, cars (or motorcycles), and tape decks rank very high on my list.
I traded a Panerai PAM111 watch for a PS Audio DirectStream DAC a few months ago. I loved the watch but rarely wore it, and I have never owned a true reference level DAC before (the closest was a Benchmark DAC1-HDR, a Logitech Transporter, and a TACT 2.2XP)... Seemed like a good trade.
Putting the DirectStream DAC into my system wasn't life-changing... at least not at first. I plugged it in, installed the Huron firmware update, and started streaming from Tidal. It sounded good.
It wasn't until I A/B'd it against a Sonos connect that I realized how much clearer it the DirectStream was. It literally sounded as if I had removed a wet blanket from overtop my speakers.
The test consisted of connecting the Sonos connect to the preamp via its analog rca outputs, and connecting it to the PS audio DAC via Toslink. matching volume, and switching back and forth. Even my wife (with her surgically replaced eardrum) could clearly hear the difference.
In the months since I received the DirectStream DAC I have run into a couple of minor issues. The most annoying is that i have to power cycle the unit from time to time because music stops streaming via the BridgeII.
Last Friday, December 8 2017, PS Audio released new firmware called RedCloud. AND a rewrite of the BridgeII firmware.
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2017/12/15/hey-you-get-on-to-red-cloud-ps-audio-updates-the-directstream-dac/
http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2017/12/ps-audio-ready-redcloud-os-add-spotify-qobuz-support/
http://www.psaudio.com/forum/directstream-all-about-it/fpga-improvements-in-redcloud/
Once again, I'm not expecting a life-changing difference in sound quality, but I am excited to hear what the new firmware has to offer. And I love that in many ways, every few months I'm effectively getting a new DAC via software.
I'm also hopeful that the BridgeII instability issues are resolved by this update.
I'm not a big fan of Spotify, I prefer Tidal and Pandora... But the addition of Spotify and Qobuz does make the PS Audio a more effective replacement for the very convenient Sonos Connect. In fact, I think i might actually be able to remove the Sonos connect from my main system.
Shortly after powering up the DAC i saw the notification that the bridgeII firmware update was available to installed, and I installed it. The operation was painless.
Unfortunately, when I powered up the rest of the system, i found that one of by JC1 amplifiers was dead. I may write another blog post about it later, needless to say, it put an end to any critical listening. I didn't bother updating the DAC.
More to come next week...
Parasound repaired the failed amplifier and got it back to me in a couple days. I ended up also sending my PS Audio PPP back to deal with the "click of death" issue... So running the system with no power conditioning at the moment.
First, a quick update on the bridgeII... Since the most recent software update, it has been completely stable, no more need to power cycle. Really happy about that.
Now the biggest annoyance is the MConnect mobile app. Its way less useful than the Sonos app, and it has a strange tendency to "fight" with other instances of the app running on the same network. For example, i and a friend had the app open, and it kept jumping back and forth between our playlists.
The RedCloud update was painless. Just wiped the card, copied the redcould files to it, powered down the directstream, inserted the card, and powered back on... A few seconds later I was on redcloud.
I didn't take the time to AB test against the previous software. But I can say that redcloud is at least as good. I did, however, take some time to compare it to vinal (vpi scout) and tape (Nakamichi dragon)... and I have to say that even with low-quality recordings (mp3, etc...) this DAC is surprisingly analog sounding... No - it doesn't have the "lushness" that the dragon has or the dynamics the scout has... But it sounds dam good.
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