Instructions for installing the USB driver for PS Audio devices can be found here. Was it worth it? The version number and name of the operating system will appear. I purchased this new from a PS Audio dealer. Functions like new. I don’t know how much I have to add, but because I have been living with one for a number of months, I’ll share some thoughts. On February 10, PS Audio released a noteworthy update to its DirectStream DAC. One of the beauties of the PerfectWave products, DirectStream, PWD, PWT, P5 and P10 Power Plants, is the ease of which we can add features, update software and keep your device current and operating flawlessly. If you have an immediate question email us. Keep at it, I say. The best news is that you install these upgrades yourself by updating firmware. The Bridge II card sells for $899. Windom is the latest operating system for DirectStream DAC and DirectStream Junior (DSJ). Blacker backgrounds, greater instrument weight, wider and deeper soundstage, better instrument separation, improved low level linearity, and far great inner detail that ever possible are among its many benefits. 4865 Sterling Drive • Boulder, Colorado • 80301 • 800-PSAUDIO • +1-720-406-8946, After labeling the subject, here's where you type in your actual question for Paul. OK folks, I’ve got your digital dreamboat right here folks, so step right up and see what it’s all about. This DAC’s central hardware is software upgradeable for Free. If the question involves an immediate need, this is not a good place as Paul won't see them for weeks. Review and Measurements of PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream DAC. I upgraded from firmware version 1.2.1, the last released version. At $3999 for the PWT (PerfectWaveTransport) and $5999 for the DSD (Direct Stream DAC) the combo comes in at a low-mid range price point for such ambitious products. Instead of using a standard DAC chip, the DirectStream DAC uses a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), programmed by designer Ted Smith, to perform all DAC functions. Quick start instructions for updating firmware via SD Card. Currently is loaded with the latest software rev. The latest version called Windom is stunning. Unlike previous updates, which were labeled firmware upgrades, this new version—known as the Pikes Peak OS—delivers many improvements to the operating system. But here we are, and if you, the reader, are like so many others, you'll go the end and find that this goose chase resulted in quite the … PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A processor New Firmware The firmware is in the form of a computer file that can be e-mailed, transferred to an SD card, and inserted in a slot on the DS. What other DAC can make that claim? We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Selling the PS AudioDirectStream DAC with bridge 2 installed - Comes with all original packaging, in double box and with remote and power cord. After the files are unpacked, they are copied onto an SD card which is inserted into the appropriate slot on the DAC's rear panel, with the power off. Windom is a free upgrade for DirectStream and DSJ owners. Review: PS Audio DirectStream DAC, a chameleon in the high foothills This has been the hardest review to write, for many reasons, not the least of which is that this DAC took me on a journey that seemed, at times, like a wild goose chase. PS Audio cooks up Windom update for DirectStream DAC by John Darko about a year ago Buy a high-end DAC and chances are it will be built around an off-the-shelf DAC chip from ESS, Wolfson, AKM or Cirrus Logic. The Windom operating system upgrade provides further reductions of jitter sensitivity, lowers audible noise, improves upon the work Ted Smith performed in Snowmass. According to McGowan, the new firmware, the work of Ted Smith, not only fixes the bass-distortion problem that John Atkinson had identified in his measurements, but represented an … It shouldn’t take long for you to hear the major improvements, big enough to call it a new DAC. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The most recent release, dubbed Huron and reportedly a complete ground-up rebuild by digital guru Ted Smith, was made available by the Boulder company some two weeks ago – catch up here. For instructions on installation go here. Snowmass throws a larger/deeper soundstage with a The upgrade is free via download and self-installation or by purchasing this pre-formatted SD card, or USB memory stick (DSJ only) delivered to you ready to install. If DirectStream continues flashing, load this. Windom is the biggest improvement yet in the DirectStream product line. The church venue was so apparent with Windom, the singing was more natural since the church venue was now truly part of it, and the singing was less distant—more up front. No, the Windom DirectStream DAC is not the latest and greatest DAC, but PS Audio supplies owners with free upgrades. Since its introduction in 2014, the PS Audio Perfect Wave DirectStream DAC, with its FPGA-based architecture, has allowed owners to update their units with new OS firmware. I stated that ‘I think the most apparent changes are in soundstage, imaging and reduction of noise. ... Every time there is a new firmware the general comment in all the audophile forums is that now we have a brand new DAC much better than the previous and for free. Just choose your own flavour and stick to it, akin to that old firmware update, or change to new flavours as they come out. Each new version is like buying a whole new DAC. The latest firmware improves the sound significantly. The PS Audio PerfectWave Transport and DirectStream DAC are the Boulder Colorado's company's direct assault on the state of the Art Red book CD/DVD audio replay. In an ongoing effort to rid obsolescence from components, PS Audio's futureproofing of its award-winning DirectStream DAC continues with its new Snowmass OS firmware update, which leads to even better sound quality and performance. When the power is then turned on, the DirectStream loads the new firmware from the SD card. Available as a free download or purchase as a pre-loaded card, or USB memory stick (DSJ). How many DACs can make that claim? Many DACs are user-upgradeable, but very few have received the steady stream of free firmware updates that delivered sound quality improvements - not just bug fixes - that enable the DS DAC … HIGH PERFORMANCE HOME AUDIO PRODUCTS If you have an immediate question email us. This DAC just turned 3 years old and has had zero problems. No more are tone controls on amps that much but like salt and shake crisps there is no problem. The PS Audio DirectStream DAC is truly stunning. Firmware updates are available on the PS Audio website and are downloaded to an SD card (one is included with the new units and kits), then inserted into the … MQA, Tidal, ROON, Spotify Connect, Quboz, Vtuner Ready (with Bridge II update), Significantly better low level linearity at low volume levels, Lessened noise on DSD -> PCM or PCM -> DSD transitions. Firmware updates often add new product features and functions, or for improved user interface functionality, but it can also have a large impact on sound quality. OS upgrades are easy to install: download the OS upgrade package from the PS Audio website, load the package on an SD card, power down the DAC, insert the DS card in the DAC rear panel, re-boot the DAC, and wait for the auto-install process to run its course. © 2021 PS Audio - Boulder, Colorado, USA, After labeling the subject, here's where you type in your actual question for Paul. _____ My main reason for looking at another Dac is because the PS will only do 24/192 via usb instead of my preferred AES connection. Enter the PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream DAC, which is a state-of-the-art-DSD digital-to-analog converter, preamplifier, and media center designed into a large, slick-looking aluminum and polished blackwood designed product with no discernable knobs or buttons on the faceplate. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The PS Audio DirectStream DAC is a 5 year old design that, with the latest “Snowmass” release, still competes with the best DACs in its price class. Instructions for the upgrade are here. Per the company's recent press release: I upgraded fro an excellent OPPO Sonica and this DAC is in another league. HIGH PERFORMANCE HOME AUDIO PRODUCTS Click the red folder icon to download the zipped file, Remove the individual files from the unzipped folder, Copy the individual files to a clean SD card, Place the SD card in the appropriate slot on the back of the unit (Gold pins facing up on all products except, Turn off, then on, the rear panel power switch on your PS Audio unit, The front panel PS Audio logo button should blink as the files are loading and the unit updating. Bravo. Lately, however, PS Audio has released a new DirectStream DAC operating system upgrade named Yale (not after the famous Ivy-league university, but after Colorado’s Mount Yale—which PS notes is one of “the 53 mountain peaks in the state that rise above 14,000 feet.”). This DAC is in excellent condition with the top gloss black finish is beautiful. Comes with Windom firmware (latest firmware for Directstream) installed. PS Audio DirectStream DAC (front and back) PS Audio’s DirectStream DAC is one of the most widely reviewed (and praised) products I can recall in the past 10 years and it was an instant hit with me. The necessary files are packed into a Zip container that can be downloaded from PS Audio's website. Each new version is like buying a whole new DAC. Offering them is one thing, but delivering them every 6-9 months over 5 years is another. Even for the average Joe, the firmware upgrade process for PS Audio’s DirectStream DAC is relatively pain-free. Click the red folder icon to download the zipped file; Unzip the downloaded file (Windows instructions here) (On a Mac, just double click the zip file); Remove the individual files from the unzipped folder So, this DAC is not really a five-year-old design. I upgraded fro an excellent OPPO Sonica and this DAC is in another league. Windom is the latest operating system for DirectStream DAC and DirectStream Junior (DSJ). PS Audio addresses these issues in its DirectStream DAC by implementing its product upgrades through free firmware updates instead. PS Audio addresses these issues in its DirectStream DAC by implementing its product upgrades through free firmware updates instead. If the question involves an immediate need, this is not a good place as Paul won't see them for weeks.