I’ll chime in as the owner of a DDP-1 with separate PS-5 upgrade power supply. The DDP-1 was initially recommended to me as being of exceptionally good audio quality, especially considering its price point. The fellows who recommended it do ultra ultra high end audio installations and really know good audio.
I have a pretty nice old-fashioned stereo setup headed by Quad ESL-63 Speakers and I had just added the Naim Uniti Core for a music streamer when I bought the DDP-1. I needed a DAC in between the Naim and my Integrated amp. They were right - the audio is phenomenally good!
I just noticed ad ad in a catalog for the DDP-2 and looked for a review and found this thread instead. I was amused by the comments about how plain the box looks. I liked it a lot because it doesn’t shout at me like the DDP-1 does. That u-g-l-y external design is the ONLY thing I don’t like on the DDP-1. The new DDP-2 will have a lot to beat to sound better than the DDP-1.
I am just about to audition a $20k DAC and I’ll be surprised if it sounds a lot better than the DDP-1.
I’m no expert but I think the streamer built into the DDP-2 must have been designed to appeal to first timers to streaming. I don’t think it will turn out to be a good marketing choice, especially without great software to back it up. And even then, separates are almost certainly a better idea.
