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Upgrade PS Audio DSD Mk1 to?

I've got a bit of upgradeitis.  My current DAC is a PS Audio DSD Mk1 that has had the xfrmrs upgraded and Vcom mod done.  I like it and the music it makes but I've got an itch to upgrade.  My first, and obvious, thought was a DSD Mk2.  I've also been thinking of the LTA Aero and Lampizator Baltic.

What am I looking to improve?  I find the Mk1 a bit noisy and rather long in the tooth.  What do I like about it?  It doesn't sound "digital" and i find that it's pretty even over the frequency range and the.musoc has good flow.  I don't like hyper analytical, dry music that can cause listener fatigue.

Budget is $5k or under and I dont mind buying used.  My main concern is that the dacs listed above will be a slight lateral move and not a real upgrade.

I think my virtual system is up for reference.  If you can't find it please let me know so I can fix that.

Has anyone compared the DACs I'm interested in or have first hand experience with them?

Thanks in advance

 

tko956
Post removed 
gme109
54 posts
 

I have a PS Audio DSD Mk1 that was upgraded a few years ago by JK Richard’s at APS, which made significant improvement over the stock DSD Mk1. I’m now considering sending it back to APS for his latest upgrades, which many have said take the DAC to a whole new level. There are some posts on PS Audio’s forums that say it now competes  with, and it even sounds better than PS Audio’s new PMG DAC. 

Here’s a quote from someone who made the comparisons.

 

"I have made comparisons to Denafrips new Terminator, Chord Dave, dCS, PS Audio PMG, Esoteric N-01XD, Bricasti M3 and Holo May KTE among some others and I feel none of them were better sounding."

 

gme109
54 posts
 

Here's another quote from the PS Audio forums  comparing the latest upgrades from APS on the DSD MkI DAC to the new PSA PMG DAC and the DSD MkII.

 

"


May 10

Have you been able to listen to a comparison with PGM?

 

 

post by MrJoe on May 14

MrJoe

2

30d

We had a group gathering of five individuals, four of whom are experienced audiophiles. We used his Airlense external streamer to ensure fairness. We compared the new PMG, the APS LESSP, and a MK2 with APS transformers. All DACs were matched for level and used the same cables and preamp. In the end, we all agreed that the sound between the PMG and APS LESSP was so similar that we had a hard time discerning any significant difference though there were some. The MK2 was just not as clear and revealing. The APS LESSP appeared to have a slightly more concentrated, deeper pinpoint imaging, while the PMG exhibited a somewhat broader stage. Both of them sound incredibly amazing and very clear with nice tight extended bass. The PMG seems to be less forgiving on some not so good recordings. I am extremely pleased with the performance of the LESSP, and we all liked them both a lot. I have no desire to upgrade, especially considering the price tag. The APS LESSP is a bargain. My friend was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. He mentioned that there is a new firmware available, which he plans to install this weekend. In our next meeting, we will compare the PMG with its built-in streamer and updated firmware to the APS LESSP with my custom streamer.

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