DirectStream DAC MK2

Specifications

Power

Model specific 100/120/230VAC 50/60Hz; 25W consumption

THD n

<0.1% THD+N @ 1kHz full scale

Format

PCM or DSD

Inputs

2x I2S (HDMI), coax S/PDIF, 2x XLR balanced AES/EBU, optical TOSLink, USB Type B (TOSLink limited to 24/96)

Weight

21 lbs (9.53 kg)

Notable

Introduced January 2023 at $7999, replacing the DirectStream DAC discontinued in 2022; gloss-black MDF top panel

Outputs

RCA single-ended and XLR balanced; max output 4 VRMS balanced / 2 VRMS single-ended; output impedance <100 ohms / <200 ohms; passive audio transformer output stage

Connector

RCA single ended or balanced, XLR balanced

Dimensions

14 in x 17 in x 4 in (36 x 43 x 10 cm)

DSD support

DSD up to DSD256; standard (2.8MHz) or double (5.6MHz) DoP, plus raw DSD on I2S and USB inputs

Input power

Model specific 100VAC, 120VAC, or 230VAC 50 or 60Hz

PCM support

44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8 and 705.6kHz; word lengths 16/18/20/24-bit

Output stage

Passive audio transformer, fed by high current, high speed analog amps producing double rate DSD

Sample rates

Optical (TOSLink) : PCM 16 and 24 bits at 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz and 96kHz S/PDIF and AES3 : PCM 16 and 24 bits at 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz and 192kHz; DoP64 Dual AES3 : PCM 16 and 24 bits at 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz and 352.8kHz; DoP64 and DoP128 I2S : PCM 1

Data rate DSD

Standard (2.8MHz) or Double (5.6MHz) DoP as well as raw DSD on I2S and USB inputs

Transfer mode

Asynchronous

Volume control

Zero-loss digital volume control, 100% galvanically isolated inputs, outputs and power supplies

Sample rate PCM

44.1kHz, 48.0kHz, 88.2kHz, 96.0kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz; 705.6kHz

Shipping weight

30 lbs [13.6 kg]

Word length PCM

16b, 18b, 20b, 24b

DAC architecture

Discrete, hand-written FPGA-based conversion (twin FPGAs, Ted Smith design); all inputs converted to 50-bit high sample rate then to quad-rate DSD (DSD256, single-bit at 11.2896MHz) and low-pass filtered to analog

Input processing

225.792MHz

Output impedance

<100Ω/<200Ω

Power consumption

25W

Signal processing

56.448MHz

Frequency response

20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.25dB

Shipping dimensions

20.5”x 24” x 10” [52cm x 61cm x 25cm]

Digital audio inputs

I2S (2), Coax, XLR Balanced (2), Optical, USB

Digital volume control

Zero loss of precision

Input jitter reduction

effectively 100%, residual immeasurable. No input PLLs, FLLs.

Analog conversion method

low pass filter DSD256 (quad rate DSD: single bit DSD at 11.2896MHz)

Output level high maximum

4 VRMS Balanced 2 VRMS Single Ended

Digital processing s n ratio

Upsampling > 210dB, volume control and Sigma Delta Modulator: > 330dB

Synchronous upsampling all inputs

56.448MHz for 48k, 96k or 192k; 11.2896MHz for all others

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