It's about time

It's been 8 years since we introduced the groundbreaking DirectStream DAC. 8+ years since designer Ted Smith blew me away with the sound of his prototype and we began the process of turning it into a product. It's been an amazing journey and now we're about to release the MK2 version of this stunning product. As we enter the beta phase of its release (click here if you're interested), I wanted to bring to your attention one of the coolest and most sought-after features of this new DAC. The ability to add multiple mountaintop firmware versions. As most of you know, DirectStream has always been unique in many respects. One of the most popular of its many features was our free mountaintop upgrades. Every so often Ted Smith would emerge from his lair announcing he had come up with a significantly new rewrite of this FPGA-based DAC. This was exciting as all get out as each new upgrade he produced was like getting a brand new DAC. And these upgrades were all free to our HiFi Family members. Once the upgrade was loaded, DirectStream was all new. But how to do A/B comparisons? We began getting requests to have the ability to load multiple mountaintop versions. A great idea, indeed, but because DirectStream was maxed out in terms of hardware, processing power, and memory we couldn't accommodate those requests. With the introduction of MK2, that's all changed. MK2 is overbuilt and future-proofed with respect to its FPGA and memory space. This allows us enough room to load as many as 10 mountaintop versions (when they become available) into memory. Without bothering with SD cards or USB sticks, now at the push of a button you can load in new (or old) mountaintops and hear the difference. There are tons more to talk about when it comes to learning about this groundbreaking new DAC. Stay tuned.