Got ya. Thanks. Trying to read all 158 pages of this thread :/. M7 is a sizable purchase and debating between DirectStream or even the NFB7. If I go A-GD I may even go HE option (power generator from Kingwa if he still offers it)
Quick question. JCAT or PPA into a OR5/6 worth it? If so which JCAT or PPA V3 is better. Trying to get the most out of this and be done, that said let me know if you have other config recommendations. Thanks
DirectStream is awful. Well, maybe I shouldn't say that because it's matter of taste, but it sounds really different from M7. PSA DirectSteam tends to be bright, have lit-up upper-mids, and lean sounding / bass-lite. Actually all the latest PSA DACs tend to be lean sounding. They are best in rooms with boomy speakers too big for the room or a room with a lot of room nodes or standing bass waves. Also wait for PSA DSD to make a price hit if it hasn't already. Tends to happen with PSA DACs more than others. Resale value tends to tank with them.
If you are using neutralish or brighter cans, I would avoid PSA DSD. M7 will have warmest tone and best lush vocal rendering out of the box. NFB-7 has of that SABRE hashy treble stuff going on.
On JCAT or PPA, consider if you have the turboclock upgrade on OR5. To be, the turboclock upgrade provided more precision and focus, maybe a bit too much, so I opted out and got $99 Wyrd 9USB reclocked) which provided about 70% of the effect, which was just about right for my tastes. I tend to be a cheap person if I can.
I would say start basic, and add pieces accordingly. It could be you end up liking JCAT/PPC + Wyrd + turboclocks. Generally, Wyrd is considered an acceptable substitute for the USB cards, unless you need special functionality from JPLAY, etc. JPLAY didn't do anything for me, but I use a hardened Windows OS with lots of stuff disabled and tweaked.
