Owner’s Reference DirectStream Memory Player
4826 Sterling Drive, Boulder, CO 80301
©2016 PS Audio Inc. All rights reserved.
Introduction
®
Thank you for your purchase of the PS Audio® DirectStream Memory Player.
The DirectStream Memory Player (DMP) is a state of-the-art universal disc transport capable of
playing most forms of optical disc, including Blu-ray audio, DVD-Audio, AVCHD, HRx, SACD, CD,
CD-R/RW, DVD±R/RW, DVD±R DL, BD-R/RE. In addition to DMP’s ability to play these discs, it
can also play multiple formats, like FLAC, APE, WMA, MP3, M4A, AAC, DTS, AC3, WAV, DSF,
MKA, PCM, OGG, from discs or USB input.
At the heart of DMP is an advanced version of core PS Audio technology, the Digital Lens. Invented
in 1993 by PS Audio founder Paul McGowan and chief engineer, Bob Stadtherr, the Digital Lens
focuses digital data into a perfect stream, unaected by the transport’s mechanical and electrical
properties.
In digital audio, timing is everything. Jitter, noise, and a lack of isolation have major impacts on
sound quality, especially aecting lower resolution media such as CD. DMP’s advanced Digital
Lens technology solves timing, noise and isolation problems through a unique combination of
buer memory and FPGA based digital processing.
Up until DMP’s advanced Lens technology was introduced, the internal Digital Lens found in
the older PerfectWave Transport relied on an intelligent RAM buer to isolate digital data from
the mechanical optical drive and laser mechanism. Separated from the CD reading device, data
accumulated in the Len’s buer until output through a xed low jitter clock to the DAC.
After eight years of research and two years of development, PS engineering has been able to
shorten the memory requirements and improve the timing of digital audio data. The new Lens
takes advantage of advances in semiconductor architecture found in FPGAs (Field Programmable
Gate Array). Using a single large scale integrated FPGA, PS chief DMP architect, Bob Stadtherr,
devised a segmented structure including intelligent RAM, two-way isolated communication with
the drive, and near-eld output latches controlled by an ultra-low jitter xed clock.
DMP is unique in its ability to deliver DSD, long trapped in the protected layer of SACD discs, to
external PS Audio DACs, such as the PS Audio DirectStream and products. The protected DSD
layer of SACD has long been available only through D/A converters built in to players and a few
receivers and surround processors. These internal D/A processors, while adequate, were never
capable of playing back stored music at the quality and performance levels enjoyed by mastering
engineers.
With the introduction of DMP, owners of our DirectStream series of DACs can uncover all that
they have been missing. Based on a proprietary handshake protocol between DMP and PS Audio
DACs, through our advanced I²S interface, pure DSD is streamed to, and processed in, the same
reference quality DAC used by mastering engineers like Gus Skinas, Cookie Marenco and Steve
Homan, to name a few. DMP will playback pure DSD only through a PS protected DAC to prevent
copyright and copying violations of the master DSD layer. Only PS Audio DACs have this ability.
Other DACs employing PS Audio’s I2S protocols will not deliver DSD.
Thank you
Universal disc
player
Play the DSD
layer on SACD
New Lens
architecture
Unique
architecture
Less sensitive to
jitter
