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In Reply to: RE: Wyred DAC-1 LE (Limited Edition) posted by bjh on November 13, 2014 at 19:07:50
I think I paid $799 for a new PS NWD and I'm pretty happy with it.
I paid $400 (give or take) for an updated Bifrost and I'm pretty happy with that, too.
Lots of good dacs these days.
"We are all in God's hands... and God is a malign thug."
-Mark Twain
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I'm very satisfied with my PS Audio NuWave DAC at under $800. I've had three others in recent years and have kept the PS Audio NuWave.
I also recently owned W4S DAC2 (not the DSD version). The PS Audio is a bit more resolving with slightly better top end w/o being bright. I also had the Wavelength Brick V3 which was veiled, soft, and rolled-off in comparison. I tried a few different tubes in it. Same result. And the Luxman DA-06 which was very smooth, warm, but not as dynamic or detailed as the PS Audio.
It sounds like you saying the NuWave was a little better than the DAC 2, but was there anything you disliked about the DAC 2 (sound)?
The DAC2 and the PS Audio are very close. The DAC2 was actually a very slight bit more robust in the mids but not quite as resolving or extended as the NuWave DAC. I like both DACs a lot. The DAC2 is obviously more versatile. But overall, I like the sound of the NuWave a bit more.
The one thing I didn't like about the W4S DAC2 only applies to using it with a video setup for movies, music videos, etc. It was often sonically out of sync with the video. I have a bunch of music videos, some movies ripped from DVD, and some home videos. When played through the DAC2 I was never able to get the video and audio perfectly in sync.
The PS Audio NuWave DAC always presents the audio and video 100% in sync.
Again, this is the older DAC-2, not the most recent which also supports DSD.
Thanks.That sync issue is odd, I wasn't aware there was time delay buffering happening in a DAC-2. Would be interesting to know what Wyred would say accounts for the problem.
Edits: 11/16/14
I'm not sure if the audio/video sync issue happens with their newer DACs but I have no reason to believe that it doesn't. I believe their fundamental design hasn't changed drastically in the newest models.
If anyone else runs into this issue I'd like to know but as I already mentioned, it doesn't happen with my PS Audio NuWave DAC, and it didn't happen with my Wavelength Brick V3 or the Luxman DA-06.
This is typical of the half and un truths that you post here.
The fundamental design of the usb input and the power supply has changed totally in the W4SDSDSe, with the Amanero usb to I2S replacing the old one.
Lip sync is something done at the source control panel and not at the dac either.
Do you have a link for that quote?
I ask because the Wyred site does not speak of any fundamental redesign of the power supply. Rather for the DAC-2 DSDse they indicate it (PS) has been upgraded with premium parts. From their site : "... the DAC-2 DSDse includes an array of highly upgraded components: Vishay Z-Foil resistors, ultra-low noise discrete regulators, ultra-fast recovery Scottkey diodes, premium grade inductors, green OLED display and a Rhodium-plated Furutech fuse."
Moreover, does the DAC-2 have the "Amanero usb to I2S "?
If it doesn't then perhaps you can tell us what exactly has fundamentally changed in the DAC-2? .... after all that's what Abe was talking about, the DAC-2, not the DAC-2DSD or DAC-2DSDse.
In the interest of avoiding half-truths please do let us know.
I did upgrade my W4S DAC2 to the DSDse back when the upgrade became available. There were 2 parts to the upgrade, a new board converts the USB to I2S, which makes the DSD files play through the DAC. The second part is the PSU upgrade, with a few flash parts, but more importantly the better regulators and inductors.
I found the level of resolution and fullness to be a full step up in that upgrade. I use this DAC in my office for 2 channel only listening, so I can't comment on multichannel sync issues. IIRC youtube was horribly delayed by the old version, but is much better now. I don't recall a delay currently, but I also changed from a MAC to an Alienware laptop too.
Considering the PSU upgrades for my current home Pre-Amp the W4S STP-SE.
"The fundamental design of the usb input and the power supply has changed totally in the W4SDSDSe, with the Amanero usb to I2S replacing the old one."Thats all well and good but did it fix the Lip Sync problem with audio and video being out of sync?
"Lip sync is something done at the source control panel and not at the dac either."
Then explain to me why these other 5 DACs did not exhibit Lip Sync issues at all: PS Audio NuWave, Wavelength Brick v3, Luxman DA-06, Apogee Mini-DAC, and Lynx Hilo.
My W4S DAC2 was the only DAC that had problems with audio and video being out of sync.
The DAC2 was nice enough sonically but this problem with audio & video being out of sync was an annoyance. Has it been fixed?
Edits: 11/16/14
I love the housing, looks like Mil-Spec gear...
-RW-
It's not tiny but it probably looks out of proportion larger in that photo because it's closer to the camera lens than the laptop keyboard behind it.
I poked around inside the DAC and found a Murata DC-DC converter chip (OMG! A switching power supply!) inside to take the relatively low voltage from the outboard power supply up to around 70 something volts (don't recall exactly) for the 12AU7 tube plate B+.
To put size into better perspective. Well, I guess it is big!
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