Digital Drive

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RE: Abe, can I have your opinion ?

Posted by AbeCollins on December 7, 2016 at 07:24:31:

The W4S DAC2 was not a bad DAC compared to the Ayre QB-9 DSD or PS Audio NuWave DSD. These are all excellent DACs of slightly different flavors.

I found the the DAC2 to be a little darker sounding and maybe not quite as detailed and agile as the Ayre. I'm not sure how to explain it but the Ayre sounded quicker with better attack. The Ayre was smoother yet sounded more extended up in the treble and revealed more. That being said, I would think the DAC2 might do better in a brighter sounding system. So the Ayre was in fact better to my ears in my setup.

When I got the PS Audio NuWave DSD DAC I felt that it was just as good as the more expensive Ayre at 1/3 the price but I actually prefer it over the Ayre, slightly. The NuWave DSD DAC has a little fuller sound with more weight in the lower notes yet retains the smoothness and detail of the Ayre.

The NuWave DSD DAC as with many recent DACs will handle DSD playback over DoP. I can't tell you if that will sound any better than your DSF files converted to 24/96 PCM but I suspect it will.

If it were my DAC1 I would not continue to upgrade it. This DAC uses an older USB input, is limited to 24/96, and if I recall correctly it required proprietary drivers even on Mac. No amount of upgrading will get it to higher PCM resolutions or DSD.

The NuWave DSD is $1299 MSRP and it looks like PS Audio direct sales will give you about $390 in trade for your current DAC making the final price $909. I've seen DAC1's going for about $450 - $500 used. A dealer might give you a better trade if you're thinking replacing your DAC1.