Best DAC under 2k US ?
I also am very pleased with both the PWD I and even more so with the PWD ll. I do like it with the PWT best, but as a Bridge owner, I listen with the Bridge 99% of the time. It sounds great and the latest software that has been available for several months is very dependable and robust. I won't be leaving the PWD ll world anytime soon. Well maybe when there is a PWD lll. |
There's also HEGEL's HD20, with the (to my mind) very worthwhile feature: ... The HD20 has a high performance digital pre amplifier, fully capable of driving a high end power amplifier. http://www.hegel.com/hd20.htm Price in Scandinavia is roughly $1700, so I'm assuming it won't (severely) exceed $2k in the US. (ultraaudio.com's review of my other recommendation above, the NuForce DAC-9 - also with build-in preamp, though not with the asynchronous 192k USB input that's now available: http://www.ultraaudio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=205:nuforce-dac-9-digital-to-analog-converter&catid=37:full-length-reviews&Itemid=2) |
"Even with the MK2 upgrade, the DAC doesn't sound that great unless you also own the Transport."-Mcondon. How exactly are the ones and zeros delivered from the PW Transport so special that other transports fail in making the PW Dac sound good? I'm not saying that the PW Transport is not good, in fact I'm sure it's very nice. But why does the dac sound so-so with other transports and so special with the PW? I'm just not buying it. |
I know several people who have stopped using the i2s buss via HDMI because they liked the XLR digital connection better between the two. The PWT is a very nice transport. I use one. Is it the best available? No. But it does have some nice features that other CD transports do not have. As always there are tradeoffs. |
My comments about the Perfect Wave DAC were too negative. If you have the funds to buy the Perfect Wave Transport (now called the Memory Player) as well, and connect the two via the HDMI interface, sound quality is really excellent, even more so after the MK2 upgrade of the DAC. I have tried other digital interfaces to connect the DAC to the Transport, including the very highly regarded Shunyata Python Zitron XLR digital cable, and found it to fall short of the sound quality of the HDMI connection especially in terms of resolution and deep bass. Other digital sources (PS Audio's Bridge and non-PS Audio CD players) do not sound as good to me as the Transport. The Bridge, in my opinion, has less soundstage depth and is less dynamic than the Transport. PS Audio has a very useful, non-censored community forum. A number of DAC owners who use the Bridge are waiting for better sounding firmware for the Bridge. PS Audio will probably deliver on this. I do own two sets of the Perfect Wave DAC & Transport. I would not have bought the second set if I didn't like the sound quality of the first set. My only complaint about PS Audio is that some of its products sometimes seem like works in progress. The Bridge was supposed to equal the sound quality of the Transport. In my opinion and theirs, it is not at the same level as the Transport. I have seen a lot of used Perfect Wave DACs for sale on Audiogon in the last year or so. It seems to show up more frequently than other DACs. I suspect some people have been underwhelmed by the sound quality of the DAC when used with the Bridge or non-Transport sources. |
i own the ps audio pwd and pwt. my experiences differ from those already expressed. first i have found that the dac performs better with at least two cd players compared to the ps audio combo. the players which i used include the vincent cd s6 and consonance sacd 2.1--both tubed players. i used spdif for the interface. contrary to other experiences i think the transport is the weak link, not the dac. then again there are factors in my stereo system and room which may account for my unique experiences. moreover, i find that the two aforementioned players, along with the audionote cd2 and signature technology modified cd player (with a tubed output stage using a 6fq7) ) are preferable to the ps audio combo. so, why i am not selling the ps audio products ? i can use the transport to read hi rez discs and, as has been suggested, it doesn't pay to sell when others are selling. i was able to obtain both at a very reasonable price so i do not mind holding on to them. however, at some point, if market conditions are gavorable, i will try to unload both of them. |
Tonyptony, the Shunyata Python Zitron XLR cable between the PW DAC and Transport lacked resolution and image placement and instrument separation was poor. I felt like I was hearing a blob of sound coming from the speakers that lacked coherence. The Zitron has a little added mid-bass warmth, but that was its only positive attribute to my ears. Of course, the Zitron digital cables might work quite well in other applications. I just didn't think it sounded good between the PW DAC & Transport. Regarding HDMI cables, I have found that they all sound more similar than different -- I have tried Harmonic Technology, Wireworld Silver Starlight, Wireworld Platinum Starlight, and Supra. I would give a slight edge to the Wireworld Platinum Starlight, but this might have been a placebo effect, since the Platinum Starlight retails for $500. The Harmonic Technology may have been a little warmer than other HDMI cables, but differences were really miniscule. So, if your budget is limited, I would not play around with expensive HDMI cables. I got far more improvement in sound quality replacing Audio Art Power 1 power cords with Mojo Audio Enigma power cords on the DAC and Transport. The Mojo cords really had a profound effect on the quality and quantity of bass from the PW combo, without sacrificing anything at other frequencies. |
Thanks Mcondon. I don't have a PWT - still using my lovingly restored and upgraded Proceed PDT3, so I've been researching choices for a good XLR between it and the PWD. I sure wish the PWD had an AT&T glass input. I'd be the only one using it I guess, but it would make this interface investigation unnecessary. :-( |
