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Bidat vs Perfect Wave vs Weiss and others

This is thread I started a while ago and promised in February i would start doing some real world comparative testing using the Bidat (Plus Mod) as the ref. The units under test are to include in no specific order the MSB Platinum Dac, the Weiss Minervera and the Playback Design player. I posted this under the follow-up of the original thread and it is there is you do a search under Digital for "ps audio perfect". I can't understand why it did not 'promote' to the top of the digital section as it did in the past whenever there was a new contribution, so I have started a new related thread with the first entry of my fun (and I hope edifying comparative experiences).
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Ok, I just got a broken in Weiss Minerva (several hundred hours at least). It has been in my system burning in for about 18 hours (18 hours since arriving in my home, time to come to thermal equilibrium). I have done some comparative listening to the Museatex Dcc-1 (a rarely known digital preamp 19 bit dual differential type) using glass Tos on both and then glass on the DCC1 vs a very expensive (can't name it yet as the manufacturer has not released it...sorry :( ) Firewire on the Weiss. I have a Mac Mini (2007 model) 2.0 ghz Core2Duo with 4Gig of ram running Leopard (although this model can only see 3.01 gig of that (I used 4gig as the memory transfer is optimized when the mem modules are the same). I also have a 1TB NAS (all over wifi). I am of course going to reserve final judement until a bit later.

I will be comparing the Museatex Bidat with the Plus Mod later this weekend. As a teaser, I will go on record and say that honestly at this point I don't agree with the stellar reviews concerning the Weiss Minerva.

It is resolute, almost technicolor but just to give you a short glimpse of what I am hearing, I could imagine a well healed vinyl person listening to Holly Cole on vinyl and then listening to the Weiss (playing the same in CD format) and saying "this is why I will never leave vinyl". Now that may sound harsh, but this is a hobby and I don't have a dog in the race, I am just reporting my ears findings.

I listened to a few high resolution files 176.4/24 and 96/24 but what I heard was a really clear highly resolved soul-less rendition of the music. It never ever made me smile or relax into the music the way the DCC-1/Bidat or even my former (when I actually spun cd's...wow time flies) stellar Dynavox Dynastation 2 (the finest CD player I have ever heard).

In a nutshell (at this point) it just sounds like digital and that aint good in my camp because I am not forgetting about the gear and just listening to the music. I don't like syrupy or dark, I have heard plenty of players try to use that trick to sound musical. No, I look for something that is more elusive and few their be that find that magical combination when forging through the nether regions of the digital domain. I will continue listening to see if the Weiss surprises me :)

More to come...
audiofun
glory's avatar
glory
1,614 posts
 
Vhiner and all other Bidat owner. I stepped out of line and do regreat I typed what I did.

I am sure your cables are fine and doing their job.

Maybe one day I can here a fully modded Bidat and have a good time with it.
vhiner
544 posts
 
Glory,

Perhaps I responded to harshly, but I just wanted us to stick to the point of the forum. If you're ever in the St. Louis area, bring your dac over and I'd be happy to let you listen to it compared to mine. Most people who own the fully modded bidat would be eager to show up for a dac shoot out in their respective neighborhoods. Personally, I'm always open to hearing anything that can "best" it at a comparable price. I have no brand loyalty when it comes to the absolute sound. The problem is that many people simply don't want to have their own assumptions about equipment challenged or even questioned. There may well be a better $2000 dac on the market. I simply haven't heard it yet. There are certainly some $5000 dacs that aren't as good because I've heard them in my own home.

One reason I've appreciated this forum is that someone has taken the time to actually LISTEN to gear and compare them...as opposed to the typical "theoretical" discussions in which people talk about what they've "heard" others "say."
kingstyles1
8 posts
 
Audiofun, are you still planning to test out a playback design?
lush
262 posts
 
I did an 'sighted' A/B comparison today: Museatex Bitstream against a No. 512 Mark Levinson CD player. We used the Levinson as a transport with the Bitstream vs standalone Levinson. Van Den Hul cables and a Moray James digital interconnect. Pre amplifier was Levinson No. 326 with a No 532 Power amplifier. Speakers were F52 Revel Speakers.

My first impressions: You have to level match, the gain output on the Bitstream was much higher, we didn't have an SPL meter on hand so we did it by ear, trying to level match as best we could the Bitstream appeared more lively, big and bold with more punch in the bass. Having said all that I actually preferred the Levinson's neater presentation, in some respects. The Levinsons's soundstange was narrower but I thought it was more refined, the Bitstream was big across the board but I felt it was EVER so slightly smeared. The two were closer in sound then apart. It was a neat test.
vhiner
544 posts
 
Lush,

Thanks for the fascinating post. Given the 512's $15,000 price tag, I imagine you'll be keeping the bitstream?
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