has anyone tried PS Audio perfect wave duo

I am well aware of that. I am not trying to start a debate, either. In theory you are right. The Wireworld though performed at least as good as any coaxial SPDIF cable I have tried.
Since the PWD is the only DAC that can use the i2s from the PWT, we are limited to TOS, coax SPDIF and AES/EBU if we use any other DAC. Unfortunately, the AES/EBU connection did not function properly in my system. I will try with another AES/EBU cable...
I do not want to change my DAC yet. I was just looking for a transport capable of Hi-Rez, and the PWT looked the perfect candidate. I am still trying to figure out how to make it perform as it should in my system.

I have 3 Mpingo discs on the top and am using myrtle blocks underneath as footers. I've tried Vibrapods and Vibracones and the sound became worse! It is a strange beast. Have you noticed the felt pads on the bottom of both the DAC and Transport? I wonder what they do so kind of tweak? I'm also using Signal Cables HDMI between the DAC and transport and Signal Cable's Magic Digital Powercord. I brieftly tried VH Audio's Flavor 4 powercords on both and they seemed to give it more slam, but the Magiic Digital Cables seem more natural. I should mention that I'm also using a Solidsteel stand. Recently I've really upgraded my system, and felt that the PerfectWave components fit in well with my sonic goals. To me, it sounds very natural, wide open, with a wide and deep soundstage. I did find that the Mpingo Discs made a significicant change for the better. I'm just now experimenting with myrtle blocks. I'm considering changing the fuses to an "audiophile" grade fuses if and when I can find the correct sizes. I'd also like to try PS Audio's powercords and HDMI cable, although I'm a big Signal Cable fan. I know of several audio salons that are now using the Perfect Wave components in their reference system.
Cullen Audio is supposed to be considering mods for both the units.
Hope this helps.
SGR

Thank you for your input. I will try different tweaks and hope to figure this out ... At the time I am using Aavik stands, and various tweaks from Omicron : several "Stabbilizzatore Armonico + Accordatore" and "Gold Special Edition" feet. The "Stabbilizzatore Armonico"'s had a positive effect on any equipment I tried to place them on .

silly question, perhaps, but isn't there latency when you first put in a disc--i.e. a delay before playing while the pw reads and recodes it?

The way to avoid this is to pause the disc you are playing. Then press eject, the CD transport will eject the disc as fast as any other transport I've tried. If you press eject while the disc is playing it does take a while to eject.

took my pwt/pwd over to a friends house 2 weeks ago for a demo. we tried a variety of combination's and connections using his much more expensive dac and transport (his whole system is MUCH higher end then anything i own).

tried his dac with the pwt then his transport with the pwd. his equipment alone sounded "better" then either of these combination's, regardless of connection type (SPDIF, TOS and AES/EBU). pwt and his DAC using AES/EBU sounded great and came the closest in both our opinion. we both agreed that the AES/EBU connection sounded best in general and the TOS sounded worst.

without a doubt.....the pwt/pwd sounded it's best when used together via the hdmi connection. detail, soundstage depth and overall smoothness were much improved vs any of the combo's and connections we tried. regarding the comparison between his stuff and my pwt/pwd?.....all i can say is he has since ordered and is waiting for his new pwt/pwd.

i'm not looking to get involved in the relative sound quality debate either. thus my reasoning for not naming his gear. i will tell you that it cost over 2x as much and is made by a very respected name. on the other hand...it is 2 years old too.

the pwt/pwd really shine when used together with a high quality i2s/hdmi connection. i use ps audio's I2S-12 solid silver line and absolutely love it. strongly recommend giving it a demo if you're in the market.

I own the PW DAC and Transport and would agree with general impressions. The combination of the DAC and Transport connected via HDMI/I2S creates an amazing synergy that makes for a fantastic source. This is the best redbook playback I have ever heard, hands down. But...I would not rush out to buy the PW DAC as a standalone unit because other digital sources plugged in via SPDIF and AES inputs sound pretty good but not amazing. If future products that are in the works at PS Audio bring the sound quality of other sources plugged into the DAC up to the level of the DAC/Transport combo, then it will be a phenomenal system that offers the flexibility of a wide range of digital sources with wonderful sound quality.

If future products that are in the works at PS Audio bring the sound quality of other sources plugged into the DAC up to the level of the DAC/Transport combo, then it will be a phenomenal system that offers the flexibility of a wide range of digital sources with wonderful sound quality.

PS Audio is coming out with a $500 bridge to do just that, first part of the year I believe.

Supposed to be this of mext month.

The Bridge won't be on the market until after the first of the year. PSA is also working on a dedicated NAS that I believe will include a server. The combination of the two (Bridge and NAS - in conjunction with the PWD) should take music servers to a whole new level.

I want to upgrade my impressions and final results after auditioning the Perfect Wave duo. I should have returned and updated this thread sooner.
As the PWT/PWD broke in, I noticed how much more involved I was in the music. There were certain things the Levinson combo did well, the image was smaller and maybe more precise, the vocals souded more pristine, bass maybe a little cleaner but not as full as the PWT/PWD combo. As time and tweeking progressed all those advantages the Levinson first had disappeared.
Along the way, a couple of things happened. One, I found that the PWT/PWD was still breaking in, two, I added the Signal Cable HDMI to connect the two pieces, three I found that the PWD/PWT sound was being muddied by vibration, and four the PWT/PWD took an unusual but severe aversion to Synergistic Power Cords.
So the units broke in andI placed 3 Mpingo discs on both the transport and DAC (It took a while to find out where!). I'm using Herbie's Tenderfeet under both the transport and DAC, and I've replaced the power cords with VH Audios Flavor 4 cords.
Even before I did all the tweaking, I thought the units had promise. They have a special sound to them and as they broke in I found myself not wanting to switch back to the Levinson from the Perfect Wave Duo. The PWT/PWD was just more fun to listen to. As time passed, I found myself not wanting to switch at all to the Levinson duo.
That's when I realized that the Perfect Wave DAC and Transport were for me and the Levinson had to go.
While there is really no comparison between the build quality of the Levison components vs. the PS Audio duo (the Perfect Wave stuff is still built extremely well), time has passed the Levinson stuff by, and the folks at Harmon don't seem interested in providing service, updates, or replacements that work, so out the door it went.
Owning the Levinson Reference stuff provided many fond memories but included lots of frustration! (I could write a book.)
I don't know if the Perfect Wave stuff is a contender for the current SOTA in digital, as I have not had the time, money, or inclination to look at and listen to all the contenders. I'm sure there are things out there that could sound better depending on the system, listening tastes, etc.

But when you get great sound now from the Perfect Wave duo, will eventually have a SOTA server when the bridge is out next year, and can purchase the pair for less than $6000.00 in today's economy, how can you lose?

For an easy, almost free, audition, call Bes at Music Direct. He can set you up with the pair. I'm sure there are other dealers as well that would provide the same opportunity, but Bes is very easy to work with and gives good advice.