I have put together a great system built around the PS Audio PWT, PWD, and Bridge now at MK II status. At times it has been a frustrating experience. As an early adopter of this system I've taken a crash course in all manner of new vocabulary and learned many new skills. It has been a fun time. Now to the sound quality.
The sound of the PWT and PWD mk ii together via the I2S HDMI rivals some of the best out there. Is this the best available? I don't know as I've not heard all the contenders.
The sound of Bridge with PWD MK II Is very close to the thound of the PWT and PWD. And with all the advantages that a server based system brings. Being able to play all my music using my iPad is really a great experience. Yes it was a pain to rip all my CDs , but once this is done and a backup system is implemented it is easy to maintain and add new material.
The convenience and fun of accessing all my music more than compensates the very slight decrease in fidelity and with each update PS Audio closes the gap between PWT and Bridge.
As for HD content, the quality of the sound is much more dependent on the skill of the producer of the album or CD than the format. One cannot manufacture a silk purse from a sow's ear. This has been a weakness of analog and vinyl as well as digital. It is not the format of the music that is to blame but the skills, experience, and desires of the artist, recording producer, label. It is not the format that causes sucky recordings.
So in a word, yes, it is possible for server based systems to sound excellent and if one is ready to embrace something new and spend the same amount of time tweaking your system as you would tweaking a hi definition analog rig one can have a server based system that can easily be compared to the very best in analog/vinyl and the best of the digital world of transports and DACs.
The sound of the PWT and PWD mk ii together via the I2S HDMI rivals some of the best out there. Is this the best available? I don't know as I've not heard all the contenders.
The sound of Bridge with PWD MK II Is very close to the thound of the PWT and PWD. And with all the advantages that a server based system brings. Being able to play all my music using my iPad is really a great experience. Yes it was a pain to rip all my CDs , but once this is done and a backup system is implemented it is easy to maintain and add new material.
The convenience and fun of accessing all my music more than compensates the very slight decrease in fidelity and with each update PS Audio closes the gap between PWT and Bridge.
As for HD content, the quality of the sound is much more dependent on the skill of the producer of the album or CD than the format. One cannot manufacture a silk purse from a sow's ear. This has been a weakness of analog and vinyl as well as digital. It is not the format of the music that is to blame but the skills, experience, and desires of the artist, recording producer, label. It is not the format that causes sucky recordings.
So in a word, yes, it is possible for server based systems to sound excellent and if one is ready to embrace something new and spend the same amount of time tweaking your system as you would tweaking a hi definition analog rig one can have a server based system that can easily be compared to the very best in analog/vinyl and the best of the digital world of transports and DACs.