Everything thing in audio is based upon preference and I do not own any of SW1X amps. I lived in the UK for 8 years and spent a lot of time with AN which is a very good Dac as well and easily upgradeable to taylor the sound of your liking...
Wig
SW1X Audio Design DAC II Absolute Top Tier Ref NOS DAC
It has been over 4 years since I have ventured back into the DAC arena, a cautious adventure being that I was never satisfied with the sound quality of the Lampizator Level 4, Berkeley Alpha and an Eastern Electric DAC. All of them had their strong suits in one area or another but they were not at the level of my modified Modwright Sony 5400ES or Marantz SA8005 Tube CD Player.
I had been following the DAC threads for some time and was optimistic and hopeful that technology had improved or at least the deign implementation, so I private messaged a few knowledgeable members to get an idea on what they have heard and seen at shows and in their systems. After several suggestions and myself doing some reading and research on the different technologies, I decided that the Border Patrol with SPDIF would be my first entry back into the digital age.
The moment this DAC was installed into my system, I began to understand from my listening experiences that R2R was the DAC chip that provided an unmistakable level of musicality and toe-tapping emersion into the music. Now, I knew the direction that was set before me to find my reference DAC with R2R DAC Chips, Non-Over-sampling or filtering. I began to notice a trend in different approaches in the implementation/design of technologies and have heard through-out the Audiophile Community that Audio Note was the “Standard” in producing “Analogue Sounding” Digital to Analogue Conversion. The BP DAC solidified this in my mind, whose roots are also from Great Britain.
After discovering the similarities of these DACs, I decided to contact an Audiophile friend in Great Britain to determine if there were any DACS in the spot-light that was knocking on the doors or even beating the legendary Audio Note sound quality? He steered me to a small company that is taking Europe by storm and after a week of reading their philosophy and design implementation, I decided to contact the Founder, Managing Director & Chief Audio Engineer on which DAC would suit my system and yield the best sonics without spending an absorbent amount of money…
After making contact with Dr. Slawa, Roschkow, I took his recommendation on the SW1X Audio Design Dac II STD ($3,200) and I am in agreement with his Philosophy on design, implementation and many aspects I have never heard of but his knowledge is quite impressive to say the least and has been very responsive to all of my questions. Here are some aspects of my DAC listed from:
http://sw1xad.co.uk/product/sw1x-dac-2/:
SW1X Audio Design™ DAC II Features:
-Specially selected and harmonically matched component & material quality based on performance level 2 standard:
- AN Kaisei, Philips BC, Siemens capacitors, Allen Bradley resistors, complementary silver and copper wiring technique everywhere
- NOS (Non-oversampling –zero digital domain filtering) design
- Based on 2 x PCM56 K – the most refined and highest resolving sounding 16 bit DAC chips ever produced (yes, even cleaner and more refined than most 24/32bit Delta Sigma chips) directly connected to CS8414 S/PDIF receiver
- Active I/V conversion via a special transistor (with less than 10 Ohm input impedance) with the shortest signal path directly connected to the tube grid
- Single ended, anode follower, zero feedback, 6N6P/ECC88 double triode valve output stage
- Output stage signal decoupling capacitor options a) Bosch PIO or b) Audio Note Copper Foil Mylar in Oil capacitor
- 6X5GT double diode valve rectified CLC (choke filtered) HV power supply
2 separate mains transformers for the DAC and the valve output stage circuits
Custom Germanium transistor based shunt voltage regulated power supplies around PCM56K circuit
Supports 24Bit/96kHz digital coaxial S/PDIF signal input
110/115/230/240V AC mains transformers
As a reference, I have been listening to my new CDs that I got as a gift for the past 4 months which includes The Touré’-Raichel Collective (The Tel Aviv Session), Audio Note Ambassador, Vincent Be’langer CD titled Pure Cello, Three Wishes For a Rose, Ma Xinhua (Cello), Feng, Dan (Piano) and The Spirit of Gambo, The Galaxy Recordings (Direct Cut Super Audio CD) which I am a big fan of string type instruments and in fact is what I primarily listen to and have a good grasp on any changes that could be discerned by implementing new equipment within my system.
My DAC II STD (13.5” W x 16” D x 5 ½” H) safely arrived from Great Britain, unit was packed very well and received in pristine condition. Digital inputs include AES/EBU and SPDIF and the Output RCA has 2 sets of RCAs which I imagine one set are Silver or Rhodium-Plated Copper and the other Copper, so you will have a choice in fine tuning the sound you prefer and not to mention the possibilities of tube rolling to ones’ desires… I also believe USB inputs are also available upon request.
I delayed my initial impressions after install since I was waiting to accomplish our daily nightly routines with the kids before settling down in front of my system, knowing that it is going to take hundreds of hours before the capacitors starts to form and settle in and another 50+ hours to hear the tubes at their best; 96 total hours on DAC II. I cued up the first track on The Tel Aviv Session, Acoustic Guitar followed by Pure Cello was blown AWAY! I was hearing things that were never hinted at on my previous playback and quite frankly, didn’t hear this wearing Audiophile head-phones. I was struck by the uncanny realism of musicians occupying a physical space within my listening environment, I am talking about spooky and very a satisfying experience. Details WAY in the background comes through in spades and imaging/sound-staging is Off-the-Charts! I am hearing the air between the bow and the Cello as it begins to swell and every note played from top to bottom is distinctly transparent, fingers between the fret of the Acoustic Guitar that captures re-verb, spatial cues, ambiance, tonality, speed, timbre, PRAT and the illusion of the very presence of these instruments occupying a three-dimensional space along with the musician.
This DAC has it all and Percussion Instruments as well as voices has the same attributes of sounding Life-Like, Natural, Organic or whatever term you use to describe, you have the feeling of being transported to the recording venue…
You really begin to get a special appreciation for recorded music when you hear how a DAC like this SW1X Audio Design DAC II STD unravels the essence of the recording without altering the signal with up-sampling/over-sampling or applying filters. Implementing the DAC II STD into my system has been a revelation! I personally have never heard an Audio Note DAC and can only rely on those who have and the reviewer who has compared the DAC II side-by-side to the AN 2.1X and beat it, in fact, the DAC II held its own to the Uber expensive AN 4.1X and that says a lot about Dr. Slawa, Roschkow knowledge of circuit design, component matching and implementation, because the end result is all about the music…
www.hifi-advice.com/blog/review/digital-reviews/spdif-dac-reviews/sw1x-dac-ii-special/
Being that I was going to receive a Reference DAC, I wanted a cable that would not restrict but compliment the performance of the DAC II STD and decided to go with SW1X Audio Design Aero 10 which utilizes 100 % Silver in its SPDIF Cables; most claim 100 % Silver in their advertising but to discover it is silver-plated or the ground or return conductor is copper or plated and in my estimation is not 100%. My supposedly 100 % Silver SPDIF Oyaide DR 510 knocked off a more expensive and customized Silver Cable in the areas of sound-staging, imaging, detail retrieval and just a better sounding cable across the board and retails for $350+.
I was always under the impression that silver cables were bright, forward and analytical in their presentation but boy was I wrong. The Aero 10 is the best sounding Silver Cable I have ever heard and is in another stratosphere over the Oyaide. A very noticeable increase in spatial information, reverb, ambiance and detail retrieval is quite startling and at the same time sounds smooth, transparent, very organic and natural and this cable is not even close to being fully burned-in. From my cabling burn-in experience using a Audiodharma Cable cooker, it is at the 72-hour mark after removing the cable from the cooker when cable hits their sweet spot and I am needing another 48 hours to reach that point but will note more changes as the cable settles. Three days has passed since installing the Aero 10 and it is sounding beautiful, images are rock-solid and locked in place with a wide and deep sound-stage.
SW1X Audio Design has something special with their design and I believe that this is one of those DACS that will stay in your system for many years and the thought of chasing the latest chip will be quickly resolved upon powering up your SW1X DAC. This DAC and AERO 10 SPDIF Cable are “Highly Recommended”.
System Components:
Acoustic Zen Crescendo’s Loudspeakers
Don Sach’s DS2 6SN7 Tube Pre-Amplifier
Don Sach’s Kootenay 120 KT88 65 Watts Tube Amplifier
PS Audio Perfect Wave Transport
ModWright Marantz SA 8005 Tube CD Player (Current & Previous)
SW1X Audio Design DAC STD II
Equi-Core 1200 Balanced Power Plant
Cabling:
CH Acoustic X20 Power Cord
CH Acoustics X20 Anniversary Edition Interconnect
Teo Audio Ultra’s Liquid Metal Interconnect
Oyaide Black Mamba V2 Power Cords
Oyaide Tunami V2 Power Cord
Oyaide DR 510 Silver Digital SPDIF
Oyaide Tunami Nigor V2 Speaker Cables
Audio Design Aero 10 100 % Silver SPDIF
Gutwire Perfect Ground Cable
Audio Magic Blue Dot Premier Ground Disrupter
@wig Why aren't you gushing over that amp as being the best thing?
SW1X is totally over priced and the resale values and times it takes to sell one is abysmal. Ultimately, there is a market, and AN has great resale and for how much of it is out there in the marketplace rarely goes up for resale. Pretty sure you learned the hard way that the shiny object can hurt your wallet. Whether is sounds better than AN is debatable, VERY debatable, and not one I can offer an opinion on since I haven't listened to both and likely won't given how highly SW1X thinks of itself. . |
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The designs have changed but that only explains part of the discrepancy. Slawa Roshkow offers a ton of upgrades and options and they are not well explained on his site. Some are not even listed. The balanced option does not appear on the description of the III either. The balanced option is quite expensive. It doubles the price from around 6K to just over 12. |
@ cal3713 Dr. Slawa is always perfecting his models and sometimes not even mentioned on his site but when you order, mention your criteria and he will do his thing... I opted for 5687 and 5R4. Here are the optional items: Optional Extras: a) 2 x Audio Note Copper foil, mylar in Oil signal output decoupling capacitors b) 4 x Black Gate capacitors around TDA1541 c) Audio Note 2W copper, non- magnetic, tantalum film resistors on plates of the output tube d) the STD version of DAC III can be ordered with either US made 5687/E182CC or Soviet 6N6P Premium 6N6P from the 60s or Premium vintage NOS black plate Tung Sol 5687/E182CC output tube e) directly heated vintage 5R4 type of tube (from the 60s) in the PSU f) Additional choke filtering on the DEM clock tube PSU for the TDA1541 g) output wiring is normally one pair in fine silver and other is copper (by default), This way one can fine tune the sound by using either output. optional is all silver or all copper wiring h) USB input with a tube master clock, powered by an separate transformer i) 2 x HiB double C-Core mains transformers for the TDA1541 and DHT/DHD power supplies Wig |
@wig Interesting. They must have changed the design. Here’s what they say now for the III: "Active I/V conversion via a single specially selected Silicium (or Germanium on request) transistor (with less than 10 Ohm input impedance) with the shortest signal path directly connected to the tube grid. Anode follower, zero feedback, single ended 6N6P or 5687 double triode valve output stage." http://sw1xad.co.uk/product/sw1x-dac-iii/ |
Hi wig, I agree with you that Redbook is special. The idea that it can’t be as musically fulfilling or engaging as analogue records, well I just have to respectfully disagree. If you have a high quality digital source and DAC (Which you certainly do) the music listening experience is wonderful. Digital and analogue can both provide splendid listening sessions, it just depends on the quality of what you’re using in your system. Charles |
@ cal3713 My SW1X Dac Std III+ is also DHT and will run you around $6.8K and if you upgrade chokes/transformers to ShiB/hiB core, you would be pushing $10K and would be transformative... @ georgehifi There is some special about redbook and I like the convenience of dropping a shiny disc into my CD Transport and pushing play; no software upgrades needed : ) Wig |
wig OP I began to understand from my listening experiences that R2R was the DAC chip that provided an unmistakable level of musicality and toe-tapping emersion into the music. Now, I knew the direction that was set before me to find my reference DAC with R2R DAC ChipsYou got that right, nothing converts RedBook 16/44 24/96 or DXD better than a R2R Ladder dac (not even the very best of Delta Sigma’s) can come close, to presenting you with real toe tapping music. Only now the new barrage of latest "discrete" R2R Ladder dacs can surpass the above older chip R2R dacs, and even with OS. If fact R2R the chip manufacturers like Burr Brown (BB), Texas (TI), Analog Devices (AD), and I believe Philips, companies that dropped all making the R2R dac and went solely to Delta Sigma (DS), because of very high manufacturing costs of 16-18-24bit R2R (all those individually laser trimmed resistors ect). Have now gone back, with with their flagship dacs chips to a "hybrid of the two" only a couple of bits of R2R and DS for the rest, but many still believe so do I that for PCM Redbook, R2R is the only way to be "bit perfect" as DS Delta Sigma can only ever give a "facsimile" of the real thig Cheers George |
Has anyone tried the 3 vs. 4? @fsonicsmith Your comment suggests there's maybe not much to get by moving up... I'm attracted to 4's DHT output stage. Then I'd have the simplicity of a DHT at both the dac I/V conversion and preamp voltage amplification stages before using mosfets to add current to the signal right before the speakers (First Watt F4 monoblocks). No negative feedback throughout. |
@wig Great news. So glad you've still got it and still love it. You obviously can't argue with that 15 number! The source of the positive review I mentioned has been through a ton of dacs over the past year or so, so it's promising that he likes it so much. Really good to hear and I'll get a home demo once I've got my system setup again. |
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I presently have the DAC II Special which trounces my AMR DP777. I liked it enough that I decided to ask Joe Cohen of Lotus Group-Slawa's US Distributor-to upgrade to a DAC III Balanced. Slawa says the DAC III Balanced gets very close to the ultimate he can do with his DAC's. Since I was within my trial period when I asked about upgrading, Joe and Slawa graciously applied 100% of what I had paid for the II towards the III. I should have the III within a few weeks. Btw, I would tell anyone interested to expect 8-10 weeks for delivery. |
@ cal3713 My SW1X Std III+ is more refined with more meat on the bones and is a true reference Dac. I know of at least 15 audio friends who has gotten one of these and were truly blown away... With SW1X, chasing the next Dac chip is a thing of the past, you are rewarded with true play back today and in 2031... : ) Wig |
@wig So, it's been a while since you made this thread. Any updates on your feelings about the SW1X dac (or differences between models)? I just got a great report from another user and am getting interested in trying one. I love my Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE because it sounds so real and creates a beautifully three dimensional image in my system. Given that experience, I'm only targeting other R2R dacs. I just tried a Holo May and while it was truly exceptional in many ways (amazingly accurate frequency reproduction across the spectrum, great clarity, tonality, and details), it lost a touch of that real, organic, naturalness of the AM. |
@ twoleftears Had much detail response but my computer restarted and lost it but can tell you that you would be happy with either Dac II or III. The latter is richer/fuller in its presentation and has a more natural/organic presentation that is quite addictive. Hoping to have my Dac III assessment completed after the kids sport programs and pre/post surgery appointment and physical therapy sessions have stabilized. Getting home very late and have not had the opportunity to listen in weeks and I am missing it for sure... Wig |
A nice interview with Dr Slawa was just posted on Dagogo: https://www.dagogo.com/interview-slawa-roschkow-sw1x-england/2/ |
Guys, Dac complete and on its way! See link with some pics: https://www.facebook.com/sw1xaudio/ Wig : ) |
Hi Wig, Congratulations! Are you choosing the standard, special or the signature version of the level III DAC? The various part options available is quite intriguing. For example you have choices regarding the decoupling output capacitors. . In my Yamamoto DAC I replaced the stock film output capacitors ( which were already good) with Duelund CAST capacitors (superb) and the improved sound quality was undeniable and worth every cent. I bet your SW1X DAC level III will sound fabulous and look forward to your upcoming listening impressions. Charles |
@ k4rstar The SW1X DAC II sounds fantastic and even beat an Audio Note, which is like 3 times the price. That 1541 chipset is the most sought after chip ever produced and is no longer in existent except for those who purchased them many moons ago but are the best analogue sounding chipset and are typically used in manufacturer’s top DACS. Will not be able to do any direct comparison since my DAC II is sold, but it refines the sound of the DAC II with another level of analogue naturalness and more signature parts. Wig |
@wig I look forward to what you have to say. Do you still have the DAC II in house for direct comparison? also - this bit on their website is curious "Based on 2 x PCM56 K – the most refined and highest resolving sounding 16 bit DAC chips ever produced" If that's true, why does the top of the line DAC III use TDA1541A instead?? |
Guys, Instead of upgrading my SW1X DAC II, I went up the line to an SW1X DAC III that I should have in 8 days or so. http://sw1xad.co.uk/product/sw1x-dac-iii/ Wig : ) |
@wig Thank you kindly for the nice words. Regarding directly heated vs. indirectly heated rectifier tubes, the following article strikes me as being informative: http://www.tubemaze.info/sound-of-rectifier/ Although I can’t vouch for the following statement one of the authors provides, given the knowledge that is evident in the rest of his posts I would consider it to be worth considering. The words in brackets are mine: IMHO, directly heated rectifiers like 5U4 have a “faster” more “transparent” sound with a lot of punch, speed, and dynamics as compared to a Mullard GZ34 [which is indirectly heated]. The legendary GZ34, though, has a much more refined, more “hifi” sound with smoother treble, warm detailed mids, and less edgy sonics than directly heated types like 5U4. I tend to favor the indirectly heated rectifiers .... Some of the other issues he mentions involving the choice between the two types of rectifiers, such as the potential for cathode stripping in the audio tubes in the case of directly heated rectifiers, are non-issues if they are addressed properly in the design. Best regards, --Al |
@ curiousjim This is a very good sounding SPDIF, hand made with all silver, utilizing different gauges sizes and no screens to choke openness and transparency; I believe 1M at the time I bought was $500 USD based upon the exchange rate. http://sw1xad.co.uk/product/sw1x-solid-silver-aero-series-cables/ @ almarg and @ jond We are grateful to have you guys on this forum, very knowledgeable and inspiring to many Audiophiles. I will ask Dr. Slawa about his Direct Heated Diode Tube Rectification, maybe he has something up his sleeve and is brillant :) @ in_shore I actually tried the SM with his upgraded PS and it elevated my Modwright Marantz SA8005 Tube CD Player to a higher level but when added between the DAC/Player, it stripped the organic nature of the DAC, making everything sound flat. Maybe the SM does not complement NOS DACS. @ whart The BP is an outstanding DAC and very musical, the SW1X takes it much further... Thanks, Wig |
P.S: For an example of what the pin diagram would look like for a directly heated diode tube that is otherwise similar to the 5C4S see this diagram of the 5U4GB. In contrast to the diagrams of the 5C4S I linked to previously note that no cathode appears in this diagram; there is just a filament and the two anodes/plates. Best regards, -- Al |
Hi Jon, Yes, the wording is a bit ambiguous. However per the three references I cited in my previous post the 5C4S is not a directly heated diode. Those references indicate that it is indirectly heated, contrary to what is stated in various places at the SW1X site. And the 5687 dual triode output tube is indirectly heated as well, as I had mentioned. Best regards, -- Al |
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Hi Wig, Thanks for providing us with the great review, and congratulations on attaining this terrific milestone in the evolution of your system! As a point of information, though, and not that it matters much, contrary to what is stated on the SW1X web page you linked to in your last post I’m pretty certain that neither the 5C4S full wave rectifier tube nor the 5687 twin triode output tube is directly heated. For the 5C4S note the reference here to indirect heating, and also click to expand the second of the two datasheet pages shown to the right of the picture of the tube. The pin diagram shows a heater connected between pins 2 and 8, while the cathodes are connected just to pin 8. Another diagram shown here, as well as this datasheet which is the pdf linked to on that page, indicate the same thing. (The designation that looks something like 5U4C, although with the "U" looking a bit different, apparently is Russian for 5C4S). Regarding the 5687, it is indicated as being an indirectly heated twin triode in various datasheets that are readily found, as well as in a vintage GE tube manual I have. In any event, enjoy! Best regards, -- Al |