Weiss 501 DAC

Update with perhaps 50 hours break-in and listening.  I've never owned a piece so instrumental in organizing everything.  It will seem odd to some, but it's as if a top notch business manager hired from outside the company has arrived and forced order onto the entire operation.

Great recordings sound even better and less than optimal are at least made listenable.  The Swiss have truly struck onto something special.

 

The single phrase describing the experience is 'completely involving'.

The Weiss 501 DAC is a gamer in any arena. Any quest for the foreseeable future suspended as this piece simply transforms everything around it. It has not revealed any shortcomings, it simply effectively organizes the participants into cohesive reproduction. In my estimation I did not overpay for Swiss engineering, design and manufacture.

No streaming….yet.  Not adverse, just not.

admranger  Not in the least is the Weiss 501 analytical.  It is simply magical in its ability to organize the whole affair.  As far as budget, I cannot speak to anyone’s financial affairs.  

I will submit that purchasing once with great satisfaction, enjoying that purchase for years, is fiscally better than years spent sneaking up on the prize with multiple purchases on the way.

My years experience with ATC includes ATC 19As, ATC 40As and now ATC 50As.  Sense a theme?  Active is where I live.  The very best of luck sorting the whole thing out.  Doubtful you can make a mistake here.  Ciao

After running the Weiss 501 DAC for over a year, Tom at Big Ear in Tempe suggested as good as the Weiss is as a standalone, it could use some help from a quality preamp.  So, with unchecked sanity, I plugged in a Luxman C900u and he is/was correct.

Found used, the Luxman cost/performance issue could easily be called into question.  But, the improved performance is there.  Quantifiable in percentage gain, no.  Suffice to say it's shiny and sounds gorgeous.  It comes down to defending the cost of the one month stay in Switzerland.  Not really cost effective to others, and why should we care as they may have spent 10K on a Super Bowl weekend.

Yes!  And it is beyond weird.  I first ran Cullen Crossover ll with good results.  Onto Zavfino Prima, yet better.  Then onto your aforementioned combo.  Bang on!  I've no technical explanation, only my ears.  It's just right.  

I run an entire loom of Furutech 4.1.  Listen on man.  Cheers

@drubin 

Well, nobody will build a set DPS-4.1 with NFC, listen to them, tear them off and build with regular 50 to prove that point.  They both are excellent, just a matter of your dollars and your choice.

Called into question is how good the IEC connector on a receiving piece of electronics is.  Steve Deckert of Deware makes that point by using only the best on his equipment builds.  Quality of solder used is called into question.  It is quite endless...and expensive.....and frustrating to chase every detail.

My Furutech DSP-4.1 power cables were built with NFC 50 connectors on the recommendation of Chris Romeo the builder after requesting from him a no-holds-barred power cable.  They work exceptionally well and I'm done.  End of story.

I hope that is positive and contributory to your quest.  Cheers